Super Fighting Tokyo.

"..."

Shiraki and Musashi exchanged another glance, and finally both nodded, thanking Tokugawa for his kindness.

"Okay."

"Great, fantastic."

Both responded and chose to stop.

Thus concludes tonight's three battles.

From dusk till late at night, three heavyweight battles came to a close amidst unrestrained venting and roars.

This should have been a joyous moment.

This should have been a moment to be etched in our hearts with the loudest cheers and applause!

however--

"Gudu..."

The spectators were completely silent; even the sound of swallowing was considered inappropriate.

The words of Shiraki Shōka and Miyamoto Musashi were still echoing in the ears of the audience.

The audience even felt ashamed!

These self-proclaimed underground fighting enthusiasts have watched countless matches, but they spent the night feeling lost and confused.

So, I'm really ashamed!

"..."

No one spoke.

The three spectacular battles ended in silence – something even Tokugawa Mitsunari hadn't anticipated.

The end of a spectacular show should be met with praise, fervor, crowds, and the urge to discuss it, while silently anticipating the next one.

but now……

In complete silence, Shiraki and Musashi walked away.

As they parted, Shiraki and Musashi exchanged a smile, their enthusiasm barely concealed, silently anticipating their next encounter.

"..."

But then again, they met again very soon.

Because they needed to get to the infirmary as soon as possible, both of them had to exit through the Qinglong Passage, so they still had to walk together for a while.

Shiramu Cheng: "..."

Musashi: "..."

The two walked to opposite sides, neither speaking, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

"..."

At the entrance of Qinglong Passage, relatives and friends had been waiting for a long time. They helped the swaying Bai Mucheng and escorted him to the infirmary.

And on the other side-

Miyamoto Musashi walked alone, his steps steady, even faster than Tokugawa's, step by step forward, until only his back remained, leaving behind only the sound of his footsteps.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The bamboo shoes rustled as they were stepped on the ground.

There was neither confusion nor hesitation, and no one around to support me...

But he is still—the peerless Miyamoto Musashi.

……

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Inside a ward at Imperial University Hospital.

Five hospital beds were arranged in a row, and five other people were lying on the beds, all of whom were now awake and enjoying the morning light coming through the window.

Shiraki Sei, Retsukaioh, Tokita Ohma, Kanao Aki, Kuroki Gensai.

Of the six who fought last night, five are recuperating here.

"..."

It was early morning.

[The Anatomy Demon] Dr. Yingchu came to trick everyone into signing body donation agreements, but was politely refused by everyone and left disappointed.

Subsequently, the visitors arrived one after another.

Sakurai Arisa, Maruk, Wu Fengshui, Wu Jialouluo, and Wu Huili, who is with her great-granddaughter;

"Kengan Association President" Katahara Metsudo, Yamashita Kazuo, "Motor Company President" Takakaze Kirito;

Guo Haihuang, [God of War] Gaolang, [God of Earth] Kaiya.

Of course, there's more—

Holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms and dressed in casual clothes, [Champion] Baki Hanma.

"..."

With a total of twelve people, plus the original five, there were a total of seventeen people, making the spacious private ward feel somewhat crowded.

"Mr. Wang Ma..."

Just as Yamashita Kazuo was about to step forward, a girl with black eyes and white pupils passed by him, and he was spun around several times.

"Wang Ma!"

Garuda let out a loud cry and pounced on the bedside of King Ma, rubbing against it.

Wu Huiliyang, the woman who was obsessed with her great-granddaughter, had her mental preparations crumble at that moment.

With a clang, he drew his staff-sword, intending to secretly behead Wang Ma.

Wu Fengshui sat on the edge of Bai Mucheng's bed, watching this scene with a smile, and casually peeled oranges for Bai Mucheng to eat, one segment after another.

Maruk carried the gifts and distributed them to everyone with Yusa.

"..."

Katahara Metsudo accompanied Kanao Aki, Takakaze Kirito accompanied Kuroki Gensai, and Kaku Kai-oh and Gao Lang accompanied Retsu Kai-oh.

Baki placed the flowers on the table behind the door, then stood by the wall with his arms crossed, chatting and laughing with everyone.

As for Kaiya, he was also there on behalf of his master, Honbu Izo, to inquire about the situation.

Other relatives and friends also called or texted, and only after understanding the situation were they finally relieved.

"..."

In a normal battle, there probably wouldn't be such a large-scale operation, but last night was truly extraordinary, so much so that many people spent the entire night pondering it.

He pondered every battle, Miyamoto Musashi, and also the final "crazy fantasy" between the two.

That includes him.

Tokugawa Mitsunari.

As the mastermind behind Miyamoto Musashi's revival, this old man couldn't sleep last night and rushed to the hospital early this morning.

He arrived a little later, looking at the room full of people, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions).

"Haha, you're all here...?"

After much deliberation, Tokugawa walked to the five hospital beds, his expression a mixture of reflection and lingering fear, before finally letting out a sigh.

"Thank you, thank you all."

Tokugawa's words were astonishing, leaving everyone stunned.

He smiled and continued, "Last night, I had several nightmares. I dreamt that you went to fight Miyamoto Musashi and were eventually killed."

"Retsu was killed, Kuroki was killed, Ohma was killed, Akagi was killed, Shiraki was killed, Baki was killed, Gaolang was killed, Raian was killed..."

"You all fall one by one, and the arena is covered in blood."

"This old man..."

Tokugawa rubbed his temples, then rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb to wipe away the tears that had just welled up.

"I can't help but wonder, how would I feel if I really lost someone?"

"I'm very afraid, afraid that you'll say I've done something wrong..."

Tokugawa's voice trembled slightly; he was still shaken by the nightmare of the previous night.

"You must leave a chance..."

"Leave that one here, so he can jump up and accuse me—accuse me of making mistakes by Tokugawa!"

After saying that, Tokugawa took a deep breath and finally calmed himself down.

At this moment, Shiraki asked curiously, "Grandpa, where did Musashi go?"

Tokugawa replied, "He is not used to being hospitalized, so he went back alone last night and is staying at my house temporarily."

……

……

Two hours later, it was almost noon.

The Tokugawa family residence.

Tokugawa invited Musashi for tea, taking the opportunity to talk about the battle of the previous night.

"Mr. Musashi."

With a mixture of apprehension and barely concealed curiosity, Tokugawa inquired, "The battle with [Demon Spear] Kuroki Gensai... no, that's not a good question..."

He rephrased his question, "What are your thoughts on yesterday's three battles?"