CHAPTER 82: NOT THE SAME SPECIES
Presence.
As Ren Shiroki and his group marched into the Grand Ballroom, the hierarchy of the room shifted. Kaiji Itou, caught in the middle of the storm, felt his brain entering a state of hyper-activity. The word "Presence" flashed through his mind like a neon sign.
There were so many different frequencies of power in the room!
Since the youth calling himself the "Leader" appeared, he had radiated a singular, suffocating aura. He dominated the conversation, the logic, and the air itself. Whether it was his terrible jokes, his clinical dismissal of Sadakuni, or his "Perfect Solution," he had been leading everyone by the nose.
His was a strange, aggressive "Stillness."
Only Akagi Shigeru had remained unphased, a cold flame that refused to be extinguished by the Leader's vacuum.
But now, the new group brought their own storms.
Marco's innocent weight. Baku's sharp, jagged edge. Kyara's predatory hunger.
And Ren Shiroki.
If Kaiji had to describe Ren's presence, it was "Active."
Unlike the Leader's cold "Perfection," Ren felt like a bonfire. He was vibrant, erratic, and intensely alive. Kaiji remembered the self-help books and TV lectures he'd consumed during his low points—they all emphasized that "Winners" must be calm and still. They taught children to think before they act and to never be impulsive.
Kaiji had believed that logic. But tonight, as he watched the two men face each other, he realized that compared to the Leader's "Perfect Stillness," Ren's "Unpredictable Motion" was far more magnetic.
Ren and Souichi Kiruma—the Leader of Kakerou—stood face-to-face.
Souichi was well-built, his physique clearly maintained by elite training, but he lacked Ren's sheer mass. He was a scalpel where Ren was a claymore. Ren, still coated in the drying blood of his previous battles, looked like a demon that had just climbed out of a pit.
Yet Souichi showed no fear. He rubbed his chin with a casual, bored grace, his gaze meeting Ren's in a clash of wills that made the air between them hum.
"More... debris?"
The scarred old gentleman, Sadao "Joichi" Yagyo, took a half-step forward, shielding his Leader. He looked at Ren with eyes like frozen iron. "It seems a large piece of trash has wandered onto the deck. It will take a few minutes to sweep it away."
"My apologies," Ren said, giving a helical stretch of his shoulders. He grinned. "I didn't quite catch that."
Next microsecond—
At point-blank range, Ren and Sadao moved simultaneously.
Ren lunged for a grapple, his arms wide. Sadao chose a short-range, "inside" striking style, his hands blurring into hand-blade strikes aimed at Ren's carotid artery and eyes.
They both read each other's intent instantly. The moves were canceled mid-flight as they adjusted.
BAP! THUD!
Ren caught Sadao's forearm; Sadao's other hand jammed Ren's shoulder. Their feet were locked, each pinning the other's lead leg. They were frozen in a perfect stalemate of physical pressure.
Neither could move without giving the other a kill-shot. They were both preparing their next "Phase Shift" when Souichi's voice cut through the tension.
"Enough, Joichi. So... you're the Kengan Member who broke my Number Ten Referee?"
Since the Leader had spoken, Sadao relaxed his posture, though his eyes remained fixed on Ren. Ren mirrored him, tilting his head at Souichi.
"Yeah. I beat Mepu. You said you were grateful, so I guess that means you owe me a favor?"
"In a sense," Souichi nodded. "However, the trouble surrounding that shipment of missiles was substantial. The Metropolitan Police were already moving. By having Kakerou 'Solve' the issue, I have indirectly saved you from a massive legal and tactical headache."
"I consider the debt settled. We are even."
Ren shrugged, his expression unreadable.
On the other side of the room, Madarame Baku chimed in. "Wow. Discarding a favor the second it's mentioned? You really are a cold-hearted one, Souichi."
Souichi ducked back behind Sadao, whispering to the Referee, "Who is that?"
"Madarame Baku. Alias: The Lie Eater," Sadao replied tonelessly. "A few years ago, he challenged you in a 'Surmounting the Heights' gamble and lost his life. You allowed him to survive because you found his defeat 'Boring.'"
"Ah, right. I remember something like that now. An insignificant character. I shouldn't have bothered remembering him."
Souichi waved a hand dismissively. "Forget him. Tonight's main event is more important."
Baku went silent, his face a mask of shifting shadows. He stayed in the corner, his mind spinning through a thousand variables.
Souichi's attention then drifted to the man standing in the doorway.
"So... Kyara is here as well."
Sadao's eyes narrowed as he looked at the afro-haired man. Even from across the ballroom, Kyara's savage presence was a physical weight.
"The 'Former' Number Zero who abandoned the Club... the man Kakerou is still hunting," Sadao whispered. "And here you are, standing with the stray dogs. Have you truly fallen that low, Kyara?"
Kyara bared his teeth in a manic grin. "Joichi Yagyo... are you ready to taste the dirt of this deck? Or do you want me to snap your neck in front of your little Prince?"
Both men were high-tension wires, ready to snap.
But as the ballroom reached a flashpoint, the final group entered, adding a layer of "Ice" to the fire.
Kazutaka Hyodo, Kaede Akiyama, Atsushi Suedo, and the Kengan Referee walked in from the monitoring room. Each brought their own unique perspective to the chaos.
Souichi patted Sadao's shoulder, signaling him to stand down. The Number One Referee retreated to his Leader's side.
"Hoo..."
Souichi let out a heavy sigh, looking genuinely troubled. "What to do? This was supposed to be a simple dispute between Kakerou and IDEAL, but the room is getting quite crowded."
"I don't wish to start a war tonight. I need a 'Successful Solution.' This is such a headache—"
Souichi began to ramble, his "Emperor" persona attempting to reclaim the narrative. His confidence was absolute, as if he were already holding the winning hand.
But a soft, rhythmic chuckle interrupted him.
"Heh... heh... heh..."
Shigeru Akagi spoke up, his voice a warm candle in the freezing ballroom.
He looked at the Leader of Kakerou. "I see it now. We really aren't the same species. You're a man who craves 'Success' and 'Perfection.'"
"But for me? Success is a heavy thing. The moment I acquire it, I feel an irresistible urge to break it. If I don't, the weight on my shoulders becomes unbearable."
Akagi stood up, pushing his chair aside. He walked over to the table where his winnings—ten briefcases containing One Billion Yen in cash—were stacked.
Akagi looked at Ren Shiroki.
"Ren-kun... tonight, I won all this 'Success.' But I find I have no use for it."
"I'm entrusting it all to you. Don't find me too annoying for dumping my trash on your doorstep."
Ren looked at the cases, then at Akagi. He understood the "Will" being passed to him. He let out a sharp, crystalline laugh.
"Perfect. Simply perfect!"
Ren turned to Souichi Kiruma.
"When a dispute is too complex for logic, and the stakes involve both 'Wealth' and 'Might,' the merchants of this country have a tradition to settle the ledger."
"Entrust your prayers to the fist of the fighter."
"That is Kengan Combat!"
Ren's eyes locked onto the Leader's dark pupils.
"For the ownership of the Espoir and the billion-yen stake... Leader of Kakerou, I challenge you to a Kengan Match."