The collision in the center of the National Dome created a physical shockwave that blew the dust off the stadium floor.
Valkyrie and Xcalibur locked together in the dead center of the basin. The heavy, jagged metal sword of Xander's Bey was grinding viciously against the three polycarbonate wings of Valt's attacker. A fountain of blue and red sparks erupted upward, illuminating the terrified face of the stage referee.
"Push it back, Valkyrie!" Valt roared, his boots skidding slightly against the stage floor as he threw his weight forward, mimicking the exact stance Ryu had drilled into him.
"BWAHAHA! You've got a better foundation, Valt, I'll give you that!" Xander's booming laugh echoed through the stadium microphones. The giant flexed his massive arms. "But a good stance doesn't mean anything if the house falls on you! Crush him, Xcalibur!"
Xcalibur flared with a dense, fiery red aura. The sheer weight of the One-Impact began to overpower Valkyrie, forcefully shoving the blue Bey backward up the slope.
From his spot in the shadows of the competitor tunnel, Ryu O'Hara watched the exchange .
Beside the stage, Rantaro Kiyama was gripping his paper fan so hard the plastic handle was bending. "This is completely rigged! How is Xander even allowed to fight in the team bracket?! Shu got locked into the individual tournament because he's a Supreme Four! Why does the mountain get a free pass?!"
Ryu stepped out of the shadows, coming to a halt just behind the Beigoma team bench.
"The Sword Flames are a federally chartered martial arts institution with a recognized WBBA corporate sponsor," Ryu stated quietly, entirely unbothered by the sheer volume of the stadium. "Beigoma Academy is an extracurricular public school club. The WBBA allows elite exemptions for institutional founders. It is a legal loophole designed to favor established revenue streams."
Rantaro practically jumped out of his skin, spinning around. "Don't just appear behind people like that! You're like a ninja! Wait... you actually know corporate tax law?"
"I read the WBBA bylaws on the train," Ryu replied, folding his arms. "It was either that or listen to you complain about your calves for another forty minutes."
"Hey!" Rantaro protested, though he quickly turned back to the stadium.
In the basin, Valkyrie was losing ground. Xcalibur's heavy sword was relentlessly grinding away its stamina. The rubber driver of Valt's Bey was shrieking as it was forcefully dragged up the plastic ridge.
Up in the VIP balcony, Lui Shirasagijo leaned over the railing, a sharp sneer on his face. "The rookie is done. He can't match that kind of raw torque. Xander is just going to flatten him against the wall."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Shu Kurenai said quietly, stepping up to the glass. His red eyes were locked onto Valt's feet. "He hasn't lost his balance."
Down on the stage, Valt gritted his teeth. Sweat was pouring down his face, but his brown eyes were burning with an absolute, unyielding fire.
Xcalibur was massive, but it wasn't immovable. It was just heavy.
"We're not getting flattened!" Valt screamed. He didn't try to push back against the sword. He completely dropped his resistance.
"What?!" Xander gasped.
By suddenly yielding to the pressure, Valkyrie slipped backward intentionally. Xcalibur's massive sword swung forward, hitting empty air and momentarily throwing the red Bey's heavy center of gravity off balance.
Valkyrie used the momentum of the slip to catch the steep upper rim of the stadium. The rubber driver bit into the plastic with a high-pitched screech.
"Now!" Valt roared, throwing his arm in a sweeping arc. "Ride it down! Ultra Flash Shoot!"
Valkyrie essentially weaponized gravity. It dove straight down the steep incline of the basin, accelerating to a blinding, jagged speed. It ducked completely under Xcalibur's primary strike zone, aiming directly for the slightly off-balance underside of the red Bey.
Ryu's pink and grey eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter. *He sacrificed his own friction to create a blind spot.*
"Don't let him under!" Xander commanded, his aura exploding. "Dual Saber!"
Xcalibur's locking mechanism clicked, sliding the heavy metal sword perfectly in line with the lower plastic contact point, creating a massive, double-layered blade of pure destruction. It dropped heavily toward the center to crush Valkyrie's upward trajectory.
The two Beys collided at their absolute maximum velocities.
The stadium went completely white.
The sound was a localized sonic boom that physically shook the camera rigs hovering above the arena. A massive, swirling pillar of blue and red light erupted from the center of the stadium, blowing Xander's fiery red hair back and nearly knocking the referee off his feet.
For three agonizing seconds, the entire WBBA National Dome held its breath. The lights flickered. The grating sound of polycarbonate failing under catastrophic pressure echoed through the speakers.
*BURST.*
Three pieces of red plastic and metal shot out of the light pillar like shrapnel.
The heavy metal sword forge disc clattered violently against the stadium floor, rolling to a stop right at the tip of Xander's boot.
In the center of the stadium, Valkyrie wobbled violently, scraping the plastic floor, before finally clicking into a complete, dead halt. It was out of spin. But it was in one piece.
The Dome was dead silent.
The referee stared at the shattered pieces of Xcalibur. His jaw was visibly hanging open. He slowly, mechanically raised his hand toward the Beigoma side of the stage.
"B-Burst Finish!" the referee screamed, his voice cracking violently. "Two points! Valt Aoi wins the tie-breaker! Beigoma Academy advances to the second round!"
The stadium exploded. It was a deafening, chaotic roar of pure disbelief. The absolute underdog, a public school club, had just eliminated the Sword Flames and their Supreme Four captain in the first round of the team bracket.
Valt Aoi didn't cheer immediately. He dropped to his knees, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He reached into the stadium with shaking hands and picked up Valkyrie. He pressed the blue Bey against his forehead, a massive, brilliant smile breaking across his face.
"We did it," Valt whispered. "We actually did it."
Across the stage, Xander Shakadera stood completely frozen. He looked down at the pieces of Xcalibur. He had used his strongest technique. He had the weight advantage.
Suddenly, the giant threw his head back.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
Xander's laugh completely overpowered the stadium speakers. He wasn't angry. He was absolutely ecstatic. He scooped up his Beyblade, walked around the massive plastic basin, and hauled Valt off the floor by the back of his jacket, lifting the boy into a bone-crushing hug.
"You little monster!" Xander laughed, setting a dizzy Valt back down on his feet. "You actually slipped the sword! I haven't been burst in an official match in two years! You're getting terrifying, Valt!"
"Thanks, Xander!" Valt beamed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had a really good teacher for dealing with heavy impacts!"
Valt looked past Xander, his eyes locking onto the shadows near the Beigoma bench.
Ryu stood there, his hands in his pockets. He didn't smile, and he didn't cheer, but he gave Valt a single, very deliberate nod of approval.
"You held," Ryu said quietly as Valt, Rantaro, Daigo, Ken, and a very begrudgingly impressed Wakiya jogged off the stage. "You utilized the slope to manipulate his center of mass. It was acceptable ."
"Acceptable?!" Rantaro yelled, throwing his arm around Ryu's neck and entirely ignoring the silver-haired boy's immediate, violent stiffening. "He just burst a Supreme Four! That was legendary!"
"Remove your arm from my person within three seconds, or I will dismantle your shoulder joint," Ryu stated, his voice completely flat but carrying a very real, very lethal promise.
Rantaro instantly dropped his arm, clearing his throat. "Right. Personal space. Got it, Dark Prince."
Ryu's left eye twitched. "I warned you about that title."
"Alright, alright, everybody calm down!" Valt laughed, waving his hands. The adrenaline was finally wearing off, replaced instantly by the ravenous metabolism of an elite athlete. "I'm starving! We advance to the next round tomorrow! Right now, we need to celebrate!"
"I agree," Daigo nodded, pulling his bandana down. "The next block of matches is going to take hours. We have a break until the afternoon announcements."
"Food court!" Ken's blue puppet, Keru, barked aggressively. "I want something deep-fried immediately!"
Wakiya scoffed, brushing an invisible speck of dust off his pristine purple jacket. "I am not eating greasy stadium food with you peasants. My personal chef is waiting in the VIP lounge. Hoji, come."
Wakiya turned and walked away, though he shot a glance back over his shoulder. "Don't get sick before tomorrow, Valt. I refuse to be disqualified because our captain ate a bad hotdog."
"He's secretly really happy for us," Valt whispered to the group.
"He is entirely transparent," Ryu agreed deadpan.
The group navigated through the concrete tunnels, avoiding the massive crowds of fans waiting near the exits, and slipped into the sprawling competitor-only food court located beneath the stadium stands.
It was a massive hall filled with brightly lit stalls serving everything from premium sushi to heavy-duty burgers. It was loud, chaotic, and smelled incredible.
Valt immediately sprinted toward a ramen stand, practically vibrating with excitement. Rantaro and Daigo followed closely behind to ensure Valt didn't order the entire menu and bankrupt their club funds.
Ryu hung back near a quiet corner table, far away from the overhead speakers.
He didn't want ramen. He wanted the ringing in his ears to stop. The National Dome was spectacular, but the sheer volume of fifty thousand screaming humans was an absolute sensory overload.
He sat down on a cool plastic chair, resting his heavy aluminum launcher on the table.
"You're making a habit of hiding in the corners."
Ryu looked up.
Shu Kurenai was standing across the table, holding two cans of cold green tea. He was wearing his standard crisp white shirt and red tie, entirely unbothered by the chaos of the food court. He slid one of the cans across the table.
Ryu caught it perfectly. The metal was freezing cold against his palm.
"I am optimizing my environment," Ryu replied, popping the tab. He took a sip. It wasn't sweet, but it grounded him. "You came down from the balcony."
"Watching from behind glass doesn't give you the full picture," Shu said, pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite him. His deep red eyes studied Ryu's completely blank expression. "Valt is evolving faster than anyone ."
"He learns through impact," Ryu agreed quietly. "He does not map beforehand. He feels it, memorizes the failure, and alters it on the next rotation. It is a highly dangerous, entirely illogical method of improvement."
"But it works," Shu noted.
"Evidently," Ryu said, his mismatched eyes shifting toward the ramen stand, where Valt was currently trying to balance three bowls of noodles at once.
Shu took a sip of his tea. The silence between them was sharp, but it lacked the heavy, suffocating hostility it had carried during the District Qualifiers. They weren't fighting right now.
"Lui is furious," Shu mentioned casually, setting his can down. "He wanted Xander to crush Valt."
"Shirasagijo thrives on a predictable hierarchy so he can stand at the top of it," Ryu replied, his voice flat. "When the hierarchy breaks, he loses his anchor."
Shu let out a very faint, dry laugh. "You're going to drive him completely insane if you face him in the bracket."
"That is a highly appealing secondary objective," Ryu admitted, his voice entirely devoid of humor, making it significantly funnier.
Shu leaned back in his chair, his red eyes locking onto Ryu. The quiet camaraderie vanished, replaced instantly by the cold, edge of the prodigy.
"Enjoy the break, Ryu," Shu said, his voice dropping an octave. I watched you break the Sun. I watched you break the Mountain. But Spriggan won't shatter again."
Ryu didn't flinch. He didn't smirk. He felt the heavy, vibrating presence of Nidhogg in his pocket, a dark hunger that was fully awake and completely unsatisfied.
Ryu picked up his can of green tea.
"Ensure that it does not," Ryu replied softly, the dark violet aura bleeding into his tone. "I am waiting ."