Three days felt like an eternity for Uvogin.
Now, as he watched Ronin step onto the arena amid thunderous cheers, the aura he'd been suppressing finally exploded out of control. A wave of savage killing intent surged straight toward Ronin.
Yet Ronin remained completely unmoved by the pressure. He continued walking forward, step by step, until he firmly took his place on the stage.
The two men faced each other.
"Freshly promoted to the 200th floor, the Iron-Arm Gorilla who ended every previous match with a single punch—his first chosen opponent is…"
"And facing him, the super rookie who has surged through the 200th floor with overwhelming dominance—the man known as the Crimson Meteor! His name is…"
The atmosphere hit its absolute peak as the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
Fans in the front rows raised banners supporting Ronin, erupting into deafening cheers.
"Ronin vs. Uvogin!"
"I finally got my wish," Uvogin said, his gaze locked onto Ronin as his aura grew even denser. "I'll rip you open from the mouth and make you stay alive while I tear off your limbs one by one. And in the end, I'll crush your head—just like I crushed your father's!"
"Honestly," Ronin replied calmly, "being chased nonstop by you is pretty annoying. I don't need a deranged stalker fan like you."
That single phrase—stalker fan—was more than enough to ignite Uvogin, who was already a walking powder keg.
"Let's fight to the death!" Uvogin roared.
"Okay," Ronin answered cheerfully.
Just a few exchanged words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
The announcer immediately declared, "The newcomer to the 200th floor, Iron-Arm Gorilla Uvogin, has requested a death match! And the super rookie Ronin has accepted without hesitation!
"This bout will now become a fight to the death! Only one person will leave the arena alive—the opponent's death will be the condition for victory!"
Clearly, the announcer had been paid off.
The referee stepped forward. "All weapons are permitted. Please stake your honor and pride—and begin!"
The instant the referee's words fell, both Uvogin and Ronin converted their deep, surging Nen into Ken!
Aura rapidly condensed around their fists as both figures vanished from their original positions. A thunderous explosion erupted in the arena.
Two identical Super Destruction Punches collided head-on at the center of the stage.
Boom—boom—boom!
The deafening blasts became the rhythm of the entire fight.
Uvogin unleashed a pure, brutal Super Destruction Punch. Every blow carried terrifying force. His violent aura flowed constantly, gathering into his arms and then compressing in a special circulation pattern within his fists, producing power far beyond his normal strikes.
Across from him was Ronin—a figure moving at extreme speed, leaving behind only two streaks of crimson light on the arena floor.
That crimson glow marked his eyes entering an intermediate state.
At this moment, his eyes existed in a special Scarlet Eyes form where darkness and blood-red color coexisted.
This state meant one thing: he could use two different powers at the same time.
One was the Super Destruction Punch copied from Uvogin through the Sharingan.
The other was Ronin's own chakra-based power—Cherry Blossom Impact.
The overlap of these two forces gave him the capital to clash head-on with Uvogin.
Fists slamming into flesh, the intense observation of Uvogin's Nen flow during high-speed combat, and the extreme mobilization of his own aura—all of it pulled Ronin completely into the fight.
The intermediate Scarlet Eyes also possessed the Sharingan's extraordinary dynamic vision.
This allowed Ronin to clearly see how Uvogin distributed his Nen using Ryu, making it easier for Ronin to adjust his own aura in response.
Blocking. Deflecting.
Every collision between them detonated with a massive roar across the arena.
When the fight hit its most exhilarating moments, Uvogin let out a long, ecstatic howl.
Ronin, however, began to feel the pressure.
Matching Uvogin required the overlap of two energy systems—but doing so meant his consumption far exceeded Uvogin's.
Given that his total aura reserves were already inferior, this level of expenditure meant one thing:
If the fight dragged on, Uvogin could outlast him and grind him down.
After another violent clash, Ronin chose to disengage. His hands formed seals in front of his chest.
That feint caused a brief moment of hesitation in Uvogin's movements.
That single instant was all Ronin needed.
He widened the distance between them, brushed the small pouch at his waist, and in the next second, a storm of shuriken shot out, flying toward Uvogin in a surrounding pattern.
At the same time, Ronin's eyes briefly entered the full Sharingan state.
But in that instant, he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Ronin's presence had grown even stronger—yet his eyes had returned to their normal appearance.
Only Ronin knew what had happened during that brief moment of darkness.
With one hand forming a seal, he activated the Eight Gates.
First Gate: Gate of Opening.
Even after exiting the Sharingan state, he could clearly feel it—like a switch inside his body had been flipped.
His control over his own energy became incredibly smooth, as if he could mobilize every last drop of power within him at one hundred percent efficiency.
Facing the incoming shuriken, Uvogin didn't even bother dodging.
His monstrous physique combined with powerful Nen caused the shuriken to bounce harmlessly off his body and scatter across the floor.
But in the very next second, Uvogin's pupils shrank.
Ronin—who had been directly in front of him—had vanished the moment the shuriken were blocked.
Uvogin's dark eyes snapped to the left. He raised his arm slightly—
Boom!
Ronin's foot slammed solidly into his arm.
His speed increased… but his power didn't! Uvogin realized.
As the thought crossed his mind, his right hand shot out to grab Ronin.
But Ronin's figure flickered and reappeared elsewhere. Planting his hands on the ground, he launched himself upward in a fierce rising kick aimed straight at Uvogin's chin.
This was Shadow of the Dancing Leaf.
An explosive burst of speed to close in—and kick the opponent into the air.
The opening move of the Lotus.
Ronin's eyes had already reentered the intermediate state, adding a hint of Cherry Blossom Impact to the kick.
Not a pure Eight Gates technique—but effective.
The massive force sent Uvogin flying straight into the air.
An opening! Ronin thought.
The bandages wrapped around his arms—prepared long ago—came loose as he pursued Uvogin upward, rapidly binding themselves around Uvogin's body.
In the next instant, Ronin wrapped himself around the restrained Uvogin midair, the two spinning at high speed.
This was Rock Lee's signature technique—
Primary Lotus!
With a thunderous crash, Ronin drove Uvogin headfirst into the arena floor.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Ronin's figure appeared near the edge of the arena. His breathing was heavy, his arms trembled slightly, and fine cuts covered his body.
But his eyes remained locked on the center of the arena, where the dust was slowly settling.
And there—
A massive figure was beginning to rise from the crater.