Chapter 48: The Tournament's Final Bell
The afternoon sun hung low above the city skyline as Lee Kung stepped out of the Heroes Lair and made his way toward the underground fighting arena.
His hands rested inside his jacket pockets, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Gin Morino.
There was something strange about him.
The more Lee thought about it, the less sense it made.
Ever since he had arrived in the modern world, his instincts had been screaming at him. The feeling wasn't hostile exactly, but it was persistent.
The same feeling he had experienced near the temple.
The same feeling he had experienced when the prophecy mentioned the final piece.
Yet every time he observed Gin, he saw nothing unusual.
No aura.
No magic.
No hidden power.
No supernatural abilities.
Just a normal teenager.
And that was exactly what bothered him.
"Either I'm losing my mind..." Lee muttered.
"Or you're overthinking."
Lee turned.
Mia was standing beside him.
Sio Jun leaned against a nearby wall with her arms folded.
"You two followed me?" Lee asked.
"Of course we did," Mia replied.
"You've been acting weird all week."
Sio Jun smirked.
"You keep staring at that Gin guy like you're trying to remember where you buried him."
Lee sighed.
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
Lee hesitated.
"I don't know."
And that was the truth.
He genuinely didn't know.
The three entered the arena together.
Unlike yesterday, the crowd was enormous.
Thousands of students filled the seats.
The tournament had become the talk of the school.
Everyone wanted to see the mysterious new student who had effortlessly defeated every opponent placed before him.
Everyone wanted to see Lee Kung.
The announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The crowd erupted.
"We have reached the semi-finals!"
Cheers exploded.
Lee glanced toward the ring.
Gin was already there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Smiling.
That same strange smile.
Not threatening.
Not friendly.
Just... knowing.
The announcer continued.
"Our first match of the day!"
"LEE KUNG!"
The crowd roared.
Lee climbed into the ring.
His opponent followed shortly after.
The boy looked massive.
Nearly seven feet tall.
Muscles bulged beneath his shirt.
The audience immediately began cheering.
"Crush him!"
"Show the new kid what real strength looks like!"
The giant cracked his knuckles.
"I've been watching your fights."
Lee smiled politely.
"Have you?"
The giant nodded.
"You make it look easy."
Lee shrugged.
"Sometimes it is."
The giant frowned.
Then charged.
The floor shook beneath his feet.
The audience screamed.
His fist shot toward Lee's face.
Fast.
Very fast.
For a normal human.
Lee moved slightly.
The punch missed.
The giant stumbled.
Gasps filled the arena.
The giant spun.
Another punch.
Lee leaned backward.
Miss.
A kick.
Lee stepped aside.
Miss.
A knee.
Miss.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The crowd gradually fell silent.
They realized something.
The giant wasn't missing because he lacked skill.
He was missing because Lee was reading every movement before it happened.
The giant became frustrated.
His attacks became reckless.
Wild.
Sloppy.
Desperate.
Lee continued avoiding them effortlessly.
Then finally spoke.
"You should breathe."
The giant blinked.
"What?"
"You're angry."
The giant roared.
"I'm trying to break your face!"
Lee nodded.
"Exactly."
The giant attacked again.
This time Lee moved.
One step.
One pivot.
One strike.
His palm landed gently against the giant's chest.
BOOM.
The impact sounded like a cannon blast.
The giant flew backward.
The entire arena gasped.
The boy crashed into the ropes before collapsing.
Silence.
Then:
"WINNER!"
"LEE KUNG!"
The crowd exploded.
Lee offered his opponent a hand.
The giant stared at him.
Then accepted it.
The audience applauded.
Even those who had rooted against him.
Because what they had witnessed wasn't brutality.
It was mastery.
As Lee exited the ring, Gin approached.
"Nice fight."
Lee nodded.
"You too."
Gin laughed.
"You didn't even use effort."
Lee shrugged.
"You didn't either."
For the briefest moment—
Gin's smile froze.
Only for a second.
Then it returned.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Hours later the next round began.
The final match before the championship.
Gin's opponent entered first.
A skilled martial artist.
One of the tournament favorites.
The battle started immediately.
Unlike Lee's match, this fight was intense from the beginning.
The martial artist attacked relentlessly.
Precise strikes.
Sharp kicks.
Fast combinations.
The audience loved it.
Gin retreated.
Blocked.
Dodged.
Countered.
Everything about his movements looked normal.
Human.
Completely human.
Yet somehow—
He always seemed one step ahead.
The martial artist landed several hits.
Gin barely reacted.
His endurance seemed absurd.
Eventually the martial artist attempted a spinning kick.
Gin caught it.
The arena gasped.
Twisted.
And gently pushed him away.
The opponent lost balance.
Fell.
The referee counted.
Ten.
Knockout.
Winner:
Gin Morino.
The crowd cheered.
Lee watched carefully.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
No power.
No aura.
No magic.
Nothing.
Which only made him more suspicious.
Hours passed.
The arena grew louder.
The final championship match had arrived.
The announcer nearly lost his voice.
"THE FINAL MATCH!"
The crowd stood.
"GIN MORINO!"
Cheers.
"LEE KUNG!"
The building shook.
Both boys entered the ring.
This time neither smiled.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Everyone felt it.
Even Mia.
Even Sio Jun.
The two competitors stood opposite one another.
Waiting.
Studying.
The bell rang.
Neither moved.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
The crowd grew restless.
Then Gin attacked.
Fast.
Much faster than before.
His fist shot toward Lee's face.
Lee blocked.
The impact surprised him.
Strong.
Very strong.
Gin followed with a kick.
Lee countered.
Gin dodged.
Lee blinked.
Interesting.
The crowd erupted.
Finally.
A real fight.
Both fighters exchanged strikes.
Punches.
Kicks.
Elbows.
Counters.
Neither gained advantage.
The arena shook with excitement.
Mia leaned forward.
"He isn't normal."
Sio Jun nodded.
"No."
Lee began increasing his speed.
Not much.
Just enough.
Gin matched him.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Every time Lee increased slightly—
Gin somehow adapted.
The audience didn't notice.
But Lee did.
And that worried him.
Because no ordinary human should be capable of this.
The fight continued.
Minutes passed.
Sweat covered both fighters.
Gin smiled.
"You've been holding back."
Lee remained silent.
Gin laughed.
"You know..."
BAM.
Their fists collided.
"...I think you could beat everyone in this tournament at once."
Lee said nothing.
Gin continued.
"So why hide it?"
Their kicks collided.
BOOM.
The ring trembled.
Lee narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you care?"
Gin grinned.
"No reason."
Liar.
Lee could feel it.
Something wasn't right.
The crowd chanted both names.
The championship had become legendary.
Students climbed onto chairs.
Teachers abandoned professionalism.
Everyone was screaming.
Then Gin suddenly accelerated.
His fist connected.
Lee staggered.
The crowd gasped.
Another hit.
Another.
Another.
For the first time all tournament—
Lee Kung was losing.
Mia stood.
"Lee!"
Sio Jun frowned.
"He's fine."
But even she looked concerned.
Gin pressed forward.
Relentless.
Aggressive.
Lee blocked.
Countered.
Failed.
Gin's momentum continued growing.
The audience exploded.
"GIN!"
"GIN!"
"GIN!"
Lee wiped blood from his lip.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He had underestimated him.
Not because Gin possessed hidden power.
But because he possessed extraordinary skill.
The best human fighter Lee had met in the modern world.
Gin smiled.
"What's wrong?"
Lee sighed.
Then cracked his neck.
"Nothing."
A faint red aura appeared around him.
Only for an instant.
Five percent.
The arena suddenly felt smaller.
Gin noticed immediately.
His smile vanished.
The next exchange lasted less than two seconds.
Gin attacked.
Lee moved.
One strike.
Gin blocked.
Two strikes.
Gin staggered.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The audience couldn't follow.
Shock spread through the arena.
Moments ago the fighters had seemed equal.
Now Lee completely controlled the battle.
Gin smiled despite being overwhelmed.
"There you are."
Lee continued.
His movements became flawless.
Elegant.
Precise.
Unstoppable.
Every strike pushed Gin backward.
Every counter arrived before Gin finished attacking.
For the first time—
Gin was losing.
Badly.
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
Lee finally launched one final punch.
BOOM.
Gin flew across the ring.
The ropes caught him.
He fell to one knee.
The referee began counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Gin tried standing.
Four.
Five.
His legs shook.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
He smiled.
Nine.
Ten.
The bell rang.
Silence.
Then the entire arena exploded.
"WINNER!"
"TOURNAMENT CHAMPION!"
"LEE KUNG!"
Thunderous applause echoed throughout the building.
Lee stood breathing calmly.
Gin laughed from the floor.
"You're ridiculous."
Lee walked over.
Extended a hand.
Gin stared at it.
Then accepted.
The crowd cheered louder than ever.
Sportsmanship.
Respect.
The perfect ending.
Lee pulled him up.
Gin dusted himself off.
Then asked:
"So that's your peak strength?"
Lee smiled.
"Yeah."
Gin stared.
"You sure?"
Lee laughed.
"What can I say?"
He placed a hand behind his head.
"I've been holding back, but I had to use everything."
It was the biggest lie he had told since arriving in the modern world.
Five percent.
That was all he had used.
Yet Gin nodded.
"I knew it."
Lee smiled.
Inside, however, he remained uneasy.
Because despite everything—
Despite watching him fight.
Despite defeating him.
Despite seeing no supernatural abilities.
Despite proving he was just a human.
The feeling refused to disappear.
The prophecy.
The final piece.
The strange familiarity.
Something connected to Gin Morino remained hidden.
And Lee Kung intended to find out what it was.
No matter how long it took.
As the crowd celebrated around them and cameras flashed throughout the arena, neither boy noticed the dark figure watching from the shadows above.
Purple eyes glowed briefly.
Then vanished.
And somewhere far away, Harris opened his eyes inside a dark chamber and heard a voice whisper:
"The final piece has made contact."
"The game may finally begin."