Ichinaro and Aroka split up after the start of the final stage.
Ichinaro headed toward the northern side, while Aroka went west. Both of them carried a hexagonal device capable of transmitting sound from one place to another by sensing energy.
Before separating, they agreed on their approach.
Observe first.
Understand the situation.
Scout the area.
Then make a decision.
There was no reason to rush. The competition was not based on strength alone, but also on knowing where to search and how to move.
Each of them headed in his own direction.
Ichinaro moved between the trees, watching the area around him and trying to notice anything that might lead him to the key.
But it wasn't long before he encountered several other contestants.
The moment they saw him, their expressions changed.
They surrounded him.
Then they attacked him together.
Ichinaro didn't retreat.
He simply...
closed his eyes.
It seemed as though he had stopped relying on his sight, as if something else had begun drawing the paths of his opponents' attacks before him.
He moved.
One attack passed beside him.
Then another.
And another.
He dodged their attacks with ease, moving at exactly the right moment, as though he knew the direction of each strike before it reached him.
Then he drew his dagger.
His movements shifted from defense to offense.
He cut them down one after another, then continued on his way without giving them any further attention.
After a while, he reached a tall tree.
He jumped onto it and stood on one of its branches.
He closed his eyes again.
This time, he wasn't watching a single person.
He began sensing the entire area.
The movements of the people.
Their positions.
And their directions.
He was trying to form a clear picture of what was happening around him without needing to see everything with his eyes.
At the same time, Aroka was on the western side.
He moved carefully, hiding among the trees while observing the movements of the people in the area.
He was looking for any clue that could lead him to the key.
He looked here and there.
He watched the contestants' movements.
He tried to notice anything unusual.
But...
he noticed nothing.
Even so, he didn't stop.
He continued searching.
Ichinaro finished observing the area.
He climbed down from the tree and continued walking.
He kept moving through the trees until he noticed someone fighting another contestant.
He stopped.
It was Arion.
One of the strongest participants in the competition.
Ichinaro didn't interfere.
He preferred to watch.
He stood there, observing the fight until it ended.
Then he approached him.
He simply said:
"Hello."
Arion froze for a moment.
He hadn't sensed Ichinaro's presence at all.
How had he approached this close without Arion noticing him?
But instead of asking the question...
he immediately rushed toward him.
Ichinaro raised his dagger and blocked the attack.
Then he said:
"Why the rush?"
Arion didn't stop.
The fight began.
Ichinaro drew his dagger, and the two began clashing.
Arion raised his sword and brought down a powerful overhead strike.
Ichinaro raised his dagger, blocked the attack, and deflected the sword's path away from him.
But before the strike could reach the ground...
Arion changed its path.
He redirected it from the side instead of from above.
Ichinaro's eyes widened for a moment.
He jumped backward, then planted both feet against the trunk of a tree.
He pushed off with all his strength.
Then he launched himself forward.
His body shot from the elevated position toward Arion with tremendous force.
Arion raised his sword and blocked the attack.
But the force of the collision was enough to shatter the ground beneath his feet.
Cracks spread through the earth beneath him.
Sweat began pouring down his face, and signs of exhaustion appeared on him.
Yet...
he was smiling.
He looked at Ichinaro and said:
"You really are strong."
Ichinaro replied:
"So are you."
Ichinaro was still in the air after launching himself from the elevated position.
He took advantage of it.
He flipped through the air, passed behind Arion, and tried to strike him.
But Arion blocked the attack.
Their clashes continued.
The fight was sharp and impressive.
Every strike carried a real chance of hitting the other.
But at the last moment...
one of them would deflect the attack.
Then counterattack.
The other would block.
Then try to attack again.
Neither of them gave the other an easy opening.
After a while, the two moved away from each other and created some distance.
Arion was breathing heavily.
He looked at Ichinaro and said:
"Looks like I'll have to use my skill."
He extended his sword forward.
Then he took a breath.
And remained still for a moment.
He didn't move.
Ichinaro watched him carefully, unaware of what Arion was preparing to do.
Then...
in a single instant...
Arion moved.
Ichinaro felt something pass across his face.
A scratch appeared on it.
Ichinaro was shocked.
He didn't understand how Arion had hit him.
Before he could comprehend what had happened, another wound appeared on his hand.
Ichinaro stepped back slightly and looked at his hand.
Then he said:
"What is that?"
Arion answered:
"This is my technique."
He raised his sword.
"Its ability is to discover and follow the best path for attacking an opponent, with precision and power."
He paused for a moment.
"As if I'm following a wave."
Then he rushed forward.
Arion began attacking Ichinaro from every direction.
From the right.
From the left.
From above.
And from different angles.
He moved constantly, and every attack came with precision.
As for Ichinaro...
he blocked.
He tried to keep up with him.
And he avoided his attacks.
But the situation became critical.
Arion's attacks were continuous, and the paths his sword took made it difficult for Ichinaro to keep up with him naturally.
Even so...
he didn't give up.
Ichinaro closed his eyes.
And remained still.
He didn't move.
Then...
at the last moment...
a sudden attack came from behind him.
Clang!
Ichinaro blocked the attack.
Arion's eyes widened in shock.
"How?!"
Ichinaro opened his eyes.
He said:
"If your technique follows the best path..."
He looked at Arion.
"Then my technique sees your path before you use it."
Arion was stunned.
He stepped back and created some distance.
"Impossible..."
Then he jumped backward.
But he didn't stop.
He continued attacking.
This time, however, Ichinaro skillfully avoided his attacks.
Whenever the path of an attack changed, Ichinaro moved.
Whenever the sword came close to him, he moved away at the right moment.
And the fight continued.
After a long battle...
Ichinaro sensed a certain path.
There was a possibility of a serious injury.
He moved immediately.
He avoided that path.
Then he appeared in front of Arion.
At the right moment...
he stabbed his hand.
"Ah!"
Arion's sword fell from his hand.
But Ichinaro didn't stop.
He jumped.
Then twisted through the air.
And delivered a powerful kick toward Arion.
Boom!
Arion fell.
He lost consciousness.
The fight was over.
Ichinaro had won.
Ichinaro relaxed his body after the battle ended.
He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
Then he said:
"He was a difficult opponent..."
He looked at Arion.
Then continued:
"But the technique I've been training was useful."
Then he turned toward Arthos.
He said:
"See? I told you I'd need it, but you kept arguing."
Arthos became angry.
"Continue your search, you idiot!"
Ichinaro laughed.
"Fine."
Then he returned to searching.
He continued sensing the area.
He searched...
And time passed.
About an hour.
But he found nothing.
Until he sensed something strange.
He stopped.
The sensation was coming from a patch between the trees.
More specifically...
from beneath the ground.
Ichinaro headed toward the spot.
Then he broke the ground.
Something was buried underneath it.
Ichinaro crouched down and pulled out half of a sheet of paper.
He looked at it in confusion.
"What use is this?"
Arthos replied:
"It must be a sheet containing information about the location of the key, you idiot."
Then he added:
"If you think about it for a moment, you'll realize that the other half must be in Aroka's area."
Ichinaro looked at the paper.
Then said:
"Hmm... I understand now."
Silence fell for a moment.
Arthos was surprised.
Why hadn't Ichinaro gotten angry when he called him an idiot?
But Ichinaro didn't care.
He took out the hexagonal communication device and sensed its energy.
Then he contacted Aroka.
He told him:
"You'll find a sheet of paper among a group of strangely shaped trees. Search for it."
Aroka replied:
"Okay."
Then Aroka began searching for it.
Meanwhile, Ichinaro held half of the paper in his hand.
They finally had a clue.
But they still needed the other half.