Renji's expression twisted with anger.
He attacked immediately this time faster and far heavier.
The blows came in a relentless rhythm now, Renji talking between strikes—mocking, taunting, venting frustration. Each word telegraphed timing. Each sentence broke his breath.
I dodged, blocked, rolled.
Sometimes I failed.
A strike slammed into my side, sending me tumbling. Another clipped my jaw, snapping my head back.
Pain layered over pain.
But I was still watching still learning.
He's stacking more a bit too much.
I rolled instinctively as another invisible force tore through the spot where my head had just been.
My heart pounded.
That one came from a different angle!
Renji chuckled "Did you really think it only traveled in straight lines?"
I pushed myself up, breathing harder now.
"Alright time to think. He snaps his fingers in a flick then an invisible force is launched. But it doesn't behave like a projectile. No arc, no drop," i hypothesized to myself as i dodged another attack by jumping up.
"He's attacks don't explode on contact, instead it hits like a punch. A directional and compressed force strike. Not elemental and not telekinetic debris. And—" I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Wait a minute! Due to renji always snapping his fingers whenever he utilized his attacks, i subconsciously filed into my mind that his attacks are coming directly from his fingers!
"While in reality he's attacks weren't coming from his fingers at all! They are instead being directed by them maybe through...
Vectors?"
My drooped eyes widened a fraction "…Vector-based force?"
Renji tilted his head.
"Oh?" he said. "You look like you're thinking."
He flicked rapidly this time—five times in quick succession.
I ran. Not straight.
Instead i run in a Zigzag pattern towards him at full speed.
Renji breathed hard.
"…Why," he growled, "are you still standing?!"
I didn't answer.
I just run forward way faster renji swung a punch.
I didn't dodge.
I let it graze me—and stepped inside his range. My shoulder slammed into his chest.
Renji stumbled back, shocked.
The momentum worked against him.
He tried to correct himself—
Too late!
I drove my elbow into his stomach hard.
Renji coughed, staggered, eyes wide.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"What's happening?!"
"He's pushing him back!"
"No—Renji's just playing around!"
Renji snarled and launched himself forward, reckless now, power roaring.
I was exhausted.
Bleeding.
Barely holding together.
But I had it now.
He hits like a truck… but turns like one too.
I sidestepped.
Renji overextended.
I struck at his stomach then again, then again.
Nothing decisive. Nothing flashy.
Just perfect timing and pressure.
Just exploiting the half-second he kept giving me.
Finally, a massive blow caught me square in the chest.
The shockwave sent me skidding across the arena, rolling to a stop near the edge.
My body screamed.
I lay there for a moment.
The crowd held its breath.
Renji straightened, chest heaving.
"There," he said hoarsely. "Stay down."
I pushed myself up.
Slowly.
Pain screamed in protest—but I ignored it.
I stood feeling my battle spirit increase to new heights and the condition I've been wanting for was met.
Then—
I let both my arms drop.
They hung loosely at my sides.
The audience froze.
Renji frowned and asked me "…What are you doing?"
Then suddenly the very air around began to change. A strange pressure rolled outward from my body twisting in the air.
It was not violent, not explosive.
Just… present.
A faint golden energy began to leak from me—subtle at first, shimmering faintly around my entire frame.
And beneath it—
Something else also awakened with it, heavy with meaning.
The two energies coiled together one of yellow and the other orange, once merged together they both rised like a hot breath in cold air.
The entire arena went silent.
Renji took a step back without realizing it.
Then i slowly began to lift my head—and when i did, my appearance still looked exactly the same as before—my hair, my clothes, everything unchanged. Yet despite that familiarity, terror gripped everyone present.
It wasn't just the golden energy spilling from my body in violent, rhythmic waves without any signs of stopping.
No—the true source of fear lay in my eyes.
The silver-white irises I once had were gone.
The sclera of my eyes had turned into a flawless, unnatural white—like blank paper untouched by ink. Where my pupils should have been now rested something far more disturbing: a black-and-white sigil shaped like a wheel. At its center was a solid hub, from which eight spokes extended outward. Each spoke ended in a smaller, swirling circular motif, all of it enclosed by a larger, curved gray ring that seemed almost alive.
The moment those eyes were seen, confusion turned to dread.
Slowly, deliberately, I raised my right hand to the side of my neck and snapped it back into place. A long breath escaped my lips—thick, hot vapor pouring into the air like smoke from a furnace. It lingered for nearly fifteen seconds before finally fading away.
Fifteen seconds.
That was all it took.
Because while the smoke dissipated slowly, its effect had already taken hold—its purpose fulfilled.
Renji felt it.
And he understood.
I wasn't playing anymore.
It was time to end this. I raised my hand and held it close to my face. As I observed the, strange golden energy constantly leaked out of my body, curling around my fingers, hand and frame like living light.
I whispered to myself, barely audible, "So this is the ability God gave me… Golden Verdict."
Then I frowned slightly. "But… there's something else mixed into it. Something that isn't mine."
A realization struck me.
"Could it be… the previous Shido?" I exhaled softly. "Ah. I think I understand now."
I lifted my gaze and locked eyes with Renji, my Verdict fully focused on him.
The moment our eyes met, Renji stiffened. His confidence shattered instantly. He glanced toward the coach's stand as if seeking confirmation, then took two hurried steps backward.
"Impossible!" he shouted. "You don't have an ability! I know you don't!"
I met his panic with calm certainty and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"It's true. I didn't have an ability—before," I said evenly. "But I awakened one not long ago." I paused, letting my words sink in. "Years of bullying. Years of emotional and physical pain—inflicted by you and the rest of this family—were more than enough to awaken it."
It was a lie.
But it was a perfect lie.
No one here knew that the previous Shido was gone, that I had taken his place. I needed an explanation that fit this world's laws—and thankfully, one existed.
In this world, you didn't have to be born with an ability.
Eighty percent of people awakened theirs at birth. The remaining twenty percent did so later—through other means. Five percent awakened through extreme physical trauma. Another five through overwhelming mental strain. A rarer group required both physical and mental trauma. And the rarest of all—the remaining five percent—awakened through spiritual upheaval, when the soul itself was changed by an experience so profound it reshaped their very being.
And what could be more spiritually traumatic than a soul dying… and another taking its place?
Even to me, the explanation made sense.
As my words settled, the Urazaki family fell into stunned silence. Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Faces frozen in place.
Even Renji stared at me, speechless.
I turned my head slightly, taking in their reactions—and that's when I saw Dina. She looked surprised at first, but then her expression softened, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face. She was looking at me not with fear, but with understanding. She knew how much I had suffered for being powerless.
And she was happy for me.
Standing beside her was the woman with golden hair and a golden diamond shaped object embedded in her forehead, watching me with a gentle, proud smile—one filled with warmth and quiet strength.
I didn't need to ask who she was.
From Shido's memories, I already knew.
Lady Vlaneth. Shido Urazaki's mother.
I didn't even get the chance to properly observe shido's mother as out of nowhere.
Renji suddenly snapped.
"What—what?! That's impossible! You shouldn't be—!" he shouted, his voice cracking like a wounded animal. What followed was nothing but incoherent rambling.
He ranted about how strong he was, how weak I was, how weak I used to be—his words tumbling over each other, senseless and frantic, as if his mind were unraveling.
It went on for far too long.
An invisible vein twitched at my temple.
My usually drooped eyelids slowly lifted, my gaze sharpening as my battle spirit surged awake.
I spoke.
My voice carried effortlessly across the arena, reaching every ear present.
"From the very beginning, all you've done is talk. Talk. Talk. Talk." I exhaled sharply. "Will you shut the hell up already?"
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
I clicked my tongue and looked at him with open irritation. "That's all you've done this entire fight—blabbering nonsense. You talk about this, you talk about that, then suddenly attack and brag about how easily you'll defeat me." My eyes narrowed. "Tell me—how many times have you used more than one finger?"
His body began to tremble.
I could see it clearly now—rage boiling beneath his skin. He looked up at me, teeth clenched so hard they creaked.
"Now you've done it," he growled. "I was going easy on you, but now I won't hold back. Prepare yourself, trash. I'll show you the real difference between a naturally born ability user of the Urazaki family… and filth like you."
And then—
A memory surfaced.
Not mine.
Shido's.
I saw it clearly shido was never considered important within the family. His mother, Lady Vlaneth, was the fourth child of the previous patriarch—one of four siblings.
His father was a normal human, born without any ability, someone who had inexplicably managed to make an Urazaki woman fall in love with him.
From the very beginning, expectations for Shido were low.
He was never seen as a successor. Never a candidate for leadership. Just another Urazaki—ordinary, expendable.
Many even believed his lack of an ability was proof that his father's "weak blood" had tainted him.
They never expected anything from him.
Not then.
And certainly not now.
The moment those words left his mouth, Renji moved.
Not cautiously.
Not to test me, no he was now dead serious.
He suddenly clenched his hands into fists before he lunged.
His right fist snapped forward, and the air screamed.
I barely had time to register it before—
BOOM.
My face twisted violently to the side as something invisible slammed into my jaw. It didn't feel like a punch. It felt like being hit by direction itself—a force with intent, speed, and angle sharpened to a blade.
I staggered back, shoes squeaking loud against the arena floor.
"… Damn vectors!" I muttered under my breath, spitting a thin line of blood.
Renji didn't answer.
His knuckles glowed faintly, distorted lines wrapping around them like arrows pointing in my direction. He twisted his arm—and suddenly the next strike came from the side?! Even though his fist never changed direction!
My ribs exploded in pain.
I slid across the ground and dropped to one knee.
The crowd reacted instantly. Gasps. Shouts. Laughter.
"So that's how you want to play this?" I muttered smirking to myself.
I stood up slowly.
Another vector charged blow hit my shoulder. Then immediately my thigh. Then my chest.
Each strike landed from a different vector, different angle, different intent—forward momentum redirected mid-impact, force bending like it had a mind of its own.
I was getting hit.
Again.
And again.
My vision blurred for a moment—and that's when I felt it. The wheel in my eyes spun faster—faster than ever.
Another vector-charged hit slammed into my stomach.
It hurt.
But… not as much.
I knew it.
Renji's frown deepened. He pressed harder.
His fists became a storm—vectors colliding, overlapping, stacking force upon force. My body rocked under the onslaught, bones screaming, skin tearing, breath ripped from my lungs.
Still, with every strike, the wheel in my eyes spun faster.
The golden energy leaking from my body shifted, darkening into a deep, molten purple.
And i stood up again while still heavily injured.
"…What?" Renji muttered.
He stepped back and grinned nervously.
"Don't tell me you think you're tanking this. This is my strongest attack!"
He pulled both his arms back. The air around condensed.
I felt it before I saw it—every vector in the space around his fist aligning into a single, perfect line.
A direct strike.
This one wasn't clever.
It was absolute.
And he fired it without hesitation or thought.
The arena detonated and i faintly heard Dina's pained yell:
"SHIDO NOOO!!"
The impact slammed into me.
Pain shot through my body, sharp and raw—but it didn't stop me.
The wheel in my eyes spun faster, faster, faster—gold and purple energy cascading over my skin like molten armor.
Vectors collided against me, stacking, twisting, trying to break me—but my body… adapted.
The first strike rattled me. The second barely staggered me. By the third, the force was nothing more than a gentle push.
Renji's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this.
Every attack he threw only taught my body how to defend itself. Every blow reinforced my stamina, my reflexes, my entire being.
He fired again.
And again.
My body took it all. Half-strength now. Quarter-strength. By the time the so-called "finishing blow" hit my sternum, it barely moved me.
I took a slow step forward, unshaken.
Renji's fury was visible now, trembling in his fists, his entire posture screaming panic.
I smiled faintly, the wheel in my eyes spinning like a merciless clock.
My body that was previously slowly adapting from the very beginning since i utilized my ability finally adapted completely.
The wheel in my eyes even stopped it's frantic spinning.
Once i adapted to the attack i casually walked out of the vector charged attack.
I emerged from the dust cloud completely unharmed—except for my clothes.
My shirt had been shredded to nothing, vanishing entirely, while only a small, miraculous fragment of my trousers remained, barely covering my manhood and butt.
Silence fell.
"…Impossible," Renji whispered.
I didn't say anything just suddenly vanished from where i walked out from.
Renji spun around wildly. "W-Where are you?!"
I didn't answer.
I just moved. Fast.
One step to his left.
Then behind him.
Then in front.
Each appearance precise, deliberate. Every strike he threw before now had taught me, and my body anticipated the vectors before they even fully formed.
The arena trembled under the weight of his attacks, yet I advanced calmly, almost lazily.
"Stop moving!" he screamed, voice raw. "You're cheating!"
I stopped behind his back, Just for a moment and placed a hand lightly on his right shoulder.
He froze.
"Time to end this," I said calmly.
He turned, instinctively preparing to attack with his fists.
I lowered my body, retracting my right arm back fully, coiling like a spring.
Then, in one smooth motion, I drove my fist upward.
A perfect, devastating uppercut.
The impact snapped his jaw shut. Blood sprayed. His body lifted floating in the air for a mere five seconds as if he's very spirit left his body, then the next second he went limp before even hitting the ground.
THUD!!
Renji crashed to the arena floor. Unconscious.
Silence fell, heavy, complete.
The golden-purple energy around me dissipated.
The crowd stared. Shocked. Frozen.
And in that moment, the message was clear: I was no longer the one to underestimate.
I stood over him. Calm. Dominant. Untouchable.