Chapter 50 – The Birth of a New King
When Akio heard Yudai mention that Small Steel Cannon's quirk involved body hardening, he immediately thought of someone.
Wasn't Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu's quirk also steel?
The two abilities sounded very similar.
"You're the challenger, Barbarian Mountain?"
Small Steel Cannon looked him up and down with clear irritation. He hated fighting people taller than himself.
So what if he's 1.9 meters tall?I've beaten guys over two meters.
Barbarian Mountain glanced at him calmly.
"Go ahead," he said coldly."You'll be seeing your ancestors soon."
"What did you say?!"
Small Steel Cannon's anger flared instantly. He had never met someone this arrogant before.
Akio narrowed his eyes.
This Barbarian Mountain clearly carried killing intent. Otherwise he wouldn't speak like that before the fight even began.
If that was the case—
Small Steel Cannon might actually die tonight.
"Hello everyone!"
A voice suddenly echoed through the arena as the lights shifted toward the back of the ring. A young man in a suit stood on a raised platform, smiling broadly.
"I'm your host, Ichiro Simi!"
"Today's match features the fourth-ranked fighter among the Five Kings—Small Steel Cannon!"
"And his challenger—Barbarian Mountain! This is his first appearance in the underground arena."
"Let's see how this battle unfolds!"
With a dramatic wave of his arm, the match began.
"You'll pay for what you just said!"
Small Steel Cannon roared as his arms trembled and instantly turned pitch black.
Akio quickly noticed something.
The quirk only affected his arms. The rest of his body remained unchanged.
However, the steel color was extremely dark—much darker than Tetsutetsu's.
Which meant its hardness was probably much greater.
At the very least, Small Steel Cannon was clearly stronger than Tetsutetsu.
Barbarian Mountain's eyes were half-closed.
Then suddenly—
They snapped open.
A burst of force exploded from his legs as he lunged forward and threw a punch.
Small Steel Cannon sneered and met it head-on with his hardened arm.
If the fight came down to raw strength—
He wasn't afraid.
But the next moment—
His expression twisted.
The entire audience froze.
Everyone had assumed Small Steel Cannon would win.
Yet something completely unexpected had happened.
Under Barbarian Mountain's punch, the steel-hard arm bent violently.
The bones inside had shattered instantly.
"How… how is this possible…?"
Small Steel Cannon stared in disbelief.
He was the fourth-ranked fighter among the Five Kings.
Yet his proud quirk had collapsed with a single strike.
Akio's eyes narrowed.
This Barbarian Mountain was strange.
Akio still couldn't fully identify his quirk.
But when the punch landed, Akio clearly saw a shockwave erupt from Barbarian Mountain's body, twisting Small Steel Cannon's arm instantly.
A shockwave-type quirk…
Akio was starting to understand.
Still, he couldn't determine its exact characteristics.
But one thing was certain.
Barbarian Mountain was extremely dangerous.
Even the host was stunned.
To be honest, he had expected Small Steel Cannon to win.
After all, the man had held his position among the Five Kings for a long time.
Yet he was defeated so easily by an unknown challenger.
It was unbelievable.
Barbarian Mountain didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward, grabbed Small Steel Cannon's head with both hands—
And pulled.
The head tore free.
Blood erupted from the severed neck and splashed across the ring.
For a moment the entire arena fell silent.
Then someone suddenly shouted:
"BARBARIAN MOUNTAIN!"
Soon the entire crowd joined in.
"BARBARIAN MOUNTAIN!"
"BARBARIAN MOUNTAIN!"
The host snapped back to reality.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"The new fourth-ranked King has been born!"
"His name is—Barbarian Mountain!"
"Let's congratulate him!"
His voice trembled with excitement.
The audience reacted just as wildly.
Yudai's face, however, had turned dark.
His 100,000 yen bet was gone.
And he wasn't the only one.
Most people in the arena had bet on Small Steel Cannon.
Nearby, Himiko Toga suddenly smiled.
Akio noticed.
Had she bet on Barbarian Mountain as well?
Barbarian Mountain stood silently in the ring, blood still staining his body.
Then he suddenly smiled.
No one understood what that smile meant.
Most assumed he was simply celebrating his victory.
Moments later he turned and walked off the stage.
The fight ended quickly.
But the news spread even faster.
Within minutes nearly everyone in the underground arena knew the result.
Even people outside the arena soon heard about it.
Many regretted missing such an incredible fight.
"No matter how brilliant a life may be… death erases it all."
A quiet voice suddenly spoke beside Akio.
He turned.
A woman stood there.
She wore a white dress, and although a veil partially covered her face, her beauty was impossible to hide.
She glanced at Akio and smiled.
Then she quietly walked away.
"Hey, Yudai."
Akio tapped his friend's shoulder.
Yudai was crouched on the ground, punching the floor in frustration.
"Don't talk to me! I'm in a terrible mood!"
"My 100,000 yen is gone!"
Akio laughed.
"What's wrong? Lost your bet?"
"Don't rub it in!" Yudai groaned.
"I regret it already!"
"Relax," Akio said, helping him up.
"I'll treat you to a big dinner tonight."
"Really?" Yudai asked hopefully.
"Of course. But answer me one question first."
"Ask anything."
Akio glanced toward where the woman had disappeared.
"Did you see the woman in white standing next to me just now?"
Yudai frowned.
"A woman in white? That's impossible. Nobody wears white in this underground arena…"
He suddenly stopped speaking.
"…Well, there is one person who does."
"But someone like her wouldn't come here to watch a Small Steel Cannon match."
"Who is she?" Akio asked.
Yudai hesitated.
"One of the Seven Saints."
"Shirayuki."
Akio froze.
That mysterious woman was Shirayuki, one of the Seven Saints?
And she had smiled at him—
Even though he was wearing a mask.
"You must've imagined it," Yudai said.
"She wouldn't appear here. Hardly anyone challenges her these days, and her rank hasn't changed."
"I only saw her once… about three months ago."
"Come on," Akio said with a faint smile.
"Let's collect the money first."
"Then we'll eat."
This Shirayuki…
She was definitely interesting.
Suddenly Yudai froze.
He jumped up and pointed at Akio.
"Wait—"
"You actually won the bet?!"
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