The Glow of the Crimson Gate...
It was the first omen of death that most elite students had witnessed.
A vortex of doom that dragged them away, smothering the fleeting hope they’d grasped, and drowning them in the depths of darkness.
Among those elite students ..
Danzo had activated his armor the instant the flash consumed him.
When he regained awareness, he found himself trapped in a massive underground cavern, dimly lit by torches blazing with crimson fire ..
Flames so intense, they seared into his vision.
"So, you’re my opponent, huh? You look... somewhat strong."
Wearing the Silver Dragon Armor, Danzo turned toward the unexpected voice—
A venom-laced tone belonging to a terrifying figure.
Towering over Danzo, the man stood wrapped in black bandages, his face grotesque and twisted, with glowing red eyes.
Grinning with poison in his smile ..
Gvardiol awaited him.
Danzo was a true warrior ..
Sharpened senses, a body honed to near perfection, and strength built through grit, far beyond his natural gift.
He sensed the difference between them instantly.
Just one look was enough.
Gvardiol... was a monster.
Danzo scanned the cave. Escape was not an option.
The chamber was sealed tight, buried hundreds of meters underground ..
It felt more like a grave.
He was the executioner.
Danzo closed his eyes behind the armor and lowered his head.
Even with the armor on, he could clearly visualize his own body.
Every scar, every muscle, every single cell.
He knew them by heart.
The strength he had spent his entire life building...
Was this the moment it would be tested?
The decisive battle that would define his fate?
And he was about to find their answers here.
Knowing that, Danzo opened his eyes ..
Filled with unshakable resolve.
Ready to fight, as he always had been.
"I see you’re already prepared. That’s some impressive composure,"
Gvardiol said with a twisted smile, almost admiring him.
Here, far beneath the earth, in a chamber bathed in crimson flame—
Both men braced themselves.
Danzo spoke with a calm, steady voice.
There was no hatred or emotion in his tone.
And the same was true for Gvardiol.
They were complete strangers—
No connection between them.
It was pure luck that Beatrice had chosen to pit them against one another.
With that gesture and grin, Gvardiol gave the signal.
Harnessing every last drop of power stored within the Silver Dragon Armor—
Danzo shattered the ground beneath his feet as he surged forward.
His fist swelled with might, crashing into Gvardiol’s chest at blistering speed ..
The impact thundered across the chamber.
In a single strike, Danzo sent his opponent flying .. Smashing him violently into the cavern wall.
"Magnificent punch!!"
Half-embedded in stone, Gvardiol let out a booming laugh, applauding Danzo.
Without hesitation, Danzo rushed in again—
Slamming his fist into Gvardiol’s face and driving him even deeper into the rock.
With relentless aggression, Danzo unleashed a storm of punches ..
Each blow landing with pinpoint precision.
His fists were like twin cannons, firing at full force ..
Raining down a brutal barrage fueled by every ounce of Aura he could summon.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!! ×10
Dust exploded outward as Gvardiol was pounded deeper into the wall with each strike.
"Yes! That’s it! Keep going! Stronger! STRONGER!!"
Though the fight seemed one-sided in Danzo’s favor—
Gvardiol’s laughter and constant praise told a different story.
Danzo ignored every word.
He stayed focused, striking without pause.
Suddenly, a dark fist appeared in front of his face mid-attack.
Gvardiol’s counter landed clean.
Despite wearing the Silver Dragon Armor—
Danzo felt every muscle in his body scream in agony.
It was like getting hit by a freight train at full speed.
The sheer force hurled Danzo backward several meters.
He barely regained his balance, feet carving deep tracks in the stone.
Struggling to remain standing, he looked up ..
And saw Gvardiol step out of the crater in the wall, completely unscathed.
As if the battle hadn’t even started.
As if that devastating assault had been a mere illusion.
But the pain in Danzo’s body—
The destruction around them—
Gvardiol was still laughing.
He pointed at Danzo again.
Gvardiol roared with exhilaration, craving more from Danzo.
Responding to his challenge, Danzo summoned both Light Aura and Earth Aura, weaving them together to form four additional arms, each one radiating with brilliant white light.
He lunged forward, unleashing his full might.
Every punch landed with explosive force, detonating bursts of Aura across Gvardiol’s body.
The clash had turned into a fierce brawl—
A contest of brute strength, nothing more.
Danzo attacked relentlessly.
Gvardiol stood firm, choosing only to defend.
No flashy techniques.
No grand displays of power.
Only raw violence—direct and unfiltered.
"Your movements aren’t bad,"
Gvardiol accepted the flurry of strikes—six fists hammering him nonstop—without losing his smile.
He was enjoying this.
"Clearly, you’ve dedicated a serious portion of your life to training."
Despite his massive frame, one might expect Gvardiol to be slower.
But that assumption quickly crumbled.
Before Danzo realized it, another punch came from the side ..
A bandaged, monstrous fist crashed into his ribs, sending him staggering.
He barely stayed upright.
Just a normal punch—yet its impact was immense.
None of Danzo’s blows had shaken Gvardiol.
But Gvardiol’s casual strikes had Danzo reeling.
Still, Danzo pressed forward.
White flames erupted from his fists as he moved faster, struck harder ..
Each blow carried more desperation, more fury.
The force of his Aura shook Gvardiol’s massive body with each impact,
While the cave around them cracked and trembled from the shockwaves.
A lightning-fast punch slammed into Danzo’s face.
But this time, he didn’t falter.
Light Aura surged from within him, making the Silver Dragon Armor shine ever brighter ..
As if refusing to be outdone by the monster before him.
"To reach this level with such limited talent... That’s truly impressive!"
The fact that Gvardiol was still speaking so casually ..
Still praising him in the middle of this violent exchange ..
Made something inside Danzo snap.
"What do people like you know about struggling without talent?!"
Pouring every ounce of power into his right hand, His fist burned with light as he launched it forward like a missile.
"Light Maneuver: Sky-Shattering Fist!!"
The strike hit with cataclysmic force—
Amplified further by the Silver Dragon Armor.
Dust exploded in all directions.
Danzo believed, if nothing else, that this attack would leave a mark.
But as the haze cleared ..
His hope was crushed.
Gvardiol was still standing.
He had caught the punch with a single hand.
Holding Danzo’s fist in his grip, Gvardiol let out a booming laugh.
"Oh, I know all about people like you."
He clenched Danzo’s hand ..
And unleashed his true power.
A sinister creak echoed from the armor.
Cracks began to spider across the once-mighty gauntlet.
"I’ve buried plenty of your kind with these very hands!"
With one hand, he crushed the gauntlet—
With the other, he punched.
And Danzo was sent flying, crashing violently into the stone wall.
This punch was unlike the ones before.
It left the chestplate of the armor shattered—
The gauntlet around Danzo’s right hand, completely destroyed.
As he struggled to recover, Gvardiol was already in front of him ..
His body wrapped in dark, swirling aura.
"People like you don’t survive in a world ."
Danzo crossed his arms in an X as a shield ..
Just before a thunderous punch slammed into him again, Driving him deeper into the wall.
"We live in a world ruled by strength—nothing else!"
Gvardiol pummeled Danzo, smashing him along with the stone behind him.
Pinned down by the sheer force,
Danzo clenched his teeth, his body glowing brighter with each strike.
"I already know that!!"
With a roar, he hurled himself into Gvardiol ..
Becoming a living projectile, forcing the giant to take a step back.
Danzo centered all his strength in his hands ..
His Aura flaring violently.
"That’s why I’ve spent my whole life chasing it!!"
But this time, his attack wasn’t aimed at Gvardiol ..
And the cavern ceiling shattered.
The roof caved in, debris raining down.
Danzo’s plan was clear ..
Bury them both under the rubble, then escape through the chaos.
But Gvardiol wouldn’t allow it.
In less than a heartbeat—
His shadow spread outward, engulfing the entire chamber.
Dark tendrils spiraled through the collapsing ceiling ..And with terrifying ease, they held it all in place.
The ceiling didn’t fall.
Danzo was still trapped—
And the monster hadn’t even broken a sweat.
"A clever move... but cleverness won’t save you from me."