Dust swirled across the training ground.
Daren, Gion, and Tokikake stood facing off from a distance, the pressure around them steadily rising.
Yellow sand billowed through the air, and the large cloaks behind Gion and Tokikake flapped wildly in the cold sea breeze.
Marines from the 321st Branch had all rushed to the scene, surrounding the schoolyard so tightly that not even a drop of water could slip through. Their eyes were wide, eagerly waiting for what would happen next.
"Vice-Base Commander Momonga, do you think Base Commander Daren will lose?"
A young marine asked, glancing toward Momonga, who stood with his arms crossed.
Wearing his military cap, Momonga simply smiled and said nothing.
Losing? That word wasn't in that guy's dictionary.
More accurately, the real question was—just how badly were those two so-called "golden kids" from the Headquarters about to get wrecked?
...
"So, Captain Daren, who would you like to spar with first?"
Tokikake asked eagerly, flicking his not-so-full head of hair in an exaggerated, showy gesture.
He felt increasingly smug as he noticed many of the female Marines from Base 321 casting admiring glances in their direction.
After all, he had been trained by numerous masters back at Headquarters—Admiral Sengoku himself had praised his talent. Among his peers, there was no one who could match him… except Gion.
He could already picture it clearly: Daren knocked flat in one clean hit, and the female Marines looking at him with admiration and adoration.
The thought made Tokikake chuckle to himself like an idiot.
Daren looked at him and shook his head.
"No. Let's save time. Both of you come at me."
Tokikake and Gion both froze.
Then, a wave of anger surged in their hearts.
This guy... what an arrogant tone!
"Then don't blame me for being rude! I'll go easy on you!"
Tokikake growled through clenched teeth.
He was determined to show this bumpkin from the North Blue just how strong the Marines of Headquarters really were.
He bent his knees slightly, and the muscles all over his body visibly tensed.
Bang!
The ground beneath his feet burst open as a massive force launched Tokikake forward—his figure shot off like a cannonball, streaking toward Daren at an astonishing speed.
This wasn't "Soru" from the Navy's Rokushiki.
Tokikake and Gion hadn't yet entered the Officer Training Camp and hadn't learned the "superhuman" techniques of the Rokushiki.
This was pure speed and explosive power!
The Marines from the 321st watching nearby gasped in unison.
It felt like a blur had flashed before their eyes—and just like that, Lieutenant Commander Tokikake had vanished.
In less than a second, he crossed more than ten meters, arriving in front of Captain Daren.
Muscles surging, he drove a punch straight toward Daren's abdomen like a battering ram!
No tricks.
No feints.
Just raw power pushed to the limit!
Seeing Daren still standing there, motionless, as if unaware of the incoming blow, Tokikake burst into laughter.
Serves you right!
Showing off those muscles!
Hooking up with Lady Margery!
Acting all high and mighty like you care about the people!
Get wrecked!
Bang!!
His punch finally landed—right on Daren's solid, defined abs. It struck dead center, rippling with a blast of white compressed air.
But Tokikake's smug grin froze on his face.
Something was wrong...
It felt like he had punched solid steel.
Daren didn't budge. Not even a little.
Not far off, Gion, who had been ready to draw her sword at a moment's notice, was also stunned.
Tokikake looked up in shock—And met Daren's calm, slightly helpless young face.
"That... Lieutenant Commander Tokikake, I appreciate you holding back, but please take this sparring match seriously."
Daren smiled playfully.
Tokikake's mouth twitched.
"Tokikake, what are you doing?! Stop fooling around!!" Gion's face showed a flash of confusion, and he couldn't help but shout.
Tokikake: …
He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and tensed the muscles in his arm before throwing another heavy punch at Daren!
Boom!!
A wave of air erupted again, and the violent gusts kicked up a swirl of dust.
Yet Daren, the Base Commander of the 321st Branch, remained completely motionless!
Tokikake was stunned again.
Is that...Tekkai!?
He hadn't learned the Rokushiki yet, but he knew what it looked like.
A technique that makes your body as tough as steel—this had to be Tekkai, one of the Rokushiki styles.
The principle behind Tekkai was to speed up blood flow and increase muscle activation.
But what was strange was that Daren didn't show the usual signs of tensing up like someone using Tekkai!
"I'm telling you, Lieutenant Commander Tokikake, you don't have to hold back. I really want to see what you're capable of," Daren said again, his voice slow and calm.
"Tokikake, what the hell are you doing!? I told you to go all out!" Gion snapped angrily.
Tokikake's expression turned almost tearful, muttering inwardly, I'm not holding back.
He clenched his teeth and furiously unleashed punch after punch at Daren.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
His fists rained down like a storm, multiplying into countless afterimages as they slammed into the Navy Captain.
Blows strong enough to smash through stone walls landed on Daren's chest, stomach, legs—even his head. But none of them made him budge an inch.
They had absolutely no effect!
The Navy Captain stood there like a rock in a storm, completely unmoved.
It's not working...
How is that even possible...
Tokikake stared blankly at Daren's calm expression, the faint smile hidden in his eyes sending a chill down his spine.
Could it be...
Then, Daren suddenly grinned at him.
"Had enough? If you're done, it's my turn now."
Tokikake froze. A piercing chill surged from the soles of his feet, racing up his spine into his skull.
A rough, giant hand lunged at him at lightning speed, growing larger in his vision...
It was so fast—he had no chance to dodge!
Tokikake's face changed drastically. That creeping suspicion in his heart instantly solidified into certainty as Daren made his move.
This guy... is way stronger than me!
"Not the face, please!!"
Tokikake let out a strange cry, but the next moment, the large hand smacked straight onto his face.
Under Gion's stunned gaze...
Under the dumbfounded stares of the 321st Branch Marines...
Under Momonga's helpless look...
And under Tokikake's own high-pitched, pig-like wail...
Daren, gripping Tokikake's face with one hand, grinned wickedly and took a step forward—
Then...
Slammed Tokikake's head straight into the ground!
Boom!!
The earth trembled violently within a 20-meter radius. A massive crater exploded into view, cracks spiderwebbing out in all directions.
Tokikake's head was buried in the pit, his legs—still in clogs—sticking up into the air, twitching occasionally.
Dust billowed like a rising dragon.
At that moment, everyone watching winced and grimaced.
Just looking at it... was enough to make your face hurt.