The scent of burning incense and rare herbs was the first thing that drifted into Merun's senses.
When his eyes finally snapped open, he was staring up at an ornate ceiling carved from polished white jade and dark cedar.
He was lying in a massive, silk-lined bed inside a luxurious medical pavilion. His physical wounds were mostly sealed, his muscles knit back together by the high-grade potions the clan doctors had pumped into his system, but a deep, throbbing soreness still radiated through every single bone in his body.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the burning humiliation clawing at his chest.
The memory rushed back all at once.
He remembered the exact moment Sakuma's fingers had clamped onto the base of his skull.
He remembered the dark void of unconsciousness and the sickening realization that he had "won" the entire tournament because the man had simply forfeited.
It was a handout.
A pity fucking victory.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
An array of delicate heart-rate monitors beside his bed began to blare in a frantic, high-pitched rhythm, reacting instantly to the sudden spike of rage twisting his face.
His fists clenched so hard the silk sheets beneath him began to fray.
He wanted to rip the building apart.
He wanted to march right back out there and force Sakuma to finish the fight.
He wanted to kill—
Something clicked within him.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Merun closed his eyes and forced a long, ragged breath through his teeth.
Then, slowly, he began to cycle his ki through his battered body. As the warm energy flowed, he forced himself to recall Bankei's old, weathered face and the timeless teachings his former master had given him.
When Merun was consumed by rage over the deaths of the Shinken prisoners, Bankei had told him,
"You can be angry, Merun... but acting upon it is what makes the difference."
Merun's Saiyan fury was a natural response to being stepped on. His true strength was measured by his self-control and the choices he made while in that state.
He wasn't the strongest creature in the universe.
Not yet.
He couldn't win every single battle through sheer, overwhelming force, no matter how much his body and chosen path demanded it.
He looked down at his trembling, open palm.
Sakuma had centuries of training and enlightenment over him.
More importantly, Merun's formal martial techniques were still technically only at the Squire Realm. He had been relying almost entirely on his raw Saiyan biology to carry him through.
A faint, dangerous smirk finally broke through his frustration.
The silver lining was blindingly clear: his Saiyan techniques and his newly adopted martial arts complemented each other perfectly.
The ceiling of his potential was astronomical.
SIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHHH
He let out a long, heavy sigh, allowing the last of the toxic tension to drain from his shoulders.
The frantic beeping of the heart-rate monitor slowly mellowed into a steady, calm rhythm.
"Still feels like shiiiiiiit," Merun muttered to the empty room, propping himself up on the bed.
"But... that's life."
As Merun took a few moments in silence, reflecting on what he had learned, the heavy oak doors of the room were violently thrown open as a familiar, boisterous laugh echoed through the quiet halls.
"Step aside! Clear the way for the grand champion!" Hideyoshi roared, bursting into the medical ward with the energy of a madman.
Behind him stepped Niwa and Takigawa.
Unlike the wildly cheering Hideyoshi, the two of them walked with hesitant, cautious steps. They kept their voices low, exchanging reserved glances.
They knew "Merun" before he was "Moretsuna," and after the whole Noritsugu debacle, they weren't sure whether they were still on good terms with him—especially now that he was close to becoming one of the most powerful martial artists in the clan.
He does remember that we tried to protect him... right?
Hideyoshi, completely carefree and oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, marched right up to the bed and slammed a hand onto the bedside table.
"Look at you, awake already! You absolute monster, you! How the hell did you get that powerful so quickly? You had the whole damn stadium shaking! You had me shaking! Why on earth didn't you use your Martial Heart, you madman?!"
Before Merun could even answer, Hideyoshi brought a heavy hand down, giving Merun a massive, ringing pat on the back.
"You're incredibly powerful, brother. Keep building those foundations well, and one day, you'll be the one who beats Senior Sakuma!"
The sheer earnestness in Hideyoshi's eyes washed away the last of Merun's lingering bitterness.
A genuine, relaxed smile finally crossed the youth's face.
"Yes, brother," Merun replied softly, adjusting his posture. "I'll do that."
He glanced past Hideyoshi's shoulder and nodded toward the other two the way you would toward random bros at the gym.
They also appreciatively nodded back.
There were some things that didn't need to be spoken but could be understood properly.
He then looked past them toward the empty doorway.
"Where are the others? My family and Master Iaiashin?"
"Where do you think?" Hideyoshi laughed. "They're already waiting at the victory banquet! The entire clan is going wild."
"A victory banquet?" Merun raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! You're the champion of the Steel Convergence!" Hideyoshi beamed.
Merun paused, a sudden thought striking him as he leaned forward.
"Wait... champion? What about the Master bracket? Don't Master Realm martial artists have their own tournament after us?"
Hideyoshi stopped, blinking at him before bursting into a belly laugh so loud it rattled the medicine jars on the shelves.
"The Master bracket? Merun, there is no Master-level tournament! Do you know why? Because there isn't any more Master-grade Kinzoku steel to award! The clan only awards what can actually be forged and harvested... for now, the Senior-grade steel you just won is the absolute apex we can offer!"
Merun took mental note of that, his eyes narrowing slightly as the information settled into his mind.
No more? As in there used to be Master-grade steel? Hmmm...
The weight of his prize was finally beginning to sink in.
With a sudden burst of renewed energy, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up in one smooth motion, practically overflowing with strength as another Zenkai boost coursed through his body.
Damn Senior Ephraim just had to break my scouter...
"Alright then," Merun grinned, his eyes flashing. "Let's go to that party."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Hideyoshi suddenly jolted forward, his carefree demeanor vanishing as he quickly clapped a firm hand onto Merun's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
A look of sudden, panicked recollection crossed the big man's face.
"I just remembered... Master Iaiashin explicitly told me to bring you straight to her personal estate the second you woke up. Something about a quick outfit change before you show your face to the public."
Merun blinked, looking down at his torn, bloodstained dougi.
"An outfit change? Oh... sure."
Right on cue, a thunderous, cavernous roar echoed from deep within Merun's midsection, so loud it made Niwa and Takigawa jump backward in surprise.
GROOOOOOOOOWWWWWL
His Saiyan appetite violently demanded compensation for the massive energy drain of his full-power Kamehameha.
Merun rubbed the back of his neck, giving a sheepish, sharp-toothed grin.
"But, uh... maybe we can grab a light snack while we're there?"
Hideyoshi slapped a hand onto Merun's shoulder.
"Haha! Whatever you want, brother!"