Baki Hanma was confused.
After Yujiro Hanma lost to Jaden, Baki had entered a strange state-one that could only be described as loosening, but not resolving. It had improved a little with time, but never truly went away.
The calmer he became, the more he thought.
And the more he thought, the more he realized-
He truly had no reason to fight anymore.
Not for his mother.
Not for his father.
So... why was he still fighting?
Baki couldn't find an answer.
Although he still trained every day out of habit, that training had recently begun to feel troublesome. Tedious. Heavy. As if the thing he had devoted his entire childhood to was slowly losing its meaning.
He...
-Might really have to give up fighting.
...
"Baki, what's your impression of traveling across worlds for the first time?"
Jaden smiled as he asked the question, watching Baki step out of the portal.
Baki shrugged casually.
"Hmm... it's like going from one city to another. The buildings don't even feel that different. Honestly, I was more shocked the first time I went overseas."
Then he glanced around-at the crowds chatting on both sides of the street, at the enormous floating airships drifting across the sky.
"If I really had to say something," Baki added, "your city is a bit more interesting."
"That's because we have an interesting Supreme Chairman," Jaden replied lightly.
Seeing that Baki didn't seem particularly shaken by the world-hopping itself, Jaden stopped pressing the topic and instead led him toward the venue of the Kengan Association match.
"Let's go," Jaden said. "Just like I told you before-participate in the match. Our agreement ends the moment you register."
"After that, whether you win, lose, or quit midway is entirely up to you."
"If you decide to fight, use the fighter's entrance. If not, just watch from the audience. Either way, we'll meet back here when the match ends, and I'll send you home."
Baki had already completed registration. The contestant pass was in his hand.
As Jaden turned to leave, Baki suddenly called out to him.
"Yuki... why did you make this request?"
Jaden stopped.
He turned slightly, looking back at Baki.
"I don't always act for a clear reason," he said. "But if I had to give one for this..."
He paused, then smiled softly.
"It's probably a respect for this farewell."
After saying that, Jaden turned and walked away.
Baki stood there, stunned.
If he had heard those words before Yujiro's defeat, he would have dismissed them as nonsense-another riddle from a man he couldn't understand.
But now...
He vaguely understood.
Just like how he couldn't find a reason to fight anymore, just like how training felt pointless-yet the idea of truly abandoning fighting left behind an unbearable emptiness.
As if something he had clung to his entire life would simply vanish.
Was Yuki feeling the same thing?
Was this his way of saying goodbye-to the arena, to battle, to this world?
Baki hesitated, then sighed.
In the end, he tightened his grip on the contestant pass and walked toward the fighter's entrance.
"How can I withdraw after you say something like that?" he muttered.
"And besides..."
His figure slowly disappeared into the tunnel.
"...after hearing that, quitting would feel unbearably empty."
...
At first, Baki was extremely serious about the competition.
After all, he was standing in the very arena where Jaden had once stood.
He knew Jaden's strength too well. So even if the other fighters were weaker than him, they couldn't be that much weaker... right?
With that in mind, Baki carefully observed everyone.
Others were also watching him.
No one questioned why Jaden wasn't participating. This tournament was for the "Demon Spear" title, and everyone knew about Jaden's engagement. Most fighters respected his choice-and were far more curious about this newcomer he had personally brought.
However...
The moment Kiryu Setsuna entered the arena, all attention shifted.
Ohma.
Raian Kure.
Takeshi Wakatsuki.
Their gazes snapped toward Kiryu instantly.
The murderous intent was so intense that Kiryu nearly sat down on the spot.
After adjusting, though, he smiled back at them calmly. Since he hadn't participated in the previous Kengan Annihilation Tournament, this was his first time in such an environment. He simply assumed this was normal.
He would understand later.
The matches began.
From the very first round, Baki fought seriously.
And then...
After winning his first match, he realized something strange.
These opponents... didn't feel very strong.
They weren't weak-but compared to Jaden, the gap was enormous.
It didn't make sense to him.
Only after reaching the quarterfinals, when he faced Ohma Tokita, did he finally feel real pressure. The battle was fierce. He had to give everything.
And he won.
But even then...
Ohma was only... okay.
What truly surprised Baki wasn't the difficulty of the fight-but what came after.
He looked around.
The fighters who had advanced were all wounded to varying degrees. Bruised. Bleeding.
And yet-
Their fighting spirit was growing stronger.
Looking at them, Baki felt something stir inside him.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
He didn't understand why.
He wasn't fighting for his mother.
He wasn't fighting for his father.
His agreement with Jaden had already ended.
Even if he quit now, no one would stop him.
None of those were reasons.
And yet-
He was looking forward to the next match.
Looking forward to his next opponent.
Realizing this, Baki slowly raised his head.
He looked into the mirror.
And saw himself smiling-clearly, unmistakably smiling.
"Am I... smiling?"
He touched his face.
The smile stiffened for a moment.
Then it grew wider.
Because at that moment-
He thought he finally understood.
Or maybe, just like Jaden said before, not everything needed a reason.
And if he had to give one for how he felt right now-
Then...
-It was because he was happy.
He wasn't fighting for his father.
He wasn't fighting for his mother.
The current him-
Was fighting for himself.