New Light: Kazumi Appears

Queira stares at the screen in the control room, seemingly stunned and speechless, struggling to comprehend how Sumato was suddenly defeated. His gaze remains fixated on the arena, as if his mind cannot reconcile the chaos unfolding before him with what he is witnessing on the screen. Before Queira can ask Mizokushii for clarification, another irritating colleague interrupts him. "Queira, shift your focus to the other matches," the supervisor commands, mistakenly thinking they are still in a meeting. Queira lets out a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh as he concedes, "I wish you the best, Sumato." His eyes still locked onto the new competitor, Queira turns his attention to the other match to see who the new player is.

A new competitor, Kazumi, stands in the arena, appearing perfectly calm despite the surrounding chaos and intense desire to win. Seemingly mild-tempered, Kazumi has vacant, polite-looking eyes, and his disheveled anthracite brown hair falls onto his forehead. He wears a simple, loose-fitting outfit consisting of an orange T-shirt, oversized grey jogging pants, and trainers, with an iron chain dangling loosely from the strap of his pants.

Kazumi's opponent, The Basher, is a towering, bulky figure standing at 6'7", his presence casting an overwhelming shadow. Whispers about his involvement in a dangerous cult add to the menace of his already intimidating appearance. But Kazumi shows no fear. His posture is relaxed, almost casual, as if he has nothing to prove. Without hesitation, he summons a massive bus, warped by the sheer force of his Shinen, which appears with a thunderous crack. The Basher swiftly destroys the bus, but when the dust settles, Kazumi has vanished. Suddenly, he steps out from a mirror-like surface forged of Shinen and strikes, slicing the Basher's leg with a blade materialized from his glove. The Basher collapses in agony, and Kazumi conjures a bowling ball-sized sphere of dense energy that slams down on him, rendering him unconscious.

Back in the control room, Queira, having forgotten the confusion from Sumato's earlier defeat, is now focused on Kazumi's match. He questions whether Kazumi broke the rule against advanced Shinen affinities. Amelia, a female supervisor, explains that while most common affinities are elemental, there are other legal affinities, such as light, darkness, and pure Shinen, which Kazumi used to create the reflective surface. Satisfied with the explanation, Queira thanks Amelia for her patience.

Kazumi, now comfortably enjoying his food, observes the ongoing battles, including Sumato's stealthy approach against his opponent. Noticing a faint light flickering at Sumato's fingertips, Kazumi muses that Sumato could end the fight quickly but is choosing to maintain the tension. As Kazumi turns to observe the next match, his eyes widen, and he smiles, anticipating an interesting fight.