Five years had passed since the battle that nearly destroyed the world.
Five years since Leo, Lily, Chenwei, Yuna, Renge, Kaito Jin, the Guardians, and the other warriors had stood together against an enemy that seemed impossible to defeat.
Five years since the entire world had watched them fight.
Because that battle had not remained a secret.
The legendary announcer and his cameraman had recorded everything.
Every battle.
Every transformation.
Every desperate moment.
Every time someone stood back up after falling.
The entire world had seen it.
And after five years, those warriors were no longer simply martial artists.
They had become heroes.
The enormous concert arena was packed beyond imagination.
Thousands of people filled the stands, while countless more watched through giant screens and broadcasts around the world.
Flags from different countries waved everywhere.
The lights suddenly went dark.
The crowd became silent.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive burst of lights exploded across the stage.
The legendary announcer walked into the center with a microphone in his hand.
He looked toward the audience.
Then he smiled.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The crowd immediately erupted.
"FIVE YEARS AGO, THIS WORLD WITNESSED A BATTLE THAT CHANGED HISTORY!"
The giant screens behind him displayed scenes from the legendary battle.
Leo.
Lily.
Chenwei.
Yuna.
The Guardians.
Kaito Jin.
Renge.
One after another, the faces of the warriors appeared.
The audience screamed.
The announcer raised his microphone.
"AND TONIGHT…"
The lights turned toward the massive entrance behind the stage.
"…THE HEROES WHO SAVED OUR WORLD HAVE RETURNED!"
BOOOOOOM!
Fireworks exploded above the arena.
The first entrance opened.
"FROM CHINA!"
Chenwei walked onto the stage.
Yuna walked beside him.
Both of them carried the Chinese flag.
The crowd roared.
Chenwei smiled and waved.
Yuna laughed and waved toward the audience.
The announcer continued.
"THE WARRIOR WHO FOUGHT BESIDE THE HEROES UNTIL THE VERY END—CHENWEI!"
The crowd cheered even louder.
"And his wife, the warrior who stood beside him…"
"YUNA!"
Yuna raised the Chinese flag.
The audience erupted again.
Then the lights shifted.
"FROM JAPAN!"
Lily stepped onto the stage.
She carried the Japanese flag proudly.
She smiled toward the crowd.
The announcer shouted:
"THE PHOENIX WARRIOR!"
Lily raised the flag.
"LILY!"
The crowd screamed her name.
Then—
The entire arena went dark.
One single spotlight appeared at the center.
The legendary announcer smiled.
"And now…"
The audience became completely silent.
"…the man who stood at the center of the battle."
A slow drumbeat began.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The entrance opened.
Leo walked forward.
He was carrying the flag of Nepal.
The moment he stepped onto the stage—
The entire world seemed to explode with noise.
"LEOOOOOOOO!"
Leo stopped at the center.
He looked around.
For a moment, he didn't say anything.
He simply smiled.
Then he raised the Nepalese flag.
The audience went insane.
People waved Nepalese flags.
People waved Chinese flags.
People waved Japanese flags.
People who had never even met Leo were shouting his name.
Leo looked at the massive crowd.
"Whoa…"
Chenwei laughed.
"You finally understand how famous you became?"
Leo looked at him.
"I honestly preferred farming."
Yuna laughed.
Lily crossed her arms.
"You're still the same."
Leo smiled.
The announcer walked toward him.
"Leo! Five years ago, you became one of the greatest martial artists this world had ever seen. Today, millions of people are watching you."
He held the microphone toward Leo.
"One question."
Leo looked at him.
"Are you going to participate in the World Martial Art Tournament again?"
The crowd immediately started shouting.
"YES!"
"LEO!"
"COME BACK!"
"FIGHT AGAIN!"
Leo looked at the audience.
Then he calmly shook his head.
"No."
The entire arena went silent.
Chenwei looked at him.
Leo continued.
"I've already reached the point where I can't find anyone around me who can really challenge me."
A few people laughed.
Leo scratched his cheek.
"So, as long as things remain like this, I don't think I'll participate in the tournament every year anymore."
The announcer raised an eyebrow.
"And there's another reason?"
Leo nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked toward the giant screen displaying the official rankings.
"My name is already among the Top Five World Martial Artists."
The crowd erupted.
Leo smiled.
"So I'll leave the tournament to the next generation."
The audience cheered.
Chenwei shouted from behind him.
"Look at this guy! Five years of peaceful life and he's still arrogant!"
Leo turned around.
"I'm not arrogant!"
Yuna laughed.
"You just said nobody can challenge you."
Leo paused.
"…That's different."
Everyone laughed.
The legendary announcer laughed as well.
But then—
A strange sound came from the speakers.
DUM!
The lights suddenly changed.
A powerful beat began.
The giant screen displayed a familiar symbol.
WIND TEMPLE.
Leo's eyes widened.
Chenwei looked toward the side of the stage.
"Oh no…"
Yuna smiled.
"I know that look."
A voice suddenly shouted from backstage.
"ARE YOU READY?!"
The audience screamed.
A gust of wind swept across the stage.
Airi Kazehana jumped onto the platform.
Her hair moved wildly in the wind.
She grabbed the microphone.
"MAKE SOME NOISE!"
The entire arena exploded.
Leo laughed.
"Airi…"
Airi pointed directly at him.
"Leo!"
Leo pointed back.
"What?"
Airi grinned.
"You saved the world."
She took a breath.
"But can you survive…"
The beat suddenly became faster.
"…THE RAP WIND EMPRESS?!"
The audience screamed.
Leo laughed.
"Here we go again."
The legendary announcer stepped away from the stage.
The lights focused on Leo and Airi.
Chenwei and Yuna moved toward the side.
Lily smiled.
And then—
The Volume 3 opening began.
---
WORLD MARTIAL ART — Volume 3 Opening Theme
"WIND OF A NEW ERA"
Airi:
Five years gone, but the fire still burns,
The road ahead is waiting for our return!
Raise your hands, let the whole world know,
The heroes are here, and we're ready to go!
Leo:
I left the battlefield, I wanted peace,
Five years of silence, watching the seasons increase.
But somewhere beyond what our eyes can see,
Another world is calling out to me.
Airi:
Wind in the sky!
Leo:
Fire in my heart!
Airi:
Even when the darkness comes—
Leo:
We won't fall apart!
The beat intensified.
The giant screen behind them showed flashes of Leo, Lily, Chenwei, Yuna, Renge, Kaito Jin, and the five Guardians.
Then the chorus hit.
Leo & Airi:
RUN! RUN! RUN!
CHASE THE WIND ACROSS THE SKY!
FIVE YEARS HAVE PASSED, BUT OUR DREAMS ARE STILL ALIVE!
BREAK! BREAK! BREAK!
EVERY LIMIT IN OUR WAY!
A NEW ERA IS BEGINNING—
THIS IS OUR DAY!
Airi spun around.
"HEY, LEO!"
Leo looked at her.
"What?"
"Still think nobody can challenge you?"
Leo smiled.
"Maybe."
Airi laughed.
"THEN TRY TO CATCH ME!"
She launched herself forward with the wind.
Leo jumped after her.
The audience screamed.
Airi:
From the mountains to the oceans,
From the temples to the sky,
We carry every memory,
We won't let our dreams die!
Leo:
Lion heart and phoenix flame,
I remember every name.
Friends beside me, standing strong,
Even after all this time, we still belong.
The music suddenly became quieter.
The screen changed.
For a brief moment, the happy images disappeared.
A dark landscape appeared.
A mysterious black gate.
A red glow.
Then another image—
A strange spiritual world.
The screen flashed the words:
HELL.
Then—
SOUL LAND.
The image disappeared almost instantly.
The crowd didn't understand what they had just seen.
Leo didn't notice.
But the song continued.
Airi & Leo:
WIND! FIRE! LIGHT!
WE'LL KEEP MOVING THROUGH THE NIGHT!
FRIENDS! DREAMS! PRIDE!
KEEP OUR HEARTS ALIVE!
IF ANOTHER STORM SHOULD COME,
WE'LL STAND TOGETHER AGAIN!
THE STORY ISN'T OVER—
The music reached its peak.
WE'RE ONLY AT THE BEGINNING!
Airi raised her microphone.
"ONE MORE TIME!"
Leo raised his fist.
The entire audience joined them.
EVERYONE:
RUN! RUN! RUN!
CHASE THE WIND ACROSS THE SKY!
A NEW ERA IS BEGINNING—
AND WE'LL NEVER SAY GOODBYE!
The final beat exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
Fireworks filled the sky.
Leo and Airi stood at the center of the enormous stage.
Chenwei, Yuna, and Lily joined them.
The crowd continued cheering.
Leo looked around at his friends.
For five years, there had been peace.
For five years, there had been no great war.
No mysterious enemy.
No reason to return to battle.
Leo smiled.
"This is nice."
Chenwei laughed.
"Yeah."
Yuna smiled.
Lily looked toward Leo.
"Let's enjoy it."
Leo nodded.
None of them knew what was waiting beyond the peaceful world they had built.
None of them knew that something had already begun moving in the darkness.
And none of them knew that the next battle would not simply be a battle between martial artists.
Because somewhere beyond their world…
Hell was watching.
And somewhere even deeper…
Soul Land had begun to awaken.
The concert continued.
The people celebrated.
The heroes laughed.
And for one final night—
The world was at peace.
To be continued in Chapter 2.
The chapter has ended, but we'll remember it someday from another corner of a new universe.