"We've already seen amazing differences in the course of battle within each Block! Block C's already wrapped all their Round Two matches, but in Block D the first match of Round Two isn't over yet! And in Block A, the third match of the round is also dragging on."

Sayomi sat with Yasuhiro in the spectator seats and watched as the screens switched between each match. The announcers were trying to build the anticipation.

"Mukuro's having an unexpectedly hard time with Natsume, while there seems no end in sight for the battle between Shu and Soketsu! But the big news is in Block B!"

The monitor showed a split screen between Yusuke and Yomi as they faced each other in the ring.

"The event everyone's been waiting for, the match-up between Urameshi and Yomi, is about to commence!"

The crowd of demons erupted into a thunderous roar of cheers of both fighters.

"Lay that Yomi bum out, Urameshi!"

"Yomi!"

"Triumph and rebuild your nation, Lord Yomi!"

"Urameshi!"

"Yomi!"

Yasuhiro scowled at the ruckus and slid his glance down to his sister. "You've actually met Yomi and have trained with Urameshi. What do you think of their chances?"

Sayomi kept a stern eye on the jumbo screen as she tried to read their expressions. "If I'm being honest, Yusuke is more on par with Shura, so it'll be Yomi's win. The bigger question is, how much damage can Yusuke dish out before the match ends?"

The young girl on the flying camera raised her arm. The spectators drowned out any audio from the jumbo screen as they screamed the names of the two fighters. The referee brought her hand down and shouted, "Begin!"

Sayomi narrowed her eyes as the screams nearly deafened her ears. Just don't die, Yusuke.

As soon as the match started, Yusuke lowered his stance and instantly flared his aura around his body. The intense pressure was enough to cause a low rumble in the ground. Sayomi and Yasuhiro could feel his power despite the distance from their view to the top of the Eon Tree. Yomi didn't hesitate to match him in power.

Natsume, Mukuro, Shu, and Soketsu instantly felt the sudden jolt.

"Whoa… Check it out!" Jin's ears wiggled as he watched with Chu. "Yusuke's proposing hand-to-hand combat!"

Yusuke smirked and pounded his fist into his open palm for Yomi to hear.

In Block D, Mukuro and Natsume were in a stand-off.

"Hey!" Mukuro called out.

"What?"

Mukuro smiled, the bruise on her cheek barely noticeable. "Let's stop dancing around."

Natsume was catching her breath. A cut over her eye was bleeding and she had a busted lip. "Fine by me."

In Block A, Shu and Soketsu were still evenly matched with only a few bruises to show for it.

Soketsu smirked and said, "A fight like the one next to us pumps you up, eh Shu? Care to bring it on for real, you metallic shrimp?"

"Hmm…" Shu smirked and wiped the blood from his nose. "Don't mind if I do. By the way, that really is a stupid hat."

Mukuro and Natsume dashed as Shu and Soketsu powered up.

Blocks A, B, and D became explosive with the towering mixes of aura that reached the heavens. "The auras of the participants in the other Blocks are really starting to resonate with what's happening in Block B! One wonders if the arenas will be able to contain it all!"

Suddenly, Yusuke ran straight towards Yomi.

"Yusuke, you idiot!" Chu yelled. "Don't head straight for him! He'll just knock yer block off!"

"What the hell, Yusuke?!" Sayomi shouted in frustration.

As Yusuke swung his fist, Yomi smiled. "Heh…"

The audience was left speechless as Yusuke's punch connected with Yomi, sending the former king spiraling through the air.

"Unbelievable!" The announcer shouted into his mic. "Urameshi sent Yomi flying with a straight punch!"

"Huh?" Yusuke blinked as he remained in his stance. "I got him?"

Yomi spun through the air before he crashed on the stadium floor.

"Yomi's down! Yomi's down!"

"This makes no sense!" Shura stared at the monitor in disbelief. "No way Dad couldn't have dodged!"

Yusuke and the rest of the crowd watched as Yomi laid flat on his back.

"What's the deal here?"

"Was that it…?"

"There's no way he went down that easily. He's messing with him," Yasuhiro mumbled.

"Like a child," Sayomi agreed.

Yusuke ground his teeth and snapped. "C'mon, stop kidding around. I'm the one who should be lying there… in pieces."

Yomi sat up easily, catching Yusuke by surprise. He smiled, despite the blood dripping from his mouth. Yusuke matched his smile with a confident smirk.

As Yomi got to his feet, he tore off his long sleeves. "True, but I've started to awaken to a new side of myself. For the first time I wanted to take a punch dead-on."

"Heh… It can get addictive," Yusuke warned.

"Yeah, I see what you mean…" Yomi agreed as he slipped into his own stance.

They both dashed at the same time. By the time Yusuke threw a punch, Yomi had already side-stepped to close in from behind. He grasped Yusuke's shoulder and blasted him at point blank with multiple shots.

Yusuke skidded back on his feet and hand, then grinned at his opponent. Yomi smiled as they exchanged and parried blows.

Sayomi couldn't tear her eyes away from the match. It seemed to go on for hours. It probably had. Neither one of them showed any signs of fatigue.

As they fought, Sayomi noticed a change in Yusuke's movement. Something's wrong. His eyes look… lifeless.

Yomi blasted Yusuke with another barrage of energy blasts, sending the boy skidding facedown across the arena. This time, Yusuke didn't get back up or spout witty remarks at his opponent.

"And Yusuke goes down!" The announcer shouted.

The crowd was quiet as they watched Yomi approach the broken teen.

"Do you think he's dead?" Yasuhiro asked.

"He's been hit with worse," Sayomi disagreed. "He's not dead, but there's definitely something wrong with him."

In the ring, Yomi stopped just a couple feet from the boy. "Mm, mm, mmm. And which one of us is playing games now, Urameshi?"

He reached down and lifted Yusuke by the head with a single hand. He raised the limp boy to his eye level and scowled. "I know that weak blast couldn't have done this. No, there's something else draining all the passion out of you now. What could it be?"

Yusuke stared ahead at nothing as he quietly answered, "It just hit me… I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore."

"What?!" Yomi snapped. "You insolent child!" He raised Yusuke higher and punched him in the face. "This was your idea that you set in motion!" He continued his brutal assault while Yusuke let it happen.

"I don't get it! Yomi is giving Yusuke a relentless pummeling, but Yusuke's just taking it like a lifeless ragdoll!" The announcer was stunned and couldn't turn away from the violence on the screen.

"Ahhhh!" As Yomi punched Yusuke, he growled his frustrations. "Speak! Have I beaten some sense into you, yet?"

Yusuke was bruised and his face was swelling from the constant blows. His eyes were still empty as he mumbled to himself. "I came for… no… this isn't the reason…"

Yomi's brow furrowed deeper as he charged his aura and released it as a massive blast, sending Yusuke's mangled body into the air with a shout. The former king jumped up to meet him in the air and said, "I have given up everything I thought was important to fight in this tournament with honor. You made me do that. You can't just take it back, now!"

Yomi covered his fists with his aura and started punching Yusuke in the gut. As Yusuke was getting battered, his lifeless eyes started to regain their spark.

Sayomi noticed the subtle change and she let out a small sigh of relief. It seems he's found the answer to whatever was troubling him. I just hope it's not too late.

As he took a hit to his face, Yusuke grit his teeth and glared at Yomi. He pulled his fist back and launched his body forward to punch Yomi. "And I can't get back to her until I do!"

"Yes!" Sayomi cheered with her fists clenched.

Yomi landed hard on his feet in a small crater on one side of the field. On the other side, Yusuke landed in a crouch and looked up to grin at Yomi. His Mazoku markings were visible, showing the entire Demon Plane his lineage.

"Wow! Another shocking reversal! Just when it looked like Yomi was about to end it, Yusuke sprung back to life and unleashed a bone-shattering wallop of his own! Suddenly he's covered with the mark of the Mazoku! And like I always say, nothing goes together like rippling muscles and tattoos!"

The two fighters got to their feet and faced each other.

"Ha!" Yusuke said with a wide smirk. "Well, will you take a look at this. You probably should've stopped hitting me, 'cause now you've woken up the part of Raizen that lives on in me, and he gets grumpy first thing in the morning."

"You don't know how pleased I am to hear that," Yomi said with a satisfied smirk. "As much fun as it is sparring with you, Raizen's the one I always wished I could defeat."

"Well, what do you know? We both have something in common after all. We'd both rather be beating up my ancestral dad," Yusuke joked.

Yomi fell into his fighting stance with a low shout. Meanwhile Yusuke's glare zeroed in on his opponent as he charged forward. "But you'll do!"

As they both ran towards each other, Yusuke vanished from Yomi's path. "What?!" He turned and froze as he sensed Yusuke's aura next to him.

Yusuke chuckled with a manic grin as he aimed his index finger at Yomi, the tip glowing red with his demonic aura. He fired his Reigun at point blank, setting off a big explosion where Yomi was standing.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the announcer excitedly spoke into her mic. "Yusuke just shot his Reigun at point blank range! Or since he used his demon energy, should I say his Demon Gun! Whatever the case, I love it! That must be some to-die-for pain Yomi's going through now!"

Yusuke gasped as he watched the smoke clear and a glowing green sphere of demonic aura land safely in front of him. Yomi stood within the barrier completely unharmed.

"Against all odds, Yomi has managed to escape the brunt of Yusuke's Demon Gun entirely unscathed with some sort of last second forcefield!"

"Ancient Barrier of Death's Reflection," Yomi clarified. "As you've seen both now and in my fight with Shura, it is invincible to any attack."

"We'll see!" Yusuke declared. He got into his stance and started charging his demonic aura at his fingertip.

"It's no use," Yomi said confidently.

"Then you don't mind if I try!" Yusuke fired off blast after blast after blast of his demonic aura.

"Undeterred, Yusuke continues firing shot after shot, but to no avail! He may as well be firing blanks!"

Sayomi couldn't turn away from the match. She had never seen Yusuke fire off so many shots from his Reigun before. "If he keeps this up, he'll run himself dry!"

As Yusuke fired at Yomi, the former king stood his ground and let the boy use up his energy. "Fire all you want, it will not make a difference." Then, something slipped through that cut his cheek. "What?!"

"No way…" Sayomi watched as Yomi's expression changed and Yusuke's aura started to shift.

Yomi grit his teeth as more shots started to leak through his barrier. "It can't! How could he?!"

"He's mixing his spiritual aura with his demonic aura! Only Yusuke could do something so unorthodox with his crazy origin!" Sayomi grinned as his aura shifted from demonic red to his spiritual blue and the markings on his body started to fade.

Before long, Yusuke was firing pure spiritual aura blasts through Yomi's barrier, hitting the former king repeatedly. Then, he charged up one oversized blast and unleashed it. The blast hit Yomi's barrier completely, breaking through and setting off a massive explosion of spiritual aura.

Yusuke was sent tumbling backwards by the kickback of the shot. The blast covered the whole arena, breaking it apart from within and causing it to crumble out from underneath. The glaring light could be seen clearly from the spectators' seats and beyond. A massive dust cloud covered the arena and obscured everything from view.

"In what looks to be an act of mutual destruction, Yusuke's Reigun blast was so insane it consumed him along with Yomi. This could be the tragic end for two brave warriors."

The crowd waited anxiously for the dust to settle. The camera flew around, trying to catch a glimpse of either fighter in the chaos. Water flowed down crevices and fires burned all around. Eventually, Yusuke was sighted standing firmly on his feet with a smirk. Then, Yomi walked through the smoke and flames, a little banged up but standing tall.

"They're alive! Both Yusuke and Yomi are alive!"

The crowd erupted into loud screams and cheers for the combatants. Sayomi let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "How many times do I need to tell them to stop scaring me with these near-death matches?"

Yusuke smirked at Yomi and said, "Sorry about that. Guess I just don't know my own strength."

"And I do humbly apologize for underestimating it as well." Yomi smiled and said, "Perhaps you aren't such a pale substitute for a fight with your demon father after all, Yusuke."

"Here I was just beginning to think the same thing about you," Yusuke remarked.

"Whatever fate may come of it," Yomi declared, "I'm glad you found your reason."

"Looks like you'll be getting your money's worth today, fight fans! They're poised for a new round!"

"What do you say we finish this?" Yusuke dashed forward and jumped up.

Yomi followed his movements and dodged Yusuke's drop kick. Without hesitation, Yusuke sprung up and delivered punches and kicks that Yomi casually blocked and deflected.

Then Yomi gathered his aura and fired a blast at Yusuke, sending the boy crashing through the nearby trees. Yomi caught up and fired another blast that shot Yusuke up into a cliff. As the rock formation crumbled, Yusuke and Yomi clashed and parried each other's attacks with counter moves.

Yusuke threw a punch that Yomi parried and countered with his own punch that landed. As Yomi tried to follow up with another attack, Yusuke blocked and countered with a kick that hit its mark.

This pattern continued until Yomi charged both of his hands with aura and fired a spiraling tornado directly at Yusuke, sending the boy crashing into the lake below. The attack was so powerful it continued drilling through the underside of the arena and into the ground far below. Branches broke and the arena itself shifted as the top of the Eon Tree was falling apart.

Yusuke shot out of the sand, skyrocketing towards Yomi and he fired a flurry of aura blasts that Yomi attempted to block with his barrier. However, since Yusuke used his human aura, the barrier couldn't hold, and it exploded on impact.

As both fighters landed on their feet, it was clear the match wasn't ending anytime soon. Both fighters were beaten, bruised, and out of breath.

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while."

"Urameshi! Don't give up now! You've almost won!"

"All hail Lord Yomi!"

The crowd was torn between the two fighters as the battle dragged on. Sayomi was so focused on the match, she didn't notice Hiei and Mukuro standing behind her.

"I don't forsee Yusuke lasting much longer," Mukuro commented.

"There's no way he can win, not in his condition," Hiei agreed.

"It seems that he's the only one who isn't aware of that," Mukuro noticed.

Sayomi turned and smiled at the two fighters. "He may be on his last legs, but he's not giving up easily. I see you finished your battle with Natsume."

Mukuro smiled down at the young demoness and said, "She was a formidable opponent, but she still has a lot to learn." She glanced over at the fire demon to her left. "Let's hope my next match is more of a challenge."

Sayomi smirked at the light jab then returned her attention to the jumbo screen. Yusuke and Yomi were at a standoff, gauging each other before making a move. I don't doubt his drive to win, but even if he doesn't, he won't go down easy.

As Yusuke faced Yomi, he slipped into a horse stance and let his aura flare around him like a golden flame.

Sayomi's eyes widened as she recognized it. "Is that…?"

"Sensui's Holy Chi!" Hiei had also recognized the radiant light encasing Yusuke.

"No," Mukuro denied. "This is something else entirely."

"Whatever it is, it just might be enough to win," Yasuhiro said in awe. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the match.

"Haaaaa!" Yusuke let his aura explode around him, then concentrated it around his fists. The golden hue shifted to a royal blue.

Yomi smiled and returned the gesture by letting his own aura spiral around him. Once his fists were glowing, he said, "It's disappointing that our time together must come to a close. Defeating you will be an honor… Yusuke."

Yusuke smirked. "You can't end a good party without someone on the floor."

"I suppose not." With a shout, Yomi extinguished his swirling pillar of aura until his fists glowed a vibrant yellow. "Now! Come on!"

Yusuke ground his teeth then charged with a yell that echoed all around the arena. He landed a straight right jab to Yomi's face, sending the former king skidding back several yards, but still on his feet.

Yomi slid to a stop and braced himself as Yusuke ran after him and threw another punch. Yomi dodged it and countered with a right and left. Yusuke dodged his third strike and countered but missed as Yomi dodged and countered with another right jab to Yusuke's face.

The fight continued with the exchange of blows and counters. Yomi landed more hits, but Yusuke showed no signs of slowing down.

The crowd split into chants for either Yomi or Yusuke to win.

As Sayomi watched, she couldn't help remembering her first meeting with the boy at Genkai's temple. She recalled their time doing missions, surviving the Dark Tournament, the Sensui Case, and being part of his first meeting with Raizen. Her vision started to blur, so she wiped her tears back to see Yusuke land a punch on Yomi. If the Old Man could see you now, he'd be over himself with pride.

They brawled as the crowd cheered. Sayomi could see the grin on Yusuke's face and the smirk on Yomi's. Whether he wins or loses the match, he certainly wins for ending a war and bringing everyone together through this tournament. It's not real peace, but it's the closest the Demon Plane has ever experienced.

Yomi punched Yusuke, sending the boy skidding back on his feet. As the former king ran after him with a raised, glowing fist, Yusuke raised his own aura-strengthened fist and ran to meet him halfway as their punches collided with each other's faces.

The impact ignited another massive explosion of demonic and unknown aura. The flash blinded the cameras, and thus the spectators, as the light covered the entire surface of the Eon Tree.

Once the light faded, Yusuke's eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious on the ground. As Yomi started falling, he heard a distant cry from the spectators.

"Father!"

At the sound of his son's voice, Yomi caught himself and remained on his feet long enough to be declared the winner of the match.