The eerie glow of the Magnocroma Forest flickers like ghost-fire. Blade Taizuka stands crouched, Kamikaze trembling in his grip. Opposite him, Akashi Peigon — that red and white-haired monster — swings his Chronox blade lazily, as if he's already won.
Akashi's smirk could split iron.
"Come on, Blade. Entertain me, will you?"
Blade's grip tightens, sweat mixing with the blood on his brow. I have to prove it. To myself. To them. He snarls under his breath.
"Tri-Dragon Oblivion Thrust!!"
Three roaring streams — water coiling, wind screaming, and lightning crackling — spiral forward like a storm given fangs. Trees snap, roots rip from the soil. The entire clearing shudders.
But Akashi flicks Chronox with an almost bored flourish — the swirling attack cracks apart midair, the elemental tide dissolving into harmless sparks.
Akashi yawns.
"Predictable. Do better."
Blade's eyes blaze. He leaps, Kamikaze drawn overhead — lightning ignites his blade, his feet barely touch the moss before he's airbound again.
"Thunder Dragon's Flash Clash!!"
A deafening crack splits the sky — a lance of pure thunder drops, striking Akashi's spot. Smoke swallows the forest. High in the canopy, Kentaro Rikotsu, drifting effortlessly on a bolt of his own lightning, watches with wide, hungry eyes.
"Now that's a fight. Tear him up, Blade!"
Through the haze, Chronox gleams — Akashi emerges, unburnt, that same cruel smile stitched to his lips. "Fun trick," he purrs. "Too bad your dragons are toothless."
He slams Chronox down — time ripples. Blade's momentum stalls midair; he's yanked sideways by the warping blade. He crashes to the ground, bark and dirt exploding.
---
Meanwhile, Suntaro Akammi barrels through the Maze of Paragon, shoulder-checking a massive rook piece that tries to block his path. Sparks arc from his thunder blade, Raitaro, pulsing with every heartbeat. Juogen of Division 8 lies slumped behind him, knocked cold.
Suntaro laughs, almost wild.
"Maze of Paragon? Bring your worst, Jeitsu-senpai! My thunder's louder!"
In the control chamber, captains lean forward. Kinnatsu's eyes flick from Suntaro's rampage to Blade's struggle.
---
In a shadowed corridor between the shifting chess pillars, Yano Mikazushi dances like a phantom. Her eyes narrow at Qui Toriko and Kyoishi — both assistant captains, both blocking her path.
Qui's spear lunges. Yano spins, the air around her shimmering as her wind Myou flicks the strike aside. She murmurs,
"Your spears are too slow for the wind."
She ducks under Kyoishi's strike, flicks her wrist — a slipstream rips through the corridor. Qui's spear is torn from his grip; Kyoishi stumbles, vines binding him to the wall as the air hardens around him.
Yano brushes dust from her cloak, stepping into the hidden path. The maze shifts, but the wind favors her.
"Hidden paths always belong to me."
---
Jinshi, from Division 11, skips the battle altogether — in a flash of swirling Myou, he teleports straight to the Hiraguri Lake Garden finish line. He lands next to Kenshin, who's standing silently with Marekuno resting like an ancient monument on his shoulder. Yano appears moments later, hair whipping in the breeze. Jinshi glances at the two.
"As expected from Division One," he chuckles.
Yano crosses her arms, smirking back.
"You're not so bad for the so-called Phantom of Eleven."
---
Up high, in the branches of an ancient tree, Ryen Kairo sits alone, arms folded. His sharp eyes watch Blade's clash with Akashi, then dart to the finish line. He huffs under his breath.
"So much noise for one broken boy. Disappointing."
---
Back in the maze, Blade's ragged breath steams in the cold air. He staggers up, ignoring the ache in his ribs. Akashi swings Chronox with a bored flick, the blade humming.
"Playtime's almost over, Blade."
Blade lunges — water dragons surge from Kamikaze's edge, forming a swirling tornado.
"Water Dragon Swirling Tornado!!"
The spiraling water surges like a living serpent, smashing trees, shredding rook pieces into shards. The air tastes like rain and ozone. Kentaro, drifting above, howls with laughter.
"That's it, Blade! Break him open!"
But Akashi's eyes gleam — he twists Chronox, time fracturing the current, freezing parts of the water mid-motion. He sidesteps the rest as if he's dancing through falling leaves.
Akashi's voice drops low, almost pitying.
"Sorry, Blade. Acro Noxchon — Vacuum Chron's Blast."
A pulse erupts — the air folds inward, creating a void that drags Blade's Myou toward nothingness. Blade's eyes widen. He tries to counter, but his own elemental tornado is turned against him — he's slammed into the ground, wind knocked from his lungs.
Up on a boulder nearby, Kibito watches, flames flickering in his palms. He growls to himself.
"What are you trying to prove, Blade? Is this your limit?"
---
In the scrying hall, Jeitsu and Sekiro swap glances. Sukasa leans closer, eyes tense.
"Kamikaze's draining him dry. And that monster Akashi hasn't even sweat yet."
---
At the finish line, Kagami Hanera steps lightly onto the stone platform. Her soft eyes search the maze's distant glow. Beside her stand Kenshin, Yano, and Jinshi — all calm, all waiting. Kagami touches her ice blade, Ka Kori.
Blade… please don't hurt yourself.
---
Inside the maze, Blade's vision flickers. He sees flashes — Kagami's smile, Kibito's grin, Suntaro's reckless roar. Then: Tensho's words echo.
You're ninth because you're not ready yet. But you will be.
He tries to rise — Kamikaze hums in his trembling hand. The dragons within flicker in and out of his mind. His blood drips onto the cracked chess tile. He hears Kagami's voice, soft but unyielding: "Blade… please win. Don't hurt yourself…"
The Myou inside him stirs. A faint roar echoes deep in his soul.
Akashi brushes his hair back, Chronox resting on his shoulder as he steps past Blade's fallen form. "Sorry. That's your destiny — to watch stronger men walk ahead."
Blade's vision swims. He sees Akashi striding away toward the Bridge of Keilon, where Suntaro is just emerging from the Maze. Sparks and scorched stone litter the air. Blade clenches Kamikaze's hilt. His breath rasps.
No. I won't break. Not now. Not ever.
The dragons in his blade stir — eyes like suns flicker in the darkness of his mind. For a heartbeat, the entire maze glows with a low, primal hum. High in the branches, Kairo's eyes narrow.
So he's not done yet?
---
The chapter ends with Blade, broken but rising. His tears mix with the dirt on his face — his blade hums like thunder waiting to roar. The finish line shines like a dream at the far end of the world.
"I will stand again. For them. For me. For the Phoenix Order."
To be continued...