While the students fought the Hunters that Gisurd had summoned, Kazuhiko faced the real threat. Gisurd, a man who claimed his strength had been gifted by a god.
Kazuhiko's punch landed clean, sending him to the ground.
The hit should have ended the fight, but instead of fear, Gisurd laughed. A sharp, grating sound that felt alive and dead at the same time.
Before he could stand, the world in both their minds shifted.
"So you're Kazuhiko Ryoti? To think The One-Step Phantom would look like this."
Back then, Gisurd had been someone else.
Gislen Urdale.
In the great war between Resonants and Graceless two decades ago, he hunted the strongest of the Resonants.
And that day, a boy stood before him. Sideburns framing his face, wet hair clinging just above his eyes.
They called him the One-Step Phantom not simply for speed, but because he arrived before the thought of him could.
He stood, his eyes inspecting Gislen up and down.
"Who are you?"
In the present day, Gisurd stood back on his feet.
Kazuhiko stood a short distance away, their eyes meeting.
Kazuhiko's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"Do you still remember those days, Gislen?"
The name hit harder than any blow.
Gisurd froze. His hands shook as though searching for proof that he was still himself. He found nothing.
When he looked up, Kazuhiko was already there, right before his face.
"The rumors were true," Gislen had once said. "You really are fast. I'm honored to fight you."
Sixteen and seventeen.
That's how old they were. Caught in the terror of war, yet they smiled.
They charged again, gravel breaking beneath their steps, dust curling into the air.
Kazuhiko's palm struck Gislen's, and in that single impact lived words neither would ever speak.
"You're not too bad yourself."
They pushed apart, feet scraping on the ground as they caught their balance. Kazuhiko lunged, fist aimed at Gislen's face.
Instinct answered before thought could.
It always does. It is the body remembering what the mind refuses to.
Gislen dodged before knowing why. His kick landed before deciding to.
"I'm not a Resonant, meaning I don't have any powers. But that's why I'm going to win, I put all my effort into physical training."
Kazuhiko brushed dust from his shoulder, as if sweeping away the idea of defeat.
"Having powers automatically means you're better than those who don't have them. It's quite the opposite, in fact, any weakness can be turned into strength."
They had been equals once. Maybe they still were.
But as Kazuhiko stood now, he questioned that fact.
"I'm afraid you might have become more powerful than me."
It was as if memories he tried to bury under despair flowed back into his mind, memories that made him Gislen, not Gisurd.
Gisurd said nothing.
The man in front of him was not entirely Kazuhiko, just as he was no longer Gislen.
The bluish green glow brightened in Gisurd's hands.
He raised his arm at head's length.
Orbs burst out of his hand and aimed where Kazuhiko stood.
But as Gisurd expected, Kazuhiko didn't need to move.
All of the orbs' trajectories were changed, and each of them flew past him. Some exploded, making contact with the ground.
That was Kazuhiko's power: to change the outcome of an event. That, combined with his super speed, made him a dangerous opponent to face.
"Those orbs, they were created with Seikodo... Just what are you now?" Kazuhiko questioned.
"Instead of staring at me, you should've paid attention to your surroundings," Gisurd spoke, almost like he had an edge in this fight.
Kazuhiko's eyes dropped to the ground like gravity had pulled them downward.
Below him formed a bluish green portal.
The very same one Gisurd used to summon all the Hunters.
His immediate reaction, as it should've been, was to jump away.
Eyeing around himself while falling back towards the ground, a realization struck him.
He had played right into Gisurd's hands.
There were orbs that exploded against the ground, but others flew right past him without making a sound.
Gisurd still held out his hand, but this time pulled closer to his chest.
Kazuhiko let out a loud groan.
Gisurd had commanded the orbs to fly back towards him.
Kazuhiko tried to shake off the pain. He had to make a counterattack; he had to bury the emotions deep within him.
Gisurd was the villain here.
Footsteps echoed in the courtyard, bouncing between the high barriers.
Kazuhiko lunged at Gisurd.
His first punch missed, but right after, he went for another attack.
And all of a sudden, they felt like the teens from the war.
Each counter and attack mirrored the past.
Through the rain, through the heat, through the tiredness, those two kept battling.
They had formed a rivalry, distracted from the ongoing war.
Neither of them wanted to admit it, but that could've been the start of a friendship.
However, the situation was different now.
They weren't friends or rivals; they were enemies.
And Gisurd didn't seem to hold back or try to keep it fair as the Hunters he had summoned crept up on Kazuhiko.
He dodged all their attacks, along with Gisurd's.
One of the Hunters was sent away by a blow.
The other missed his attack and was slammed into the ground.
The third slipped and allowed Kazuhiko to kick him down.
But the Hunters didn't stop swarming out of the portal.
"So the war is finally over, huh?" Kazuhiko smirked.
Gislen was on his back, lying on the muddy ground.
Two soldiers assigned to assist Kazuhiko stood behind him.
"Do you want us to finish him off?"
Immediately, Kazuhiko raised his arm above his head.
"There's no need for that. Return back to our camp, I'll be there in a few."
The soldiers had no choice but to obey.
Their steps created a splattering sound on the mud as they marched through the forest.
"...It's over?" Gislen repeated.
Kazuhiko stretched out his arm toward him.
"Come on."
But Gislen didn't respond; it was like he was distraught by the news.
Kazuhiko turned around in respect without saying a word.
Gislen had lost after all; there was no point in him trying to bond with Kazuhiko anymore.
This should have been the last time they saw each other.
But something fueled Gislen.
Maybe it was the fear of not being approved, maybe it was the anger of loss, or something different.
He picked up a rock next to him and lunged at Kazuhiko without a second thought.
Gislen's attack missed as Kazuhiko activated his power.
He took another look at Gislen on the ground over his shoulder.
He felt empathy, but kept walking, leaving Gislen behind.
Kazuhiko felt like he knew nothing about Gislen anymore. Gisurd had a different fighting style along with a motive.
That left Kazuhiko only one choice.
If he died here, the students would all be in danger, along with the entire capital.
"You're not the only one who has something new to fight with."
Gisurd squinted his eyes; he thought he knew everything about Kazuhiko already.
Kazuhiko placed his left hand behind his back and threw up one of his right hand's fingers at head level.
"Ascension: Definitiva regulkontrolo."