Kaito stirred in his sleep, a frown etching itself onto his face. A presence was watching over him. His mind, still half-asleep, wondered if his old foe, the sleep paralysis demon, had followed him to this world. He drowsily opened his eyes, only to find it was just Nysera, standing beside his bed, staring at him with a blank expression.
"What are you doing, Nysera?"
"Don't mind me."
"I do mind, go to sleep..."
"Rin snores."
"Block out the sound with magic."
Nysera remained silent.
Kaito let out a defeated sigh. He shifted over a bit, creating some space on the bed. "Fine, you can sleep here, just don't do anything weird."
Nysera quietly lay down next to Kaito on the bed. He once again fell into a deep slumber as if on command.
As soon as he was asleep, Nysera lifted a hand and casted an unknown identification spell one him.
______
Within the endless, swirling void of his mental realm. Kaito returned. "I'm back," he announced. "Let's resume this battle with sorrowful Roland."
"Did something happen?" Durandal asked.
"It's just Nysera again," Kaito replied with a tired sigh.
"Master, I don't see why you won't just hypnotize her. She keeps bothering you," Shikabanehime said in protest. "She's always asking questions… always reaching out to touch me. I'm reserved for Master only."
"That would go against my moral principle. Besides, it doesn't bother me that much."
"Besides, it doesn't bother me that much." He paused. "I'm sure she's just curious. After all, we are from another world."
"Still..." Shikabanehime's protest was cut short as Kaito stepped into the circular arena.
The shadowy figure of Roland appeared once again.
He was not a man of flesh and bone, but a living vortex of raw power, a perfect, condensed manifestation of countless artifacts and legendary weapons. His body hummed with contained, devastating energy. In his hand, he wielded only Durandal.
In this state, Roland had already fused with the properties of every other weapon in his arsenal, a living testament to their combined might. His first was infused with the force to shatter any defense with a single strike, sending devastating shockwaves rippling through the air. A mere touch from his skin or blade could instantly render an opponent asleep, poisoned, immobilized, or even steal their soul, leaving them an empty husk.
His body itself was a living barrier, capable of reflecting any magic cast around him, regardless of whether it hit him or not. His attacks were flawless, finding their marks without fail, curving at impossible angles to strike an enemy regardless of whether they were physically present or not.
If Kaito were to take his sight off him for a single moment, Roland would become completely invisible to any form of detection, be it through magic or any kind of sixth sense. And to make the challenge truly insurmountable, all of these terrifying effects also applied to the spectral clones he could summon through the power of a forgotten war god. The only weapon he had not fully fused with was Durandal. It was only partially fused so that he could become invincible on command.
Kaito didn't remember how many times he had died in this arena against sorrowful Roland. His main objective was not to win, but to hone his skills against him. The end result didn't matter. Only the process.
If so… how does one train to defeat such an opponent? Much less survives.
Constant sight is needed to negate Roland's invisibility. However, Kaito is up against multiple foes; he would unconsciously focus on one when attacked, and the others would become invisible. Even when he is focusing on all of them, they would enter his blind spots and disappear.
The only method he figured out was to predict where a Roland would strike and dodge it ahead of time. But he couldn't even truly dodge, since Roland's blade would never miss, and any attempt to parry would be futile. He could try to defend himself using a powerful barrier, but Roland's fists would easily shatter it, if his original strike didn't overpower his flimsy defense.
So instead of using his blade to deflect, he must learn to deflect using smaller, compressed barriers that allow the attack to "hit" but not make direct contact with him. These barriers must also possess the necessary durability to withstand the force of the attack without being shattered.
Kaito manifested rhombus-shaped barriers, each one gleaming like shards of polished white crystal. They flickered in and out of existence around him, orbiting close to his body. Most emerged at random, offering no discernible pattern. But a few appeared exactly where he willed them.
His eyes were wide and unblinking as he stared down the trio of Roland doppelgängers. Just as expected, two of them had already vanished from his vision. The moment his focus narrowed, they had slipped into the blind spots, rendered invisible.
Then—CLANG.
A barrier shattered just centimeter from his throat, deflecting a spectral blade that would've surely slit it open. Kaito then sidestepped, narrowly evading the howling gust of a fist slicing through the air where his ribs had been a heartbeat before.
From a distance, the Roland still in sight raised his sword. Durandal twisted unnaturally, its blade stretching forward like Pinocchio's nose, impossibly long. One of Kaito's barriers was there to meet it.
However, the blade didn't stop at the barrier. It curved, bent backward mid-flight like a serpent coiling into a strike. It came back around to snap at him like a cobra.
Kaito didn't have time to place a barrier there, but luckily, one randomly manifested in that very spot. The attack bounced away, spraying sparks as the barrier break.
Kaito moved toward the one Roland he could still see, swinging his own Durandal at the figure's arm, hoping to interrupt his next attack. But an invisible fist slammed against the few barriers he had there, sending him flying to the side.
Now, all the Rolands were gone.
Kaito swung his blade in wide arcs, his movement frantic, trying to force a misstep from his opponents. But the shadows gave no quarter.
A blade found its way to his ankle and sliced it. He immediately felt the poisonous effect coursing through his veins, forcing him to stand perfectly still as he fell to slumber, immobilized.
Then, Kaito found himself back at the reset point.
"Seven seconds," Durandal's voice chimed. "That's a new record."
Kaito simply smiled to himself, ready to try again.