The echo of scorched concrete and cracking metal lingered in the air as Kagami and Ryo arrived at the scene. Kouji, beaten and weary, looked up with wide eyes.
Akechi stood on the far side of the open field, his presence overwhelming, the distorted space around him still flickering from the chaos of the last exchange.
"You've done enough. We'll take it from here," Ryo said.
Kagami gave Kouji a soft, rare smile. "Yumi's waiting for you. Don't make her worry"
The words sank deep. Kouji glanced toward Sora, who stood quietly in the background, and nodded, stepping back with her. They ran toward the others, leaving the battlefield behind.
Akechi exhaled slowly, stepping forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet, as if reacting to his will.
"So it wasn't enough to kill you," Akechi said. "I already thought so"
Ryo drew his Katana, eyes sharp. "Can't leave someone like you alone for a second"
Without further exchange, the earth twisted.
Akechi didn't waste time. He shifted the battlefield immediately—stone walls coiled upward like serpents, debris from past destruction surged from beneath the dirt, and the terrain bent and swirled to his whim.
They weren't fighting in an open plain anymore; they were in a moving, crushing, choking maze.
Kagami darted through a collapsing corridor of stone, spear deflecting razor shards.
Ryo stepped forward calmly, and in a seamless breath, he moved his blade in a fluid motion—water rippled outward as if time itself slowed. »"Water Breathing: 11th Form, Calm sea"«
The jagged terrain froze, parting like liquid. The spikes meant to impale him disintegrated into harmless mist. The technique—fluid and serene—looked like breathing itself had shifted.
Akechi narrowed his eyes.
Kagami lunged again, trying to close the distance, but Akechi merely twisted the earth beneath her, throwing off her step. Her hand missed his shoulder by inches.
Ryo didn't stop. As Akechi prepared to launch another wave of concrete fangs, Ryo raised a hand, voice calm: »"Osuwari"« [Tn: Osuwari: "Sit"]
For a split second, Akechi's knees buckled. His body jolted downward as if pulled by invisible chains—but he recovered instantly, his aura surging back. "Cheap tricks," he muttered, launching forward with renewed aggression.
Steel warped. Trees bent at unnatural angles. Kagami danced around it, trying again and again to reach him.
Ryo created distance, flicking his fingers. A megaphone, with a symbol on it appeared in his hand, crackling with cursed sound. He raised it and said, »"Don't Move!"«
Akechi flinched, his devil aura trembling under the pressure—but he adapted fast.
The megaphone shattered.
Still, Akechi was unharmed.
Still, he led the tempo of the fight.
"You two are good," Akechi said calmly, "but not enough."
Ryo's expression remained impassive, but his breathing grew heavier.
Ryo narrowed his eyes. The illusion of control was slipping — Akechi's adaptability, his sheer intuition, was on a different level. Words wouldn't hold him. Tricks wouldn't slow him.
So now, he'd have to use something undeniable.
He slid one foot back. Aura pooled into his hand, a silent hum building with pressure. His blade in his sheath, performing an Iaido stance, a glow running along its length.
The wind ceased.
»Judgement Cut«
Ryo disappeared.
Out of nowhere, Slashes split the air around Akechi, each one folding space with pinpoint violence. Circles of pure aura rippled in place as the space around him shimmered.
»"This is the end"«
As Ryo sheathed his sword the world cracked. Dozens—no, hundreds—of cuts erupted from nowhere, warping through angles that defied physics. They tore through the battlefield, raining in from every direction.
Kagami instinctively shielded herself, although being out of range.
Dust clouded everything.
And at the center of the storm—
Akechi stood untouched. Not a single cut had pierced him. The world reformed around him as if denying the technique's very existence.
He tilted his head slowly, devil aura rolling off him in elegant waves.
"Well... that was flashy."
Ryo didn't answer. His breathing — shallow now, tired. The attack had taken a toll.
He steadied himself, stuck his katana into the ground, eyes colder than before.
"This is it," he muttered to Kagami. "If this next one doesn't work... I'm done."
[Note: Humans naturally hide their Blessings, because of this, over the years they developed a subconscious Aurabarrier. By revealing your Ability's Name or its functionality to an Opponent, you can temporarily break this Barrier and use your full aura]
Ryo begins to open his mouth slowly, looking at Akechi.
"My Minus is the Quotation-Blessing"
"You think that's gonna help you?, Akechi responded"
"I don't have much aura left," he muttered toward Kagami. "There's one move left. If it works, we win. If not... I can't help you afterward. I'll be out of aura."
Kagami didn't hesitate. "I'll be ready."
The next moments blurred in chaos.
Spires erupted like fangs from the earth, and Akechi's devil amplification surged—arms twisting into blurred streaks of raw force.
Ryo maneuvered with elegance, but even he was forced to retreat slightly. He steadied his breath, eyes meeting Kagami's across the cracked terrain.
"I'll open you a window. Seven seconds."
"More I can't do"
Kagami nodded.
Ryo exhaled, stepping back, planting his feet.
Akechi looked at both of them, the confusion barely veiled in his sharp gaze.
"You think seven seconds are enough?"
Then Ryo raised his hand, fingers poised as if striking an invisible chord. The air went silent.
»"The World"«
Akechi blinked.
And in that exact heartbeat, Kagami was out of Sight.