The air in the cave was filled with tension and the sharp sound of slicing wind. High above the rocky ground, the shadow bird darted left and right, its wings cutting through the air like razors. Feathers fell from its body like blades, slicing into the cave floor and walls. Cracks split across the ground where they landed, and pieces of rock flew into the air.
Ozaki stood beneath it, his knees bent low, his body still like a statue. His hands held his long scythe steady, blade pointed up and slightly bent. His skin was splattered with dried ink, and his ash-colored aura flickered around him like smoke. His eyes, calm but sharp, followed the bird's every move without blinking.
"Hmp, it's fast," Ozaki muttered, shifting one foot slightly to the side to avoid a blade-feather that smashed into the ground next to him.
The bird shrieked, its eyes glowing with dark light. It circled quickly, faster than most could follow, but Ozaki's eyes never lost track of it. He was waiting for the right moment to strike.
A few steps behind him, Lumei crouched low beside Yamato and the rest of the team. Dirt and shadow stained their clothes from the earlier battle, but their eyes were full of energy. Lumei's face was tight with focus as he pointed toward the ground.
"Look, guys," Lumei whispered. "Rujer is gathering the shadow ink on the floor... Look, it's moving toward him."
Sora and Chella leaned closer. Chella's brown eyes narrowed, her hand brushing against the cracked ground. Sora's fingers twitched, already preparing to summon water. Yamato squinted, then nodded.
"He's right," Yamato said. "He's trying to use the shadows while Master Ozaki's distracted by the bird."
He turned to the others, his voice calm but firm. His brown eyes swept across their faces.
"Now, here's the plan," Yamato began. "Sora, you run left and spray water. Just enough to disturb the shadow ink."
Sora nodded. "Got it."
"Chella, Ichiha—you both go right," Yamato continued. "Chella, break the ground. Earth is your specialty. That'll slow the inks down. Ichiha, you go into your god form, touch the ink, then pull back fast. That should interrupt Rujer's control."
Ichiha's expression was serious. "Alright."
Chella smirked. "Breaking the ground is easy."
Yamato stood up a little straighter. His gaze turned upward toward the shadow bird.
"I'll go up," he said. "I'll strike the bird and push it lower—just enough to close the distance for Master Ozaki."
He took a breath, then turned to Lumei. Lumei looked surprised. "What about me?"
Yamato smiled and patted his shoulder. "You've been watching how Rujer controls the shadows. That means you understand it. You can control it, too. I trust you."
Lumei's mouth opened slightly in shock, but then he nodded with determination.
"Draw the shadows toward you," Yamato said. "If you do that, Master Ozaki's strike will hit the ink and maybe send the energy straight into Rujer. The success is in your hands."
Lumei clenched his fists. "Alright. I'll do it."
Across the battlefield, Rujer stood still. His body was lean and covered in black streaks of shadow. His fingers moved in small, slow motions as he pulled the shadow ink across the cave floor, like threads being drawn into a spider's web. A faint smirk touched his lips.
His eyes glowed.
He whispered quietly to himself, so low no one heard him.
"Case Form: Form 2... Inks Drought."
The ink pulsed. Slowly, tendrils of darkness rose from the floor like steam. They curled around his arms and chest, wrapping him like armor.
Just then, Yamato launched into the air with a gust of wind behind him. His body spun as he went upward, fists glowing. The shadow bird noticed and twisted to meet him, but Yamato gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into its wing.
The bird screamed, feathers bursting out like black knives, but it dropped slightly in the air.
Back on the ground, Sora dashed left. She raised her hand, water swirling from her fingertips and splashing across the shadow-covered floor. The ink hissed and broke apart in thin streams.
Chella punched the ground with a grunt. The earth cracked and shifted, and large chunks of stone rose up, disrupting the path of the ink.
Ichiha activated his god form—his body glowing faintly, energy rippling around his arms. He touched the ink quickly, and it stopped moving for a moment. Then he pulled back and ran to Lumei.
Lumei stood still in the center of it all, eyes shut, breathing slowly. He raised both hands, feeling the shadows move. He remembered the way Rujer controlled them—how his fingers moved, how the ink responded.
He copied it.
The shadow ink stopped moving toward Rujer. Instead, it paused... then shifted. Slowly, it began to creep toward Lumei.
Ozaki's eyes narrowed. He saw the ink move unnaturally—and the bird now flew lower than before.
"Now," he said.
Ozaki bent his knees deeper, then shot forward in a burst. His scythe spun once in the air, then slashed upward in a clean arc. The ash-colored aura around him surged.
The blade of the scythe cut through the shadow bird's chest. Black blood sprayed into the air as the bird shrieked in pain, its body splitting apart. It dropped, wings shaking violently.
Rujer's eyes widened as the aura continued past the bird and hit the ink.
The impact exploded outward. A ripple of ash energy shot through the ink trail—rushing in the direction it had been moving.
Straight at Rujer.
The force hit him like a wave. Rujer flew backward, crashing into the cave wall. The impact shattered the wall behind him, breaking part of the cave apart.
Rocks exploded outward, and light suddenly shone through the cracked and broken section of the cave roof. Dust and debris filled the air, and a beam of light pierced through the cave's crack.
Yamato landed beside Ozaki, panting.
"Did it work?"
Ozaki stared into the dust cloud.
From the center of it, Rujer's voice echoed, deep and rough.
"When... did you all get this clever?"
He stepped out slowly. His chest was torn, blood dripping, but he smiled faintly.
Lumei stepped forward, his chest rising and falling. His fingers were still trembling from controlling the shadows.
Sora, Chella, and Ichiha ran up behind him.
"We're not done yet," Yamato said, stepping beside Lumei. The whole team stood together.
Ozaki raised his scythe again, ink still dripping from the blade.
Rujer wiped his mouth. His fingers moved again.
The ink on the ground began to rise.
And the battle wasn't over.