When Steel Meets Flame
The air between them vibrated.
Rin crouched low, her tail lashing side to side like a metronome of fury, orange aura flaring brighter with every breath. Ayame stood opposite, feet spread—one forward, one back—her katana angled upward, gleaming against the shifting light. Then her aura shifted. The faint shimmer around her hardened, bleeding into a dark blue haze that rolled off her body like smoke.
The change was instant. The atmosphere of the arena thickened, as though someone had laid an invisible weight across the ground. My lungs felt tight. Even standing far away, I could feel the energy pressing against me like a storm wind.
I swallowed. "…That's not normal, right?"
Beside me, Mei whistled low. "Ohhh, here we go."
My heart skipped. "What do you mean 'here we go'? Isn't that dangerous? Won't all this… whatever it is—tear the place apart?"
Mei didn't even look away from the fight. "Relax, Ren. Sora's got us covered."
