Blue lightning cracked across the stone floor of the training grounds, leaving fractures behind as the night air grew heavier. Sparks danced wildly through the air while dark purple Quiri energy spread around the arena like a living mist.
KRAAAAAASH!
Kaito slid forward. Blue electricity exploded beneath his feet, leaving thin trails of lightning behind him. His breathing had grown faster, but the grin on his face never disappeared.
Standing across from him, Shiran brushed aside a cracked piece of armor on his shoulder. Purple energy still swirled around his arm.
Their eyes met.
For one brief second, silence filled the battlefield.
Then Shiran let out a quiet laugh.
"You're faster than I expected."
Kaito cracked his neck.
"And you're more stubborn than I expected."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOM!
The lightning surrounding Kaito expanded outward.
Blue energy spread across the ground like a violent wave.
The crowd instinctively stepped back.
Daichi shouted in panic,
"THEY'RE GOING TO BLOW UP THE TRAINING GROUNDS!"
Sora held his forehead.
"At this point, half the headquarters is probably praying…"
Then Kaito suddenly vanished.
Only the streaks of lightning left behind on the ground remained visible.
Shiran narrowed his eyes.
"He's coming from the left—"
But another voice interrupted him.
"Wrong guess."
The moment Shiran turned—
BZZZZT!
Kaito's lightning-covered fist slammed into Shiran's ribs.
BOOOOOM!
A shockwave exploded outward.
Shiran was thrown back several meters, but he didn't fall.
The instant he stopped moving, purple energy surged again.
"Not bad!"
Shadows began rising from beneath his feet.
Haruto narrowed his eyes.
"Kaito's getting way faster…"
Standing beside him, Alex quietly replied,
"No."
Haruto looked at him.
Alex's eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.
"He's starting to push his body past its limit."
Meanwhile, Kazeki leaned forward in his wheelchair, unable to take his eyes off the fight.
"Is this… real…?"
The caretaker beside him spoke nervously.
"We should move farther back."
But Kazeki shook his head.
"No…"
At the same time, Ren and Zen spoke together.
"Impressive."
"And kind of terrifying."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!
Shiran's purple energy expanded violently.
Darkness swallowed half the arena.
The shadows on the ground began moving.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"An area-type Quiri technique…"
Alex nodded.
"This is bad."
Shiran slowly raised his hand.
"Shadow Domain."
The entire battlefield darkened instantly.
The shadows stretched unnaturally.
Even the darkness beneath the spectators' feet began moving.
Kazeki shivered.
"The shadows… feel alive…"
The caretaker slowly pulled his wheelchair farther back.
"Keeping these kids here was definitely a bad idea…"
Kaito looked around him.
Lightning flowed down from his shoulders.
"Hmph."
He grinned.
"So it's area control?"
Shiran's voice echoed from within the darkness.
"Every shadow in this region belongs to me."
The shadows attacked immediately.
Kaito deflected them with lightning as sparks exploded everywhere around him.
The spectators could barely follow the movements anymore.
Daichi grabbed his hair with both hands.
"I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!"
Sora sighed.
"Neither can I…"
The next second—
BOOOOOM!
Kaito burst out from the shadows.
His entire body was covered in lightning.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
A wave of electricity exploded outward, tearing through the shadows.
For the first time, Shiran was forced backward.
But he was still smiling.
"That's more like it."
Suddenly, both of them launched forward at the same time.
Blue lightning.
Purple shadows.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Their fists collided.
The shockwave shook the entire arena.
Kazeki grabbed onto his wheelchair in fear.
Ren and Zen shouted together,
"WHOOAA!"
Chunks of stone flew through the air.
The crowd shielded their eyes.
Kaito leapt high into the sky.
Lightning rose upward with him.
Alex's eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Akira looked at him.
"That attack?"
Alex nodded sharply.
"If he uses it, the arena will collapse."
But Kaito had already spread his arms.
Thunder roared across the sky.
The clouds began to move violently.
Kaito's eyes glowed bright blue.
"Thunderfall!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic pillar of lightning descended from the sky.
The entire arena turned white.
The shockwave shook the stands violently.
Stone fragments flew everywhere.
The crowd stumbled backward.
The lightning struck Shiran directly.
But—
Purple energy exploded outward.
BOOOOOOM!
Shiran walked out from inside the lightning.
A massive shadow armor surrounded his arm.
He was breathing heavily.
But he was still standing.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
Shiran laughed.
"That wasn't easy."
At that exact moment—
"AAAHHH!"
The scream came from the infirmary.
Lying on the bed inside the infirmary, Yuki tried to sit up in fear as the tremors shook the room.
Beside her, nurse Senira flinched.
"Ahh, Yuki! Hey, hey, calm down… you're okay, nothing's wrong."
Yuki looked around breathlessly.
She was still half asleep.
"W-what was that… Senira…?"
A warm smile appeared on Senira's face.
"Of course you'd be scared…"
She gently placed a hand on Yuki's forehead.
Then softly closed her eyes.
"Shhh… everything's fine."
Yuki's breathing slowly began calming down.
But after the seizure, her body still felt weak and exhausted.
Senira placed her other hand gently over Yuki's chest, right above her heart.
Then she whispered softly,
"Sleep a little longer, Yuki…"
A gentle smile formed on her lips.
"It's not time for you to wake up yet…"