Kanesaki stood, gripping his blade's hilt as he watched the clones before him, each one a sentinel guarding their leader.
Then—
The cave's stale air exploded into motion as the first clone lunged, curved sword flashing as it slashed horizontally, aiming for Kanesaki's throat.
Kanesaki pivoted, boots skidding across wet stone, the red-black gleam of his blade catching the strike and deflecting it upward with a shriek of metal, sparks dancing like fleeting fireflies in the gloom.
Before the first clone even landed, the spear-wielding clone thrust forward, water splitting around the spear's tip as it shot for Kanesaki's stomach.
He twisted, the spear scraping along his ribs, slicing fabric and skin, blood flicking into the water. Kanesaki ignored the pain, stepping into the spear's arc, bringing his blade down in a vicious, descending strike that cleaved off the spear's tip, the broken shaft clattering to the ground.
The clone with twin axes came in next, sweeping low for Kanesaki's knees. Kanesaki jumped, flipping over the sweeping blades, landing hard, and immediately ducking as the gunblade clone fired a sharp, echoing shot, the bullet skimming past his ear.
Water splashed around them as Kanesaki charged forward, blade arcing in a red blur, slamming the gunblade aside just as it fired again, the shot ricocheting off the cave wall with a crack.
The chain-wielding clone stepped forward calmly, letting the heavy, links unravelling from its arm with a metallic hiss. With a sharp flick, it sent the chain whipping forward, the head aiming for Kanesaki's skull.
Kanesaki blocked the strike, but the impact rattled his bones, forcing him back a step. Another flick, and the chain wrapped around his blade, the clone yanking violently, trying to disarm him.
Kanesaki roared, planting his foot against the wet stone, pulling back with all his strength. The edge of his blade pulsed, his arm yanking it back, dragging the clone off-balance toward him.
He closed the distance in a single breath, driving his knee into the clone's chest with enough force to crack ribs, the chain loosening as the clone stumbled back.
The spear clone, now wielding the broken shaft like a staff, lunged again, trying to drive the jagged end into Kanesaki's thigh. Kanesaki side-stepped, bringing his blade up in a brutal backhand that split the clone's shoulder.
He spun, blocking a slash from the curved sword clone, locking their blades, their faces inches apart, the clone's blank expression meeting Kanesaki's glare of hate.
'You're nothing, just a mindless clone,' Kanesaki hissed, twisting his blade, snapping the curved sword in half before slamming his elbow into the clone's jaw, sending it crashing to the cave floor.
But the gunblade clone was already there, firing point-blank into Kanesaki's shoulder, the impact spinning him around, pain flaring like wildfire as he staggered.
Before he could recover, the chain snapped around his ankle. The chain clone yanked hard, pulling Kanesaki off his feet, slamming him into the wet stone with a dull crack that knocked the breath from his lungs.
The twin axes came down, Kanesaki rolling aside just in time, the blades carving deep furrows into the rock where his head had been, water splashing up around them.
Kanesaki gritted his teeth, blood dripping down his arm from the gunshot wound, pain screaming through his body as he forced himself up to one knee, eyes blazing, blade trembling in his grip.
The clones circled him again, weapons raised, their footsteps quiet and deliberate, water rippling around their feet.
Kanesaki wiped blood from his lip, eyes locking onto Maeda, who stood at the cave's edge, hands clasped calmly behind his back, watching with that same cold, detached interest.
'I'll cut through every single one of you,' Kanesaki spat, rising to his feet, blade lowering into stance.
Maeda's glasses glinted as he tilted his head slightly, a faint smile visible under the scarf.
'Show me, then.'
The clones charged as one, water exploding outward as they closed in, Kanesaki stepping forward to meet them, blade screaming as it swung, a storm of steel and red mist crashing into the advancing circle.
***
The fog rolled and churned as Yasui moved, her silhouette blinking in and out of existence within the swirling grey, boots silent against the cold stone. Her disks hummed, orbiting her wrists in tight circles before vanishing into the mist, reappearing only as flickers of dull, slicing light.
Across from her, the figure stood in stillness, the tattered cloak swaying, one eye gone beneath the shattered mask, blood streaking down pale skin. It tilted its head, listening, the fog distorting its silhouette into something ghostly, almost statuesque.
Yasui reappeared in a blink, low and fast, one disk carving a diagonal line toward its throat.
It jerked back, the blade missing by an inch, but Yasui used the momentum to spin, the second disk snapping across horizontally, aiming to take the figure's legs.
It jumped, cloak flaring, avoiding the sweep entirely, landing without a sound on the other side of the clearing.
Yasui's eyes narrowed as she blended back into the fog, moving around the figure in a slow circle, letting her breathing steady, disks pulsing with faint silver light. She lunged again, this time coming from its blind side, the disk slashing upward.
It twisted, an arm raising at just the right angle, the disk grazing flesh but missing bone, drawing a thin line of blood instead of cutting deep. It countered immediately, a palm strike narrowly missing Yasui's head as she dipped away, using the fog to vanish.
She reappeared again, this time directly in front, feinting a high strike with one disk while the second came low for its knee.
It blocked both, cloak flaring, the disk smacking against its palm with a hard crack. It reached for her wrist, but Yasui spun away, boots scraping stone, vanishing back into the fog.
It was getting faster, Yasui had realized, sweat beading on her brow despite the cold, her breath sharp and controlled as she slowed her movements, recalibrating. She swept her hand, sending one disk flying, letting it arc wide into the fog before curving back around toward the figure's back.
The figure twitched at the last moment, shifting a fraction to the side, the disk missing its spine by a hair and slicing a groove across its ribs instead. It spun, hand lashing out to grab the disk mid-air.
It caught it, spun fully around, gripping onto the disk with bloodied hands and hurled it back, a dark crimson light appearing in the other eye socket.
Yasui dodged quickly, side-stepping as it crashed into the ground, not even ricocheting, but remaining planted in the ground. She eyed it for a moment, unable to force it up as she dashed to manually grab it, glancing ahead as it watched her.
She lunged again, testing, disks weaving, striking at angles meant to catch blind spots.
It parried, shifting its body with uncanny precision, each movement smoother than the last. It timed the rhythm of her speed, learning her footfalls, the faint ripple of the fog when she shifted direction. It began to slip between the arcs of her disks, arms and legs moving like a serpent, striking out with vicious counters between each of her attacks.
Yasui's disk bit into its shoulder, but the figure stepped into the pain, slamming an elbow into her jaw, sending her staggering back. She shook it off, using the momentum to flip, disk hissing as it cut a line across the figure's thigh.
Blood sprayed, but the figure's grip locked around her wrist, stopping her retreat. It slammed a knee into her ribs, forcing a grunt from her lungs, but she headbutted it in return, breaking the hold.
The fog pulsed violently around them, the silent clearing echoing with their harsh breathing, the low hum of her disks vibrating through the mist as Yasui circled, reassessing.
'You're learning fast, aren't you…' she hissed, spitting blood onto the stones.
It tilted its head again, cloak shifting, blood dripping in steady streams to the water as it raised its hands, ready, calm despite the wounds Yasui had managed to land.
The fog closed in, Yasui's disks flickering red as she launched forward once more, the figure stepping to meet her as their clash resumed, each move deadlier, the space around them shrinking as the masked figure learned her speed, her angles, and her rhythm, forcing Yasui to fight harder, faster, more feral to keep her advantage alive.
Chapter 53 - end