SAI SHINU
I could feel my muscles screaming, each movement a battle against fatigue and the sting of cuts across my skin. Blood veil flickered faintly, its glow waning as the last traces of blood from the ground had long since been absorbed. My heart pounded as I assessed my opponents—nine, but six already staggered from my elemental onslaught. The remaining three moved with calculated precision, their eyes sharp, unyielding, the weight of expectation pressing on them like an invisible shroud.
I swallowed, feeling the rough taste of iron, and steadied myself. No more hesitation. The elements were my allies now; fire, wind, water, earth—they sang beneath my fingertips, each one a weapon ready to cut, crush, burn, freeze. But I had to use them with more cunning than brute force.
The Tsubasa girl lunged, her earth forming jagged spikes toward my chest. I spun midair, wind lifting me just enough to glide over her attack, my own earth forming beneath my feet to spring me forward. Water shot from my hands in a pressurized jet, freezing instantly as it collided with the spikes, shattering them into fragments that rained harmlessly down around her. She yelped, surprised, and stumbled back, giving me a window I couldn't waste.
I focused fire into a whip-like lash, coiling it around her legs. She shrieked, trying to resist, but the flames wrapped tighter, searing without burning completely—a calculated threat, not annihilation. I twisted my wrist, spinning her to the ground, wind propelling her backward with enough force to leave a mark on the sand. She rolled, trying to recover, but I was already on her, water forming into a spinning shield to block her counter.
One down.
The next two, Hifumi twins, attacked almost simultaneously. Water and wind merged into a cutting cyclone aimed at me, while fire flared in the other's hands, coiling like serpents ready to strike. I parried with water jets, redirecting their force with wind, and countered with earth spikes from below, shattering the ground beneath their feet. They tumbled, staggering but not defeated. Their synchronization was impressive, but it had become predictable.
I leapt, spinning, combining fire and wind into a searing tornado that ripped across the arena. The twins were forced to leap apart, separated, and I struck again with water whips, hitting one in the chest, the other in the shoulder. They fell to their knees, gasping, dazed.
Three down.
The Asuka girl, shadows dancing around her, circled, searching for an opening. She lunged with darkness-infused strikes, and I realized my mistake—their shadows were more than aesthetics. They could bind and slice with unnerving speed. I ducked a sharp cut, feeling the air part with a hiss. My blood veil flickered faintly, struggling to maintain its integrity, and I knew I couldn't rely on it much longer.
I inhaled, forcing my focus into elemental harmony. Fire to blind, water to entangle, wind to disorient, earth to block. She attacked with enhanced speed, and I dodged, feeling the tip of darkness graze my shoulder. Pain bloomed, and I staggered, my blood veil fading entirely as the last drop of nearby blood was spent. I gritted my teeth and concentrated on my next attack.
Yosuke's abilities surged through me now. Fire, wind, water, and earth flowed like a symphony at my fingertips. I combined them, creating unpredictable patterns, twisting them around each other. Fire flared as wind carried it, water swirled and froze midair, earth twisted to redirect blows. She shrieked as I closed in, her shadows breaking under the combined elemental onslaught. I struck with a controlled blast of fire and wind, sending her flying into the arena wall. She slumped, defeated.
Four down.
The Hifumi girl and the remaining Tsubasa boy attacked in tandem, attempting to flank me from both sides. I leapt back, spinning in midair, casting fire in arcs to force them apart. Earth and water formed a barrier, wind guiding the elements with precision. Their coordination faltered as I pushed, and I saw the opening I needed. Fire to immobilize, water to freeze, and earth spikes to pin. They fell, struggling, unable to stand against the calculated power.
Six down.
For the first time, only three remained. The Asuka boy and the remaining twins from Tsubasa and Hifumi shifted, moving cautiously now, calculating my responses. They had respect now, a subtle acknowledgment in their posture. And yet, their eyes burned with determination. They weren't defeated—they were learning, adapting.
I could feel my own exhaustion clawing at me. My arms were heavy, my lungs burned, and every bruise throbbed painfully. But I couldn't stop. Not now. Not after six.
I took a step back, letting the dust settle around me, feeling the rhythm of battle in my veins. My hands shook slightly as I gathered Yosuke's elemental powers fully, ready to strike, ready to finish this stage of the fight. And then, as I exhaled, I felt the crimson rift whisper at the edges of my mind, teasing, calling.
Not yet. First, these three. First, I would show them the price of underestimating me.
The arena seemed smaller now, compressed by tension, every movement magnified. I could see their eyes flick between each other, calculating, doubting, nervous—human. They were not gods. They were not invincible.
And I was ready.