Kazuo surged forward, water curling off his fingers in thin, whiplike arcs.
"Water Magic: Riptide Cutter!"
The beam ripped across the floor, hissing through stone, forcing Kaya to twist aside. It grazed her arm, slicing past the gauntlet's rim — shallow, but enough to draw a streak of red. Her jaw clenched.
She slammed her palms to the floor. "Stone Magic: Pillar Break!"
Jagged columns punched upward, runes flaring white — but Kazuo was already there, blade-arm still extended. Another snap of his fingers, another slicing stream of compressed water, and the first pillar split before it rose to full height. Chunks tumbled, spray glittering in the air.
She raised a gauntlet to guard — and hissed as the waterbeam burned across her forearm. It didn't cut deep, but it drove her back a step.
Kazuo pressed in, each shallow strike chewing at her guard, nicking skin when her angles slipped. She blocked with both gauntlets, but the water slipped between them, too fast, too sharp.
His boot heel scraped stone as he closed the last step. The sword lay just ahead — its hilt glinting in the sun. One quick lunge, and the familiar weight slid into his palm.
Kaya's back foot hit the arena's edge. Sunlight flashed off the killing spikes below. Her stance faltered.
Then her eyes narrowed.
She straightened, planting both feet, gauntlets rising into a sealed, airtight guard. Her voice rang out.
"Esoteric Art…"
Kazuo froze mid-step, grip tightening. Esoteric Art? She's awakened hers? Now? Setsuna's words from training slammed into his head — the trump card, body and soul as one, a move that could take a life in exchange for victory.
He slid back, blade raised in both hands, bracing for the hit.
The arena held its breath.
Nothing happened.
Her eyes flicked up, a faint curl at her mouth.
A fake-out.
Crap… she pulled something like this earlier. He'd fallen for it again.
Kaya straightened, arms loosening just slightly. "Don't underestimate me."
She slammed both hands onto the floor. "Terrain Enforcement: Dominion Field!"
The rune circle beneath them flared, glow shifting from pale white to deep earthen gold. The arena floor groaned — stone reconfiguring in jagged bursts. Spikes jutted like teeth, ridges curved into ramps, the flat ground reshaped into a brutal maze.
Kazuo's eyes darted across it. Terrain enforcement… like Setsuna's Chilling Reign — but rougher. And now… I'm on her field.
Kaya moved, and the difference was instant. Her bare feet skimmed polished ridges as if she weighed nothing, skating from spike to ramp with perfect traction and control.
From the stands, Jin leaned forward. "Clever girl. She's forcing him into a no-win zone."
Setsuna's eyes stayed sharp.
A sudden voice cut through the Squad Stands. "Don't you dare lose!"
Lyria stood there next to Tetsu, Sora, and Aoi.
Sora blinked. "Uh… where did she come from?"
Tetsu adjusted his glasses. "She wasn't there a moment ago."
aya's field moved with her — spikes bursting from the floor, ramps slanting, walls curling to shield her approach. Her gauntlet smashed against his guard, driving him back.
Too close, too fast. I can't hit her with Riptide Cutter like this… His gaze dropped for half a heartbeat. Is this why she fights barefoot? Every step's in perfect contact — she can feel the terrain shift before it moves.
An idea flickered — reckless, costly. He shifted his grip, water coiling up the blade in a spiraling sheath. Pressure mounted until the steel sang with a low, dangerous hiss.
He stepped in and swung.
The nearest spike split clean in two, the top sliding off in eerie silence before crashing to the floor.
Kaya's eyes widened. "You couldn't cut my stone before — let alone my gauntlets. How…?"
Kazuo's stance tightened, breath sharp. It works… but it drains me fast. If I push too long, I'll faint.
She reset her footing. "Then I just have to finish this before you can use it again."
Even with pressurized Riptide Cutter, her gauntlets stayed untouchable — forged from rare, enchanted stone that drank in the force of his blows. But now, at least, he could match her strikes.
Steel rang against stone, each impact jolting up their arms. Dust clung to sweat-slick skin; flecks of blood dotted the ground.
Kaya's chest heaved, but her eyes stayed locked. I need to win — failure isn't an option.
Kazuo's jacket hung torn and blood-streaked, ribs screaming from earlier hits. I have to survive… for Gramps.
One last clash sent them staggering apart, each at opposite ends of the arena.
Kaya moved first — a bounding leap that split the floor beneath her, sending a wave of spikes racing toward him.
Kazuo didn't wait. "Water Magic: Torrent!"
The ground vanished beneath him as he blasted upward. But in midair, Kaya's terrain magic formed a ramp that catapulted her higher, bare feet gripping polished stone.
They collided — but instead of striking, Kazuo caught her. He twisted mid-flight, muscles screaming, using Torrent's acceleration to drive down.
The impact shook the arena, stone cracking in spiderweb patterns. Dust burst upward.
When it cleared, Kazuo had Kaya pinned, knees braced in the shattered floor, her arms wrenched wide, unable to move.
Both gasped for air, blood trickling from split lips. Kaya's eyes burned with refusal; Kazuo's with grim resolve.
The announcer's voice rang out over the crowd. "Kaya is unable to continue! Victory — Kazuo!"
The arena erupted in noise, a mix of roars, cheers, and stunned silence.