Suddenly, Captain Kazuki stood up, pulling out his katana. "Silence, everyone!"
The room fell silent before Takuma spoke up, excitement in his eyes. "You want to fight?! Fight me then—c'mon!" Takuma made fists, since he didn't use swords.
"There goes the crackhead," Kohaku said, knowing how they both always looked for fights.
"Not you. I mean to fight one of them—Kaito, Hakari, or Noboru. One of you will fight me in a sword duel and show your worth to the other captains. If you win, you will be my team's member as a Soul Slayer officially, I promise."
Noboru almost screamed out when he heard Kazuki say that. "What! Fight you! Fight a captain?! He will kill us in no time!"
Hakari also looked worried. Kaito raised his hand. "I will fight you, and if I win, you will let my sister and friend stay here and join the Soul Slayers."
Kazuki smiled. "That's the spirit, young man. Follow me."
All the captains and the Head stood up and walked toward the training ground, with Hakari and Noboru holding onto Kaito's arms. Noboru whispered while walking, "Kaito, you will die! Why did you accept to fight a captain? Didn't you see yesterday in the forest how he almost blew up half of it and made Ren retreat! He will eat you alive."
Hakari whispered, "Brother… will you be all right? But if you don't win, they will kill us all."
Kaito forced a small smile, trying to encourage them. "I won't lose. I promise."
After a moment, all the captains were standing at the training ground. Kazuki, standing ahead of them, turned to Kaito. "The rule is simple. If Kaito lands a single hit on me with a real katana, he will be considered the winner, and the three of them will be able to join my team."
Noboru hugged Kaito's knees as he crouched at the side, tears and snot streaming down his face. "You were a good friend. I will always remember you after you die!"
Kazuki stood in the center of the yard as Kaito gave one last smile to Hakari and Noboru before picking up a training katana from a stall. Kaito inhaled deeply, grounding himself and getting ready to fight Kazuki, the captain of one of the Slayers' teams. Others whispered among themselves.
Takuma said with a smirk, "Kaito-kun might be special, but Kazuki is way stronger. I put my bets on him!"
Kohaku chuckled next. "Indeed, Kazuki is about to win. If he wants, he can twist this little boy in two."
Akane put her fan in front of her lips, laughing softly. "Kazuki will show him where he stands. I put my bet on him too."
Noboru kept whispering the same thing. "We are demon food for sure. We are demon food!" Meanwhile, Hakari prayed that Kaito would win. "Brother, please win… and don't die."
Kazuki shouted at Kaito, seeing his stance. "Are you ready, young man?!" Kaito replied back with the same energy. "Yes!" His long crimson hair swayed in the breeze.
The other captains mocked him. "Boy, try to last five seconds at least, haha!"
Takuma said, excitement in his voice, "Kaito-kun, try not to die so I can fight you later!"
Hakari and Noboru tried to cheer him on. "Kaito, you can do it! Don't let me become demon food. I still haven't even married yet!"
They began at a walking pace—feints, eyes locked. The world narrowed to the space between the steel tips. Kazuki moved with a speed that seemed like teleportation, appearing right in front of Kaito, catching him off guard. His sword moved toward Kaito's collar. Kaito moved back and parried, more by reflex than skill. A line of sweat ran down his temple.
"Not bad, young man!" Kazuki said, then added, "Again!"
Kaito ran toward Kazuki, attacking with everything he could spare: a throat-cutting lunge, a low sweeping strike meant to take the feet from under him. Kazuki met each strike with minimal movement, like a single reed bending in a storm. He didn't block so much as guide the strikes away. Each contact rang bright notes, and the yard filled with the sound of metal clashing.
Takuma shouted excitedly, "Keep going, Kaito-kun! You're doing good!"
Akane mocked, "Kazuki is obviously holding back, or this boy wouldn't still be standing right now."
Noboru yelled, "Keep striking, Kaito-kun! Don't let me become demon food!"
The training yard shook under their feet, though not from magic, just from the force of two blades clashing. Kazuki's katana sliced with calm, sharp precision, each strike testing Kaito's reflexes.
Kaito gripped his sword tighter. He was faster than he had been yesterday against Ren, but still a step behind. He focused, imagining his blade coated in flickering fire—a small trick his father had taught him, enough to make sparks jump when he struck. "Rasen!"
The first clash produced a jolt of heat and light. Fire sprayed from Kaito's blade as he swung, illuminating Kazuki's eyes. Sparks flew, catching in Hakari's hair. Noboru flinched. It was dramatic but controlled fire—burning, not exploding.
Kazuki didn't smile. He moved like water, flowing around Kaito's attacks. Every strike was a lesson: a tap here, a shove there—never lethal, but always precise. Kaito dodged, blocked, and countered in a dance of steel and small flames.
A swing caught Kaito's shoulder. Pain shot down his arm, but he rolled with it and struck back. The fire on his sword flickered like a heartbeat, each swing leaving short trails in the air. He was slower than Kazuki, but the fire made his attacks look faster than they were.
The ground scorched in places, smoke curling from splintered wood where Kaito's fire-touched blade struck. Trees swayed but stood; gravel burst into the air under the shock of their movements. The destruction was small-scale—dramatic for the eye, dangerous for a trainee, but nothing like the attack Kazuki had used against Ren.
Kazuki stepped back, letting Kaito take a swing. "Not bad," he said calmly. "You've improved. Keep moving. Keep your fire alive, but don't rely on it alone."
Kaito breathed hard, sweat and soot on his face. "I… I can do this," he said, fire still flickering along his blade. He wasn't perfect, and he wasn't invincible, but he fought at his max for his friends Noboru and his sister Hakari.
The captains seemed rather shocked, and Akane was the first to speak. "To think this brat can use fire majutsu… it's not strong, but it's there…"
Takuma said excitedly, "Kaito-kun can use fire?! I really want to fight him now!"
Kaito staggered back, chest heaving, his sword still glowing faintly with fire. Sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging like sparks from the blade. Each breath was a battle in itself.
Kazuki moved toward him, smooth and calm. His katana hummed—not loud, not threatening, but enough to make Kaito's muscles tense. Small whirlwinds of dust spun around them with each step.
"Again," Kazuki said softly. His blade arced in a series of small, precise strikes. Kaito blocked one, parried another; sparks jumped at every contact. The strikes were fast, almost too fast to follow. Exhausted, he refused to fall.
A kick to the side, a shove, a spinning strike—Kaito felt pain blooming in his ribs, a harsh reminder of his fight with Ren. But he gritted his teeth, reigniting his fire blade. "Not yet! Rasen!" Flames flared higher, answering his determination.
Kazuki stepped back slightly, letting Kaito take the offensive. He restrained the force behind his strikes, though fully unleashed, they could break bones. Kaito noticed this—the thought sparked hope that he could win if he fought smart.
Kaito feinted left, his blade trailing a small arc of flame. Kazuki shifted stance; Kaito pivoted, striking toward Kazuki's torso. The edge of the fire-touched sword grazed Kazuki's side—a shallow cut, nothing deadly, but enough to draw blood.
Kazuki's eyes widened slightly in surprise, then a faint, approving smile appeared. Kaito stumbled, his leg catching on a rock. Blood mixed with sweat on his face, and his left arm trembled.
He fell to one knee, chest heaving, but the fire along his blade still burned. "Not yet!" He lifted the sword, hand shaking, and swung one final time. Sparks flashed as steel struck Kazuki's shoulder, leaving a mark that smoldered briefly before fading.
Kazuki stepped back, sheathing his blade slowly, allowing Kaito to breathe. His smile grew just enough to show pride. "You've improved. Today, you've earned your first victory—even against me."
Kaito collapsed fully to the ground, exhaustion pinning him. The fire along his sword flickered and died. His body ached, blood staining his clothes, but his chest held a fierce, unstoppable thrill to protect his friends and sister. He won.
Hakari rushed forward, eyes wide with worry. Noboru knelt beside him. "Kaito-kun, you did it! I won't become demon food now!"
Kaito laughed hoarsely, blood and soot on his face, raising his sword weakly. "I… I did it…"
Kazuki crouched beside him, hand hovering near the fire-scarred blade. "You did," he said quietly. "But remember, fire is dangerous. Control it, or it will burn you first."
Kaito nodded, a tired but fierce grin spreading across his face. He had beaten a captain, learned the limits of his strength, and survived. But the fight had also left him painfully aware of how far he still had to go.
Kazuki smiled before saying, "You broke your limits. As your new captain, I'd say good work! And welcome to the team—all three of you!"
Noboru and Hakari hugged Kaito, Noboru crying on his shoulder, snots sticking to Kaito's clothes. "You saved me, Kaito-kun! Now I might actually be able to marry!" Hakari didn't say anything, just hugging him tightly.
Kazuki thought to himself, Did he succeed the Rengoku Spiral? But that's only a myth… yet that fire…
The Head of Soul Slayers announced, "Starting from this day, these three—Kaito, Noboru, and Hakari—will be acknowledged as official Soul Slayers, protectors of the innocent."
Akane, Kohaku, and Takuma walked up to Kaito, who was still sitting on the ground. Akane was the first to speak. "Well, I guess that's a fair victory. Congrats, brat."
Next, Takuma spoke with an excited grin. "Kaito-kun, get more powerful, and then we should spar when you're at your best!"
Kohaku knelt down, moving her hands over Kaito. "Healing magic… Healing ray of light." In just a few seconds, all of Kaito's injuries healed, and he stood back up feeling like new.
"Oh, thank you, Kohaku-san," Kaito said, surprised at how quickly his injuries vanished.
Kazuki looked at Kohaku with a smile. "Fix my small wound too—it burns."
Kohaku tilted her head in surprise. "Of course, I know you're lying. It doesn't burn—you're stronger than you say, you big oaf!"
Kazuki looked slightly disappointed. "Ah, okay… anyway, three of you, let's go to our team's base. It's about time I show you around the new base where you're going to be living from now on."
Akane used her magic to open a portal for them, and Kaito, Hakari, and Noboru followed behind Kazuki before the portal closed. Kaito turned around to see a large, chaotic, dilapidated building—almost comically messy, rustic, and shabby—surrounded by green farmland.
"Welcome to the Chaos Haven."