Inukami's grip tightened.
Fingers burning, heat surged into the warrior's body while flame curled tight along his golden armor. Where fire struck metal, a sharp crackle split the air apart.
She said, smiling. "Legends don't move much once they're caught."
Far from it, the Golden Kenshi moved without effort.
Instead, he smiled.
The glow inside his gaze didn't fade. It fractured instead. Light broke into pieces where once there was one.
Without warning, the person held by Inukami lost all heft.
"What?" she muttered.
A single shape broke apart, pieces scattering as light passed through morning fog.
Behind her
Steel whispered.
Twisting fast, Inukami caught the strike meant for her throat fire roaring along her arm. The clash lit up when steel hit flame, bright and sudden.
"I decided to return the favor."
Quiet, the swordsman spoke without rush. His tone held a strange kindness.
Now he waited at her back, sword tip near the ground, his gaze like sunlight held still. Behind her, he stayed quiet, gold in his stare, steel resting low.
"You grabbed a phantom," he continued. "I stepped out of reach."
Out of nowhere, shapes peeled from the hallway's surface - one right after another. They stood still, matching each other exactly, their gaze lit like distant sparks.
"Clones?" Torita snapped. "No Illusions!"
A shape rushed forward, false and quick. His blade cut true, parting the form like smoke
A sudden hit came from behind, throwing him down with such force that the ground split beneath.
Bent at the knees, Torita pushed himself up, air sharp in his chest, gaze darting across the moving shapes.
"Hold on " he snapped, slashing again. "Why the hell can your clones hit us?! Illusions aren't supposed to do that!"
A shape made of gold moved ahead.
"The body lies to the mind," the swordsman replied calmly. "And the mind convinces the body."
A shape lunged forward Torita stumbled under the force, heels scraping earth. The blow carried weight, unmistakable in its reach.
"They aren't solid," the swordsman continued. "They are accepted."
Footsteps echoed where walls tilted sideways. Darkness stretched like taffy near the ceiling.
"If your mind believes the strike is real," he said, golden eyes locking onto Torita, "your body will answer accordingly."
Breathing fast, Zack stepped back. Heavy air pressed down, as if the world were bending in on itself.
A sudden jolt ripped through his core. The force twisted deep within, unrelenting.
Refusal came quietly. The fantasy held no weight here.
Shaking started in Inukami's fingers.
Not from fear.
From rage.
She stopped smiling. A wild anger showed instead. Around her, the fire quit dancing. It shot up hard and fast.
"Enough!" Her voice cracked through the air like a whip snapping under pressure.
Flickering heat curled tight against her skin, molding itself into something solid yet fluid, like fire given form. Red-black flames settled on her limbs and chest, firm as plates but never still. Behind her, threads of burning cloth drifted, floating without touching the cracked ground below.
Creaking filled the hallway as it buckled beneath the weight.
Flinching, Torita raised an arm. "This can't be real…"
Burns puffed up under Inukami's feet with every pace ahead.
"You think your tricks make you untouchable?" she roared. "I don't care how many versions of you there are!"
Up went her arm.
The fire followed.
Fires surged forward, a blazing curve splitting the hall open walls cracked, false images burst, darkness peeled away. From the blast, copies broke loose, cries tearing into sparks before vanishing.
A single shape stayed behind.
A flicker of smoke curled from the hem of his coat. The warrior did not step back, though fire shimmered close. His golden stare tightened just slightly as waves of heat warped the space ahead.
"So," he said calmly, "you chose to burn everything."
Inukami's eyes blazed. "I chose to end this."
Breath came hard for Zack.
A voice rose within, not from agony just knowing. Neovis didn't cry out in hurt; it was more like remembering a name long lost.
The corridor trembled.
This had stopped being about saving anyone long ago.
This time, everything hinged on who made it out alive. What slipped through the doors changed everything after.
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Thank you for reading:)