As Grolly glances at Shinjiro, he perceives Shinjiro's presence to be stronger than that of Nozomi and Astran. "Since he's stronger than those two, I must take this battle seriously."
With the battle at a temporary standstill, Shinjiro replays Grolly's previous attack in his mind. "A Soft Terrain JōKai user and a gunslinger class combatant. That soft terrain can be troublesome because of the sand properties it possesses and the debris that comes from it. Fortunately, my JōKai power is his weakness, so cutting down his attacks shouldn't be difficult. On the other hand, I can't be careless. Even if I may be able to counter the attacks if those sandblasts hit me, it'll hurt like hell, considering how fast they move."
As Shinjiro ponders his battle strategy, Grolly breaks into a chuckle. "What's the matter? Are you frozen-footed?"
"Nah, I'm just taking my time!" Ice JōKai envelops Shinjiro's blade, and he sprints toward Grolly at lightning-fast speed.
Grolly unsheathes his second blaster from his holster and points it at Shinjiro as he approaches. "Dual Sand Blasters: 10 Figure Dune Shot!" Grolly fires ten Soft Terrain JōKai waves from his blaster, aimed directly at Shinjiro.
Shinjiro clutches his claymore, and thirty icicles shimmer on its edge. "Frost Blade Blade Morphing: 30 Icicle Formation!" With his attack and defense potency amplified, Shinjiro makes quick work of the Soft Terrain JōKai waves, easily slashing through them. Then, Shinjiro bombards Grolly's defense with a flurry of sword strikes, attempting to break through his defense.
As Shinjiro slashes him with his blade, Grolly becomes uneasy because of its speed. "His speed is incredible. It's a lot faster than the star wielding brat!"
Shinjiro shrouds his body in JōKai Amplification, which boosts his attack speed to a remarkable degree. "Frost Blade 30 Icicle Form: Tempest Onslaught!" Shinjiro carves into Grolly's chest with a fierce series of lightning-quick sword slices. Shinjiro activates JōKai Amplification, coating his body in a glowing aura and delivering a powerful kick to Grolly's gut, sending him staggering a few meters back.
As he lies on the ground, struggling to breathe and clutching his chest, Grolly's attention fixates on the sharp icicles on Shinjiro's blade. "The more Icicles on the blade, the more potent his attacks become. I need to figure out a wa-" Shinjiro sprints toward Grolly, his feet pounding against the ground with each step. "Damn, he's coming!" Grolly's body immediately tenses up as he swiftly shifts into an alert position. He then conjures Soft Terrain JōKai into his blasters. "Dual Sand Blasters: Screaming Demons!" Grolly aims and fires two demonic constructs at Shinjiro, hurtling toward him with deadly force.
One sand construct falls apart as Shinjiro's blade cuts through it. "I need to get him off balance so my other attack can land," Grolly fires a Soft Terrain JōKai blast from his blaster, causing Shinjiro to stumble backward from the impact. The force of the "Screaming Demon Attack" from the other construct sends Shinjiro flying into the wall with a sickening thud. "That was challenging. Hopefully, that will wound him enough," Grolly peers through the haze caused by the crash and awaits Shinjiro's battle condition. Shinjiro emerges from the smoke, his lips curved in a daunting grin and his body riddled with bruises. Grolly's fingers tighten around the grip of his blaster as he grits his teeth in disappointment. "He's wounded from my attack. However, he still looks relatively fresh. I thought that attack would at least damage him more."
To end the battle quickly, Grolly summons a considerable amount of Soft Terrain JōKai into his blasters. "This fight will be over now!" Grolly activates JōKai Amplification, the clear aura surrounding his body and the force behind it intensifying his strength. "Dual Sand Blasters Special Technique: Screaming Demons Six Figure Cannon!" He launches six demon-shaped constructs from his blasters toward Shinjiro.
As the lightning-quick sand attacks approach him, Shinjiro's unease grows. "Damn, those attacks look strong!" Shinjiro summons Ice JōKai onto his claymore, causing a freezing mist to envelop it as he takes a defensive position. When the attacks approach his defense range, Shinjiro prepares to strike back with his claymore. "Frost Blade: Claymore Counter!" Shinjiro deflects most of the looming attacks, but two of them manage to break through his defense. "Shit, those things are gonna hit me!" The two constructs strike him, their sandy materials marring his arms with countless cuts and scratches as he crumpled to the ground.
Nozomi and Astran's faces fill with concern as their eyes widen. "Shinjiro!" They say.
Grolly chuckles, then turns on his heel and walks away from Shinjiro. "That was quite the challenge. Too bad it couldn't last longer."
"Think again.." Shinjiro stands up, his eyes glinting with a hint of arrogance.
Grolly's eyes widen in disbelief as he watches Shinjiro fully recover. "B-but how! That was my strongest attack! How did you survive?!" Grolly's gaze falls upon Shinjiro's blade, and he observes that more icicles have formed on it. "What in the hell did you do?"
"You're wondering how I formed that many icicles on my blade?? Throughout the battle, I wasn't just deflecting your attacks solely to block them. After blocking your first attack, I noticed the debris scattered throughout my blade and stayed on there. So the whole time, I was collecting the leftovers of your attack long enough to perform an attack capable of defeating you."
"But I-I don't understand," Grolly struggles to articulate his thoughts, his words coming out in a stutter. "How are you able t-"
"I can gather Ice on my blade by either summoning it or freezing it with objects in the area that fall on it."
Grolly expresses his frustration with a grunt and by gritting his teeth. "I won't let you win like this! Don't get ahead of yourself!" Grolly tries to summon Sand JōKai into his blasters, but he feels a sharp pang jolt through them, rendering them weak and uncooperative. Grolly's eye twitches, and he grimaces at the pain. "Damn, I don't think I can perform another attack!"
Shinjiro steadies himself, plants his feet on the ground, and charges toward Grolly. "Frost Blade 220 Icicle Formation: Endless Polar Tempest!"Shinjiro blitzes Grolly's defense and delivers a lethal sword strike, leaving a deep gash on his body. Shinjiro's attack freezes Grolly's arms and causes the ice to shatter into tiny, crystallized pieces, rendering him unconscious. Shinjiro sheathes his Claymore into his back slot, turns around, and flashes a welcoming smile to Nozomi and Astran. "Let's find that apocalyptic weapon."
After treating their wounds and resting, they explore the base to find the apocalyptic weapon. Despite searching for a couple of minutes, the weapon still eludes them. Astran's shoulders slump as she lets out a disappointed sigh. "This is going to be a long search."
"No worries, it'll be alright. We'll find it eventually," Out of nowhere, Shinjiro's pager beeps with a message from Bushiyon. "Yes, sir?"
"There is no apocalyptic weapon on the base. I've just had a conversation with Arturo. Take Nozomi and Astran with you back to The Ark so they can rest. I imagine battling the super specimens has them damaged."
"Got it. Anything else, sir?"
"No. good work, Shinjiro."
"Thanks," Shinjiro ends the call and turns his gaze to Nozomi and Astran. "There's no apocalyptic weapon anywhere on this planet."
"Really? So what are we supposed to do now?" asks Astran.
"We're going to The Ark. You guys fought a good battle. You deserve some rest."
They wander around the base, searching for a way out, until they stumble upon an exit. Once they leave the base, Shinjiro presses a button that activates their location. The spaceship descends toward them, its engines roaring as it lands and lowers its ramp. Nozomi and Astran sit across each other, their faces reflecting in the window as the stars twinkle outside. Astran reaches out her hand and holds Nozomi's. "Thank you, Nozomi. I'm glad you had my back."
"Y-you're welcome, Astran. T-thank y-you, too…."
~Nozomi Astran and Shinjiro vs. Grolly. Winner: Nozomi, Astran, and Shinjiro.