Raijah and Teo instinctively got on guard, unsure of what new powers Tensai might possess.
After a moment of stillness, Raijah stepped forward, his hand crackling with electricity. "I'll go first and create an opening," he said.
"Alright," Teo responded. "Try not to over-exert yourself. If we get an opportunity to finish him, we'll need as much prana as possible to deal the final blow."
Raijah nodded, but Tensai was in motion before he could act.
Tensai delivered a devastating high kick to Raijah's jaw, sending him flying several miles into the air.
Teo was also caught in the resulting shockwave, which sent him off into the distance.
In an instant, Tensai appeared before Raijah in the air. This time, however, Raijah was prepared. He stabilized himself by flying and quickly threw his arms up to block Tensai's kick.
Raijah kept a stern expression, but his arms shattered under the force of Tensai's blow, and he was sent tumbling to the ground.
Raijah ended up crashing through several mountains before coming to a stop. He stumbled to his feet, thinking, "Why isn't he using prana? This fight wouldn't last a second if he used ririsu."
Raijah's thoughts were interrupted when Tensai's fist appeared in his eyesight.
He managed to dodge and instinctively jumped back to create separation.
"He's gotten astronomically stronger and faster, but his movements have grown sloppy. I wonder why."
Noticing that Tensai was readying another attack, Raijah made his decision. He would stay on the defensive and stall long enough to gain an understanding of Tensai's abilities.
Raijah braced for impact, but Tensai's kick ripped clean through his defenses, and he was sent flying once again.
This time, Tensai didn't delay. He brutally struck Raijah, relentlessly slamming his fists into Raijah's body.
The pain was immense, but this wasn't even a fraction of Tensai's current power. Raijah could feel it.
Each blow was exceedingly more painful than the last, and it was evident that Tensai was building up a final attack to finish his frenzy.
Raijah was right. The final blow came in the form of a front kick—a textbook doragonken technique.
Having prepared for this moment, Raijah coated his arms with prana and threw them up to block.
Tensai's kick connected with Raijah's arms. This resulted in a shockwave that sent them tumbling in opposite directions.
Raijah crashed into a valley. Tensai's onslaught left him with a pair of fractured ribs, but he got to his feet nonetheless and suppressed his aura.
"That should buy me some time before Tensai finds me."
Raijah racked his brain for ideas.
"I have to conserve prana, so how do I go about doing this?
"Blue dragon's kick? No, it's a powerful attack, but it's too predictable. Even though his technique is sloppy right now, he'd still be able to read my movements.
"Maybe a top kick? Wait, no. I'd be able to pull it off, but it wouldn't be as effective."
Raijah took a deep breath.
"What am I saying? He's way faster than me. If I attack head-on, he'll just dodge it. I have to feint an attack. He'll obviously avoid it, but if I can predict the direction that he moves, I'll be able to land a follow-up technique."
Raijah could sense Tensai growing closer. He'd be here within far less than a second.
Raijah quickly got in position and firmly buried his foot into the ground to build up pressure.
Once Tensai closed in, Raijah threw an arched punch at Tensai's face. At Tensai's speed, his only option was to duck under the attack, and Tensai did just that.
In that instance, everything lined up perfectly. Tensai's jaw was vertical to Raijah's buried foot. Just then, Raijah made a split-second decision to channel prana into his foot while using doragonken. It was risky as he had never attempted such a feat, but he had no choice but to try it.
"Doragonken: True Vertical Kick!"
A swirl of wind appeared as Raijah unleashed the pressure within his leg, sending the force up to his knee, pelvis, and waist. He then channeled all the momentum into the tip of his foot.
The impact of Raijah's foot connecting with Tensai obliterated thousands of trees, obelisks, and mountains within the surrounding area.
"Your turn, Teo," Raijah said as Tensai was knocked into the sky.
The second those words left Raijah's lips, a flash of darkness appeared in the distance. The beam made direct contact with Tensai, leaving a crater over double the size of the Shi Mountains.
Teo hovered high above the smoke and debris. "A brand new skill," Teo noted. "You've outdone yourself again, Raijah. I wonder. . .just how powerful will you be at your peak?"
Teo turned as a sweat-drenched Raijah appeared beside him.
"Did you get him?" Raijah asked.
"I know my attack landed," Teo replied. "But I doubt that was enough to finish him. Anyway, what's your synopsis?"
"Well, he's getting stronger at an unprecedented rate. Right now, he's already several times stronger than before, but oddly enough, he's not as skilled as he once was. He's relying on brute strength alone. I'm almost positive this is because Val's sword hasn't fully synced with him yet, and he's struggling to keep it under control."
"I see. And if he becomes fully synced? Could we still win?"
"No," Raijah replied. "As of now, our chances are slim enough. If he becomes stable, we'd probably die."
Teo raised a brow. "I can't sense him any longer."
"Shit," Raijah yelled as he got on guard. "He's on the move—"
Tensai emerged from the smoke and grabbed Raijah and Teo by their necks.
"Enough of this," Tensai sneered.
***
Cora and Val came to a halt before an ominous pool of water.
"Their trail goes gray here," Val said.
"Yeah," Cora added. "But there's something unnatural about this water. Do you know anything about it?"
"No. It's taboo to enter the Dragon Cave. Honestly, it's my first time here."
Cora frowned. "We don't have much time. We need to find Raijah and Teo. Our only option is diving in."
"Alright," Val conceded. "But as a precaution, only one of us should go."
"I'll go," a familiar voice inserted before Cora could respond.
Val's head snapped toward the source of the sound. She threw a punch, seemingly at thin air, but it landed on human flesh. As she expected, Nezumi appeared out of nowhere.
He doubled over from the power of Val's fist. His face was deathly pale, and he wore his green cloak over his already torn pants. He was clearly hurt, and his forehead was bleeding profusely.
In a weary tone, he said, "Is it just me, or have you gotten stronger?"
Rage boiled up within Val, and she punched Nezumi again, this time knocking him off his feet.
Nezumi raised his hands in submission. "I'm not here to fight! Cora has control of my blood. If I do anything alarming, she can end me with a flick of her wrist."
Val was not prepared to listen, but Cora grabbed her and mustered all her might to hold Val back. "Wait," Cora pleaded. "We should hear him out."
Nezumi got to his feet. "Let her go, Cora. I deserve it."
Cora released Val, who wasted no time.
She crossed a right to Nezumi's cheek, knocking him down again.
"Bring him back!" Val shouted.
Nezumi got up again, but Val knocked him down just as fast.
"Bring him back!" she yelled once more.
She repeated this several times before her anger grew too large to contain.
When Nezumi got back up, Val didn't hold back.
"Bring Hashira back!" Val's fist shot forward and collided with a sickening crunch.
Nezumi dropped to the ground but was slow to get up. He clutched his face as warm blood gushed from his mouth.
"That's enough, Val," Cora advised.
Val glared down at Nezumi. Attempting to sound as calm as possible, she said, "What is it that you want?"
"Raijah and Teo can't defeat the enemy."
Val cocked her arm back, preparing another punch. "Is that all you have to say?"
Nezumi could feel his jaw shifting out of place with every word, but he continued to speak. "No, I think I know how to defeat Tensai."
Val raised a brow.
"I'll fight him."
"How do you expect to do that?" Val said. "You can barely stand on your own two feet."
"Well, I can't fight him like this. But Val, with 'Closed Sorrow,' you can temporarily seal my wounds. Pair this with Cora's 'Crimson Flow,' which would greatly enhance my physical capabilities, and factoring in Raijah and Teo, we might be able to defeat Tensai."
"So, you're back on our side again?" An irritated Cora asked.
"You probably don't trust me," Nezumi sighed.
"Why should we?" Val sharply interjected.
"You have every right not to. I've had some time to think, and I'm prepared to take on the consequences of all my actions. But before that, I want a chance at redemption."
Nezumi took a knee.
"If you fulfill this request, I vow to return Val's blade, even if it destroys my soul."
Cora contemplated Nezumi's proposal before saying, "But—"
"I know," Nezumi said. "I'll probably die."
"You're aware of all the risks?" Cora questioned to make sure.
"Yes, but make sure you amplify my body as much as physically possible. If this is my last fight, I'll need all the power I can get."
"Alright," Cora nodded. "I'm in, but you'll need Val's confirmation as well."
Nezumi turned to Val. She didn't say anything, but she was clearly deep in thought.
"Valerie," Nezumi began. "I don't have much time, and I won't make any excuses for what I've done. I thought acquiring doragonken would give me the power to protect. But even after achieving it, I couldn't defend my own people from my innate greed.
"I know I'm selfish, Valerie. I'm always asking and taking. But this is my final request. I'm asking you for a favor, Valerie. Please, give me a chance to protect."
Tears welled up in Val's eyes. Overwhelmed by emotion, all she could manage was, "Fine, you idiot."
***
Still holding them by their necks, Tensai rushed down at full force, moving at speeds that dispersed the entire cloud of smoke.
He slammed Raijah and Teo on their backs, pinning them to the ground.
The markings on his body became alive, forming a live dragon head that widened its mouth, preparing to consume Raijah and Teo.
Tensai suddenly sensed the arrival of another aura.
"Something's coming," Tensai muttered. "And it's fast."
Before Tensai could finish that thought, Nezumi punched a hole in his face.