As Genichiro's form descended upon her, Akane's lithe frame blurred into a flurry of motion. Her body moved with the fluidity of water, gracefully sidestepping his attack and delivering a palm strike to his solar plexus with surgical precision. It was as if she could predict his movements before they even happened, her reactions honed to a razor-sharp edge.
The strike landed with a resounding thud, causing Genichiro's breath to catch in his throat. But before he could even react, Akane had already shifted into the next attack, her elbow shooting out with ferocious speed to strike his sternum. The impact was bone-jarring, causing him to stumble backwards and gasp for air as the breath was knocked out of him.
Genichiro's mind reeled as he tried to process what had just happened. How was it possible for her to move with such lightning-fast reflexes, to anticipate his every move with almost supernatural accuracy?
Genichiro was growing more desperate with each passing moment, his movements becoming more erratic as he struggled to gain the upper hand. But Akane remained calm and focused, her movements fluid and precise as she dodged and countered his attacks.
Genichiro had long since past considered Akane a weak opponent, he believed the two of them to be equal at this point, and that much was forced down his throat. Still, it hurt his pride to be forced to use this.
He brought his Muramasa down, pretending to slash down at Akane to get her to dash back, only for him to do the same and flip the six-foot-long blade around, placing it into its sheath.
The Knight in stainless white armor watched with a trained eye as the two combatants exchanged blows, his expression remaining impassive even as the sound of clashing metal filled the air. "It seems Akane is stronger than we expected," he commented to the Woman at his side, who had been standing silently beside him the entire time.
The Woman simply nodded in agreement, her piercing blue eyes locked onto the fight as if she were studying every move. "But Genichiro is not to be underestimated," she replied in a monotone voice. "If he's about to do what I think he is, this will be the deciding factor."
As Genichiro sheathed his blade, Akane's expression remained calm and collected. She knew better than to let her guard down, especially against someone as skilled as him. "I see," she said, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "So you're willing to admit defeat and resort to tricks? That's not very becoming of a Royal warrior, is it?" Akane smirked, her red eyes glinting with confidence as she waited for Genichiro's next move.
Genichiro ignored her attempts to provoke him, closing his eyes as his hand touched the top of the handle of his blade. He's had enough of all of this, he'd finish this fight this instant.
"Ripple..." Genichiro stated as he took a deep breath, the anger and frustration that had been gnawing at him all this while slowly melting away. His focus sharpened, and he began to channel his spiritual electricity, the air around him crackling with the force of his power. As Genichiro unleashed his technique, the air around him seemed to vibrate with the intensity of his power. His eyes locked onto Akane with a fierce determination, his body coiled and ready to strike. With a fluid motion, he whipped his sword out, the blade shimmering with the raw energy coursing through it.
The Muramasa cut through the air like a razor-sharp whip, its sharp edge leaving a trail of electrical energy in its wake. As it reached Akane, Genichiro flicked his wrist with the precision of a master swordsman, sending the blade slicing through the air with maximum speed. The technique was executed flawlessly, and the Muramasa tore through the air towards its target, aimed to slice through anything in its path.
As Genichiro unleashed his technique, the air around him seemed to vibrate with the intensity of his power. His eyes locked onto Akane with a fierce determination, his body coiled and ready to strike. With a fluid motion, he whipped his sword out, the blade shimmering with the raw energy coursing through it.
The speed of this strike far surpassed that of his Thrust from earlier, this attack was his top speed, a slash faster than light itself. As he swung, the force put on his body felt as if the sun had appeared above him. The velocity of the strike had left a trail of energy in its path, as if bending the very fabric of space and time. With each movement, he was in perfect harmony with the universe, as if the stars themselves had aligned to create this moment.
The sheer force of the strike had been unlike anything he had ever experienced, as if he had harnessed the power of a supernova into the swing of his blade. The resulting shockwave echoed through the chamber, threatening to shatter the very foundations of Saint Levara itself. As he completed the strike, he felt as if he had been consumed by the heat of a thousand suns, his body glowing with the intense energy of his attack.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the Muramasa hurtled towards Akane. It was as if the world had stopped to witness the power and precision of Genichiro's strike, a moment frozen in time for all eternity.
"I've won!" Genichiro thought confidently, seeing his blade fly through the air as it appeared to be too fast for Akane to be able to even perceive. With a sense of triumph swelling in his chest, Genichiro watched as the blade of his Muramasa sliced through the air with a resounding crack. He had won, he was sure of it. But in a split second, everything changed. Akane's eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly power as she focused her energy, causing time itself to slow to a crawl.
In that frozen moment, Genichiro saw Akane's fist hurtling towards him with incredible force. He tried to move, to defend himself, but he was paralyzed by the temporal distortion. The next thing he knew, her fist collided with his ribcage with a sickening crunch, sending him flying across the room, which should've knocked him out cold.
Genichiro lay on the ground, barely conscious, his vision blurry and his senses numb. The pain in his chest was excruciating, and he could feel something warm and sticky seeping out of his mouth. As he struggled to get back up, he spat out a large amount of blood, his body convulsing with each cough. Unlike last time, he knew this was where it ended.
He, the Lightning of Ashina, lay there gasping for breath, unable to even push himself onto his hands and knees due to his broken ribs. The pain was overwhelming, and his mind was clouded with a mixture of anger, shame, and humiliation. He was supposed to be a Royal, one of the strongest warriors in all of Setale, and yet he couldn't even beat a person like Akane. He couldn't bear to look at anyone, couldn't bear the thought of the judgment and ridicule that he knew was coming his way.
The sound of footsteps approached him, and he braced himself for the mocking taunts and insults that he knew were coming. The sound of footsteps echoed in his ears, growing louder with each passing moment. He could feel the weight of the other royals' judgment bearing down on him, a crushing weight that threatened to break him. He tried to ignore it, to focus on something else, anything else, but he couldn't. It was like a constant buzz in the back of his mind, a reminder of his failure.
As the footsteps grew closer, he could hear the whispers and murmurs of the other royals. He could feel their eyes on him, their gazes like knives slicing into his flesh. He couldn't bring himself to look at any of them, not after what had just happened.
But instead, he heard a calm, feminine voice speaking to him.
"You going to lay down there forever?" Akane said as she stood above him, crouching down till she was just slightly above him, locking eyes with the blue-haired samurai.
"I...have...nothing...to say...to you..." Genichiro said while gasping through breaths. He refused to look at his opponent.
Akane was quiet as she looked down upon him, her pearls of eyes piercing down into him. She reached down as he flinched as a result, only for her to gently grasp his chin and lift his head up till he was looking her in the eyes.
"You have no reason to hold your head low." She said sweetly, almost cooing at him like a child. Her eyes had an almost ethereal sparkle to them, seemingly enchanting Genichiro.
"I...I cannot look you in the eyes after all of that." Genichiro said quietly. "I am wea-"
"You are strong," Akane stated, cutting him off as he was speaking.
Akane's words were like a siren's song, lulling Genichiro into a false sense of security. He was completely unaware of the strings that she was pulling behind the scenes, manipulating him with ease.
"You may have been defeated today, but that does not make you weak," Akane continued, her voice almost hypnotic in its effect. "It simply means you have room to grow, to learn, to become even stronger than you already are."
Genichiro felt a strange mix of emotions coursing through his veins, a heady cocktail of confusion and attraction. He couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about Akane that drew him towards her, something that he couldn't resist.
As she paused for a moment, looking into his eyes with a sense of understanding, Genichiro felt his heart skip a beat. He knew that he was in danger, that Akane was not to be trusted, but he couldn't help but feel drawn towards her like a moth to a flame.
And as she smiled at him, all thoughts of caution were forgotten. At that moment, Genichiro felt something that he had never felt before; love. A deep, intense feeling that he could not deny, no matter how hard he tried.
He was completely unaware of the web that Akane had spun around him, a trap that he was slowly falling into. All he could see was her, the object of his desire, the one who had shown him kindness, mercy, and beauty all at once.
Little did he know, it was all just a game to her. A game that she was winning with ease, using him as a pawn in her twisted machinations.