"Impossible! How is he still standing?!" Kaito's opponent snarled, their voice laced with frustration and disbelief.
She pressed the butterfly swords onto Kaito's tonfa with increased ferocity, their muscles straining with effort. But Kaito remained unmoved, his smirk unwavering, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"Is that the best you've got?!" he taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, his lips curling into a mocking smile.
The opponent's face twisted in a snarl, their teeth bared in a growl, their eyes flashing with anger and humiliation. "Tch!" they spat, their voice trembling with rage.
Just then, a voice echoed from a few trees away, "Move out of the way!" The opponent against Kaito jumped off, and a green arrow soared through the trees, heading straight for Kaito.
Yukiko's eyes widened in horror as she yelled, "Kaito watch o—" her voice trembling with fear.
But Kaito swung his left hand, hitting the arrow with his tonfa and canceling it with a loud clang, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air.
The archer, his identity hidden, exclaimed, "What?!" their voice laced with shock.
The butterfly sword wielder stumbled back as they slowly landed, their eyes wide with disbelief. "You can't be serious!" she stammered, their voice trembling with awe.
Yukiko's opponent sneered, "This can't be! She caught him off guard!" their voice laced with contempt.
"So how?!"
But Yukiko just smirked,
"Kaito..." she whispered, her voice filled with awe and admiration, her eyes shining with pride.
Then, her expression turned fierce, her eyes blazing with determination.
"He's fighting! I have to put my all in this!" she declared, her voice ringing through the forest.
With a swift motion, the ice sword transformed into fog, and Yukiko materialized her Ancient Artifact: Dual Ice Daggers.
She spread her arms, the daggers at the ready, and faced her opponent, her eyes flashing.
"Hey! Your fight is with me!" she declared, her voice ringing through the forest, her presence commanding attention.
Yukiko's opponent turned to face her, their eyes locking in a fierce stare.
Yukiko jumped into the air she began to spin, her right hand swinging in a wide arc. The opponent brought up their krise blades, crossing them to block Yukiko's attack.
But Yukiko was fading into fog like a ghost.
"What?!" the opponent exclaimed in shock, his eyes scanning the air wildly.
"Where did she go?!" they turned left and right, his head spinning with confusion.
Mizuki's opponent, still holding the yari blade lodged in Mizuki's shoulder, glanced at Yukiko's opponent. "What are you doing?" they asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
"She vanished!" Yukiko's opponent replied, his voice trembling with fear.
"What do you mean?! She's above you!" Mizuki's opponent retorted, his eyes rolling in exasperation.
Yukiko's opponent looked up, their eyes scanning the trees above. "She's above me?!" they questioned, his voice laced with doubt.
'I think it's time I test out my output' Yukiko thought, she gripped her daggers firmly, her eyes flashing with determination.
"Climatic state: 10%..." she uttered, her voice low and mysterious.
The opponent still staring upwards saw a glimpse of white light slightly glowing. "Is that...?" they began, his voice trailing off in shock.
"...Kuraokami..." Yukiko whispered, her voice barely audible.
The opponent's eyes widened in terror. "No! I have to sto..." he began.
Yukiko's footsteps echoed behind the person, her body landing softly on the ground. She began to dust her suit, her movements calm and deliberate.
"What?! When did she...?" the opponent stammered, his eyes fixed on Yukiko in shock.
Then suddenly, the person stumbled, his eyes widening and twitching in agony.
"What's happening?" he gasped, his body beginning to cough up blood.
Yukiko turned around to face them, her eyes cold and unforgiving. "Kuraokami: Frost-bane..." she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
"Misuri!" Misuki's opponent yelled
"Do you think..." Mizuki said softly...
Mizuki grabbed the blade lodged in her shoulder, her eyes flashing with anger. "...you have the chance to be advising someone?!" she spat, her voice venomous.
Her opponent shook and turned to her in shock.
"When you have your problems," Mizuki raised her head and faced her opponent, her eyes dead serious.
Then, eight water tentacles emerged from behind her, their movements swift and deadly.
"Octo-wave!" Mizuki shouted, her voice ringing with authority. Each tentacle dived down toward her opponent, hitting him with a strong current of water but he tried not to be thrown off.
"Get out of here!" Mizuki swung her left arm, moving the wave to the left and pushing her opponent with incredible force. He let go of the yari blade and followed the current.
Yukiko walked toward her opponent, "You look sick... Even though I can't see your face," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Let me help you out," she added, her foot flying out in a swift kick that sent her opponent flying toward Mizuki's opponent. The two of them hit each other with a loud thud and crashed into a nearby tree, their bodies slumping to the ground unconscious.
Yukiko looked at them with a hint of satisfaction, then turned to Mizuki. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice softening with concern.
Mizuki walked slowly toward her, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Yeah, I'll be alright..." she replied, her voice laced with pain.
The yari blade dematerialized, and she raised her hand to her shoulder "I'll heal myself."
"Alright then..." Yukiko replied, her eyes narrowing with concern. "What about Kaito?!"
They looked at Kaito's position, their eyes widening with awe. He was swinging his tonfas at lightning speed, canceling the arrows being shot toward him with ease.
'The archer isn't far from here,' Kaito thought.
'Using Judgement Storm-breaker isn't an issue to take them out, the only issue is the butterfly sword wielder... The climax is dark and ominous, It's breathing down my neck...'
'In that case... I'll use...' he thought, his eyes flashing with determination.
Another arrow soared toward Kaito, and he swung his right tonfa upward, redirecting it to the trees.
Then, he stopped and stood up straight, his eyes fixed intently on the butterfly sword wielder.
"What is he..." the wielder uttered, his voice laced with shock.
Kaito raised his hand upward. "Storm-bringer Cataclysm!" he yelled.
"Oh no! Stop him!" the archer exclaimed, panic creeping into their voice. They ran, and the archer shot an arrow immediately.
The arrow was mere inches from Kaito's face, and the butterfly sword wielder was behind him, about to swing his weapon. but the air around him erupted, sending a wave of climax energy that canceled the arrow and knocked the butterfly wielder back.
"What?!" the archer exclaimed, their eyes wide with shock.
The butterfly wielder crashed to the ground, their body limp and unconscious.
The wave began to create a swirling vortex of charged climax particles, dark storm clouds gathering to obscure the area.
"You're finished!" Kaito declared, his arm still raised, a colossal lightning bolt beaming down to obscure the scene in blinding light. The explosion that followed sent smoke billowing everywhere, and the archer and the butterfly wielder fell to the ground, both unconscious.
Kaito sighed, his chest heaving with exertion, and looked at the floor, his eyes narrowed. 'How did I analyze them like that... it was like it wasn't me...'
"Kaito?" Yukiko's voice echoed, concern etched in her tone.
He turned and saw the girls walking toward him, their faces etched with worry. Then, he broke into a smile. "Told you we could handle them."
Mizuki rolled her eyes, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Shut it..."
Kaito and Mizuki began to argue, their voices rising in a playful banter. Yukiko tried to separate them, her hands fluttering between them in a futile attempt to restore peace.
Away from their notice, Kaito's Tonfas glowed a dim blue, the light pulsing with a soft, rhythmic intensity. The glow continued a steady heartbeat that seemed to echo the rhythm of Kaito's pulse.