'She's definitely strong, but I've gotten a little stronger. After facing off against the enemies I've faced off, i might have a shot. In this case, I can tell her body is gonna be hard to shatter, so I have to strike the same areas multiple times. If a dent appears, or even a crack, I'm doing something good.' Kenshiro thought.
As the charged atmosphere above the cloud line crackled with electricity, Kenshiro and Geminea faced off on an expansive sky-arena, illuminated by flashes of lightning and swirled by white diamond particles drifting like ethereal snow. The clash was imminent, and both combatants were poised, carrying the weight of their lethal intentions.
Kenshiro activated his "Runes Of Vigor," etching glowing runes along his katana blade, enhancing his attributes. He lunged forward with blistering speed, delivering a "Shinsei Giri" slash aimed directly at Geminea. The air split audibly, a visible shockwave cleaving towards her. Geminea, in response, swiftly crafted a diamond shield from her forearm, catching the slash which crackled against the impenetrable diamond surface, sending vibrant sparks flying into the stormy air. Geminea retaliated by morphing her other arm into a formidable diamond lance and thrusting it at Kenshiro with deadly precision. Kenshiro, his agility amplified, flipped over the sweeping lance, his cape billowing dramatically against the windstorm, landing with a silent grace ready for his next move.
As he landed, Kenshiro unsheathed Kurokage, utilizing "Battle Art: One Thousand Blades". He swung viciously, launching dark red afterimages that raced towards Geminea at light speed. Geminea, caught off-guard, took multiple hits, the afterimages cutting through her form with surgical precision, causing diamond dust mixed with eerie light to explode around her. Wounded but undeterred, Geminea channeled her rage, her entire right arm morphing into a colossal diamond dragon head. With a roar echoing through the tempest, she unleashed a barrage of crystalized fire shards at Kenshiro. Kenshiro, twirling Kurokage masterfully, deflected each shard, his weapon singing through the air, leaving trails of red light mingling with the white diamond particles.
Geminea advanced, her diamond dragon arm sweeping in wide, devastating arcs. Kenshiro ducked and weaved, his footsteps precise on the cloud surface, every blocked attack pushing him to the edge of his limits, the impacts sending shockwaves through the clouds. Seizing an opening, Kenshiro leapt high, propelled by a burst of wind. Mid-air, he aimed a powerful kick at Geminea's face, his boot wrapped in a sheath of swirling wind and light. Geminea recoiled, her head snapping back with the force, a crack appearing in her jewel-like complexion. Falling back to the clouds, Geminea didn't hesitate; she conjured multiple diamond spears, launching them simultaneously like a volley of arrows aimed to skewer Kenshiro.
Kenshiro spun, his Kurokage slicing through each spear, disintegrating them into diamond confetti while he advanced, a relentless shadow against the storm. Closing the distance, Kenshiro launched a flurry of rapid slashes mixed with precise kicks, each combo a blur, designed to breach Geminea's crystalline defenses.
Geminea countered with brutal punches, her diamond-hard fists colliding with Kenshiro's blocks, each impact sparking and echoing like thunder. Kenshiro, sensing a slight falter in Geminea's stance, executed a dual-blade laceration using both his katana and Kurokage, aiming directly at her core where the diamond seemed thinnest. Geminea twisted, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but not without sustaining a deep, bleeding score across her torso.
In pain and fury, Geminea's entire form shimmered, and she metamorphosed into a full-blown diamond beast, towering and fearsome. Kenshiro, eyes narrowed, met her rush with a defiant stance, his blades ready and his body a conduit of his unyielding spirit. Kenshiro unleashed the "One Thousand Blades," a torrent of slicing afterimages that overwhelmed the space between him and his foe. Geminea, roaring, shattered many with her sheer force but was gradually overwhelmed, the cuts evident on her once pristine surface. Geminea, in close range now, slammed down with a force capable of breaking mountains, her fists aimed at Kenshiro with lethal intent.
Kenshiro, summoning all his enhanced strength, caught her blows, his arms and blades vibrating with the impact, gritting his teeth against the incredible force.
"You bastard…what are you?" Geminea asked.
Kenshiro replied, "A Shadow of God."
"Lies…lies…I hear the noise of the enemies below…Shadows Of God…embryos to a divine being….I will kill you..for you are an enemy!"
"Tch! You're tough, I'll give you that."
With swift precision, Kenshiro pushed back, channeling all his energy into a singular, devastating "Shinsei Giri" aimed at severing Geminea's diamond arm. The strike landed, severing the limb, which shattered into brilliant shards scattering like a burst of stars across the cloud arena.
Geminea, now maimed but not yet defeated, lunged with a primal scream, her remaining diamond claw outstretched towards Kenshiro's heart. Kenshiro sidestepped, barely evading death, and retaliated with a thrust of Kurokage, impaling the diamond chest of Geminea.
As the battle seemed to reach its climax with Geminea defeated and collapsed, the unexpected occurred. Her severed diamond dragon arm, imbued with a life of its own, began to writhe and twist on the cloud-strewn battlefield.
"AGHHHHH!" She screamed.
Her arm, It expanded grotesquely, growing larger and more erratic, the shards emanating a blinding light. Geminea, caught in the throes of this transformation, screamed in agony and confusion, her voice merging with the howling winds. Kenshiro, his steely gaze fixed on this new monstrosity, watched as the diamond dragon arm surged with unchecked power, thrashing wildly at everything around it. Its movements were desperate, destructive, and entirely indiscriminate. Kenshiro leaped back, the ground where he had stood moments ago shattered by a mighty swipe of the diamond behemoth.
Kenshiro ran to the right, saying, "Shit..that's not good."
'I definitely have gotten stronger. After I've fought so many people and beings..I'm adapting. I remember when the embodiments of rot I first came across, they told me the rot treats me in a different way. The rot conflicts people, makes them not like themselves. In a carnage state, I'm just like them. But outside of it, the rot is making me stronger. It's helping me adapt. If I collect much more Battle Art, and fight more, I'll get even stronger and stronger..'
Unfazed, Kenshiro's resolve deepened. He darted forward, his agility at its peak, as he dodged another series of violent strikes from the colossal diamond appendage. Timing his movements with precision, he sprinted up the rampaging limb's body, its surface slick and uneven. Every step was a calculated risk, a dance with death on the shimmering scales of a diamond dragon gone rogue. Reaching a sufficient height, Kenshiro leaped towards the storm-laden sky, a battle cry tearing from his lips, half defiance, half exultation. He held both Kurokage and his glowing katana crossed above his head, forming an X. As he reached the apex of his leap, he spun, transforming into a human drill, his blades a spinning vortex of lethal precision and blinding speed.
Descending with incredible force, Kenshiro became a meteor of slicing fury, his blades carving a devastating path down the back of the gargantuan diamond dragon. Each contact between blade and crystalline scale was marked by a high-pitched shattering sound, a symphony of destruction that echoed across the clouds.
Geminea exclaimed, "You're a true enemy!"
The dragon, unable to contain the energy destabilizing within, gave one last unearthly wail before it exploded into a dazzling storm of rot and diamonds. Geminea's form, too, disintegrated under the overwhelming onslaught, leaving nothing behind but the shimmer of her crystalline essence scattering in the wind.
Kenshiro landed gracefully, the only sounds now the settling whispers of falling diamond shards, and the distant rumble of thunder. He walked away from the epicenter of the explosion, stoic and solitary. The diamond fragments rained around him, twinkling like stars against the darkened sky. With deft movements, he dodged each sharp descent, his steps measured and calm, his expression unreadable beneath the weight of his victory and the remnants of battle hanging thickly in the air.
He heard an echo from Geminea's diamond particles floating in the air, saying: "Thank you, Shadow of God. For you are a true warrior.."
Kenshiro stood there, thinking, 'That sounded different than she sounded before. Their consciousness is still there! But…once they got caught in the rot..they can't be saved. Fucking sucks. But to her, I saved her…feels good. She told me thank you.'
As he moved, the clouds began to part, allowing beams of sunlight to filter through, painting the sky with hues of gold and orange. Kenshiro disappeared into this new dawn, leaving the battlefield behind, marked only by the remnants of diamond dust and the echoes of a battle fiercely fought.
As Mei and Nori approached the two figures encased in crystal, the air thrummed with tension. Each step seemed weighted with the gravity of their mission and the uncertainty of their success. The landscape around them held the stillness of aftermath, broken crystals and torn earth testament to Kenshiro's fierce confrontation above.
Reaching out hesitant hands, Mei's fingers barely brushed the glistening crystal when, with a startling abruptness, it shattered into a cascade of sparkling fragments. The figures within stumbled forward, freed from their glimmering prison, gasping in the sudden rush of real air. Rubbing at their limbs, they looked around wildly, disoriented until their gaze settled on their rescuers.
Kenshiro, having descended from the sky with the grace and weariness of a battle-wearied hero, approached them slowly. His eyes, watchful and steady, assessed the freed prisoners for injuries as he asked, "You guys…alright or..?"
Seven said, "You came back…"
"Yeah I did. Happy?"
"I am."
Nori nodded, "Good word..K-Kenshiro."
Kenshiro said to them, "You two are strong as hell. Care to train me sometime, Nori?"
"M-Me?! I could…try."
One of the figures, a woman whose masked face could not hide the relief in her eyes, lunged forward suddenly. Her arms, desperate and clinging, wrapped around Kenshiro in a tight embrace. "Phew, finally..." she murmured against his chest, her voice carrying a playful, seductive lilt. "And who might you be, my gallant savior?"
Kenshiro stuttered, "Ummm…"
Standing nearby, Mei's reaction was instantaneous and visible. Her eyes widened in surprise and a flicker of something sharper—jealousy?—crossed her features before she could mask it. Her voice, when she spoke, carried a mix of confusion and annoyance. "What?"