---
The city was silent. The air, thick with tension, seemed to crackle with an unseen energy as Shiro and Ronen stood at opposite ends of the rooftop. The moon loomed overhead, casting an eerie glow over the battlefield, illuminating the two figures who were about to decide the fate of countless lives. This wasn't just a fight—it was destiny.
Ronen's crimson hair fluttered in the wind, his red eyes glowing with malice. His sword, black as the void, hummed with dark energy, as if eager for blood. Shiro, on the other hand, stood calm and composed. His blue eyes, now glowing softly, were unreadable. His confidence exuded an aura of invincibility, a man untouchable, untouchable in both body and mind.
The two warriors exchanged no words; they didn't need to. The moment their eyes met, the battle had already begun.
Ronen was the first to strike. In a blink, he dashed forward, his sword swinging with lethal intent. The sheer speed at which he moved caused the air around him to explode, cracking the ground beneath his feet. But Shiro, as always, was faster. His body shifted ever so slightly, dodging Ronen's blade with millimeter precision.
Ronen's frustration showed immediately. He swung again, faster this time, with more force. Each strike was a blur, but Shiro anticipated every single one. He weaved through the barrage of slashes, moving like water through a rocky stream. Each attack Ronen threw was faster, more vicious, but Shiro remained untouched, unbothered. His feet barely made a sound as he moved effortlessly around his opponent.
"Why won't you stand still?!" Ronen growled, his voice shaking with fury.
Shiro smirked, his expression smug as always. "Why would I? You're making this too easy."
The rooftop cracked beneath Ronen's feet again as he lunged forward with renewed vigor, his sword slicing through the air like a bolt of darkness. This time, the blade cleaved through the concrete beneath where Shiro had stood, but Shiro was already gone, sidestepping as if it were nothing.
Ronen's frustration only grew, and he shifted his stance, summoning the full extent of his conjuring. His sword gleamed with a dark energy that seemed to warp the very air around it. The rooftop around him began to tremble as his power built.
"Enough of this!" Ronen roared, raising his sword high.
Shiro's smirk faded slightly as he noticed the shift in the air. Ronen was no longer playing.
With a deafening crack, Ronen slammed his sword into the ground. Black tendrils of energy erupted from the impact point, snaking across the rooftop toward Shiro. The tendrils moved fast—unnaturally fast—but not fast enough for Shiro. His eyes glowed brighter, and in a blur of motion, he was gone again, vanishing from where the energy sought to capture him.
He appeared several feet away, completely unscathed.
Ronen was beyond furious now. His muscles tensed, and he gripped his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Without warning, he charged again, his sword alight with raw energy.
But Shiro was still two steps ahead.
Each strike from Ronen sent shockwaves through the rooftop, shattering concrete and steel. But no matter how hard or fast Ronen attacked, Shiro slipped through it all, dodging with near-superhuman agility. It was as though Shiro was reading Ronen's mind, predicting every move before it even happened.
"You can't keep this up forever!" Ronen snarled, his voice hoarse with rage.
Shiro's smile returned. "I don't have to."
With that, Shiro finally went on the offensive. In a blur, he closed the gap between them, his fist glowing with a faint blue light. He struck Ronen square in the chest, sending him stumbling back, gasping for breath. The force of the blow cracked the ground beneath Ronen's feet, and for the first time, he looked genuinely shaken.
"You..." Ronen panted, glaring up at Shiro. "You..."
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "What? Expecting more?"
Ronen's eyes flashed red with anger, and his power surged again. The rooftop around them began to warp and crack under the pressure of his conjure, a clear sign that he was about to unleash something far more dangerous.
Shiro's expression didn't change. He stood tall, arms crossed, as though waiting for Ronen to make his move.
The rooftop exploded in a shower of debris as Ronen's power erupted. Darkness enveloped the area, a swirling mass of chaotic energy that seemed to consume everything in its path. The sheer force of it made the very air tremble, and for a moment, it looked as though the entire city might be swallowed by Ronen's wrath.
But when the dust settled, Shiro was still standing. Completely unharmed.
Ronen's breath hitched as he stared at the man before him, disbelief written across his face.
Shiro let out a soft chuckle. "That's it?"
---
Chapter 22 part 2: "The Untouchable"
Ronen's rage boiled over, his composure crumbling as Shiro's words cut deeper than any blade ever could. The air crackled with energy as Ronen readied himself, his sword glowing black, radiating power.
"This time, I won't miss!" Ronen shouted, launching forward again, his speed creating sonic booms with every step. His swings were wild, fueled by his uncontainable anger, but every slash, no matter how deadly, met nothing but air. Shiro dodged effortlessly, his movements smooth, calculated—untouchable.
As Shiro danced around Ronen's strikes, his eyes flashed with an eerie blue glow. His lips curled into that same, infuriating smirk. Ronen's attacks were relentless, the sheer force of them sending tremors through the building, but none of it touched Shiro. He moved as if the very concept of being hit didn't apply to him.
"You're fast," Shiro said calmly as he sidestepped another blow, "but not fast enough."
Ronen roared in frustration, driving his blade into the ground again. A wave of black energy shot out in all directions, tearing apart the rooftop. But Shiro, as always, was one step ahead, his body flickering out of harm's way like a phantom.
"Why are you even fighting?" Shiro taunted, dodging yet another powerful strike. "You know how this ends, don't you?"
Ronen's eyes burned with hatred. "Shut up!"
Another series of devastating blows followed, but the result was the same. Shiro avoided them with ease, his feet never leaving the ground, never faltering.
Ronen's breathing grew heavier, his frustration mounting with every missed strike. He stopped for a brief second, locking eyes with Shiro, trying to decipher what kind of person could be so... invincible.
Shiro's gaze never wavered, a calm sea amidst Ronen's storm.
"I've fought stronger men," Shiro remarked, his tone almost dismissive.
Ronen's grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles turning white. "I'm not like the others you've faced."
"No," Shiro replied softly. "You're weaker."
That was the final straw. Ronen's power erupted, his entire body surrounded by a dark aura that seemed to swallow the light around him. With a blood-curdling roar, he charged again, swinging his sword with such force that it left cracks in the air itself.
For the first time, Shiro's expression faltered. Just slightly.
Ronen's next attack was faster than anything he'd thrown before, a blur of steel and shadow. But even then, Shiro dodged, though this time, it was close. The edge of Ronen's blade missed him by mere inches, a near miss that left Ronen's eyes blazing with triumph.
But Shiro's confidence returned just as quickly. "Close, but still not good enough."