At the peak of the war, on the edge of a cliff, Sato Ryo, Kamiya Naizen, and Yasue Naizen met. Sato's short red hair stood out among the others' long black hair. Knowing he couldn't oppose them, he called out with a relaxed smile on his face:
"Kamiya Naizen and little brother Yasue, it's been a long time since we last met, my friends. How have you been?"
This unexpected calmness was a sign of Sato's ability to maintain his composure even amidst the chaos of war. However, it was merely superficial; deep within him, there was a tension. Kamiya noticed this too.
Kamiya replied, sizing up his old friend with a mocking tone: "You have no place to run, old friend. Surrender, I don't want to hurt you."
But this cool demeanor was a sign of the deep-seated conflict within him; the weight of war clashed with years of friendship in Kamiya's heart.
Yasue, eyeing his brother's words with disdain, interjected, "Hurt you? I'm not sure you'll leave here alive," he said harshly, anger and determination shining in his eyes from the toll of war.
Sato felt that this moment was irreversible. He couldn't turn back this moment that overshadowed their friendship. Yet, a glimmer of hope remained; perhaps there was one last chance to end this war...
Drawing a dagger from his belt, Sato growled, "I will take at least one of you with me," and lunged at Yasue. For a brief moment, fear flickered in Yasue's eyes, but it quickly transformed into his battle instincts. Years of war had hardened his.
Kamiya quickly raised his hands in response: "Element Fire: Exploding Flames!" he shouted. Fireballs leapt from his palms, briefly turning the battlefield into a blazing hell. As the heat from the flames scorched the surrounding grasses and tree branches, Sato jumped back. The shockwave from the explosions protected Yasue.
As Sato retreated from the searing flames, he said, "I didn't think you would even attack your brother, Kamiya," astonished yet tinged with sadness.
Kamiya advanced as if accepting this brutal reality. There was a weary calmness in his eyes: "We will try every way to win," he replied, as if trying to convince himself.
"And that's why you're so dangerous" Sato responded. "This damned war has caused everyone to suffer so much loss."
Yasue, overtaken by anger, rushed forward. "You started this war! And now you talk about peace?" Sato narrowly dodged Yasue's swift attack.
"Peace? No, I just want this meaningless conflict to end" Sato said, out of breath. He felt a pang in his heart; this war had consumed their friendship.
Scenes from the past flashed in Sato's mind. The joy from the times they had once been friends was erased by the brutality of war. Now, they had to kill each other on a blood-soaked battlefield.
Kamiya stepped in between his brother and Sato, watching both of them closely. Something was breaking inside him; he didn't want to raise a weapon against his old friend, but the instinct to protect his brother was overwhelming.
Sato nervously scanned his surroundings, searching for an escape route. "This conflict is consuming us all. Perhaps it's time to stop" he said, weariness and regret evident in his voice.
Kamiya hesitated for a moment, touched by his old friend's words. He was questioning the meaning of the war; what had this conflict started for, and who would truly emerge as the victor?
Yasue noticed her brother's hesitation and warned him: "Brother, don't believe him! It could be a trap." Kamiya looked at his sister and then turned back to Sato. "Maybe you're right, Sato, but it's not that simple," he said, his voice firm yet weary. The burden of war had settled on his shoulders, but he felt that turning back was impossible.
Just then, two masked figures emerged from the forest. The symbols of the city-state on them signaled that their presence was a threat.
"Look, brother, I told you this was a trap!" Yasue shouted.
Sato, astonished, asked, "No, I don't even know them. I think they have other intentions. Who are you?"
Kamiya maintained his silence while surveying the surroundings, ensuring they weren't on Sato's side. "I think we have a common enemy, Sato" he said.
Sato moved closer to Kamiya while keeping an eye on Yasue. "It seems we'll have to back each other up," he said, a faint smile appearing on his face. But it felt like an ironic response to the ruthless nature of war.
The figure in the fox mask calmly said, "Sato Ryo, do not resist and follow us."
Sato, ironically binding his hands, replied, "I must say that this is impossible."
The figure in the cat mask suddenly attacked, lunging at Yasue. Thinking she could counter the assault, Yasue quickly drew her dagger. However, the attack from the masked figure was much stronger than she anticipated. Her wrist gave way, and the dagger fell to the ground, sending Yasue tumbling off the cliff in the blink of an eye.
Kamiya was in shock. Blood began to flow from his eyes, and they transformed: pure white eyes with a dot in the center, with four lines extending down, right, left, and up from the center of his eye. This was the seimei-sen eye, a hereditary ability of the Naizen clan, with four lines representing the highest level of this eye.
"You must stay calm, Kamiya. I'm sorry for your loss" Sato said.
The figure in the fox mask lunged directly at Sato, separating him from Kamiya with successive attacks and dragging him deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Kamiya struggled to maintain control, roaring, "I will kill you!" The cat-masked figure spoke in a feminine voice: "So that's the famous eye. It seems you have four lines, which means it's a powerful eye. Don't waste your energy; you will be defeated here. I know a lot about you, but you know nothing about me. The outcome of this war is quite clear."
Kamiya launched himself forward, throwing a flurry of punches. Though the cat-masked figure blocked some of them, she couldn't keep up with his speed and took some hits. "You're talking nonsense and underestimating our powers" Kamiya said, out of breath.
At that moment, on the other side of the cliff, two silhouettes appeared in the distant corners of the mountain. They were from the Kagayaku Chi cult; one was crouched atop a branch while the other stood beside it, witnessing Yasue's fall.
The one with "4" written on their mask said, "So it has begun. Go, Number 5, save him. If he's alive, it will be difficult to control him, but he'll be stronger."
Number 5 moved swiftly, replying, "Maybe we can persuade him to join us. Don't think you can seize and control everything you see; he's a Naizen."
With a series of teleports, they saved Yasue before he hit the ground and vanished.
Meanwhile, the struggle between Kamiya and the cat-masked woman continued to intensify. The change in Kamiya's eyes had granted him a new power and awareness. Each of his moves was sharper, each attack deadlier. However, the cat-masked woman was not an easy target; she expertly dodged his attacks and counterattacked.
Kamiya took a step back, controlling his breath. The power in his eyes allowed him to perceive everything around him more clearly. It felt as if he could anticipate the movements of the cat-masked woman, predicting her next move.
Kamiya closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the energy within him. With the power granted by the seimei-sen eye, he attempted to sense the flow of the cat-masked woman's energy. Suddenly opening his eyes, he shouted, "Element Fire: Crimson Dragon Dance!" and created spiraling fire dragons around him.
The cat-masked woman was taken aback by this unexpected attack. As the fire dragons danced around her, Kamiya seized the moment to lunge forward. The dragons blocked her escape routes while Kamiya's fist sped toward its target.
Just then, the cat-masked woman unexpectedly moved aside. As Kamiya's punch swung into thin air, she quickly turned and counterattacked. "Element Ice: Ice Sword!" she shouted, lunging at Kamiya with an ice sword that formed in her hand.
Kamiya narrowly leaped back at the last moment, feeling the cold air as the sword's sharp edge passed by his face. Trying to maintain his balance, he carefully observed the cat-masked woman's swift and fluid movements. Her mastery over the water element created a strong balance against Kamiya's fire-based attacks, making the outcome of their struggle uncertain.
Meanwhile, Sato was locked in a fierce exchange of punches with the fox-masked figure. They continued fighting in a small clearing among the trees. Sato was out of breath, exhausted, yet still possessed plenty of energy. "Element Water: Pressurized Water Rods!" he shouted. It appeared as if he were spitting water, but each "spit" launched rapidly moving water rods.
The fox-masked figure dodged five of Sato's attacks, but the sixth water whip sliced through his left hand. Knowing this wound would force him back, he raised his right hand and aimed his index finger at Sato. "Element Lightning: Lightning Tornado!" Like the thunder rumbling before a heavy rain, a constant stream of lightning shot from his hand toward Sato. Quick to react, Sato began running clockwise, while the fox-masked figure turned in place, following Sato with his lightning.
"So you can use this ability while stationary," Sato said, realizing his weakness. He accelerated further but suddenly lost his balance and fell. As soon as he got up, he shouted, "Element Earth: Curved Wall!" A curved wall suddenly rose from the ground around Sato. The lightning tore through the wall, splitting it in half, and the sound of thunder ceased. The wall collapsed forward. Sato emerged from between the debris and looked at the fox-masked figure, who had exhausted too much energy. "I guess this is when you lose," he said before suddenly lunging forward and shouting, "Element Wood: Half Cover!" A sturdy wooden shield spread from his right hand up his entire arm, resembling a stake at the end. He thrust it into the fox-masked figure's abdomen and pulled it back. Looking down at the fox-masked figure, who crumpled to the ground in pain, he said, "I hope you don't die; I'll come back for you," and took off running toward Kamiya.
When Sato reached Kamiya, he noticed the change in his friend's eyes. The bright whiteness of the Seimei-sen eye gave Kamiya a strange expression. "Kamiya, are you alright?" Sato called out, out of breath. "We need to find Yasue, now!" The cat-masked girl noticed Sato's arrival and, seeing the blood in his hand, jumped back in alarm.
Another silhouette appeared beside her; it wore a tiger mask. Suddenly, two more figures with tiger masks emerged from between the trees. Upon seeing them, Sato said, "Kamiya, those are clones, and there are multiple of them. I think we're up against someone really strong. I can barely make more than one clone myself. If they have wood techniques, it means they really want to eliminate you, but not right now." Sato linked arms with Kamiya, and they both accelerated, fleeing deeper into the forest. Meanwhile, the tiger-masked figure turned to the cat-masked girl and said, "Save the fox; he's heavily injured. It's time to activate our secret weapon. Meet me in two days." The cat nodded and replied, "Of course, my lord." before jumping back and vanishing.