The wind roared past Shingin's ears, mixed with the serpentine hisses of his enemies and the sharp whistling of weapons slicing through the air. The battle showed no sign of pausing. Each time he used the wind to create some distance, another attack would immediately close in on him.
Watcher 20 stood at the perimeter, arms crossed, observing coldly. "Wind may be powerful, but in this environment, it's not invincible. No matter how fast he moves, he can't escape the rhythm of our encirclement."
Watcher 21's massive fist surged forward again, bearing an oppressive force aimed straight at Shingin. Instead of meeting it head-on, he veered sideways, the wind pushing him to the assailant's flank. Yet, the force of the near-miss left his cheek stinging from the shockwave.
"Swish!" Behind him, Watcher 23's shadowy blade stabbed forth. Shingin twisted his body midair, his water blade spinning defensively. Their weapons clashed, but the shadow blade's strength sent him flying, careening into the trunk of a massive tree.
"Crash!" The impact splintered the tree trunk as leaves and bark rained down. Shingin hit the ground hard, tumbling before planting his sword into the dirt and hauling himself upright. His face was pale, sweat streaming down his brow.
There was no time to catch his breath. Another flurry of attacks followed, forcing him into a series of frantic evasions. Each movement drained him further, the mounting exhaustion like iron chains tightening around his body.
"If I fall here…" The image of Shizuha tugging at his sleeve, her wide eyes sparkling with hope, flashed through his mind. "Big brother, when will you come back?" Her soft voice echoed in his ears, pulling at his heart.
"I am the last line of defense." Shingin clenched his teeth, gripping his water blade tighter. The wind swirled more violently around him, crackling with a raw, unbridled energy. His gaze sharpened, the look of a cornered beast forced to fight.
"I must… break through!!!"
Taking a deep breath, he channeled his strength, and the winds at his feet exploded into motion. He became a streak of light, hurtling upward. Raising his water blade, he gathered the power of the wind along its edge, forming an arcing crescent of air.
"Boom!" The wind blade tore through the battlefield, cleaving trees and earth, kicking up a storm of dust. Yet, none of the Watchers were caught. Their synchronized movements allowed them to evade the strike with ease.
"That's all you've got?" Watcher 26 sneered, leaping onto a branch. His venom-coated dagger glinted as he dove at Shingin from above.
Instead of dodging, Shingin whirled around, his eyes flashing coldly. His water blade lashed out faster than lightning, forcing Watcher 26 to retreat, blood trickling from his lip.
"Impressive," 26 murmured, licking the blood from his mouth with a feral grin. "But you're still going to die."
Surrounded and under siege, Shingin's winds surged again, shifting their nature. No longer merely a tool for mobility, the air grew sharper, more aggressive. The Watchers noticed immediately.
"Could it be... his wind power is evolving?" Watcher 20's pupils contracted in shock. "No… his alien soul is still mutating even under this pressure?"
Shingin leaped again, his water blade tracing arcs of azure light interwoven with lethal gusts of wind. His movements quickened, his body darting through the air with increasing agility, putting more distance between himself and his attackers.
Watcher 21 roared, slamming his fists into the ground to unleash shockwaves that shook the earth, aiming to knock Shingin out of the air. But Shingin's speed rendered the assault futile. He twisted and turned with the wind, evading every pulse.
One thought burned in his mind: "Faster… I have to get back!"
Drawing on every ounce of his wind's strength, Shingin attempted to pierce the Watchers' encirclement. Yet, every gap he found was quickly closed. Watcher 23's shadowy blade was ever-present, narrowly missing his throat several times. Watcher 25's venomous snakes writhed below, ready to coil around his legs. Watcher 21's fists loomed like iron hammers, forcing him to retreat again and again.
"Not fast enough…" Shingin felt his blood boiling. He knew his current pace couldn't sustain him much longer; his strength was depleting rapidly.
Desperation turned into action. Shingin began to take the offensive, weaving wind and water into relentless strikes from the air. His crescent wind blades tore through the battlefield, forcing the Watchers to split their focus. Some parried the wind blades, while others launched counterattacks to ground him.
"He's adapting to his new powers," Watcher 20 muttered, gritting his teeth. "We can't let him continue evolving!"
"I'll handle this!" Watcher 21 bellowed, leaping into the air with unexpected speed. His massive fists bore down on Shingin like meteorites, carrying devastating power.
Shingin's gaze hardened. He stomped on an invisible platform of wind, propelling himself sharply to the side. The blow narrowly missed, the wind it carried grazing his cheek. Seizing the moment, Shingin counterattacked, his water blade slashing across Watcher 21's arm, drawing blood.
Though he landed the strike, Shingin's situation remained dire. The relentless assaults showed no signs of stopping, and his body was nearing its limits.
"No retreat… no surrender…" His resolve burned fiercely as wind roared louder around him. Though battered and bloodied, his grip on the water blade never wavered.
"This is the last line of defense. I will not fall!" In the eye of the storm, Shingin fought on, his lone figure unyielding amidst the chaos.