The sky over Sakai burned with the flickering glow of lanterns now, their warm light contrasting sharply against the chaos unraveling below. Shadows danced across the rooftops as Ichigo and Teigen's sister ran past rooftops, their figures mere blurs in the night. Below them, Mizaki carried Teigen with uncanny speed, her feet barely grazing the tiles as they sped toward the epicenter of destruction.
The first shockwave had frozen everything—chopsticks halted mid-air, cups trembled, and even the faintest rustle of the wind seemed to still in reverence. Then, the news spread like wildfire. The fight had begun.
The ground rumbled violently as Haido leaped from the ship, his figure slicing through the air like a falling blade. But before his feet could even touch the earth, a shadow moved with inhuman speed. A sharp impact cracked the night like thunder—Kento's devastating kick connected, sending Haido rocketing back down. The force of the blow shattered the wooden planks below, dust and debris rising like the breath of a wounded beast.
Haido groaned, pushing himself up from the crater left in his wake. His mind reeled, not just from the pain but from the sheer arrogance of his opponent.
Kento stood a short distance away, his blade drawn and then—almost mockingly—tossed aside with a smirk. A warrior willing to part with his weapon? It was either foolishness… or something far worse.
Haido clenched his fists. "What are you?" His voice was low, almost a whisper, but the weight of his disbelief carried through the air like a gust before a storm.
Kento's only response was a subtle tilt of his head, his smirk unwavering.
... Elsewhere on the Battlefield...
Akitsugu surged forward, his energy flaring in the form of countless doppelgängers that flickered into existence like restless spirits. The illusionary army surrounded Payne in an instant, shifting through the darkness with predatory precision.
Payne scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Cheap tricks. Do you think they can actually hurt—"
A sharp pain lanced through his shoulder, cutting his words short. He staggered back, eyes widening in shock as another clone spun and delivered a brutal kick to his ribs.
Akitsugu's voice echoed across the battlefield: "Fighting Spirit—Duplicate Tentacle!"
His clones moved like a well-trained battalion, each taking a unique stance as if they were alive, thinking, breathing warriors.
Payne growled, his breath hot with rage. "That was a lucky shot!" His irises burned electric blue as arcs of lightning crackled around his body, illuminating his form in eerie flashes.
With reckless fury, he charged forward, bolts of electricity erupting from his fingers, lashing out at anything in their path. The clones surged forward, intercepting the attacks, their bodies flickering and dissipating upon impact, only for more to take their place.
The air buzzed with static, the clash of abilities tearing through the night like the wails of vengeful spirits.
Haido had seen enough. His opponent's healing abilities were beyond natural—it was as if Kento existed outside the very rules of battle. But every ability had a limit. Every armor had a chink.
His gaze locked onto Kento, reading his every movement. 'Soon… very soon… I will find my opening.'
But just as that thought formed, Kento moved.
A blur—no, something beyond speed. A ghost of movement.
Before Haido could react, two devastating kicks landed in rapid succession, each one shattering the air with explosive force. His body was sent tumbling, rolling violently across the ground before he crashed against the wreckage of a ship.
"Impossible!" Haido gasped, his chest heaving. His mind screamed in disbelief. "You couldn't have known I was coming from that direction!"
Kento's smirk deepened, his stance casual, almost indifferent.
Haido wiped blood from his mouth, his teeth grinding together. "Enough!" His voice exploded like thunder. "Second Martial Fighting Spirit—Fury of the Tiger!"
The very air around him shifted. His muscles tensed, veins surging with raw energy. The ground beneath him cracked, rippling outward in a perfect circle. He vanished.
A sound—sharp, deafening.
A movement—blurred, unstoppable.
Haido's form became a streak of speed, rocketing toward Kento like a comet set ablaze. His plan was simple: strike so fast, so relentlessly, that Kento's body would have no time to regenerate. He would be cut, piece by piece, until there was nothing left to heal.
Haido's blade arced downward—
—And stopped.
A massive, invisible force struck him mid-air, a phantom fist smashing into his torso. The impact was so immense it sent him careening backward, embedding him deep into the ship's wooden hull. His breath left him in a sharp gasp.
His vision blurred, but through the haze, he saw it—
A translucent shell of energy encasing Kento, an ethereal, almost divine aura.
Haido's heart pounded. 'A duo.. No, not a duo!'
The revelation sent a chill through his spine.
In the distance, Mizaki's voice rang out, panic lacing her words. "Brother!"
She had finally reached the battlefield, but what she saw made her breath hitch. Ten-Kai and Daizen moved in a blur of destruction, their attacks sending ripples of force outward, shattering stone and splintering wood.
Ichigo landed beside her, eyes wide. "Wha—?! That's Ten-Kai?! Hey! They're moving so fast we can barely keep up with their movements!"
The city trembled beneath the weight of their battle, and for the warriors engaged in combat, only one thing was certain—
The real fight was just beginning.