Our cameras shift to a rocky, rugged terrain interspersed with towering mountains, where fierce winds howl, carrying sand in every direction.
The sound of footsteps striking the rocks is heard. Kazuma stands atop a high rock on the left side, his silver hair partially covering his face after being whipped by the wind. Jin stands in the opposing position.
Jin (Smiling with arrogance):
"Kazuma, you are about to witness a power unrivaled in this existence."
Kazuma (His voice cloaked in calm confidence):
"I imposed a restriction upon myself, for my true power is too great to be contained."
Jin (Frowning, scornfully):
"Don't be deceived by mere raw power, little brother. True battles never rely on blind might as much as they do on intellect and strategy."
Kazuma (Closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them, in a serious tone):
"I will ask you one question, and you must answer truthfully... Why was our clan annihilated?"
Jin:
"That was an inevitable, unavoidable fate, Kazuma."
Kazuma (With strict composure, dismantling his argument):
"Fate is merely an illusion that can be changed. That is a weak justification, lacking in courage."
Jin (Smiling):
"I am not obligated to offer justifications. The verdict belongs to power, not ethics." He then offered a final proposition: "How about you let me achieve my ultimate goal, and you go live an ordinary life, free from these troubles?"
Kazuma slowly raised his left fist and clenched it very tightly.
Kazuma (With cutting calm):
"I will not engage in a futile dialogue. The only truth that separates us now is the fight."
Jin raised his left fist toward the sky, and it began to glow with a violent purple aura surrounded by dense darkness.
Jin (Calmly and confidently):
"Have you mastered the Shin Style? Because I am truly looking forward to an enjoyable fight."
Kazuma (With steady composure):
"I certainly have. Not out of a desire for peace or any other noble goal... but for one purpose: to kill you."
An absolute silence fell over the place. The fierce winds made a sound akin to a silent melody as their clothes danced around them.
When a small pebble dropped to the ground, it was the signal to start. Kazuma lifted his left foot and leaped toward Jin with blazing speed.
Kazuma extended his left arm forward in a direct attack, but Jin caught it with his palms and forcefully twisted his wrist, causing Kazuma's body to spin rapidly due to the force and centrifugal motion.
Jin pulled his right fist, glowing with energy, toward the spinning Kazuma to strike him directly.
Kazuma felt a horrific blow to his stomach, which sent him flying towards a massive boulder. The rock shattered over him, and thick dust billowed into the air.
Kazuma rose from under the debris, dusting off his clothes while breathing with evident effort.
Jin (Scoffing with a desperate smile):
"What a pity... what a pity. I thought you would be much stronger than that."
Kazuma placed his right palm over his heart and began to breathe with extreme difficulty. He looked as if he was about to collapse onto the ground.
Jin smiled triumphantly, but in the next blink of an eye, Kazuma vanished.
Kazuma appeared behind Jin, his body twisted with high precision. He had placed his right fist behind his back, a fiery red aura enveloping that hand. It was an imminent counter-attack.
Kazuma closed his left eye (the one disfigured by the scar), and screamed with all his might:
Kazuma (In a sharp, booming voice):
"BLAZING PALM STRIKE!"
Jin gritted his teeth intensely as the ground beneath them cracked violently, and the winds grew so fierce that Jin's hair stood upright from the energy.
Jin:
"You've developed a lot, Kazuma! You're like a monster in development, but you're still constrained!"
Jin raised his left hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together in a strange formation.
Kazuma thrust his fist, charged with fiery energy, toward Jin, but suddenly he opened his eyes wide. He began breathing very rapidly, then collapsed to his knees, profusely sweating.
Kazuma (Voice trembling with exhaustion):
"What is happening to me is unnatural... What is this feeling?"
Jin took two steps back, avoiding the fallen Kazuma.
Jin (Coldly and enticingly calm):
"Let me achieve the immortality I was born for. Die for your brother, and I will grant you a peaceful end."
Kazuma (With desperate stillness):
"No, you will die... just like Father, Mother... and Nitch."
Jin (Lowered his head for a moment, then raised it with a cruel gaze):
"I will put aside my emotions and kill you. Emotions, and love... are merely obstacles. They are a giant rock in front of a small ant carrying its food in the height of a cruel winter that will kill it. It is a foolish sacrifice."
Kazuma (Trying to comprehend what is happening to his body):
"Why do I feel this sudden exhaustion?"
Jin (With the calmness of a victor, as if giving a lecture):
"I am a singular type. My technique is called: The Perceptual Box."
Jin:
"Before you could strike me, I used that technique. My Shin energy surrounds you, and it is capable of literally distorting time. To you, a single second felt like a full hour. Therefore, it is perfectly logical that you feel this sudden exhaustion."
Kazuma tried to muster his depleted strength. He reached out and grabbed a small rock, but as soon as he tightened his grip, it crumbled and cracked between his fingers, a victim of his overwhelming exhaustion and dispersed aura.
Kazuma remained motionless as the rock fragments fell to the ground, scattered by the wind.
In that critical moment, a foot struck his face with sudden, swift force. It was Jin, who exploited the time distortion and sudden exhaustion to execute a rapid movement that deceived Kazuma.
Kazuma spat out blood, and his right cheek swelled and was disfigured from the severity of the blow. Kazuma was violently thrown towards the left.
Screen Transition: From Reality to the Symbolic Realm:
We shift to a clear, serene world with a pristine glass floor. However, the left side of this world is dark and gloomy, engulfed in pitch blackness. In this realm, Kazuma's reflection slowly entered the dark section.
Returning to Reality:
Kazuma was shedding tears, not from physical pain, but from absolute frustration.
Kazuma (In a low, desperate voice):
"I... I am just a tiny insect before a mighty lion. I am a trivial ant before a vicious beast that controls everything." He then continued, grinding his teeth with resentment: "I am just a scoundrel, Jin. But I swear you will not achieve your goal, even if it costs me what little humanity I have left!"
In the Symbolic Realm, Kazuma's reflection sank completely into the dark section.
In reality, Kazuma's broken body settled upon a massive boulder, which shattered over him.