Miko had never experienced a scene like this before, so she naturally couldn't see through Kirishima Ayato's intentions.
But since she had already stepped onto the field, she had no intention of backing down easily.
"Sorry, but I have my reasons for fighting. Please forgive the offense."
No sooner had the words left her lips than Miko raised her right hand. Layer upon layer of magic circles unfurled behind her, sprawling across half the sky.
Kirishima Ayato's eyes widened in shock at the sight.
Who could have guessed that this seemingly fragile girl before him was actually a mage?
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
From the tips of Miko's fingers, a torrent of ice arrows erupted from the magic circles, blanketing the arena as they hurtled toward Kirishima Ayato.
Instinctively, Kirishima Ayato unleashed his kagune—a pair of exquisite wings that propelled him into motion at blinding speed.
Yet the relentless barrage of ice arrows clung to him like a plague, giving him no quarter, no moment to catch his breath.
Bang! Bang! Bang...
The arrows rained down in a deadly storm, slamming into the earth like bolts from a crossbow and sending up a chorus of muffled impacts.
In moments, a thick crust of ice crystals blanketed the ground, their destructive force undeniable.
The air grew frigid in an instant, and a shiver ran through the youkai spectators in the stands.
Kirishima Ayato gritted his teeth. Was this woman's mana bottomless?
From the start of the fight, she had loosed hundreds of ice arrows without slowing, her reserves seemingly inexhaustible.
In truth, this was the power granted to the followers of Morpheus.
Bolstered by the Light's blessing, she could fire off thousands of such arrows in a single breath without fatigue.
Her energy would never falter.
Thud!
Kirishima Ayato barely had time to react before one arrow punched through his calf, throwing his movements into disarray.
The onslaught followed without mercy, riddling his body in the blink of an eye and turning him into a grotesque porcupine.
The vaunted defenses he so prided himself on crumbled like wet paper against the onslaught of magic.
Even so, Kirishima Ayato clung to life.
A ghoul's tenacious vitality had pulled him back from the brink.
"I forfeit! I forfeit!"
The piercing cold threatened to lock every cell in his body. Desperate to avoid freezing solid, Kirishima Ayato roared through the searing pain.
Miko exhaled in relief and dismissed her spell.
A brisk wind swept across the field, dissolving the ground's icy arsenal—and the arrows lodged in Kirishima Ayato's flesh—into a dissipating mist.
In that moment, Kirishima Ayato snatched back his life.
From the Aogiri Tree contingent, Tatara shot a glance at Yamori. "Go retrieve him."
Yamori nodded and leaped from the stands into the arena, hauling the wounded Kirishima Ayato to safety.
Then Yamori vaulted back onto the field and, heedless of the eyes on him, began to clap slowly.
"Brilliant. What an enthralling clash."
He turned to Miko with a grin. "I never imagined you were such an exceptional mage. You've truly opened our eyes."
Miko offered a shy smile. "I was just lucky..."
But before she could finish, Yamori's expression twisted into a savage leer. A scaled tentacle lashed out from his waist like a cannon shot, aiming to impale her through the chest.
The strike was ruthless, a brutal ambush without a shred of honor.
Fortunately, Miko's reflexes were sharp. In an instant, she conjured a barrier spell.
A hexagonal shield of translucent light materialized before her, deflecting Yamori's treachery.
Morpheus watched the exchange, his eyelid twitching. With a stone-cold expression, he turned to Raikou. "Tell Miko to forfeit. Take the field yourself and give this scum a proper thrashing."
Raikou could tell Morpheus was furious.
Truth be told, Yamori's dishonorable assault on Miko had ignited her own anger.
"As you command."
Raikou inclined her head, then called out to Miko on the field. "Miko, stand down."
Miko, hearing this, replied at once, "I forfeit."
Yamori's ruthless betrayal had given her quite the scare.
Raikou materialized on the field in a flash, ushering Miko aside.
Yamori glowered at Raikou, his plans to seize and torment the girl thwarted. A surge of rage boiled within him.
He resolved then and there to unleash it all on the woman before him.
"I will make you suffer exquisitely."
The mere thought of her battered and broken under his hands drew a gleeful cackle from Yamori.
Raikou sighed softly, her right hand stirring ever so slightly.
Suddenly, Yamori felt something slip from him. Glancing down, he saw—to his horror—his own tongue lying on the ground.
His eyes bulged in disbelief. He tried to speak, but only guttural, incoherent gurgles escaped.
Not a single coherent word would form.
Raikou's face remained impassive. "Severing your tongue is merely to ensure you can't forfeit so easily."
"Now... let the battle begin."
Yamori erupted in fury, his kagune lashing out in a frenzied whirlwind toward Raikou.
But in the next heartbeat, it plummeted to the earth, neatly sliced into dozens of uniform fragments.
"???"
What in the world? He hadn't seen her move at all. How had his kagune been diced apart?
What manner of sorcery was this?
He wasn't the only one wondering. A murmur rippled through the crowd of humans and youkai alike.
Only a select few, whose strength had reached a certain threshold, grasped the truth.
It wasn't sorcery at all.
Raikou's speed was simply transcendent—too swift for mortal eyes. She had drawn, struck, and sheathed her blade before anyone could blink.
Completing her assault in a phantom's whisper.
In her presence, Yamori was as helpless as a child.
Such velocity defied comprehension.
Saeko's iaijutsu strikes paled in comparison, mere amateur flourishes against this divine caliber.
Whoosh!
Abruptly, Yamori's arm sailed through the air. He stared in stunned confusion, utterly lost as to what had transpired.
But the excruciating pain wrenched a howl from his throat.
Whoosh!
In another instant, his remaining arm followed suit.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before he could process it, both legs joined the severed limbs, tumbling away. Yamori collapsed with a thud, reduced to a limbless stump of a man.
Worse still, with his tongue gone, even surrender was beyond him.
He was misery incarnate.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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