Rajin then spun low to the hard ground, his tengu body twisting with fluid precision as he unleashed a swift breakdance kick that cracked through the air like thunder.
The impact sent Rika flying backward, her body colliding with Riku, who had just begun to rise from the dust-covered arena floor.
Riku grunted, steadied himself, and retaliated with a fierce roundhouse kick that slammed Rika into the arena wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks behind her.
The crowd gasped, the tension thick enough to choke on.
But Rika was far from finished.
Her eyes gleamed crimson as her vampire instincts surged. In a blur of motion, she vanished from sight, only to reappear behind Riku, her fangs bared and her voice a whisper in his ear, "You're mine now."
Before Riku could react, she sank her fangs into her own wrist and forced her blood into his mouth.
His eyes widened in shock, but before he could scream, she snapped his neck with a sickening crack.
His body crumpled to the ground, motionless.
Rajin's eyes widened in horror, "What did you do?!"
Rika turned slowly, her laughter echoing through the arena like a haunting melody.
"I turned him into a vampire," she said, her voice dripping with amusement, "He'll be unconscious for a while… but when he wakes up, he'll be reborn."
Rajin stepped back, sweat pouring down his brow. "Why would you do that?! He is your ally!"
Rika's smirk deepened, her eyes glowing with twisted delight.
"Oh Rajin, maybe try using that tengu brain of yours for once," she mocked, her laughter erupting again, loud, and also wild, reverberating through the stands.
Spectators leaned forward, captivated, and terrified.
"To beat your enemy," she said, her voice now low and venomous, "you must know your enemy."
Rajin's wings twitched nervously. "What does that mean?" he asked, his voice cracking as he backed away.
Rika stepped forward, her angelic wings unfurling with a radiant shimmer that contrasted eerily with her bloodstained aura. "It means that when Riku wakes up, he will be mine. A vampire bound to my will. And I already know he is immortal."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle, "I will command him to destroy you, Rajin. Piece by piece. And you will watch as your friend becomes your executioner."
Rajin clenched his fists, his heart pounding. "You're insane."
"No," Rika whispered, her wings casting long shadows across the arena floor. "I'm evolved."
***
As the dust settled across the cracked arena floor, a low hum of energy pulsed from Riku's body.
His eyes fluttered open, one glowing crimson like fresh blood, the other shimmering with icy blue intensity.
The crowd gasped. Something had changed.
Riku slowly rose to his feet, his aura rippling with unstable power.
He turned his gaze first to Rika, then to Rajin, his expression unreadable.
Rika's lips curled into a confident smirk.
"Yes… good," she whispered, stepping forward. "Now, attack Riku. Do as I say. I created your vampire side. You belong to me."
Her hand still bled faintly from the ritual, the wound slowly knitting itself closed with supernatural speed.
She extended it toward him like a commandment.
But Riku did not move.
He did not speak.
He simply stared at her, silent, calculating. Then, without warning, he charged.
His first collided with Rika's face in a thunderous blow, blue lightning erupting from his knuckles and crackling through the air.
The force sent her skidding across the arena floor, her wings flaring out to stabilize her.
Rika wiped blood from her lip, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You… you're not supposed to—"
Riku stepped forward, his voice low and steady. "You gave me this power… but I'm not under your control."
Rika's shock twisted into a grin.
She rose to her feet, her wings stretching to their full span, casting long shadows across the arena.
"Then let's fight," she said, her voice echoing with both fury and excitement.
The crowd roared as the tension snapped like a wire.
Rajin then stood frozen, watching the two titans about to fight, one forged by the blood of a vampire, the other forged by the rebellion, prepare to clash.
Riku did not hesitate to try and attack Rika.
In a flash of blue light, he vanished from sight and reappeared behind Rika, his dagger of Vengestone gleaming with lethal intent.
He thrust it forward, aiming for her heart, but Rika was faster.
Her instincts flared, and she twisted just in time, catching the blade between her palms.
With a snarl, she drove her elbow into Riku's face, sending him stumbling back.
She leapt away, wings flaring, eyes burning with fury. But Riku was not finished.
He teleported again, this time with even greater speed.
The dagger sliced through the air once more, aimed at her spine.
Rika spun, blocking it again, but as she raised her elbow to strike, Riku's blue eye shimmered.
His adaptive power activated, reading her movement in real time.
He ducked beneath the elbow, pivoted, and unleashed a roundhouse kick that sent her flying into the already fractured arena wall.
The crowd gasped as the wall cracked deeper, dust and debris raining down.
Before Rika could recover, Riku appeared beside her like a phantom.
He grabbed her by the head and dragged her face across the jagged stone, sparks flying from the friction.
Then, with a roar, he hurled her skyward.
Rika's body soared into the air, wings flailing.
Riku leapt after her, spinning midair into a backflip kick that connected onto Rika's face with some brutal precision.
The impact then sent Rika crashing back down to the ground, slamming into the arena floor with a thunderous boom that echoed across the stadium.
Silence fell.
Riku landed softly, his dagger still in hand.
His chest rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths.
He looked down at Rika's unconscious form, her wings twitching weakly.
He had won.
But as he stared at his reflection in the shattered wall, one eye red, the other blue, he felt the cold truth settle in his bones.
He was still part vampire.
The power surged within him, intoxicating and dangerous.
He clenched his fists, unsure whether he had truly defeated his enemy… or simply become one.