Zekka and Rina moved again almost at the same time.
And the clash of steel tore through the air as two swords collided in front of the silent dojo.
CLANG!
The sound echoed, bouncing off the wooden walls that had stood for decades, making some of the boards tremble faintly.
Zekka stepped back half a pace, then advanced again with a smooth motion. The Tensei sword in his hand gleamed faintly, following the rhythm of his breath.
Niten Ichi-ryū.
The sword style created by Miyamoto Musashi—a school identical with the use of two swords, long and short, in perfect harmony. Yet Zekka held only one sword.
Even so, its roots remained the same — pure kenjutsu.
In front of him, Rina grinned widely.
The Exodus Chariot sword spun in her hand at an unusual angle, leaving a faint crescent trail of light in the air.
Gan-ryū.
The sword style created by Sasaki Kojirō—Musashi's eternal rival. A style that rejected classical balance and chose one thing: deadly reach and speed.
And its ultimate technique—
Tsubame Gaeshi.
A ridiculous technique.
Three slashes in a single moment.
Legends say Sasaki Kojirō was able to cut down a swallow mid-flight, slicing it into three pieces in a single swing. A technique that logically should be impossible, even for the greatest swordsmen.
But in the supernatural world—
The impossible is merely a matter of limits.
Rina stepped forward.
Her sword shot out.
One downward slash.
One diagonal slash.
One more appearing from an impossible angle.
Three different trajectories—in one breath.
Zekka opened his eyes wider.
His sword moved swiftly, blocking one, tilting the blade to deflect the second, then making a light backward step to avoid the third slash that almost grazed his chest.
CLANG—CLANG!
The air trembled.
The pressure of their Sacred Gears collided, creating waves of energy that swept across the dojo yard. Pebbles lifted, leaves scattered, and wooden boards groaned in a long creak.
Rina laughed.
Laughed freely.
"Hahaha…!" her breath was slightly ragged, but her eyes shone brightly. "That's how it should be! You blocked it — you really blocked it!"
It wasn't mockery.
It was euphoria.
For Rina, every strike successfully blocked was proof — that in front of her stood someone worthy. A foe who could receive all her killing intent and remain standing.
Meanwhile, Zekka only grew calmer.
He was not provoked.
His movements became more defensive, tighter. Every step shifted slightly sideways — redirecting the attack path away from the dojo behind him. Every counter-slash was aimed not to kill, but to divert.
He was protecting.
Not himself.
But the old dojo.
Yet behind that defensive stance—
Zekka was waiting.
Waiting for one moment.
Upon a tree branch, Jun sat casually, one leg hanging.
Somehow, there was already a bag of popcorn in his hand.
Crunch.
He tossed a handful into his mouth, chewing slowly while watching below.
"…Classical Kenjutsu versus classical Kenjutsu," he muttered flatly. "Plus Sacred Gear. A combination that's… well, fairly entertaining."
His eyes followed every swing sharply, even though his face remained expressionless.
"No one's losing control yet," Jun continued quietly. "Still safe."
He ate more popcorn.
Crunch.
"For now."
—
The battle continued — but its tone changed.
If before they exchanged raw strength and foundational techniques, now the field rose to another level. The air around the dojo felt different, heavier, as though the space itself bore witness.
Rina suddenly retreated.
One step.
Two steps.
She took an unnatural distance, then slowly lowered her sword into a sheathing stance. Her footing was low, stable, and far too calm for someone who had just been laughing in euphoria.
Zekka paused for a moment.
His chest rose and fell, his breathing growing heavier. The Tensei Sacred Gear glowed in his hand — and the fact that his upper body was still exposed made the scene… not worth describing further.
Jun glanced briefly, then returned to watching the fight.
"…The author's visual priorities are truly consistent," he murmured flatly.
In front of the dojo, Rina's brow twitched faintly. Because someone had just compared her chest size.
But she didn't waver.
Her hand moved.
The Exodus Chariot sword was drawn only a span from its sheath.
No more.
But at that moment—
The air beside Zekka split.
A thin slash appeared without motion, without swing, without warning — as though the space beside Zekka's body had simply been sliced open.
Zekka reflexively leaped back.
SSSHT!
The ground where he'd stood split cleanly, like cut by a hot blade. No explosion. No gust of air. Only an impossibly clean result.
Zekka's eyes widened.
Jun stopped chewing.
"…Oh," he said softly. "That isn't funny."
Rina grinned widely, her sword still half-sheathed.
"Hahaha… surprised?" she said cheerfully. "This is one of my Sacred Gear's features."
She drew the blade slightly further.
"Dimensional Slash."
The air trembled again.
A thin line of light appeared — this time closer to Zekka. He twisted his body, blocking with Tensei, but what he blocked wasn't a blade.
He blocked cut space.
The impact sent a strange vibration through his arm — not pain, but a sensation as if reality itself resisted being touched.
"This… makes no sense," Zekka muttered.
In his hand, Tensei finally spoke — its voice echoing directly in his mind.
[Calm down. Her Sacred Gear doesn't cut everything.]
"Hah?"
[Rina isn't attacking you directly. She cuts the spatial coordinates around the target.]
Zekka gritted his teeth, dodging another thin slash that appeared from the opposite side.
"Then what should I do!?"
[Stop thinking like an ordinary swordsman.]
Tensei vibrated faintly in his grip.
[You're holding me.]
Only four words — yet somehow, they were enough.
Zekka's ragged breathing slowly steadied. The sense of being cornered eased, replaced by a strange confidence — not from himself, but from the sword in his hand.
He straightened his posture.
"In that case…" he murmured. "I'll trust you."
A faint light enveloped Tensei.
The ability activated.
Ursurption.
The ability to steal and store a target's energy — an ability that, true to the absurd nature of its original wielder, worked far more effectively on women. And like most Sacred Gears born from the will of their owners—
The air around the dojo trembled.
Rina, preparing to release another dimensional slash, suddenly felt something odd. A warm sensation brushed across her skin, as if the world shifted by a fraction of a second. But before she could grasp what was happening—
The Ursurption target was not her.
Because of her relatively small chest size — around B or C — the absurd mechanism of the Sacred Gear automatically "searched for a more… compatible alternative."
And found one.
Up in the tree.
Jun.
—
Jun, who had been calmly watching all this time, suddenly sensed a foreign presence behind him.
Because of his carelessness and not knowing the character of Zekka was inside the DxD series since it was relatively newly created before his death.
Without warning—
A pair of soft arms wrapped around his chest.
Something warm, soft, and far too real pressed against his back. A faint sweet scent mixed strangely with spiritual energy, seeping into his senses. Long hair brushed his neck, and that large chest — without a doubt — pressed fully against him.
"Oooh…"
A gentle voice whispered near his ear.
Jun froze.
His whole body tingled from the soles of his feet to the back of his neck.
"…What," he said quietly, very quietly, "is this."
He lowered his gaze slightly — and saw hands clearly not his own wrapped around his stomach. Those slender fingers moved slowly, as if seeking the most effective position to—
Absorb energy.
Jun's Demonic Qi was drawn out without permission, flowing through that illusionary contact, channeled directly into one point—
Zekka.
"—!!"
Jun reflexively tried to pull himself free, but the illusion was not merely visual. It was a Sacred Gear effect, directly connected to the concept of energy absorption. Jun's body weakened for a moment, the warm sensation mixed with the loss of strength making his knees buckle.
"Damn—" his breath hitched. "Perverted sword."
Down below—
Zekka was shocked.
A massive surge of energy suddenly flooded his body. Its flow was smooth, warm, and… far too familiar to be described politely. His muscles felt lighter, his vision sharper, and Tensei vibrated in satisfaction in his hand.
[Ah—high-quality energy. It's been a while since I felt this.]
"W-what are you doing!?" Zekka whispered in panic.
[Calm down. This is an emergency.]
Zekka wanted to protest — but at the same time, he felt a strength he had never possessed now flowing steadily through him. He realized someone else had been dragged into this effect… and it made his chest feel heavy with guilt.
However—
Rina didn't wait.
"Looks like you've become more spirited," Rina said, her eyes narrowing. "Have you finally gotten serious?"
She attacked.
But this time—
Zekka moved.
His steps were light, almost floating. The dimensional slash that appeared beside him failed to hit — not because it was dodged, but because Zekka was no longer in the same coordinate.
He spun his body, Tensei becoming a pivot just as it had said before. The light of the blade tightened, as if binding the space around him.
Rina was shocked.
"…Huh?"
Up in the tree—
Jun finally ran completely out of strength to remain on the branch.
The illusion vanished along with the final surge of energy that had been absorbed.
"Bastard…" he muttered weakly.
His body fell.
Thud.
Jun landed on the ground in a decidedly inelegant position, his breathing ragged. He stared at the sky for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
"…I really have to destroy that sword someday."
In front of the dojo, Zekka glanced briefly toward the source of the energy that had just poured into him — and only now did he realize someone was lying there.
"I—I'm sorry…!" he muttered in panic. "I didn't mean—"
[Priorities, Zekka.]
Tensei reprimanded coldly.
[If you lose now, everything will be for nothing.]
Zekka grit his teeth.
"…I know."
He refocused his gaze on Rina.
//---//
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