His movements couldn't be processed.
He fought purely on instinct.
Ryouji moved from side to side, shifting his daggers fluidly around Akira, aiming for his weak point—his recent wound.
The daggers slid through his fingers exactly as he willed them—fast, technique-less movements, yet effective.
At this point, Akira was being forced backward, one hand pressed against his wound.
"How is he this fast…? I've never seen anyone like this…"
As he retreated along the middle of the street, one of the shadows—Ignis—emerged, his greatsword igniting with contained fire as he raised it.
As Akira tried to deflect it with his card, it only gave Ryouji enough time to attack again.
Surrounded—
From the sky, stars descended toward them.
The attack was imminent.
"My sister… she must be injured, but she's helping me…"
Ryouji let out a faint laugh, raising one of his daggers.
—"Gorath!"
The shadow rose behind him, firmly lifting its shield—
Deflecting all the sharp stars toward Akira.
The glowing stars shifted trajectory instantly, racing toward him.
With no other option, Akira ran in the opposite direction, leaping and propelling himself from side to side to avoid being hit. Each impact drove stars into the ground and nearby glass, producing a constant sound of shattering.
—"They're using our attacks against us…"
Around him, an empty kimono floated—
Within it, the shadow Haru manifested, subtly drawing its katana for a precise strike.
In an instant reaction, Akira's orange card blocked the nearly unavoidable attack.
In the end, Akira stopped moving.
His legs were stiff. One hand still pressed against his wound, blood slowly dripping.
The three shadows advanced slightly, then halted.
Between them, Ryouji stepped forward, casually playing with his daggers between his fingers.
Ryouji's expression hardened—focused, decisive. He addressed his shadows:
—"Now. We'll annihilate him and escape."
The shadows, as if possessing their own will, nodded.
In front of them, Akira stood on the central divider of the street, looking up at the sky, forcing his breathing into control.
"My sister tried to help me… I don't know where she is…"
He lowered his gaze.
Ryouji and his three shadows waited.
"I was reckless… I came knowing there would be trouble… and the city could end up even more damaged…"
Finally, Akira moved.
He removed his hand from his wound. Blood dripped faintly.
His eyes sank into crimson.
Ryouji was the first to take a defensive stance, his daggers guarding his vital points.
—"Here it comes… the Hinokami technique…"
Akira stepped forward.
Around him, the weight of the battle disappeared.
He became lighter.
—"…How do you know about that technique?" Akira murmured, slightly lost in what he was beginning to process within himself.
Ryouji didn't fully understand either—but he laughed faintly through his seriousness and shouted:
—"You can read your opponent's movements at a glance and memorize them to fight back against them!"
Akira slightly raised his gaze. His legs slid, barely keeping him upright.
—"I don't know how you know that… but it won't help you."
Akira moved.
The ground shattered behind him.
It couldn't even be called running.
Ryouji raised his daggers—but Ignis stepped in front of him, attempting to strike.
Akira flowed to the side like a leaf carried by the wind and raised his fist—
Ignis tilted his head aside—
—and from that angle, Haru's katana emerged, aiming to kill instantly with a single touch.
Akira tilted his head just enough—
The blade grazed his cheek.
Akira shifted to the side, making a small jump to strike Ignis—
Ignis moved, redirecting his greatsword toward Akira's waist.
As Akira landed, he immediately leapt again—briefly planting his feet on Ignis's blade—
Using it to launch himself higher—
—and kick Ignis in the head.
He connected.
Ignis was sent flying at tremendous speed.
He tore through the streets like a launched stone, his greatsword slipping from his grip—
Crashing violently into a building, smoke and cracks spreading from the impact.
But he didn't stay down.
A few streets away, he stood again and propelled himself back into the fight, summoning his heavy sword once more.
Still airborne, Akira descended—
Attempting to kick Haru.
Haru shifted unnaturally to the side, subtly unsheathing his katana and thrusting toward Akira's chest.
Akira summoned his card at the point of impact, blocking the blade.
When Akira managed to take a breath—
Ryouji appeared behind Haru.
—"I'll trap him," he murmured to himself, raising the dagger in his left hand toward Akira.
Akira detonated the card near his chest—
Forcibly separating them with an explosion.
Once again, Akira stood.
Weaker than before—
—but with the same resolve.
Ryouji rose with only a minor scratch from the blast. Beside him, his three shadows emerged once more.
"It's like… starting over…" Akira murmured, his strength bordering on something near death.
He analyzed his surroundings.
The more he pushed himself, the more he forgot his pain—
—which could become dangerous.
"If I separate him from his shadows…"
Akira surged forward again.
The speed was overwhelming—windows across buildings shattered.
His crimson gaze burned.
Ryouji's expression shifted to shock—
—but before he could react, a devastating kick sent him flying into the sky.
When he opened his eyes—
He was at the top of the metropolis.
Distant buildings glowed, moonlight colliding against him.
Akira gave no pause.
As if teleporting, he appeared in front of Ryouji—
—and drove a downward kick into his stomach.
So violent that blood burst from him.
The daggers slipped from Ryouji's hands, falling onto a rooftop—
Their impact unleashing a wave of smoke and a deafening crash that echoed into the distance.
Ryouji rose from the rubble, brushing dust from his face, pushing his hair back.
When he looked up—
Akira stood there.
A predator.
Ready to continue.
Ryouji laughed faintly.
Behind him, three shadows emerged—Ignis, Gorath, Haru.
His daggers reformed in his hands.
In front of them, Akira looked genuinely surprised.
—"Your weapons… your allies… you sustain everything with ether. Doesn't it run out?"
Ryouji laughed.
Ready.
—"Ether…? Don't make me laugh…"
Akira and Ryouji stepped forward at the same time.
Time itself seemed to stall under their momentum.
Ryouji raised his daggers, weaving them desperately around Akira, searching for an opening.
Akira moved fluidly, deflecting the blades with two cards in hand.
His fingers shifted subtly, redirecting each erratic yet lethal strike.
Ryouji's movements were fast and precise despite his lack of technique—
But Akira adapted with a calm, half-lidded gaze.
Ryouji struck with both daggers at once against the same card—
Piercing through it momentarily—
and advancing.
Akira shifted aside, striking Ryouji's stomach with his left hand, sending him back.
Ryouji, driven by the force, tried to grab onto debris to stay upright.
Through the pain, he raised his head.
—"Now!"
Behind Akira, Ignis emerged—
His flaming greatsword struck the ground, exploding and forcing Akira back—
Only to meet Haru, who attacked from multiple angles—waist, torso, neck, shoulder.
Akira dodged each attempt roughly, coughing or exhaling heavily with each strained movement.
Finally, he lifted his leg to kick Haru's shoulder—
—but Ignis caught his foot with his fist—
—and sent him flying.
As he fell—
Gorath's fist caught him.
Grabbing him like a toy—
—and slammed him into the rooftop with unrestrained force.
"This is bad… if I lose more strength…"
Akira rose quickly.
As Gorath approached, he retreated—
Only for Ignis to strike from behind toward his injured shoulder.
Akira made a small leap, spinning midair—
—and kicked Ignis in the chest, forcing him back.
Akira began running across the rooftop, searching for an escape.
He spotted a smaller building—
—and jumped toward it, trying to buy time to recover his breath.
Ryouji approached from behind after taking a brief moment to recover—
Then launched himself forward mercilessly, his shadows following.
Ryouji stepped across glass panels, shattering them as he advanced relentlessly toward Akira.
Beside him, Ignis prepared the flames of his greatsword.
He intended to win.
Behind them, Gorath split his shield again, turning it into a massive sword.
Haru descended silently, katana still sheathed.
All four of them—
Ready to continue the fight—
descended together.
—"You have my permission to kill him…" Ryouji murmured.