A sudden gust of wind blew through the hall, extinguishing some of the lanterns. The remaining light flickered violently, creating erratic shadows along the walls.
A voice echoed from the darkness. "Are you sure about that?"
The room dropped into silence. The air grew heavy, almost suffocating.
Rai's fingers twitched towards her weapon. Kento, for the first time, looked uneasy.
Another voice spoke, sharp and chilling. "I'd say today is a very lucky day for us, Konan."
A second voice, softer but no less menacing, responded. "Yes, Tetsuno. The master will be very pleased when we return with three legendary swords."
Two shadows stretched across the hall, shifting unnaturally as if they had lives of their own. From the darkness, a boy and a girl emerged, clad in black cloaks. Their presence was unnatural—like living ghosts. But Ayu and Kaito's eyes immediately locked onto their fingers.
They wore the same rings as the assassin who had attacked Ayu in the jungle.
Konan and Tetsuno.
Konan smiled. "Let's play with them first, Tetsuno. I want to see how they scream."
Tetsuno cracked his knuckles. "Play? Do what you want, but I'm killing them when we're done."
Kento stepped forward, his usual cocky grin gone. "How did you break through my illusion?"
Tetsuno's golden eyes glowed slightly in the dim light. "You think illusions can stop us?" He scoffed. "Pathetic."
Ayu's sword hummed as he summoned it into his grasp. His voice was low but firm. "Kaito… their rings."
Kaito's eyes flickered with realization. "Yeah… I see them." He took a deep breath. "We need to be careful, Kento. Don't rush in. They're stronger than they look."
Rai, standing behind them, smirked. "Hmm… I think there's something useful for my beast to feast on."
With a snap of her fingers, the giant four-armed beast behind her let out a guttural growl and hurled a massive shuriken at Konan and Tetsuno.
Konan caught it mid-air with ease. "Tsk, tsk." Her eyes glowed as she threw it back, but this time…
The shuriken multiplied.
Dozens of spinning blades shot toward Rai's beast in a deadly storm.
"Rai! Be careful!" Kento shouted, thrusting his sword into the ground.
A glowing barrier erupted in front of them, stopping the incoming attack just in time. The air crackled with tension as the two sides faced each other.
Tetsuno chuckled, twirling his blade. "Let's see if the so-called 'legendary successors' are worth anything."
Konan licked her lips. "Let's have some fun."
The battle had begun.
Kaito "hey are you both gonna join the game?"
Konan smirked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "A game, huh? Fine. Let's play."
Kento cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. "Alright, let's form teams. Me and Kaito."
Rai nodded. "Fair enough. That makes it two-on-two. Now it's getting interesting."
Kento grinned. "Good. I'll go first."
Konan's smirk widened. "Go ahead. Check your strength if you want… not that it'll help. You won't even touch us."
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?" He turned to Kento. "Let's find out."
Tetsuno let out a low chuckle. "Let's go, boys."
Without hesitation, Kaito and Kento slammed their swords into the ground at the same time.
A pulse of energy surged outward as Kaito's shadow creatures emerged from the ground, their twisted forms flickering like dark flames. At the same moment, Kento activated his ability, creating a translucent barrier around them, locking Konan and Tetsuno inside.
The creatures lunged toward Konan.
But she smirked.
Raising her hands, she summoned a massive electric golem, its body crackling with golden lightning. With a single swing of its arm, it obliterated Kaito's creatures, scattering them into nothingness. The air trembled from the sheer power of the beast.
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Tch… that thing's strong."
Before they could react, the entire battlefield began to shrink.
The open space closed in, forcing them into a tight, enclosed chamber.
Ayu's eyes darted around. "What's happening?!"
Kento's voice was eerily calm. "Nothing… I'm just making the game more interesting."
The walls pressed inward, forcing everyone closer together.
Rai frowned. "Kento, we're still here too! Don't do this!"
Kento smirked. "Relax. We're safe."
Konan let out a low laugh. "You think we came here unprepared?"
Suddenly, Tetsuno's body began to expand. His muscles bulged as he grew massive, his head nearly touching the ceiling. With a deep roar, he pressed his hands against the shrinking walls, holding them in place.
Rai's eyes flickered. "Enough of this."
She snapped her fingers.
Time froze.
For a brief moment, everything stopped—the golem, the shrinking room, even the flickering energy around them.
Rai quickly teleported Ayu to their side before releasing the time lock.
Ayu smirked, his sword crackling with electric energy.
"Now… let's finish this."
Before Konan or Tetsuno could react, Ayu unleashed a devastating blast of electrokinetic energy.
The room shook violently. Sparks ripped through the air, colliding with the walls. The gate at the far end shattered into pieces.
And then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from Ayu's attack. The sheer force sent shockwaves in all directions.
Rai swiftly formed a protective shield around her allies, while Ayu himself stood in the middle of the chaos, his own barrier absorbing the shockwave.
When the dust settled, Tetsuno was kneeling, panting heavily. Konan staggered back, her electric golem completely destroyed.
Tetsuno turned to Konan. "Are you alright?"
Konan wiped blood from her lip, her eyes filled with fury. "Tch… We underestimated them."
Tetsuno clenched his fists. "Let's finish—"
Konan grabbed his arm. "No. We're leaving."**
Tetsuno hesitated but then gritted his teeth and nodded. He quickly lifted Konan onto his shoulder and vanished into the shadows.
Kento smirked, watching them flee. "Running away already? Cowards."
Ayu lowered his sword, electricity still crackling along the blade. "That means we win."
Kento grinned. "Yeah… I gotta admit, your power is insane."
Rai crossed her arms. "And what about me?"
Kaito chuckled. "You're strong too, Rai."
Rai smirked. "Good answer." She looked around at the group. "But honestly, I think we're all powerful."
Kento let out a breath and cracked his knuckles. "Well, that was fun." He glanced at Ayu. "You really held back until the end, huh?"
Ayu smirked. "A good player never reveals their hand too soon."
The battlefield was silent now—except for the lingering energy of the battle they had just won.
And the feeling that something even bigger… was coming next.