The air inside the training hall felt like it had thickened.

  The pressure was suffocating, but it wasn’t from a single overwhelming force—no, it was the sheer presence of the five warriors standing opposite them.

  The Jūmonban.

  And they hadn’t even drawn their Reibaku.

  No one moved.

  Then it happened.

  A blur. A flicker of movement too fast to register.

  The next thing Akira knew—

  Watari was airborne.

  A single strike.

  A palm to the chest.

  Not even a proper attack, but it sent him hurtling backward like a cannonball.

  His body crashed into the far wall, dust and debris shaking loose from the impact.

  He barely had time to process it before—

  Ryuko lunged forward.

  Bad move.

  The moment his foot touched the ground—

  A knee struck his stomach.

  A perfect counter.

  His breath left him instantly, the wind knocked clean from his lungs.

  Before he could even react—

  A heel met his chin.

  He went airborne, flipping backward before smming into the ground.

  Hard.

  Yumi stepped forward, hands clenched.

  She moved fast—faster than she ever had—

  And yet—

  The moment she swung, she was already countered.

  Her opponent slid under her arm.

  Then—

  He twisted his body, pulling back a fist—

  But he didn’t even touch her.

  He just stopped.

  The sheer wind pressure from his motion sent her flying as if she had just taken a direct hit.

  She crashed, tumbling across the floor before skidding to a stop.

  Ren’s fingers twitched.

  He unched forward, aiming a sharp kick, watching his opponent’s movement carefully.

  He dodged left.

  Got you.

  Ren immediately adjusted, redirecting his momentum mid-air to catch him in the dodge.

  But—

  He was gone.

  The next second, a hand gripped his leg.

  Before he could even react—

  The world flipped.

  The ground smmed against his back.

  Then again.

  And again.

  He barely managed to twist his body and push off with his hands before another impact could happen.

  He nded on his feet, skidding backward.

  This is impossible.

  Akira exhaled sharply. His eyes darted between each of them.

  They weren’t even using their Reibaku.

  They weren’t using anything.

  Just raw power.

  And yet—

  They were being treated like children.

  His teeth clenched.

  We need to even the pying field.

  His hands came together in a single cp.

  Electricity crackled in the air.

  “Take Form—Raikou.”

  The instant he spoke the words, a pulse of lightning erupted from his body.

  His hair shifted. His aura surged.

  Raikou manifested behind him, crackling with untamed energy.

  Yumi coughed, pushing herself up from the floor.

  Her eyes locked onto Akira.

  Then she smiled.

  “Screw it.”

  A single stomp against the ground.

  Fmes licked at her heels as a massive, coiling form erupted behind her.

  “Take Form—Kiyohime.”

  A guttural hiss rumbled through the air.

  The sheer pressure of its emergence sent a wave of heat through the training hall.

  The temperature spiked, energy rolling off her in waves.

  Ren exhaled.

  Fine.

  He rolled his shoulders, steadying his breath.

  Then—

  A soft hum filled the air.

  Shadows stretched unnaturally.

  The moonlight filtering through the windows seemed to intensify, despite the ck of a visible moon.

  “Take Form—Tsukuyomi.”

  Then, at st—

  Watari and Ryuko exchanged gnces.

  Both of them wordlessly understanding.

  “Might as well.”

  Their voices overpped—

  “Take Form—Erebus.”

  “Take Form—Takeminakata.”

  Darkness erupted from one, a midnight shroud swallowing the light.

  The other, a fierce, roaring gale, a storm rising in response to the call.

  The room trembled under the weight of their spiritual entities.

  The battlefield had changed.