In the scorched wastelands, Rin and Kirihai's battle raged on. Rin relentlessly fired blastwaves, each shockwave tearing through the dry earth as Kirihai dodged with blinding lighning speed. Dashing around the barrage, Kirihai reappeared above Rin, a confident smile on her face. She lunged downward, sword aimed at Rin's chest—but Rin retaliated with a powerful sonic blast, the wave crashing into Kirihai and launching her across the wasteland, smashing through hills.
Kirihai rose to her feet, smiling despite the hit. In a blink "Not bad.", she began zipping around Rin at such a speed that all Rin could see was a whirlwind of dust circling her. Kirihai attacked mid-dash, unleashing rapid slashes. Rin, refusing to fall behind, powered up her blastwaves and used them to counter the flurry of strikes.
As the battle escalated, Kirihai leapt behind Rin for a clean strike—but Rin sensed her in time and spun around, landing a solid punch that sent Kirihai flying. Regaining her balance, "HaHaHa. That was nice, very nice!"she exclaimed. Kirihai retaliated by launching razor-sharp energy slashes at Rin. Frustrated, Rin unleashed a volley of blastwaves, meeting Kirihai's attacks head-on in a massive explosion that rocked the battlefield.
Smoke lingered in the air as Kirihai's voice broke through.
"You're far stronger than those girls I fought back in the city."
But as she spoke, her expression shifted—Rin was gone.
Appearing behind her, Rin charged a massive blastwave in her palm. "You're fast," she said, "but you talk too much."
She fired.
A deafening boom echoed across the wastelands. The sonic blast was so powerful it leveled a large stretch of terrain—countless hills and towering rocks obliterated in a flash. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Rin blinked, surprised by the destruction.
"If I used that back in Iron City…" she muttered, "I would've cleared half of it."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
"It was fast… but still too slow."
Rin turned with shock—Kirihai was untouched.
"How… how did you dodge that?" Rin asked.
Kirihai smirked. "My ability lets me move faster than my opponent. No matter how quick they are or what rank they are… I'll always be faster."
Rin clenched her fists. "If that's true," she thought, "then I'll need wider-range attacks. More spread… more force."
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Shouya and Mirio clashed in the sky.
Mirio's chains twisted into enormous wings, allowing him to fly at tremendous speed. Shouya soared alongside him, his tentacles forming wing-like appendages. As they zipped through the air, Mirio conjured massive spears from his chains and fired them like missiles. Shouya dodged skillfully, forming an arm from his back to shoot large spikes to intercept the attacks.
As the battle unfolded, Shouya noticed something unsettling—Mirio's abilities and defense were eerily similar to his own.
Mirio forged a colossal sword from his chains and bolted toward Shouya, the two clashing in midair at breakneck speed. Blades met with sparks, pressure waves tearing through the skies.
"Hey, dark sign bastard.Why are you doing this?" Shouya demanded.
"I don't owe you an explanation, you Iron country scumbag." Mirio replied coldly.
With that, he summoned gigantic shurikens made of chains and hurled them with devastating speed. The projectiles tore apart the wasteland below, causing Rin to glance up in alarm.
"Shouya!" she shouted.
As the dust settled, Mirio saw something unexpected—Shouya, unharmed, shielded by two massive arms that had emerged from his back. He smiled.
"Thought you had me?"
Unbothered, Mirio yawned and turned his eyes downward, spotting the battle between Rin and Kirihai continuing below—a dance of blastwaves and razor wind.
"I'm willing to let you two walk free," Shouya offered, voice stern. "Hand over the stone. My sister Rin is commander of the First Division of the City of Steel, and I'm next in line to succeed Lord Yamamoto of the Iron Country."
Mirio stared blankly. "I have no idea what you just said, but sure, I'll pretend I understood."
Shouya narrowed his eyes. "Return the Millennia Stone of the Sand Beast… and I'll act like this never happened."
Mirio sighed. "You talk too much." His chains reformed into massive spears, launching them again with deadly precision.
But Shouya stretched out his hand.
"Hell's Domain."
An overwhelming force burst forth, intercepting the spears mid-flight. Then, hundreds of giant arms erupted around Mirio, forming a crushing cube around him "What the...", Mirio exclaimed with shock. Shouya summoned colossal spikes and drove them into the prison.
Watching from below, Kirihai's expression hardened.
"Mirio!" she shouted.
Rin, arms crossed, replied coldly, "You brought this on yourselves. Shouya's B-rank—your friend's C-rank. He doesn't stand a chance."
Kirihai scoffed. "Is dick-riding all you do?" Her smirk returned. "Mirio's B-rank too."
Suddenly, the prison of "Hell's Domain" shattered. Chains spun like blades, slicing the construct apart. Emerging from the wreckage, Mirio stood clad in an imposing armor made entirely of chains.
Rin's eyes widened. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. No one's ever broken out of Shouya's Hell's Domain…"
Mirio glanced at Shouya. "I hate going all out like this. But you made me use my trump card."
Shouya wasn't fazed. "Good," he replied, his tone calm. "Now I don't have to hold back either."
Tentacles wrapped around his body, transforming into spiked armor.
"Two can play this game."
TO BE CONTINUED.