The ground didn't crack.
It didn't explode.
It simply vanished.
Chunks of the street, pieces of houses, even the shadows beneath their feet gone, erased as if the world itself had been cut out like paper. The four of them scattered instantly, their instincts kicking in before their thoughts could catch up.
Kairo rolled forward, barely avoiding a section of earth that disappeared right where he had been standing. His heart was pounding now not from excitement, but from something deeper.
Fear.
"Don't stop moving!" Yura's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and controlled.
Tyouro leaped sideways, landing on a broken rooftop, his eyes locked onto Yoshiro. "Yeah, yeah… I get it," he muttered, but his usual grin was gone. His body tensed as he gathered Blast Energy again, this time more compressed, more focused.
Kimimaru didn't speak. He moved quietly along the left side, his steps light, his gaze fixed. His hand tightened on the handle of his weapon, his breathing steady, controlled. He wasn't rushing. He was waiting.
Yoshiro stood at the center of it all, unmoving. The destruction around him wasn't wild it was precise. Every erasure had intent behind it. Every disappearance was controlled.
"You're learning," he said calmly, watching them reposition. "But it doesn't matter."
Kairo clenched his teeth. "We'll see about that."
He moved again, this time not attacking directly. His body blurred as he circled around, forcing Yoshiro to track multiple angles. At the same time, Tyouro fired a rapid series of smaller blasts not meant to hit, but to distract.
The air lit up with bursts of energy.
Yoshiro raised his hand.
Each blast vanished before reaching him.
But something changed.
His arm moved slightly more than before.
Yura noticed immediately.
"Keep it up," she said under her breath. "He's not passive. He has to respond."
Tyouro smirked despite the tension. "So he's not untouchable after all."
"Don't get cocky," Yura replied.
Kairo dashed in again, stopping just short of striking distance before pulling back. He wasn't trying to land a hit anymore he was testing range, reaction, timing.
"His erasure isn't instant everywhere," Kairo muttered. "It's focused."
Kimimaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "Localized."
"Exactly," Yura confirmed. "He chooses what to erase."
Yoshiro tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "You're analyzing me like I'm some kind of lesson."
He took a step forward.
The space in front of him disappeared, forming a path of nothingness.
"Then learn this."
He vanished.
Kairo's eyes widened. "He's gone!"
"Behind you," Kimimaru said instantly.
Kairo turned just in time to see Yoshiro's hand already reaching toward him.
There was no time to dodge.
No time to think.
Then
Kairo's body was pulled back violently.
Yura's hand was raised, her fingers tightening slightly as she dragged him away using pure force.
Yoshiro's hand passed through empty air.
For the first time, his movement paused.
"…Interesting."
Kairo landed hard a few meters away, breathing heavily. "You just saved me."
"Focus," Yura replied, her voice calm but her eyes sharp. "You're getting predictable."
Tyouro dropped down beside them. "Yeah, bro, you almost got deleted."
"I noticed," Kairo snapped.
Kimimaru stepped forward now.
"…My turn."
There was a subtle shift in the air.
Not explosive like Tyouro.
Not aggressive like Kairo.
Quiet.
Sharp.
Kimimaru moved.
His speed wasn't flashy, but it was precise every step calculated, every movement clean. In an instant, he closed the distance, his blade moving in a controlled arc toward Yoshiro.
Yoshiro raised his hand again.
But this time
The blade didn't aim for him.
It stopped just short.
Kimimaru's eyes narrowed.
"…Astral."
For a brief second, the air distorted.
Yoshiro's expression shifted slightly.
His hand moved
But slower.
"…What is this?"
Kimimaru didn't answer.
His ability wasn't physical.
It targeted something deeper.
For a moment, Yoshiro's perception was disrupted his connection to the immediate space slightly delayed, slightly off.
It wasn't enough to stop him.
But it was enough to create an opening.
"Kairo now!" Yura shouted.
Kairo moved without hesitation, his energy flaring as he rushed forward again. This time, he didn't aim for a direct strike. He twisted his body, releasing a burst of Reikou Energy at close range not a punch, but a concentrated blast.
Yoshiro's hand rose again
But the timing was off.
The blast grazed his side.
Not erased.
Not fully.
But it hit.
A small tear appeared in his clothing.
Silence.
Everyone froze for a split second.
Tyouro's eyes widened. "…Yo."
Kairo stepped back, breathing hard. "…We hit him."
Yura's gaze sharpened further. "…So he can be touched."
Yoshiro looked down at the mark on his side.
His fingers brushed against it slowly.
"…I see."
When he looked up again
Something had changed.
The emptiness in his eyes deepened.
"…You're starting to become annoying."
The air around him twisted.
This time, it wasn't just controlled erasure.
It spread.
The ground, the walls, even the air itself began to distort, sections disappearing in wider ranges.
"Move!" Yura shouted.
They scattered again, but this time it was harder. The erasure wasn't targeting specific attacks anymore it was expanding, forcing them to constantly reposition.
Tyouro barely avoided losing his footing as the ground beneath him vanished mid-step. "Okay this is getting serious!"
Kimimaru landed beside Yura. "…He's increasing output."
"…I know," she replied. "We pushed him."
Kairo wiped sweat from his face, his breathing uneven now. "So what's the plan?"
Yura didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes stayed locked on Yoshiro, analyzing every movement, every shift in his energy.
"…We split his focus."
Tyouro smirked again, despite everything. "Now that sounds fun."
"No," Yura said firmly. "We don't attack all at once. We rotate pressure. One distracts, one observes, one strikes."
Kimimaru nodded. "…Efficient."
Kairo exhaled slowly. "…Alright."
Yoshiro raised his hand again.
"…It won't matter."
This time
He didn't aim at them.
He aimed at the entire area.
The space around them collapsed into nothingness in waves, forcing them into constant motion. The battlefield itself was disappearing, leaving fewer and fewer places to stand.
Tyouro fired another blast, not expecting it to hit, but forcing Yoshiro to react again.
Kairo moved from the side.
Kimimaru closed in silently.
Yura controlled the flow, pulling and redirecting them when needed, her focus absolute.
For the first time
They weren't just surviving.
They were fighting back.
But even then…
It wasn't enough.
Yoshiro stood at the center of it all, untouched, his presence overwhelming.
"…You're trying so hard," he said quietly.
His hand moved again.
Faster.
Closer.
More precise.
Kairo felt it this time the gap between them closing instantly. He reacted on instinct, jumping back, but the edge of his energy
Vanished.
His eyes widened.
"…He's getting faster."
Yura's expression tightened slightly.
"…No."
She raised her hand again, the air bending around it.
"…We're slowing down."
Silence.
The realization hit them all at once.
Fatigue.
Pressure.
Constant movement.
Yoshiro wasn't just attacking.
He was wearing them down.
Tyouro let out a breath, his energy flickering slightly. "…Man… this guy's insane."
Kimimaru adjusted his stance, his grip steady despite the tension. "…We can't drag this out."
Kairo looked at his hands, then back at Yoshiro.
"…Then we end it faster."
Yura didn't respond.
But for the first time
Her eyes sharpened even further.
The space around her fingers bent slightly again.
"…Then follow my lead."
Yoshiro watched them.
For a brief moment…
He smiled.
Not out of joy.
Not out of amusement.
But something colder.
"…Yes."
His hand rose again.
"…Show me how far you can go."
And the world around them began to disappear faster.