Lady Chõko took one more step.
She was now standing in the exact center of the Dimensional Clan's formation.
Raizen stood before her with the Dimensional Sword resting low, Hiroshi circled to her left while the relics of the Endless Archive floated around him, Ayame disappeared into countless reflections scattered across the battlefield, Yurota calmly raised his hand as invisible currents distorted the surrounding space, Haruto's silver aura connected every heartbeat into one rhythm, and Kaizen watched from behind them all, countless blue calculations flowing across his eyes.
"...Now let's see how well all six of you work together."
The words had barely left her mouth.
"Formation Six."
Kaizen's voice echoed across the ruined mountains.
Immediately, everyone moved.
Not one after another.
Together.
The earth exploded beneath Raizen's feet as he lunged first, his sword tearing through the air in a brutal diagonal slash. Before Lady Chõko could shift her weight, the space beside her rippled.
"...Spatial Fold."
Yurota's fingers closed.
The world bent.
Instead of stepping backward, Lady Chõko found herself pulled directly toward Raizen's blade.
She twisted at the last possible moment.
The sword grazed her shoulder.
A thin red line appeared.
Blood.
The first real wound of the battle.
Raizen's grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Hahaha!"
"So you can bleed!"
Lady Chõko glanced at the blood staining her fingertips.
"...Looks like it."
She answered so casually that Raizen laughed even louder.
"I like you!"
Before she could regain her footing, Ayame emerged from the reflection on Hiroshi's orbiting relic.
"...Mirror Step."
Her kick struck Lady Chõko's ribs.
BOOM!
The impact launched her across the battlefield.
She crashed through a towering mountain wall, disappeared inside solid rock, and burst out the opposite side as the entire mountain split apart under the force.
The peak collapsed.
A cloud of stone rose thousands of meters into the sky.
Haruto's silver aura pulsed again.
"...Third Pulse."
Every member of the Dimensional Clan accelerated in perfect harmony.
Raizen was already waiting where Lady Chõko would land.
Hiroshi's relic chains swept in from above.
Ayame appeared from another reflection.
Yurota distorted every escape route.
There was no hesitation.
No wasted motion.
The six fought as though they shared a single mind.
Lady Chõko ducked beneath Raizen's slash, redirected Hiroshi's spear with her forearm, spun away from Ayame's palm strike, only to find the space behind her twisting under Yurota's control.
"...Hm."
She smiled.
"So this is your real formation."
Raizen answered with another swing.
"You haven't seen the real thing yet!"
The Dimensional Sword glowed with crimson lines once more.
"...Second Form."
Rift Cascade.
Instead of a single slash—
Five compressed dimensional blades erupted from his sword, racing across the battlefield in different directions before curving back toward Lady Chõko.
She leaped skyward.
The slashes missed her—
And continued into the mountain range beyond.
For one heartbeat...
Silence.
Then...
KRRRRAAAAAAAK!!
One mountain.
Then another.
Then another.
Five colossal peaks were cut apart almost simultaneously, their upper halves slowly sliding away before collapsing into the valleys below.
The impact sent tremors racing across the entire region.
Hundreds of kilometers away, villages felt the earth shake beneath their feet.
Rivers surged violently from their banks.
The clouds above the country split apart, revealing a massive ring of blue sky created by the pressure of the battle.
Lady Chõko looked down at the destruction.
"...You're all terrible guests."
Raizen laughed.
"We're not here for dinner!"
"No..."
She smiled.
"I noticed."
Before Raizen reached her again—
Hiroshi extended both hands.
"...Archive Release."
Behind him, three more ancient relics emerged from the darkness.
A black shield etched with glowing runes.
A crimson bow with no visible string.
A floating bronze bell covered in mysterious symbols.
The bow drew itself.
An arrow of condensed spiritual energy formed.
It fired.
Lady Chõko tilted her head.
The arrow missed—
Until it split into dozens of smaller arrows in midair.
She darted between them with breathtaking precision, but each dodge pushed her exactly where Kaizen wanted.
"...Route Complete."
Kaizen calmly lowered one finger.
"Raizen."
"Now."
Raizen exploded forward.
His shoulder struck Lady Chõko squarely.
BOOOOOOM!!
The impact sent both of them crashing through the remaining mountain ridge, carving a canyon that stretched beyond the horizon.
Dust swallowed the battlefield.
The ground refused to stop shaking.
Even after several seconds.
Far away, birds abandoned the skies.
Wild beasts fled from the forests.
The very weather seemed to recoil from the battle.
Deep within the dust...
A laugh echoed.
"Hahaha!"
Raizen stood, breathing heavily, blood trickling from a shallow cut across his cheek.
He wiped it away with his thumb.
"...Finally."
He looked at the crimson stain and grinned even wider.
"So you hit me too."
Across from him, Lady Chõko slowly emerged from the drifting dust.
Her robe was torn in several places.
A faint trail of blood ran from her shoulder.
Her breathing had become noticeably deeper.
Yet...
Her eyes remained calm.
She looked around at the six warriors surrounding her once more.
"...You've grown stronger than I expected."
Raizen rested the Dimensional Sword on his shoulder.
"And you're still holding back."
Lady Chõko didn't deny it.
Instead...
She slowly raised her right hand.
Her playful smile disappeared.
For the first time since the battle began...
Her expression became completely still.
Raizen's instincts screamed.
His grin faded.
Kaizen's calculations suddenly accelerated.
"...Everyone..."
"...Be careful."
The wind stopped.
The broken mountains fell silent.
Lady Chõko's fingers began forming ancient hand seals...
One after another.