The moment Senira's whisper faded into the room, the headquarters shook violently once again.
BOOOOOOOOM!
In the distance, the night sky lit up over and over again with flashes of blue lightning. It looked as if a real storm had been born above the headquarters.
KRAAAAAASH!
Fine dust began falling from the ceiling.
And at the same time—
Back in the training grounds…
The entire area had turned into a complete battlefield.
The stone floor was shattered.
Deep cracks spread across the entire arena.
Broken chunks of stone floated through the air because the pressure from the colliding Quiri energies had already surpassed normal limits.
Blue lightning tore through the darkness…
While purple shadows swallowed the light itself.
BOOOOOM!
Kaito slammed his hand against the ground while spinning through the air.
Lightning spread across the arena like a giant web.
"Lightning Field!"
BZZZZZZT!
The electric wave covered half the arena instantly.
As the shadows shattered apart, Shiran quickly leapt backward.
But his expression remained calm.
In fact…
He was smiling.
Shiran tilted his head slightly.
"So you're finally starting to show your real power."
Kaito tore away the ripped fabric hanging from his shoulder.
Thin burn marks caused by the purple energy covered his arm.
But he grinned as if he didn't care.
"You're not bad either."
The next second—
SHHHHHK!
Shadows suddenly rose behind Kaito.
Kaito turned at the last moment.
But he was too late.
BOOOOM!
Shiran's shadow-covered fist slammed directly into Kaito's side.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"GHH—!"
The impact sent him flying across the arena.
KRAAAAAASH!
One of the stone pillars shattered apart.
A cloud of dust exploded upward.
The crowd fell silent.
Daichi swallowed hard.
"That… hit hard…"
Sora frowned.
"Kaito's breathing is becoming unstable…"
From inside the dust cloud, a cough could be heard.
"…Khh…"
Then—
BZZZT!
Blue electricity exploded outward.
Kaito stood back up.
But this time, a thin trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
The moment Haruto saw that, he clenched his fists tightly.
"Kaito…"
Standing beside him, Akira spoke seriously.
"Neither of them plans to back down anymore."
Meanwhile, Shiran slowly raised his hand.
Purple energy began swirling through the air.
The shadows merged together…
Growing denser.
Alex's eyes widened slightly.
"…That technique."
Haruto looked at him.
"What is it?"
Alex stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then answered seriously.
"Dangerous."
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic shadow creature formed behind Shiran.
It looked vaguely human…
But its arms were unnaturally long.
Kazeki held his breath in fear.
"What… is that…?"
Ren leaned forward excitedly.
"This is my first time seeing this."
Zen's eyes sparkled.
"This is so cool."
The caretaker standing beside them looked like he was about to cry.
"I am not paid enough for this…"
Shiran slowly extended his hand forward.
"Destroy him."
The giant shadow creature moved.
BOOOOOM!
Even a single step was enough to crack the ground apart.
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
"Tch…"
The creature's enormous fist rose into the air.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM!
Kaito barely managed to leap aside in time.
The instant the fist hit the ground, a section of the arena completely shattered apart.
Chunks of stone exploded upward.
The shockwave reached all the way to the spectator stands.
Daichi shouted,
"THIS ISN'T A NORMAL FIGHT ANYMORE!"
While still in midair, Kaito clenched his hand.
Lightning spiraled around his arm.
CRAAAAACK!
Blue energy concentrated intensely.
Shiran smirked the moment he saw it.
"Here it comes…"
Kaito's eyes glowed brightly.
"Lightning Fang!"
He launched forward instantly.
The blue electricity shaped itself like the jaws of a monster.
BOOOOOOM!
The attack slammed into the shadow creature.
Its massive arm exploded apart.
Purple energy scattered everywhere.
But Shiran immediately raised his other hand.
The shadows began reforming again.
"It's not over yet."
Kaito was breathing heavily now.
A thin stream of blood ran down from his shoulder.
But even so, he still refused to back away.
The moment Haruto noticed that, his expression darkened further.
"…Enough."
Alex looked at him.
Haruto's eyes were no longer focused on the battlefield.
His mind was somewhere else entirely.
"…Yuki."
Silence fell over him for a brief moment.
Then he turned around.
Daichi called out in surprise,
"Haruto?"
Haruto began walking away.
"If Kaito wants to push himself until he breaks apart, then that's his choice."
His voice was calm.
But the worry on his face was impossible to hide.
"Right now, I can't leave Yuki alone."
Sora's expression softened slightly.
"…I understand."
Haruto glanced back at the arena one last time.
At that exact moment—
BOOOOOOOOM!
Blue lightning and purple shadows collided once again.
The entire night sky lit up.
Even the wind itself changed direction.
Haruto silently watched the battle for a few more seconds.
Then he took a deep breath.
And started walking toward the corridor leading to the infirmary.
Explosions still echoed behind him.
But now…
There was only one person left in his thoughts.
Yuki.