CHAPTER 90 — THE ECHO OF THE BLADE
BOOOOOOM!
The clash between Kai and Murata echoed throughout the entire arena.
A massive shockwave swept across the battlefield.
Dust rose into the air.
The spectators shielded their faces.
Zayn instinctively stood up from his seat.
— Kai!
Yojuro narrowed his eyes.
— He's still standing…
Robin watched the arena carefully.
— I can't even see Murata anymore…
Akamaru leaned forward.
— Wait…
The dust slowly began to settle.
A silhouette appeared.
Kai.
Standing.
But his breathing had become heavier.
In front of him, Murata was still holding his katana.
Blue-and-black energy swirled around the blade.
The voices of his ancestors were still echoing inside his mind.
— Faster.
— Don't slow down.
— Use our experience.
Murata clenched his teeth.
— I know…
He charged.
WHOOSH!
A first blue blade came toward Kai.
Kai dodged it.
A second.
He leaned back.
A third.
He pivoted.
Then a fourth came immediately from behind.
SHING!
Kai jumped.
The blade passed beneath his feet.
But Murata was already in front of him.
SLASH!
Kai blocked with his forearm.
The impact pushed him backward.
He slid several meters across the ground.
Murata appeared in front of him again.
SLASH!
Kai dodged.
SLASH!
Again.
SLASH!
Again.
Their movements became faster and faster.
Kai was beginning to struggle to keep up.
A blade passed near his shoulder.
Another struck the ground.
BOOM!
Kai stepped back.
His eyes remained fixed on Murata.
— He's fast…
Zayn clenched his fists.
— Kai needs to find something.
Yojuro watched silently.
— He can't keep dodging like this.
Robin nodded.
— His opponent is using the experience of several fighters at once.
Akamaru looked at Kai.
— Then what does he do?
Yojuro answered:
— Adapt.
At that exact moment…
Kai closed his eyes.
Murata stopped for a moment.
— He's closing his eyes?
Kai didn't answer.
He took a deep breath.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then his entire body relaxed.
In the stands, someone was watching Kai.
A young man was smiling.
Ryo.
Kai's older brother.
He crossed his arms.
— Good.
His smile grew slightly.
— Now concentrate.
In the arena…
Kai couldn't see anything anymore.
But he could hear.
The wind.
The footsteps.
The vibrations of the ground.
The movement of the air.
The beating of his own heart.
Murata charged.
WHOOSH!
A blade came toward him.
Kai moved.
The blade passed beside him.
A second one.
Kai simply tilted his head.
A third.
He stepped to the side.
A fourth.
He ducked.
Then five attacks came almost simultaneously.
Kai moved between them.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
None of them touched him.
In the stands, Zayn stared in disbelief.
— He's dodging all of them…
Yojuro understood.
— He's not seeing them.
Robin turned toward him.
— Then how is he doing it?
— He's sensing them.
Kai was now moving through the attacks.
Murata multiplied his strikes.
But every time…
Kai was already somewhere else.
One attack.
Dodged.
Two.
Dodged.
Ten.
Dodged.
Twenty.
Still nothing.
Murata began breathing harder.
The voices inside his head continued.
— Again.
— Keep going.
— Don't stop.
But his body was beginning to reach its limit.
The five percent of Fumetsu he had received was putting enormous strain on his body.
Kai sensed it.
He finally opened his eyes.
Murata attacked.
Kai leaned down.
Then…
A fist suddenly appeared in front of Murata's face.
— What?!
Murata barely dodged.
WHOOSH!
The fist passed just a few centimeters from his face.
Murata quickly stepped backward.
He stared at Kai.
— How…?
Kai remained still.
— I felt you.
Murata frowned.
— You felt me?
Kai looked at his own hands.
— Ever since I closed my eyes… something changed.
He raised his head.
— I can sense the movements around me.
He clenched his fists.
— I just awakened my sixth sense.
Silence spread throughout the arena.
The spectators began whispering.
— His sixth sense?
— Impossible…
— He really awakened it?
Yojuro looked at Kai in surprise.
— An extremely rare gift of the Fumetsu…
Robin asked:
— Is it really that rare?
Yojuro nodded.
— And extremely difficult to unlock. The Fumetsu doesn't simply give the user a new ability. The user has to reach a certain state where they surpass their own limits.
Zayn smiled.
— Sounds exactly like him.
Kai looked at Murata.
— Now…
He took his stance.
— I can feel you.
Murata stared at Kai.
Then his katana began to glow.
Blue energy traveled along the entire blade.
The voices of his ancestors echoed.
— Wielder…
— The time has come.
— Use the Echo.
Murata gripped his katana tightly.
— Kai.
Kai slightly raised his head.
Murata positioned his blade in front of him.
— Get ready.
The blue energy intensified.
— For my next miracle.
The katana vibrated.
— ECHO OF THE BLADE.
FWOOM!
A massive wave of blue energy erupted behind Murata.
Kai immediately sensed something changing.
He took a terrifying fighting stance.
His body leaned slightly forward.
His legs were spread apart to maintain his balance.
Both hands rested near his thighs.
His back was slightly hunched.
His head was lowered.
But his eyes were locked onto Murata with terrifying intensity.
He barely moved.
Like a predator waiting for the slightest movement.
Murata remained still.
For the first time…
He hesitated.
— …
Kai slightly raised his eyes.
Murata felt a strange pressure.
— That stance…
Kai smiled.
— Come.
Murata tightened his grip on the katana.
— All right.
BOOM!
He disappeared.
Then…
Blue silhouettes emerged from Murata's body.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Twenty.
Clones made entirely of blue energy appeared around him.
Robin straightened up.
— Clones?!
Yojuro watched carefully.
— No.
He narrowed his eyes.
— They're echoes.
The clones spread out around Kai.
Then they charged.
WHOOSH!
At incredible speed.
Akamaru shouted:
— They're too fast!
Rodrigue:
— It's impossible to follow them!
The clones attacked simultaneously.
Kai closed his eyes.
Then…
He moved.
One step.
A movement of his head.
A rotation.
A dodge.
Then another.
The attacks passed around him.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Kai dodged everything.
His sixth sense was working.
He could sense every presence.
Every movement.
Every change in the air.
One clone came from behind him.
Kai turned.
He placed his hand against its energy body.
FWOOM!
The energy was absorbed.
Kai smiled.
— Thanks.
A second clone came.
Kai absorbed it as well.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
His body began accumulating the blue energy.
Murata noticed.
— He's absorbing my echoes…
The ancestors shouted inside his mind.
— Don't let him!
Murata charged.
— ECHO OF THE BLADE!
Dozens more clones appeared.
Kai absorbed several of them.
Then stepped backward.
The energy accumulated around his arms became denser and denser.
— That's enough.
He raised both hands.
Two spheres of energy formed.
Not sunlight.
Not energy from the sky.
Simply the energy he had absorbed throughout the fight.
Kai launched both blasts.
— TAKE THIS!
BOOOOOOM!
Both attacks struck Murata.
A huge explosion erupted.
Murata was thrown backward.
He slid across the ground.
But he remained standing.
His katana trembled in his hand.
He was breathing heavily.
Kai looked at his arms.
— It works…
Murata raised his head.
— Not yet…
He returned to his stance.
Kai smiled.
— You're really tough.
Murata answered:
— So are you.
The two charged.
This time, neither of them wanted to retreat.
BOOM!
Kai dodged a blade.
SHING!
Murata avoided a punch.
Kai pivoted.
Murata turned with him.
The katana passed just centimeters from Kai.
Kai ducked.
He threw a punch.
Murata dodged it.
They exchanged several attacks at incredible speed.
A strike.
A dodge.
A blade.
A counter.
An energy blast.
An explosion.
Then again.
The battle became more and more intense.
In the stands, Robin shouted:
— GO, KAI!
Akamaru:
— KEEP GOING!
Rodrigue clenched his fists.
— He's starting to gain the advantage!
Yojuro shook his head.
— No.
Zayn looked at him.
— What?
— Kai is accumulating energy.
Yojuro stared at his hands.
— Too much.
Zayn understood.
— He's preparing something…
Kai stepped backward.
He took a deep breath.
His body was filled with energy absorbed throughout the battle.
Murata was exhausted as well.
But he was still holding his katana.
The ancestors whispered.
— One final exchange.
Murata clenched his teeth.
— Yes.
Kai slowly raised his hands.
An enormous amount of energy concentrated between his palms.
The air began to tremble.
Murata looked at Kai.
— What are you preparing…?
Kai answered:
— One final blast.
The energy became even denser.
Zayn suddenly stood up.
— Kai!
Yojuro narrowed his eyes.
— That's huge.
Robin looked at the energy with concern.
— Is he really going to fire that?
Kai concentrated all the energy he had absorbed.
Murata prepared himself to take the attack.
The referee watched carefully.
Then a Paladin standing near the arena suddenly jumped up.
— WAIT!
She jumped into the arena.
Kai slightly turned his head.
— Huh?
The Paladin placed both hands in front of her.
— MIRACLE: ABSOLUTE ZERO!
A massive barrier appeared around Murata.
Kai released his attack.
— BLAST!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion engulfed a large part of the arena.
The spectators screamed.
A shockwave swept through the stands.
Zayn protected his face.
Robin stepped backward.
Akamaru stood frozen in shock.
The dust completely covered the battlefield.
Then…
Everything became silent.
The dust slowly began to settle.
Murata was lying on the ground.
His katana was beside him.
He was unconscious.
But alive.
The Paladin immediately turned toward Kai.
She was furious.
— NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!
Kai blinked.
— What?
She pointed toward Murata.
— If I hadn't activated my miracle, that attack could have killed him!
Kai looked at Murata.
His expression changed.
— …
He lowered his head.
— Sorry.
The Paladin sighed.
— You need to learn how to control your power.
Kai nodded.
— Yeah.
Medics quickly arrived.
They carried Murata out of the arena.
The voices of the ancestors slowly faded from his mind.
Before disappearing completely, one of them whispered:
— We will meet again…
Murata remained unconscious.
His katana was taken away with him.
Kai remained alone in the center of the arena.
The referee raised his arm.
— KAI WINS!
The stadium erupted in applause.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Zayn smiled.
— He did it.
Akamaru nearly jumped out of his seat.
— KAI WON!
Rodrigue applauded as well.
Robin smiled.
— What a comeback…
Yojuro calmly looked at Kai.
— He just awakened something extremely rare.
In the stands, Ryo watched his little brother.
He smiled.
— Well done, Kai.
Then the group-stage standings appeared on the giant screens.
KAI — 1ST PLACE
2 POINTS
Kai looked at the screen.
He exhaled.
Then looked up toward the stands.
Zayn waved at him.
Kai answered with a smile.
The tournament had only just begun.
And already…
a new power had awakened.