The clash of the three strongest continued to tear the battlefield apart.
Thunder roared.
Ice shattered.
Light exploded.
Far above the forest canopy, the sky itself seemed fractured—like it could collapse at any moment under the sheer pressure of the three monsters colliding again and again.
But beneath that overwhelming storm—
Another war had begun.
Hina tightened her grip on her katana.
Her breathing was steady—
But her eyes were sharp.
Focused.
In front of her stood Shirosagi Yukio.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Her stance was calm, almost relaxed.
But the pressure radiating from her body—
Was heavy.
Oppressive.
Beside them—
Shin faced Shirosagi Wua.
A completely different atmosphere.
Wua's body moved lightly, her steps precise and fluid.
A martial artist.
Pure skill.
No wasted movement.
The battlefield split into two fronts.
Weapon versus body.
Steel versus flesh.
Technique versus instinct.
"Don't hold back," Wua said softly, raising her hands into a kung fu stance.
Shin didn't respond.
Her spear shifted slightly.
"…I never do."
WHOOSH!!!
Wua moved first.
Her body blurred—
Closing the distance instantly.
CLANG!!!
Shin's spear intercepted her strike.
Palm against steel.
The force—
Sharp.
Controlled.
Wua smiled faintly.
"…good."
Then—
She twisted.
Her body rotated with fluid precision—
Her elbow striking toward Shin's ribs.
Shin stepped back—
Barely avoiding it.
Then countered—
THRUST!!!
The spear shot forward.
Fast.
Deadly.
But Wua leaned—
Just slightly.
The blade missed her face by inches.
She stepped in.
Too close.
PAK!!!
Her palm struck the shaft of the spear—
Redirecting it.
Then—
Her fist drove forward.
Shin blocked—
BOOM!!!
The impact echoed.
She slid back slightly.
"…balanced," Shin muttered.
Wua smiled.
"…as expected."
Meanwhile—
Hina's battle—
Was far harsher.
BAM!!!
A punch slammed into her guard.
Her arms trembled.
"…gh—!"
She slid backward.
Boots scraping across the frozen ground.
In front of her—
Yukio lowered her fist slowly.
"…too weak."
Her voice was calm.
Cold.
"We're women."
A step forward.
"…we cannot afford weakness."
She disappeared—
BOOM!!!
Her fist appeared again—
Driving toward Hina's face.
Hina barely raised her blade—
CLANG!!!
The impact rang out.
Her arms shook violently.
"…your body…"
Hina gritted her teeth.
"…what kind of strength is that?!"
Yukio tilted her head slightly.
"…discipline."
Another step.
"If we are weak…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"…no man will ever choose us."
Hina's expression darkened.
"…what kind of thinking is that…?"
She lunged forward.
SLASH!!! SLASH!!! SLASH!!!
Her katana moved rapidly.
Strikes chaining together.
Unpredictable.
But—
Yukio didn't retreat.
She stepped forward—
Into the attack.
Her movements sharp.
DODGE.
BLOCK.
DEFLECT.
Her fists struck between Hina's attacks—
BAM!!!
A blow hit Hina's side.
"…!"
She staggered.
Yukio followed—
BOOM!!!
Another strike—
Heavier.
The air itself compressed around her punch.
Hina was sent sliding again.
"…your technique…"
Yukio said calmly.
"…is wasted on hesitation."
Hina steadied herself.
Breathing harder now.
"…I'm not hesitating."
But her eyes—
Shifted slightly.
Behind Yukio.
Far.
Hidden.
Aoi.
Invisible.
Her body blended perfectly into the environment.
Camouflage active.
Her bow drawn.
Waiting.
Hina attacked again—
Not to win.
But—
To distract.
SLASH!!!
Yukio blocked again—
Unaware.
Just one more second—
Aoi's fingers tightened—
Then—
A mist spread.
"…?"
Aoi's eyes widened.
Her vision blurred slightly.
"…what—?"
The world spun—
Just a little.
Then—
WHOOSH!!!
A presence—
Right behind her.
"…found you."
Aoi barely turned—
CLANG!!!
A katana struck her bow—
Knocking it aside.
Her camouflage shattered instantly.
She stumbled back.
In front of her—
Shirosagi Shino.
Still smiling gently.
But her eyes—
Sharp.
"…you're very tricky."
Her katana lowered slightly.
"…but not enough."
Aoi steadied herself.
"…I didn't expect you to notice…"
Shino tilted her head.
"…your presence was quiet."
A pause.
"…but your intent wasn't."
Then—
She moved.
Fast.
CLANG!!! CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
Aoi barely kept up—
Using her bow to block.
Step by step—
She was pushed back.
Meanwhile—
The battlefield shifted again.
From a distance—
Something emerged.
A ripple in the air.
Then—
A creature.
Small.
A rabbit.
Colorless.
Featureless.
Then—
Ten more.
Then—
Dozens.
They scattered—
Moving unpredictably.
"…what is that?" Hina muttered.
Then—
A roar.
A massive shadow crashed through the trees.
A gigantic beast—
A bull.
Its muscles rippling with raw power.
Its eyes—
Wild.
Behind it—
A figure.
Kenzo Sugo.
He smiled.
"…let's make this interesting."
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground shattered.
A massive impact—
From above.
A man landed.
The earth cracked beneath him.
Tendo Todo.
He stood up slowly.
Cracking his neck.
"…ladies…"
A grin.
"…mind if we join?"
The battlefield froze—
For a moment.
Hina tightened her grip.
"…you've got to be kidding…"
Shin glanced at the new arrivals.
"…multiple opponents."
Her eyes sharpened.
"…good."
Aoi stepped back beside them.
Breathing slightly uneven.
"…this just got worse…"
Far above—
The clash of the three kings continued.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Lightning tore through ice.
Light shattered steel.
Frozen blades collided with crimson thunder.
And still—
None of them showed weakness.
None of them slowed.
From a distance—
Standing calmly—
Nagisa Sakurai observed everything.
Her eyes moved—
Analyzing.
Calculating.
"…Asuka…"
Her gaze shifted.
"…Lui…"
Then—
Back again.
"…their patterns…"
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…they're adapting."
The battlefield had become chaos.
Multiple wars.
Multiple fronts.
Multiple outcomes.
But only one truth remained—
This was no longer a test.
This was survival.
And above all—
Only the strongest would remain standing.
To be continued…