The battlefield trembled under distant thunder.
Far aways the battle, the clash of the three kings—Asuka, Asakura, and Lui—continued to tear the sky apart with explosions of lightning, light, and ice. Each collision sent shockwaves rippling across the forest, bending trees and cracking the ground like fragile glass.
But a different kind of battle unfolded. Two fights occur between Tachibana Hina vs Shirosagi Shino.
Quieter, More intimate, More deadly.
The mist thickened.
Slowly at first.
Then rapidly—
Spreading like a living entity across the battlefield.
Cold.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Hina stood alone within it, Her breathing uneven.
Her body trembling from exhaustion.
Her muscles burned from overuse.
But her grip—
Still firm.
Still unyielding.
"…come out."
Her voice cut through the fog.
Low, Sharp, Silent
No answer , No movement, Only silence.
Then— a swift figure moving like a shadow freely in the fog
CLANG!!!
Steel met steel.
Hina reacted instantly—
Her katana intercepting an unseen strike.
The impact echoed.
"…!"
She twisted—
SLASH!!!
Her blade cut through the mist—
But—
Nothing, Empty
"…tch." How to attack her?
A whisper drifted through the fog.
Soft, Calm, Silent
"…you're improving."
Hina's eyes narrowed.
"…Shino."
A shadow flickered—
Then vanished.
The mist shifted again.
Every direction—
Looked the same.
Up, Down, Left , Right
Hina couldn't find Shino's presence in the Mist
There was no sense of distance.
No sense of direction.
"…this isn't normal fog…"
Hina muttered.
Her head—
Began to ache.
A dull pain.
Then—
A sharp pulse.
"…ngh—"
Her vision flickered.
For a moment—
She saw something.
A silhouette.
"…Aoi…?"
Gone.
Another flicker—
Shin.
Collapsed.
Blood.
"…no…"
Hina clenched her teeth.
"…this is fake…" All fake, I most to find existence before.....
Her breathing grew heavier.
The air—
Felt wrong.
Thicker.
Harder to inhale.
"…gas…?"
Before she could react—
BOOM!!!
An explosion erupted near her.
"…—!!"
The force sent her flying backward.
Her body slammed into the ground.
"…agh!!" it hurt
Her lungs burned.
Her head spun violently.
The mist—
Wasn't just hiding Shino.
It was attacking her.
"…poison…"
She forced herself up.
Barely.
Her vision blurred again.
The world tilted.
But—
She didn't fall.
"…not yet…"
She raised her katana.
"…I'm not done…"
Flames ignited.
"Hi no nagare: Hi ga moete imasu…"
Fire erupted from her blade.
Red.
Burning.
Fierce.
The heat pushed the mist back slightly.
But only for a moment.
The fog returned—
Thicker.
Denser.
Then—
Another presence.
Behind her.
She turned—
CLANG!!! CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
Blades collided rapidly.
Shino emerged from the mist—
Her movements smooth.
Effortless.
Her katana precise.
Each strike—
Measured.
Hina blocked—
But her reactions—
Slower.
Her body—
Heavier.
"…your movements…"
Shino said softly.
"…are getting worse."
Hina gritted her teeth.
"…shut up…!" Where a you Shino
She pushed forward—
SLASH!!! SLASH!!!
Faster.
More aggressive.
But—
Shino stepped aside.
Effortlessly.
"…you're forcing it."
A light strike—
CLANG!!!
Knocked Hina's blade slightly off balance.
Then—
THUD!!!
A kick to her side.
"…gh—!"
Hina staggered.
Her breathing—
Breaking and shortness of breath
Her chest tightened.
"…can't… breathe…"
Shino stepped back slightly.
Watching.
"…this mist…"
She said calmly.
"…isn't just for hiding."
A pause.
"…it disrupts your senses."
"…your mind."
"…your body."
Hina's vision twisted again.
The trees—
Began to move.
The ground—
Shifted unnaturally.
"…this is…"
Hallucination.
Her grip loosened—
Then tightened again, She steadied herself.
No"…I won't lose…"
Something changed hina katana
The fire—
Shifted.
The red flames—
Brightened.
Warmer.
Softer—
Yet stronger.
Until—
They became light.
A glowing, radiant flame—
Surrounding her blade.
Shino's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…so…"…you've reached it."…second phase."
That's why Asuka took you as one of the members.
While smiling contentedly
Hina exhaled slowly.
"…I don't know what this is…"…but it's mine. I will beat you with this new strength and My new element
Her grip tightened her katana while the fire burns brightly
Then—
She moved.
WHOOSH!!!
Faster than before.
Even within the mist—
Her presence surged.
She appeared—
Right in front of Shino.
"…found you."
"Hi no nagare—!!"
Her blade glowed—
"Doragon no Iki!!!"
A burst of radiant flame exploded forward.
Shino's eyes widened slightly—
Then—
She vanished.
WHOOSH!!!
The attack missed—
Cutting through the mist—
Dispersing part of it.
But not enough.
Shino reappeared—
Already moving.
"…good."
She rushed forward—
Their blades collided again.
Faster.
Sharper.
But—
Hina's movements—
Slowed.
Her breath— Shallow and heavy
Her body—
Weakening and getting slower but Hina not giving up
"…not yet…"
She tried to move—
But—
Her legs—
Shook.
Her vision—
Faded.
"…why… now…"
Her lungs burned.
Her chest tightened—
As if something was crushing it.
"…can't…"
She dropped to one knee.
"…breathe…"
Her katana slipped slightly.
The light—
Flickered.
Then—
Gone.
Her body swayed.
"…I…" will not lose
Darkness.
She collapsed.
Unconscious.
The mist remained.
Silent.
Still.
Then—
Shino stepped forward.
Her expression calm.
"…you're talented."
She looked down at Hina.
"…but you don't understand your element yet. "if you're good at your element, I'll definitely lose
A pause.
"…not truly."
She turned.
The mist began to part.
Her figure slowly fading into it.
"…rest."
Then—
She disappeared.
Moving swiftly— speed without making a sound
Toward the centre the battlefield. and Shino see fight between Lui, Asuka and Asakura. Their fight shows no signs of losing yet.
Where the three kings still fought.
Far away—
Standing still—
Watching everything—
Nagisa Sakurai.
Her eyes followed Shino's movement.
"…so even she is moving now…"If Shino joins the competition, the Shirosagi clan will definitely win because the sibling combo of Lui and Shino is very dangerous.
Her gaze shifted—
Toward Asuka.
"…this is reaching its end."
Sakurai then moved and began to act to help Asakura.
The battlefield held its breath.
Because something—
Far greater—
Was about to unfold.
To be continued…