The battlefield had become unrecognizable.
What was once a vast forest was now a broken wasteland—trees shattered into splinters, the ground carved into deep craters, ice formations rising like jagged mountains, and scorch marks cutting across everything like scars left by gods.
At the center of it all—
Three figures still stood.
Breathing heavier.
Bodies marked with cuts and bruises.
But their eyes—
Still burning.
Seiichi Asuka.
Calm.
Silent.
Lightning faintly flickering across his skin. Lightning flickered faintly around him, weaker than before—but still alive
Tokugawa Asakura.
Relaxed.
Gun resting loosely in his hand.
Eyes sharp despite the casual posture and gun raised loosely, yet every movement precise, calculating.
Shirosagi Lui.
Towering.
Greatsword resting against his shoulder.
Cold mist flowing around him like a crown.
Their breathing had grown heavier.
Their bodies carried wounds.
But their eyes—
Still burned.
Without warning—
They moved again.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Asuka dashed forward—
A streak of red lightning tearing through the ground.
CLANG!!!
His katana met Lui's greatsword once more.
The impact shook the air.
At the same time—
BANG!!!
A beam of light shot past Asuka's head.
Asakura.
The bullet grazed Asuka's cheek—
Drawing blood.
But Asuka didn't flinch.
Instead—
He pivoted—
SLASH!!!
A counterattack aimed at Asakura.
But—
A blade intercepted.
Floating weapons surrounded Asakura—
Defending him automatically.
"…still sharp," Asakura muttered.
Lui pushed forward—
BOOM!!!
His strength overwhelming.
Asuka slid backward—
But maintained his stance.
The pressure between the three rose again—
Then—
The air changed.
Cold.
Damp.
Mist.
"…?"
From the edge of the battlefield—
It spread rapidly.
Thick.
Heavy.
Swallowing everything.
"…again?" Asakura muttered.
A familiar presence—
Shirosagi Shino.
Her figure barely visible within the fog.
"…this will make things easier."
The mist intensified.
Vision blurred.
Sound distorted.
Even breathing—
Became difficult.
Asuka's eyes narrowed.
"…troublesome."
Then—
A ripple.
A small portal opened behind him.
Too late—
SLASH!!!
A blade cut across his back.
"…—!"
Blood splattered.
Asuka staggered forward slightly.
Behind him—
Nagisa Sakurai.
Her expression calm.
Precise.
"…you're distracted."
Now—
The battlefield shifted again.
Four against one.
Shino.
Sakurai.
Asakura.
Lui.
Asuka stood alone.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
BOOM!!!
Asuka vanished.
A burst of lightning—
Breaking through the mist.
He moved—
Trying to escape the fog.
But—
A shadow appeared.
Above him.
Lui.
"…too slow."
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The greatsword came crashing down.
Asuka raised his katana—
CLANG!!!
But the force—
Too great.
The ground shattered beneath him.
He was sent flying—
Crashing across the battlefield.
"…gh—!"
He rolled—
Stopping only after carving a long trench through the earth.
Lui lifted his sword again.
"…Asakura!"
His voice roared across the battlefield.
"…let's finish him together!"
Asakura smirked.
"…sounds fun."
From two directions—
They moved.
Lui and Shino—
From the front.
Asakura and Sakurai—
From behind.
Perfect coordination.
A pincer attack.
No escape.
No hesitation.
Their goal—
Clear.
Eliminate Asuka.
End the Fujiwara Clan's chances.
Asuka stood slowly.
Blood dripped from his arm.
His breathing—
Steady.
His eyes—
Calm.
Then—
He exhaled.
"…Recharge."
Silence.
Then—
ZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!!!
Lightning exploded.
Not small.
Not faint.
Massive.
Thick.
Crimson bolts erupted from his body—
Striking the ground repeatedly.
The air screamed.
The pressure—
Spiked violently.
Lui's eyes widened.
"…Shino!"
His voice turned urgent.
"…attack now!"
"…before he fully recharges!"
From the other side—
Asakura raised his hand.
"…Sakurai."
His voice calm—
But firm.
"…fall back."
Sakurai paused.
"…he's recharging."
She immediately stepped back.
Trust.
Instinct.
Shino, however—
Did not stop.
She dashed forward—
WHOOSH!!!
Cutting through the lightning.
Her blade ready.
Her speed—
Unmatched.
She closed the distance instantly—
But—
Asuka opened his eyes.
"…too slow."
His voice—
Cold.
Then—
"Recharge: Thunder Clap."
He drove his katana into the ground.
For a split second—
Everything froze.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!
A massive electrical shockwave exploded outward.
Lightning spread across the ground—
Like veins.
Searching.
Hunting.
Every moving target—
ZAAAAAAP!!!
Shino was struck directly.
"…—!!"
Her body convulsed—
Electricity surging through her.
The mist—
Collapsed.
Gone.
Revealing everything.
Asuka stood at the center.
Surrounded by lightning.
Lui.
Asakura.
Sakurai.
Shino.
All visible again.
Lui stepped forward slowly.
"…so…"
A smirk formed.
"…you've used Recharge."
He lifted his greatsword.
"…which means—"
His eyes gleamed.
"…you're out of power now."
Without hesitation—
He charged.
BOOM!!!
His blade came crashing down.
Asuka raised his katana—
CLANG!!!
The impact shook the battlefield again.
But—
Asuka didn't move.
Didn't falter.
"…who said that?"
His voice calm.
"…using Recharge makes me weak?"
His eyes sharpened.
"…you're wrong."
Lui frowned.
"…?"
Then—
He felt it.
A strange sensation.
"…what…?"
Electricity.
Not from outside.
But—
Flowing.
Into Asuka.
From the surroundings.
From the air.
From the ground.
Asakura's eyes narrowed.
"…I see."
He lowered his gun slightly.
"…he's absorbing it."
Lui's eyes widened.
"…what?"
Asuka slowly stood upright.
Lightning began to gather again—
Denser.
Stronger.
"…correct."
His voice echoed.
"…I can absorb electricity around me."
A pause.
"…and recharge again."
The battlefield fell silent.
For a moment—
No one moved.
Then—
Asuka lifted his katana.
Lightning roaring around him once more to prepare a fight
Round two will beginning and....
The war was far from over.
To be continued…