The battlefield didn't reset.
It escalated.
Lightning cracked across the ground in jagged lines, leaving burning scars in the terrain with every movement Kashimo made. The air itself felt charged—like breathing wrong would get you struck.
Hakari laughed through it all.
"…Man, this guy's aggressive!"
He threw himself forward again, taking another lightning-imbued hit head-on and refusing to go down.
Kirara stayed just outside the main clash, shifting support routes and interference lines, keeping allies from being isolated.
"…Don't let him separate you!"
Yuta moved carefully, weaving in and out of Kashimo's attack range, adapting on the fly.
"…His output spikes with movement…"
Ryu, on the other side, wasn't careful at all.
He met Kashimo's lightning with raw cursed energy blasts, each collision exploding outward like miniature detonations.
"…This is what I came for!"
Uro hovered above, twisting space subtly to redirect stray strikes, but even she was forced to stay reactive.
"…He doesn't have blind spots…"
Kashimo stood in the center of it all.
Unbothered.
Focused.
Enjoying it.
Then—
his eyes locked onto Takeru again.
"…You're not rushing."
Takeru replied calmly.
"…Observation phase."
Kashimo's mouth curved slightly.
"…That won't last."
He moved.
Lightning burst outward in a spiral, forcing Hakari and Ryu to split off instantly.
Yuta barely avoided the center line of the strike.
Uro's space distortion bent under the pressure.
And Kashimo appeared directly in front of Takeru.
A single charged strike—
compressed, precise, lethal—
Takeru blocked.
The impact cracked the ground beneath them instantly.
No flashy explosion this time.
Just raw force meeting control.
Kashimo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Good."
Takeru didn't respond.
He shifted his stance subtly—
adjusting.
Learning.
Behind them, Hakari shouted mid-fight:
"…HEY! Don't just start a 1v1 in the middle of everything!"
Ryu laughed.
"…Let them cook!"
Yuta tightened his grip.
"…We need to regroup pressure…"
Uro clicked her tongue.
"…This is turning into multiple duels…"
The battlefield fractured further.
Not chaos.
Structure.
And in the center of it—
Takeru and Kashimo exchanged blows.
Faster.
Cleaner.
Heavier.
Kashimo's lightning intensified.
Takeru's responses sharpened.
Every exchange pushed both of them higher.
Closer to something neither of them had shown yet.
Then—
Kashimo spoke mid-strike.
"…You're adapting too fast."
Takeru answered immediately.
"…Confirmed."
A pause.
Then Kashimo smiled slightly.
"…Good."
Lightning surged again.
The fight continued without pause.