"NO!...…NO! THIS CAN'T BE IT FOR ME! IT JUST CAN'T!"
Wraith cried out desperately. In a sudden rush of adrenaline, he hurriedly forced himself back up and, with every last ounce of mana he could muster, pointed his palm toward Sai, who stood at least eight feet away.
A powerful yellow bolt of lightning erupted from the center of his palm, swarming violently between the trees before crashing directly into Sai's chest, burning through his leather jacket and white school shirt.
Yet still—
Sai edged forward without the slightest hint of struggle.
"NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOO!!!"
Wraith screamed as he thrust out both palms, doubling the power of his spell and making the beam even rowdier, more ferocious, and far deadlier. The lightning expanded so vastly that Wraith could no longer see what was happening on the opposite side.
All he knew… was that this beam was his final line of self-defense against Sai Takka.
At that moment, a cold chill ran down Wraith's spine.
His heart sank almost instantly.
His breathing grew heavier by the second, filled with exhaustion, desperation, and dread—
As suddenly, a human hand emerged from within the raging lightning bolt and forcefully clasped both of his wrists shut.
"Quit it with the Chidori, pal. It's not working," Sai commented sarcastically, annoyance faintly buried within his tone.
"WHAM!"
A heavy left hook came crashing into Wraith's face.
"AGGHHHHH!"
Wraith cried out in agony as Sai's dreadful fist slammed directly into his nose. A violent spasm of pain surged throughout his body as he was sent flying five feet backward.
At that moment, Wraith knew nothing but fear… pain… and the horrifying sensation of his mana rapidly draining away.
"Oh yeah," Sai began casually, "I don't just nullify magic through contact. My power also drains mana from whoever I hit for five seconds after impact."
Sai stepped forward, now bare-bodied, revealing a moderately muscular physique that looked almost perfectly sculpted. Ashes from his burnt clothes drifted away bit by bit, leaving behind only remnants of their failed existence.
"Though it doesn't drain all of it."
Sai scratched the back of his head lazily while resting his crimson-blue sword on his left shoulder.
"Guess I forgot to mention that in class today."
Wraith, still dazed, managed to process parts of what Sai had said—
But his main focus remained fixed on the massive sword.
Wraith knew for a fact Sai hadn't been holding it five seconds ago.
Sai quickly noticed his curiosity, a mischievous grin forming across his face.
Wraith stared at him in bewilderment, his eyes widening with both shock and rage.
That's not what I want to know.
He didn't have that sword ten seconds ago.
Where the hell did it come from?
A deep curiosity welled inside him despite the fear.
Sai, now standing only inches away, raised the sword high into the air before inverting it so that the flat side faced Wraith.
"Well........."
"Time for you to pass out."
Sai's voice carried a taunting yet truthful aura as he lifted the sword even higher.
The moment Wraith heard that, his pulse skyrocketed.
Is he joking again—?
No… he's serious.
He's actually about to smack me in the head with that thing.
I'm immobilized.
I barely have any mana left.
I'm basically defenseless.
At that instant, desperation surged violently through Wraith's body.
He couldn't get caught.
This couldn't be the end for him.
Could it?
An endless storm of thoughts spiraled through his mind.
"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"
Wraith roared.
"I CAN'T GET CAUGHT!"
His teeth gritted together in desperation and fury.
"NOT TODAY!"
"NOT EVER!"
"NOT NOW!"
"Shut the fuck up already, bro........."
Sai sighed dramatically, lazily placing his right hand against his tilted head.
"You're gonna wake up the birds. Man, I hate their squabbling noises."
Clearly, he wasn't taking Wraith seriously in the slightest.
Sai once again raised the inverted sword high into the air, preparing to bring it crashing down onto Wraith's skull.
Wraith froze.
All strength had left his body.
There was no escaping this.
"WHERE ARE YOOOOUUUU?!"
"WE WERE SUPPOSED TO EMBARK ON THIS MISSION TOGETHER!"
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT MEEEEEE!"
"SHUUUUT UP ALREADY!" Sai barked as he swung the flattened blade downward.
"VOOOOOONNNN!"
Wraith screamed in utter desperation—
But just then—
A dreadful slash suddenly tore through the space in front of Sai, instantly halting the sword mid-swing.
The attack ripped apart nearly a quarter of the soil between Sai and Wraith before slicing directly into a massive oak tree, cleaving it cleanly in half.
It was as though the slash had appeared from nowhere.
Sai's expression twitched slightly with irritation.
He was furious—
Yet pretended otherwise.
"It seems you've gotten yourself into quite the pickle there, Wraith."
A voice echoed from six feet away.
It belonged to a young man.
He wore the same attire as Wraith—a black hooded cloak bearing the image of a skull entwined with a green cobra emerging from its eye socket.
The man stood around five foot nine with flamingo-pink hair draping over portions of his light-red eyes. His posture carried an elegance so graceful it almost resembled that of a priest.
He slowly walked toward them, now facing Wraith with a faint grin resting beneath his chin.
"A cut-and-slash attribute, huh?"
Sai rested his sword on his shoulder.
What is this? Jujutsu Kaisen?
He pointed lazily at the strange man with his finger in an upside down manner.
"Yo… King of Curses, don't you know it's rude to interrupt other people's play dates?"
No response.
Rude, Sai thought.
The pink-haired young man stared calmly at Wraith, amusement hidden deep within his gaze.
"Good to see you again, Wraith."
"VON! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME OUT HERE ALONE?!"
"YOUR DUTY WAS TO ESCORT ME—"
"And who the hell do you think you are to order me around?" Von sharply cut in.
"My brother ordered me to protect you—not become your personal servant."
His expression darkened instantly.
"So know your place...... foolish puppet."
The atmosphere around Von shifted violently as fury burned within his eyes.
Even Sai could sense the deadly aura radiating from him.
Von's back had remained turned toward Sai the entire time.
But now—
His demeanor changed once more.
Almost instantly, the hostility vanished, replaced by a bright grin as he finally turned toward Sai.
"And you must be Sai."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Well then… let's cut straight to the chase."
"You've heard everything Wraith has had to say, and from the looks of things......"
"Yooooou...... and Wraith aren't getting along too well."
Von's grin widened slightly.
Then suddenly—
His aura shifted again.
His face darkened beneath the shadows as his razor-sharp eyes pierced through the air itself.
"So either you come with us peacefully......…"
"Or forcefully."
"Your...... choice."
Sai maintained his usual carefree expression as he brushed the side of his massive sword with his left palm, completely unfazed by the threat.
"I'll take the hard way then."
He slowly lifted his gaze toward Von.
"If you can keep up, that is."
Wraith remained sprawled across the ground, silently observing the confrontation.
"UuuuuUuuuu… I like this one......" Von muttered with a ferocious smirk.
In an instant, Sai dashed straight toward him.
As he charged forward, countless thoughts raced through his head.
That magic attribute of his is dangerous.
Hell, if it weren't for my immunity to magic, one direct hit from that slash could wipe me out completely.
What a draaaaaag.
The closer Sai got—
The wider Von's smile became.
"Perfect."
Von muttered.
Then—
In the blink of an eye—
A tiny orb dropped onto the ground and shattered instantly, releasing an enormous cloud of smoke around all three men.
Sai's eyes narrowed immediately.
What the hell is this?
Magic?
No… I don't think so.
He didn't even pull out a wand.
Suddenly, Sai's knees weakened.
His body began to go numb.
His senses distorted violently as the world around him twisted inside out.
Reacting quickly, Sai flipped backward out of the thick fog.
He knew immediately—
This mist wasn't magical.
It was an entirely different substance altogether.
One not of this world.
"Mana Zone."
A faint red glow of mana surrounded both Von and Wraith.
Sai didn't need psychic powers to understand what had happened.
Von had used Mana Zone to shield themselves from the substance.
"You're from Tokyo, Japan… right?" Von asked with a faint, mischievous grin.
Sai suddenly gasped.
His eyes widened with rage.
It was as though an old nightmare had resurfaced within him.
He tried desperately to suppress his anger—
But the harder he tried, the more violently it boiled over.
Slowly—
Sai lowered his head.
Then, in a cold and menacing tone, he muttered—
"That name......"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!"