Chapter 63: Mei versus Kiana
The sight of Mei drawing her blade without a single word of explanation sent a surge of hot-blooded anger through Kiana.
"Hmph! Fuyama Chizuru wasn't kidding. She said you were an arrogant tyrant back at Chiba Academy, calling yourself the 'Thunder Queen.' Seriously? I could die laughing!"
Kiana's lip curled into a dismissive sneer. There wasn't a flicker of fear in her eyes as she met Raiden Mei's challenge, only defiant fire.
"Wait, there must be some kind of…" Rovel stepped forward, his desire to play peacemaker finally winning out over his mischievous urge to see how this would unfold.
But before he could finish, Raiden Mei moved. With a fluid motion, she stepped in front of him, her body a firm shield, cutting off his words and his path.
"I said," Mei's voice was as sharp and cold as steel, "they got what they deserved."
She refused to back down an inch, and she certainly couldn't be bothered to explain the nuances of the situation to Kiana.
"Fine! If that's how you want it," Kiana's voice hardened, "then I'll just have to teach you a lesson myself!"
With a sharp push from her calves, Kiana launched herself forward, landing lightly on the Kendo Club's sparring stage directly opposite Mei.
"And don't say I'm bullying you." She tucked her left hand behind her back with a flourish, her expression a mask of supreme confidence. "I'll take you on with just one hand."
"Heh…"
In response, Mei offered only a single, cold snort.
The two faced off on the polished wooden stage. Judging by their levels alone, Raiden Mei, at only Level 39, should have been at a severe disadvantage against Kiana, whose own level remained mysteriously obscured. In the past two weeks, Mei's level had skyrocketed from 31 to 39—a rate of improvement that was nothing short of astonishing.
Seeing that stopping them was now impossible, Rovel simply relaxed and settled in to watch from the sidelines.
'They both know how to hold back,'he reassured himself.'Well… probably.'
Standing opposite each other, they moved in the exact same instant.
Mei unleashed her technique—Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Battōjutsu. The air split with a soundless flash, the arc of her wooden sword moving too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Kiana's azure pupils constricted to pinpricks. She hadn't expected this level of speed.
A pistol materialized in her right hand in a flicker of light. She snapped it up just in time, the reinforced frame catching the descending wooden sword with a sharp clack. The sheer force of the impact still sent her sliding back a few inches, her boots scraping against the floor.
Mei pressed her advantage, flowing smoothly into her next technique. The Five Slash Rapid Severance came alive, a storm of phantom blades striking with the force of a thunderclap.
Kiana twisted and weaved, narrowly evading the first four strikes. Each one hissed past her, close enough to stir the air. But the fifth and final slash was a cage, cutting off every possible escape route. Left with no other choice, she brought her pistol up again to parry.
And just like that, Kiana had broken her promise. A second pistol had appeared in her left hand, both weapons now working in tandem to block the flurry of sword qi lashing out at her. It was the only reason she remained untouched.
Raiden Mei's speed was blinding. Facing her for the first time, Kiana was momentarily overwhelmed by the relentless assault.
"Is this all you have?" A cold, mocking smile touched the corner of Mei's lips.
"Don't get cocky!" Kiana snarled.
She kicked off the floor, launching herself backward into a fluid backflip. Her long legs found purchase on a nearby support pillar, using it as a springboard to vault higher into the air. Mid-descent, her dual pistols roared to life.
In a fraction of a second, six rubber bullets spat from the barrels, creating a deadly web that sealed off Mei's every possible angle of retreat.
Mei moved with serpentine grace, dodging the volley. But Kiana had anticipated this. Using the moment Mei was occupied, she dropped from her aerial maneuver and lashed out with a powerful kick.
Mei managed to raise her wooden sword in a desperate block, but the raw, concussive force of the kick was immense. She was sent flying backward, tumbling through the air before executing a practiced flip to land on her feet, steadying herself.
A flicker of shock crossed Mei's face. 'Such terrifying strength…'
Kiana spun one of her pistols around her finger with a cocky grin. "Is this all you have?" she shot back, throwing Mei's own words at her.
"Nothing but a brute," Raiden Mei scoffed, her disdain clear.
"Then come at me again!" Kiana beckoned with her hand, a clear challenge.
"True Shadow Flash: First Form!"
Mei surged forward. At the same instant, two shadowy afterimages split from her sides, materializing to Kiana's left and right. The three figures—one real, two illusions—closed in for a pincer attack.
Faced with the three-pronged assault, Kiana showed no sign of panic. She leaped high into the air, her body twisting into a controlled spin. A spray of rubber bullets erupted from her guns, striking all three figures simultaneously. The moment the projectiles touched the two shadows, the illusions dissipated like smoke, leaving only the true Raiden Mei exposed.
Capitalizing on the opening, Kiana dove from the apex of her jump, her fist aimed like a meteor at Mei.
"True Shadow Flash: Second Form!"
This time, as the two shadows split from Mei's body, all three figures instantly scattered in different directions, evading the attack.
Kiana, caught off guard by the sudden dispersal, slammed her fist into empty air. The impact, however, was anything but empty. Her knuckles met the floor, and the solid wood of the sparring stage splintered and cracked, a shallow crater forming at the point of contact.
"Return!" Mei's voice was a sharp command. The three figures converged, merging back into one as they passed directly through Kiana's body.
The blow sent Kiana staggering into the air, yet… incredibly, she seemed completely unharmed. Not even a scratch.
Instead of falling, she planted her feet firmly against the ceiling. With another explosive push from her calves, she used the ceiling as a springboard, launching herself back down at Mei with even greater velocity than before.
"What…" Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend it. No one should be able to take a direct hit from her True Shadow Flash: Second Form and walk away unscathed, let alone counterattack instantly.
"This is bad…" Mei's brow furrowed. She tried to move, but her legs screamed in protest, overloaded from the strain of executing her ultimate technique. Dodging was impossible. All she could do was raise her wooden sword in a desperate, last-ditch defense.
But just as Kiana's attack was about to connect, a calm, reassuring voice cut through the tension.
"Inch Force: Heaven Opening!"
Rovel was suddenly there, standing before Mei like a bulwark. Kiana's descending fist slammed squarely into his own.
The impact was explosive. The floorboards beneath Rovel's feet spiderwebbed with cracks, but it was Kiana who was thrown back by the rebound force. She executed a nimble mid-air flip, landing on her feet without a stumble.
Rovel gave his hand a slight shake, a tingling numbness radiating up his arm. He hadn't expected Kiana's raw physical strength to be quite this monstrous.
'And she took Mei's True Shadow Flash without a scratch,'he thought, analyzing the situation.'High attack power, absurdly high defense. A pure stats build with no real technique to speak of.'
"You want a piece of me, too?" Kiana's eyes gleamed, the thrill of battle clearly getting to her.
Rovel ignored her, turning instead to the girl behind him. "Mei, are you hurt?"
Mei shook her head, though her breathing was a little ragged. She was just exhausted.
"Rovel, what about you?" she asked in return, her voice laced with concern. Having just been on the receiving end of Kiana's power, she knew exactly how terrifying her strength was. Taking a punch like that head-on couldn't have been easy.
"Don't worry about me," Rovel said with a reassuring smile. "I've been doing some training of my own. I'm a lot stronger now."
His calm demeanor seemed to put her at ease.
Rovel gently guided Mei to the side of the stage to rest. From a distance, he could see Fuyama Chizuru watching, her eyes alight with the vindictive satisfaction of someone whose scheme had played out perfectly.
He turned back to Kiana. "Why don't you take a break first?" He had no intention of explaining the misunderstanding right now. A part of him was actually curious to test his own strength against this girl.
"No need," Kiana declared, puffing out her chest proudly. "That was just a warm-up."
Rovel nodded slowly, settling into a relaxed combat stance. His gaze sharpened, becoming crystal clear and intensely focused. In his mind's eye, Kiana's every potential movement was already being analyzed and deconstructed.
"Rovel, be careful," Raiden Mei called out from the sidelines, her voice tight with worry.
"Mm."
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