FLASHBACK – TWO DAYS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT]

  The memory hit Rizra like a jolt of lightning through her spine.

  Her legs wobbled, her vision blurred slightly—but her mind drifted back…

  ?

  Location: Cliffside Training Grounds – Just Two Days Ago

  Hajime stood shirtless, arms crossed, his scarf blowing in the wind. Behind him stood a huge boulder, cracked from past training sessions.

  Hajime (dead serious):

  “Your arms are your strength. But if you lose them, what then? A real fighter uses everything—even their heartbeat.”

  Rizra scoffed, crossing her arms.

  “Tch. I’m not wasting my time learning fancy kicks. I’ll just end the fight before I lose an arm.”

  She stepped forward cockily, catching Hajime’s leg mid-air as he attempted a light kick.

  “See? This is why this leg stuff is pointless—”

  WHAM!!

  In that moment—Hajime pivoted his arm into the ground, using the exact motion she would later mimic—and spun through the air, his other leg slamming into Rizra’s chest.

  CRUNCH!!

  She was sent flying into the boulder, the impact cracking it violently as blood spurted from her mouth. She slumped to the ground, coughing and stunned.

  Hajime (walking toward her, quiet but firm):

  “Combat isn’t about what you prefer. It’s about what you’ll have left when everything else is broken. Master your legs.”

  ?

  Back to Present

  Rizra’s eye twitched as blood dripped from her mouth. She wiped it, grinning faintly.

  Rizra (muttering through her pain):

  “Guess you were right… you annoying bastard…”

  She snapped her leg back into stance, adjusting her broken arm to lock behind her back so it wouldn’t swing or slow her. The crowd gasped as her stance changed—it was low, sharp, agile.

  Commentator:

  “Wait a second… that’s Hajime’s combat leg stance! She learned it?!”

  The earth under her feet began to crackle, as her ground magic started responding faster to her footwork—she was entering a new rhythm.

  Sei, slowly getting up from the wall, narrowed his eyes.

  Sei (annoyed):

  “Tch. You learned more than I expected…”Rizra’s fingers curled into the dirt beneath her as she crouched.

  Her body was battered. Her left arm—useless. Her breathing—erratic. And yet… her eyes?

  Focused. Calculated. Wild.

  Rizra (thinking):

  “I’m not Hajime… I don’t have that monster speed. But I don’t need to be him. I just need to hit you once…”

  She tightened her legs. Every muscle wound like a spring.

  Then—BOOM.

  A short acceleration burst.

  Not graceful. Not perfect. But explosive.

  Her foot slammed the ground, a pocket of ground magic exploded, giving her momentary speed that closed the gap between her and Sei.

  Sei (eyes widening):

  “—What!?”

  He threw up his guard, expecting a punch—

  But Rizra ducked low, slid with her knees scraping, and pivoted off her shoulder like Hajime taught.

  She spun—

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  CRACK!!

  Her heel slammed into Sei’s side with a shockwave that echoed through the arena. The force of her compressed acceleration + ground magic burst sent Sei flying, crashing into a chunk of raised earth.

  Commentator:

  “A direct hit!! What was that—!? That wasn’t just physical speed—she used her magic to boost short bursts of momentum!”

  Fan in crowd:

  “It’s like… like ground-enhanced Flash Step!”

  Rizra staggered after the move, breathing heavy.

  Rizra (to herself):

  “That’s all I got in me… but I bet he’s feeling it…”

  Sei groaned as he struggled up, a crack forming along his rib armor.

  Sei (coughing):

  “That… wasn’t bad… for someone slower than Hajime…”

  Rizra lifted her head, smirking through blood.

  Rizra:

  “Guess you’re not used to fighting people who can improvise.”As the dust settled around him, Sei slowly stood up from the crater Rizra’s kick had launched him into. His hair was messy, his side bruised and throbbing—but his expression?

  Calm. Colder. Focused.

  He lifted his right hand, and for the first time in the fight—

  Sei whispered:

  “…Accessing Root Level… Magic: Iron Edge Vein.”

  The ground beneath him shattered in a circular pattern. Thin glowing lines, like veins of iron, spread out in a spiderweb across the earth.

  From each glowing line, spikes of metal and wire erupted—slicing, grinding, shaping into weapons and tendrils, reacting to Sei’s will.

  Commentator gasps:

  “He’s activating his signature magic!! Iron Edge Vein! A rare form of bio-connected iron magic—he can shape any surface into blades through magical conductivity!”

  Nox (watching nervously):

  “Uh-oh. He’s not holding back anymore…”

  Rizra’s eyes widened as a spear of iron shot up from the ground—barely missing her face. She leapt back, but the ground beneath her twisted and a whip-like chain tried to catch her ankle.

  Rizra:

  “So he’s a terrain controller…!”

  Sei (voice emotionless):

  “No. I am the terrain. You can’t fight something that’s already beneath your feet.”

  Suddenly, the entire field was shifting into a battlefield of iron traps, chains, and razors, all emerging and moving as if alive.

  Rizra grit her teeth, her broken arm still useless—but her legs ready.

  Rizra (thinking):

  “I have to stay moving. Hajime… you better be watching. I’m about to make your leg training worth it.”As the shifting battlefield of blades and wires closed in, Rizra used a short burst of acceleration to dodge a cluster of metal spears—barely missing them by a hair.

  But Sei was already one step ahead.

  Sei (calmly):

  “You overused your right pivot leg.”

  He raised his hand and snapped his fingers—and from underneath Rizra, a spring-loaded spike shot upward, directly at her right leg.

  Rizra:

  “—!”

  CRACK!

  The spike connected hard with her knee, twisting it unnaturally mid-air. A gut-wrenching sound of bone snapping echoed across the arena.

  Commentator (shocked):

  “Rizra’s leg—!! It’s broken!! That strike shattered her pivot point!”

  She hit the ground, rolling in pain, teeth gritted so hard blood ran from her gums. Her broken arm dangled, and now her right leg was twisted, nearly unusable.

  Sei slowly walked toward her, not out of cruelty, but with quiet purpose. His magic pulsed through the ground, creating an arena where escape was nearly impossible.

  Sei:

  “I warned you earlier. You aren’t built for prolonged combat. I will not lose to a reckless brawler with two broken limbs.”

  But even through the pain, Rizra pushed herself up, trembling.

  Rizra (breathing hard, voice shaking but proud):

  “Yeah…? Then I’ll beat you with one leg, one arm, and more rage than you’ll ever understand…”

  Her eyes locked on Sei, burning with the same fire she showed when she first stood next to Hajime.

  “This… is my fight too.”CRACK—THUD—SMASH.

  Rizra was being destroyed.

  Sei, with clinical precision, unleashed strike after strike, each one aimed at a weak point—her broken leg, her fractured arm, her ribs, her side, her jaw. There was no pause, no opening, no hesitation. Just ruthless, calculated punishment.

  Sei (coldly):

  “If you won’t forfeit, then I’ll make sure you stay down.”

  She tried to move—but her legs gave out.

  She tried to punch—but her arm collapsed under its own weight.

  She didn’t even scream anymore. Just breathless grunts, blood dripping from her lips, eyes barely staying open.

  Then—a final blow to the gut launched her into the wall.

  Sei turned around, the fight over in his eyes.

  Ref:

  “Rizra seems—wait… wait—!”

  Behind him, Rizra was trembling—crawling, barely breathing, but her magic sparked one final time.

  Rizra (barely audible, a whisper):

  “Raging… zone…”

  She put her blood-covered hand to the ground.

  BOOM.

  A pulse of magic exploded into a shockwave, sending jagged earth spikes under Sei—impaling his side before he could react. It wasn’t fatal, but it pierced through his shoulder and knocked him to one knee.

  Everyone gasped.

  Announcer:

  “Rizra… Rizra landed a final hit!!”

  But Rizra’s head slumped down.

  She passed out completely, body broken, mana empty.

  Ref (running in):

  “Rizra Hamamori is unable to continue—Sable Division, down to their final two!!”

  Makoto and Sockoo stepped up.

  Makoto, eye twitching from everything that happened.

  Makoto:

  “Nox, Sei… you better pray I’m feeling merciful.”

  Sockoo, fire pulsing around her like a storm:

  Sockoo:

  “You’re gonna regret hurting my squad. Especially her.”

  With Rizra out, the real fight begins.

  Makoto and Sockoo vs Nox and Sei. Makoto silently walked over to Rizra’s crumpled body.

  Her breathing was faint. Her limbs hung limp. Her hair was matted with blood and dust, and one of her legs bent in a way it clearly shouldn’t.

  Makoto didn’t say a word.

  He kneeled down, carefully slid one arm under her back and another under her legs, and lifted her up like she was made of glass.

  Makoto (softly, under his breath):

  “You did your part… rest now.”

  Sockoo didn’t say anything either—she simply stood guard, fire still licking the edges of her fists, making sure Nox and Sei didn’t try anything.

  Makoto carried Rizra to the side of the battlefield, near the edge where the med team would be able to reach her but still safe from stray attacks. He laid her down gently, taking off his cloak and draping it over her.

  Makoto (looking at her, quiet but resolute):

  “This isn’t the end for you.”

  Then he stood up and turned—eyes meeting Nox and Sei.

  Makoto (cracking his knuckles):

  “Now… let’s finish this.”

  He walked back to Sockoo’s side.

  The field sparked with tension. On one side: Makoto and Sockoo. On the other: Nox and Sei, bruised but still standing.

  Two on two.

  Sable Division vs Hoshigiri’s elite.

  The final battle begins. Makoto kicked off the ground, twin magic guns glowing with energy in his hands as he dashed sideways, firing rapid bursts at Nox.

  Makoto:

  “Let’s see you keep up with this—!”

  Pew! Pew! Pew!

  Blue-and-silver bullets streaked through the air like comets.

  Nox grinned. He didn’t block.

  He charged straight through, slipping between the bullets with terrifying footwork, his cloak billowing behind him as he closed the distance.

  Nox (taunting):

  “You’re fast… but I eat fast for breakfast.”

  Makoto’s eyes narrowed. He slid backward, firing while skating across a glowing trail of magic beneath his feet—but Nox was gaining.

  Then, right as Nox was about to land a hit—

  BOOM!

  A wall of fire and claws burst between them.

  Sockoo shot in from the side, her Fiery Cat form blazing, claws clashing with Nox’s blade.

  Sockoo (shouting):

  “Didn’t your mom teach you not to rush in without knocking?!”

  Nox grunted, skidding back as Sockoo launched claw strikes faster than a machine gun, forcing him to go full defense.

  Makoto, catching his breath, adjusted his aim.

  Makoto (smirking):

  “Team plays, Nox. You’re not fighting one of us. You’re fighting both.”

  While Nox was pinned in Sockoo’s flurry, Makoto locked in his next attack—

  Sleep Shot EX Mode: Triple Locking Sequence.

  Three glowing runes formed around his gun barrels.

  Next time Nox tried to dodge, he’d find himself running into his own dreams Sei’s fist was already inches from Sockoo’s head when she clicked her teeth sharply, her fiery aura flaring.

  Sockoo (growling):

  “Tch… Too fast—!”

  But Makoto was already moving.

  He slammed both guns down and fired a barrage of shots at the ground.

  BOOM—CRACK—FZZZSHH!

  The whole area erupted into a thick smokescreen, sparks and debris cloaking vision. The moment of confusion gave Sockoo the chance to flip back, claws ready.

  Out of the smoke, Makoto’s eye glinted.

  Makoto:

  “Here’s something to light up your day.”

  BANG!

  A shot tore through the smoke—a lightning bullet, glowing electric yellow. It nailed Nox right in the chest before he could recover from Sockoo’s flurry.

  ZAAAPPPPP!!!

  Nox’s body jerked violently, blue electricity ripping through him like tendrils of punishment. His weapon fell. His legs gave out. And he collapsed, twitching before finally going limp.

  Referee (shouting):

  “Nox is unable to battle!”

  Sockoo, panting, looked over at Makoto.

  Sockoo (grinning):

  “Nice shot, bullet boy.”

  Makoto (spinning his guns):

  “Told you I’m better with magic rounds.”

  But there was no time to relax—

  Sei was still standing.

  Unscathed. Focused. His body radiating magic now, darker than before, like a void trying to consume everything.

  Sei (calmly):

  “One down. Two to go.”

  Sockoo and Makoto glanced at each other, both serious. The dust hadn’t even settled from Nox’s fall when Sei stepped forward—calm, composed, and no longer holding back.