"Interesting… very interesting."
Karasuba's blade blurred into cold light as she carved through the rain of ice, shards bursting around her. She was genuinely surprised. A Sekirei like Akitsu—once someone she could have dispatched in a blink—was now, after winging, matching her blow for blow and denying every approach. "Can winging really amplify power this much?"
Their battle settled into a steady rhythm—one attacking, one evading; whenever Karasuba pressed in, Akitsu slipped back to keep a measured distance. Neither could quite seize the advantage.
"What a pity… still a little lacking."
Boredom flickered across Karasuba's face. Then her speed spiked. Her sword fell in a cleaving arc, a white slash that kicked up a howling gale and tore loose every stone in its path. Dust and debris spiraled violently, shredding the oncoming ice lances to powder. Steel rang. Splinters of ice and rock, driven by the shockwave, whirled back toward Akitsu like shrapnel.
"Oh? She is impressive," Goku murmured, mildly surprised. "Even unwinged, she can exert this much force?"
A vast blade of qi roared for Akitsu, murder boiling off it, a storm of razored gravel riding its edge.
Cold flooded Akitsu's body. A wall of ice materialized before her, frigid enough to bite bone. The hail of debris slammed into it and burst to powder.
Then the great sword-qi struck.
Crack—!
The ground split wide, a deep ravine tearing forward with terrifying force. But when that killing arc met the ice wall, it only blasted out a spray of frozen chips and etched a shallow scar across the surface before shattering to drifting motes of light.
"Good… good!" Karasuba's eyes glittered with feral delight. She looked at Akitsu the way a beast looks at a worthy prey. In a blink, she was there.
"Too bad for you," she said, smiling in triumph. "Once someone closes with an ice-type… there's only death."
The thrust for Akitsu's heart was vicious and precise—no hesitation, no mercy.
Akitsu's expression did not ripple. Frost surged around her hand, hardening into crystal as she reached out to meet the blade.
Ching!
Steel shrieked. Ice exploded in glittering dust. With a bare hand she stopped Karasuba's sword dead, fingers sheathed in rime that turned aside its edge.
"…What?" Karasuba stared. Her sword—caught so easily? Even winged, a Sekirei shouldn't have leapt this far. And yet, after the shock—excitement. "Just as the President said… an anomaly! This is getting fun."
"Fresh, powerful blood… I'm starting to like you a lot," she laughed, eyes bright with killing joy. She vaulted high, twisted midair, and sent the blade scything down in a flash of murderous light.
Not only was she blindingly fast, her command of the sword was profound—her style brutally direct, each cut a domineering execution.
At last, a flicker of change crossed Akitsu's face. She vanished and reappeared ten meters away.
Karasuba's slash ripped on—so sharp it seemed to cut the sky itself. The tall building behind where Akitsu had stood split cleanly in two and, with a thunderous roar, collapsed.
A sword that could lop tanks and aircraft to pieces would hardly spare a building.
Panic and screams erupted at once. Crowds surged toward the scene—human nature loves a spectacle. Fighter jets tore in from MBI's base almost immediately, sealing off every exit and herding civilians away.
"My, my. Quite the commotion," Goku said, glancing up at the dozens of jets with a lazy smile. Then he looked back at Karasuba. "Aren't you the Disciplinary Squad captain? Randomly killing people like that—no problem? And cutting buildings in half—doesn't that rather ruin MBI's whole 'secrecy' thing?"
"Hmph. What do I care for such trivialities? There are too many human trash anyway. A few more dead hardly matters." Karasuba's voice was arctic, as if she'd swatted insects, not ended lives.
"Heh. That temperament… I like it," Goku said mildly, lifting a hand. Akitsu understood at once and slipped back behind him.
Goku walked toward Karasuba, smiling. "Well? Want to be my Sekirei—fight only for me?"
"If you want to be my Master," Karasuba replied, eyes going flat and cold as killing intent bled out of her, "prove you deserve it."
She blurred. The sword flared, a streak of winter aimed straight at his throat.
"Drawing on me isn't wise," Goku said, still smiling. Two fingers caught the falling blade. No matter how Karasuba strained, it didn't budge.
'Too strong.' A tremor ran through her. 'Is he even human?'
"You're resisting," Goku said gently. "So I won't force your winging. But—"
He bent closer. Karasuba's pupils tightened.
"—here's my mark." His fingertip tapped her brow. "From now on, you belong to me. I'll be waiting for the day you decide to be my Sekirei."
He turned and walked away.
Karasuba watched his back recede, one hand pressed to her chest, brows drawn. "That heartbeat… what was that?"
Jet engines throbbed overhead. Hiroto Minaka dropped from a fighter and landed beside her, pushing his glasses up so they flashed. "Karasuba-chan, I asked you to deliver a phone. Was all of this really necessary?"
"He's gone. You're late," she said, voice flat.
"Well? Your impression?" For once, Minaka's face was serious.
"Strong," Karasuba said simply.
"Oh?" A rare light lit his eyes behind the lenses. "If even you say that… he must be something."
A striking young man stepped down from the jet. Minaka gestured toward him. "Natsuo Ichinomiya. One of MBI's brightest. You two should get acquainted."
"Pleasure. I'm Natsuo Ichinomiya," the man said with a gentle smile that invited instant goodwill.
Karasuba's brows twitched. She cut a glance at Minaka. "I don't need dead weight. And don't meddle in my personal affairs again." She flicked her coat and strode away.
Minaka watched her go, then spoke without looking back. "What do you think of her, Natsuo-chan?"
"Quite something," Natsuo said lightly. "Just… not easy to approach."
"That's exactly why you're here. I've analyzed your DNA—your compatibility with Karasuba is exceptionally high. In other words, you're fated to be her Ashikabi." With that, Minaka boarded the jet and headed for MBI headquarters.
At the HQ entrance, Takami Sahashi stepped into his path. "As the architect of the Sekirei Plan, is this kind of interference really wise?"
"I have little choice," Minaka said, pushing up his glasses again, unusually grave. "A certain 'Goku' appeared out of nowhere. If I don't act, I have a bad feeling."
"Oh?" Takami stared—this clown was serious. Whatever this was, it wasn't ordinary.
"I combed the data. It can't analyze him," Minaka said flatly.
"What? How is that possible?" Takami's eyes widened.
"He's… opaque. Something hides him from view. Every Sekirei who approaches ends up winged—even Miya reacted to him. If Karasuba were to—well, the consequences could be… severe."
"A Sekirei finding her Ashikabi is fate. What's so 'severe' about that?" Takami frowned.
"The problem is that he doesn't play by the rules."
Takami actually laughed. "Someone daring to defy you? Now that's interesting."
"Oh, it's fascinating," Minaka agreed softly. "Fascinating enough that each time he wings a Sekirei, we lose control of her completely."
Takami's smile died. "What? That's impossible."
"Goku… what are you?" Minaka murmured, eyes glinting. "I sent Karasuba to probe him—she failed. You said this was your game, not mine, Goku. Heh… intriguing. Very well—challenge accepted. Bring your Sekirei and meet me at the Sky Tower."
---
On a bustling street, Kunō gazed up at Akitsu with shining eyes. "I can't believe you fought No. 04 Karasuba to a draw… I'm the most useless one of all. Master, please don't abandon me!"
"I told you—I'll never abandon you," Goku said, ruffling her hair.
"Ak… Akitsu… y-you're not wearing underwear."
"Mm? Am I not?" Akitsu glanced down, perfectly calm. "I must have forgotten."
Goku stared. "You… forgot your underwear?"
Some illnesses defy explanation.
"Listen up. From now on, you must wear underwear, or I won't want you," he said with mock sternness.
"I-I understand! Please don't discard me," Akitsu blanched, clinging desperately to his arm. If Goku cast her off, she would lose the will to live.
....
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