The pillar of lightning that had erupted beyond the horizon slowly faded, but the tension gripping the battlefield did not. Kichatsu remained where it stood, its eyes fixed on the direction Daisuke had been launched. Around the ruined district, the members of the different batches could only watch. Nobody dared step forward. The destruction left behind by their battle had already made it clear that interfering was no longer an option. Even Airi, who had rushed there with Batch D after receiving the emergency call, understood that all they could do now was witness the outcome.
A sudden crack split the sky.
Before anyone could react, a streak of dark-golden lightning tore across the district and slammed directly into Kichatsu. The impact drove the creature backward through the remains of a collapsed building. Dust erupted into the air as Daisuke landed on the broken street, his Guardian form glowing brighter than before. The kick had sent him kilometers away, yet instead of slowing him down, it seemed to have pushed him even further. Electricity crawled across his body as he stared at Kichatsu with a grin that made it clear he was enjoying the fight just as much as his opponent.
Kichatsu rose from the rubble almost immediately. Cracks covered parts of its body and burn marks from earlier attacks were becoming harder to ignore, but its presence had not weakened. If anything, the creature looked more focused than before. It charged first, crossing the distance between them in an instant. Daisuke answered without hesitation. Their fists collided in the center of the district, producing a shockwave that shattered what little remained of the nearby structures. Neither fighter retreated. Every strike was answered by another. Every opening disappeared the moment it appeared.
From a distance, Taro could only stare. The fight had become impossible to follow. Every few seconds he would lose sight of both fighters entirely before another impact somewhere else revealed their location. Ren remained silent, carefully watching every movement he could catch. Mei noticed something unusual. Daisuke's speed was increasing. It wasn't a sudden jump in power. It was happening gradually. Every exchange made him faster than the last.
Kichatsu noticed it too.
The creature attempted to catch Daisuke during one of his attacks, but its hand closed on empty air. Daisuke had already moved. A punch struck Kichatsu from the left. Before it could turn, another blow landed from behind. Then another hit connected from above. The creature spun around, trying to locate its opponent, only to receive a fourth strike from the opposite direction. The final blow crashed directly into its chest and sent it sliding backward through the ruins.
For the first time since the battle began, confusion appeared in Kichatsu's eyes.
Five figures stood around it.
Five Daisukes.
Each one carried the same lightning-covered appearance. Each one stood in a different position around the battlefield. For a brief moment, even the spectators believed they were seeing clones.
Then Ren understood.
"They aren't clones."
The figures vanished almost immediately.
They had never been real.
Daisuke had moved so quickly that the images of his previous positions remained visible in the eyes of everyone watching. What looked like five separate attacks had actually come from a single fighter moving faster than anyone there could properly track.
A grin appeared on Daisuke's face as he rolled his shoulders. The technique had worked. For the first time, he had managed to catch Kichatsu completely off guard.
The creature slowly straightened itself.
Then it smiled.
Not with arrogance.
Not with anger.
With excitement.
The same excitement a warrior feels when finally meeting an opponent capable of pushing them to their limits.
The ground beneath Kichatsu cracked.
Dark markings across its body began glowing brighter than before. The energy surrounding the creature thickened, spreading across the battlefield like a warning. Even from a distance, everyone felt the change. Whatever Kichatsu had been holding back until now, it was beginning to reveal it.
Daisuke's grin faded.
He could feel it too.
The battle that had already destroyed an entire district was about to enter a completely different stage.
And for the first time since the fight began, Daisuke realized that Kichatsu might not have been fighting seriously either.
To be continued...