The black SUV screeched to a halt in front of the desolate, decaying shrine. The air here felt different—heavy, stagnant, and smelling of burnt copper. Anne was the first to move; she stepped out of the vehicle without a word, her sharp eyes scanning the weathered wooden structure of the ancient shrine. After a moment of silent observation, she glanced back at Marito, her brow furrowed in deep suspicion.
"There's something wrong here," she called out, her voice cutting through the unnatural silence. Marito stepped out of the car to join her, his presence instantly sharpening the atmosphere.
Anne pointed toward the incense burner at the shrine's entrance. "At a shrine like this, it's customary to light only a single stick of incense as an offering. But look... there are three. And they are pitch black."
Marito moved closer to inspect them. The black incense sticks emitted a strange, oily smoke that coiled in the air like a serpent. When he looked at the road ahead, the highway had vanished, replaced by a wall of fog so thick it felt physical.
"We've wandered into someone's Domain," Marito muttered. "At this rate, it will take us over an hour just to clear this fog and get back on track." He turned to Anne. "Can you resolve this?"
"I'll give it a try," Anne replied. By then, Rio and his gang had climbed out of the car, driven by curiosity.
Anne looked at Rio with a warning in her eyes. "I might have a solution, but this is going to be incredibly difficult for those who can't use 'Air.' We have to force our way through this mist. If someone who hasn't mastered Air tries to exit, they'll get trapped in a Genjutsu—a sensory illusion. That's when things will get messy."
"What exactly is 'Air'?" Rio asked, his mind racing.
Marito let out a weary sigh. "I intended to explain this later, but given the circumstances, I'll tell you now. 'Air' is a system of energy that allows you to gain total, absolute control over your physical body."
He paused, letting the wind whistle through the shrine before continuing. "Normally, you train to throw a punch with muscle alone. But with Air, you learn to gather the dormant energy within your body and channel it into a single point, amplifying the force beyond human limits. Currently, none of you can even feel the energy inside yourselves. To put it simply: a normal person can only move their limbs. An 'Air' user, however, controls the entire biological system as a refined machine and can project that energy outward. It takes time to master, and we don't have time to teach you right now."
Just as Marito finished his explanation, Anne froze. Her eyes locked onto a specific spot in the distance. "I found something... we aren't alone."
She raised her hand and pointed directly toward a massive jagged rock sitting behind the shrine.
Marito didn't hesitate. With a blur of terrifying speed, he charged toward the rock and delivered a devastating punch. The air hummed with violent pressure, and the impact caused the stone to vibrate as if it were about to shatter into dust. From behind the shadow of that rock, a figure stepped out, looking entirely unbothered.
Marito's eyes narrowed into slits as he recognized the face. "Konin..."
"Yo... Marito!" Konin greeted with a playful, effortless grin. Without warning, Konin flicked his wrist, hurling shards of stone at Marito with the speed of bullets.
Anne's eyes flashed with anger. "You've crossed the line! This really is a Domain!" she shouted. With a powerful kick, she shattered the main pillar of the shrine, causing the spiritual structure to tremble. The fog surrounding them rippled violently, the illusion beginning to crack.
Marito lunged at Konin again. Konin raised his arms to block, but Marito's speed was superior. A thunderous strike landed squarely on Konin's face, forcing the interloper to stagger back several steps.
Konin growled, slamming his foot into the ground to stabilize himself before launching a counter-punch. Marito caught the strike with his right hand, the shockwave of the impact vibrating through the air.
"Konin... what are you doing here?" Marito demanded.
"Someone paid me to stand in your way," Konin replied with a smirk. While speaking, Konin caught Marito off guard, launching a kick toward Marito's exposed side.
Marito blocked it with his left arm just in time. A heavy "Thump!" echoed as the energies collided. Suddenly, black rays of light erupted from Marito's palm, surging toward Konin like hungry shadows.
Konin managed to dodge the initial blast, but Marito was already behind him. With a brutal roundhouse kick, Marito sent Konin flying across the clearing, crashing into the dirt at a distance.
Konin wiped blood from his lip and opened his mouth wide. In a grotesque display of power, a blade began to emerge from his throat. He snatched the sword and charged Marito with lightning speed. Marito swayed effortlessly, dodging the blade's arc before delivering a crushing downward kick from above.
Konin scrambled back to his feet, panting. Seeing he was losing, he grabbed several large stones and hurled them with lethal force toward Rio and the others.
"Watch out!" Rio yelled, but Anne was faster.
In a flash, Anne appeared in front of the group, unsheathing a Metal Blade. With rhythmic precision—Clang! Clang!—she batted the stones away, shielding the boys from the deadly projectiles.
The battle had only just begun, and the air around the shrine was now thick with the scent of ozone and impending destruction.