"Sir?!""Old man?!""Captain?!"
The three voices collided across the clearing, cracking through the air louder than even the roar of Atsuki's rage.
They stood frozen — Aoi, Kazuki, and Atsuki — watching the boy in front of them, who was no longer the boy they knew.
Atsuki was a beast now. His arms and shoulders wrapped in jagged crystal, black smoke rising from the cracks. His eyes empty but burning, power surging off him like a living inferno. His breath came out in hissing, molten clouds, and the earth beneath his feet was fractured, sparking faintly.
Kazuki, still pinned on his back, felt his heart hammer against his ribs. This was no longer the kid he'd been training. This was something else. Something dangerous.
And Kazuki… was about to die.
Atsuki's fist, tipped with shards glowing like a dying star, descended toward his skull.
And then the world split open.
A deafening crack of golden lightning tore through the center of the battlefield. The smell of ozone hit all at once. Dirt and shards of crystal scattered into the air as a blinding flash silenced the forest. The shockwave alone sent Aoi staggering back, shielding her face.
When it faded, he stood there.
Raiden Kurogami.
His bare feet sunk slightly into the charred earth, his long black robe swaying in the heavy static of his own presence. His silver-streaked hair crackled faintly with electricity, the storm above him thickening in the clouds.
His hand gripped Atsuki's wrist, inches above Kazuki's face. The boy's killing blow was frozen in place, no longer his own.
Raiden's golden eyes locked on Atsuki's wild ones, unblinking, cold. He didn't even flinch as crystal shards embedded themselves in his palm, sizzling uselessly.
"Kazuki…"
Kazuki's breath hitched. His lips parted, but no sound came.
"You let a lion out of its cage… when you still fear its roar."
Raiden's voice was calm, flat — and yet it made even the trees seem to shiver. The sky above groaned, a distant rumble of thunder punctuating his words.
He shoved Atsuki backward with one hand, sending him skidding through the dirt, crystal shards falling from him like splinters. Atsuki's back slammed into a tree, cracking it clean in half, yet he still stood, growling low.
Raiden adjusted his robe at the shoulders, then finally spoke again.
"You want to learn Senmetsu, boy?"
The words rumbled low, steady, through the charged air.
"Then let me help you."
Atsuki rose slowly, the wildness still in his eyes. His bloodshot gaze darted between Raiden's calm figure and the crooked wand now visible in his hand. He barely heard Aoi's voice shouting for Kazuki to retreat, to get to a healer. Kazuki, wounded, let her drag him away, though his eyes never left Atsuki.
Raiden tilted his head, watching the boy tremble under his own power.
"I'm not like you," Raiden finally said. His tone was colder now, his robe faintly glowing with veins of electricity. He raised his wand to the sky, and the clouds above answered with a whisper of light. "I'm a Hatsudōsha. One of the rare ones. Even my power needs a leash. That's why I carry this wand — because my own body can't handle what I am."
Atsuki's blurry gaze fell on the crooked wand. He stared, chest heaving, realizing it wasn't just for show. Even this man… had limits.
"Even I need control. And you?" Raiden smirked faintly, though there was no kindness in it. "You're worse. You don't even know what you are yet."
The words stung, but Atsuki roared, cutting him off, and lunged forward.
Raiden caught the strike easily, his hand glowing white-hot as he crushed a jagged crystal mid-swing.
"Fine," Raiden muttered. "Then come take it from me."
And then he moved.
The first clash blinded the plateau.
Lightning met crystal mid-air, shockwaves splitting the stone below. Atsuki roared, shards exploding outward, but Raiden darted through them — a blur of gold and black — and struck him clean in the chest, sending him flying into a cliff face.
Before Atsuki could even hit the ground, Raiden was already there, knee slamming into his gut, fist hammering his temple. Atsuki's world exploded into white, his vision swimming.
"Too slow."
Atsuki spat blood, swung upward wildly, forcing Raiden back with a burst of crystal. But Raiden simply sidestepped, robe flaring, eyes glowing brighter now. He was everywhere at once — on his left, then behind, then above, hammering down with a thunderous kick that split the ground beneath Atsuki.
"You can't fight like this in front of the others," Raiden muttered.
He raised his wand to the sky — and the storm answered.
A blinding bolt struck them both, and they vanished.
When Atsuki opened his eyes again, they were standing somewhere new.
A barren plateau of jagged black stone stretched to the horizon. The wind howled through sharp cliffs, and above them the storm churned, heavy and alive.
No more onlookers. No more hesitation.
"Here," Raiden said, stepping onto a rise. "Now you can stop holding back."
Atsuki lunged.
And Raiden met him head-on.
They collided in a flurry of crystal and lightning. Atsuki's claws lashed out in wide arcs, tearing through stone, but Raiden weaved between them, striking back faster than Atsuki could even see. His body was like a flash of gold cutting through the dark.
Every punch felt like a thunderclap in his bones. Every dodge left his crystals splintering and crumbling under Raiden's sheer precision. Even Atsuki's breath burned hotter, heavier, but his eyes never wavered.
"Still sloppy," Raiden said, catching another crystal blade mid-swing and snapping it in half with his bare hands.
Atsuki howled, lunged again, and this time the air itself warped from the force of his movement. He struck downward with both fists, sending a shockwave of jagged pillars jutting up around Raiden. The man didn't flinch — he vanished in a streak of gold, appearing behind Atsuki and driving an elbow into his spine.
The boy staggered, choking, but spun with surprising speed and slammed a crystal spike upward. Raiden parried it easily — but this time he had to lean his weight into the block.
Raiden's golden eyes glinted.
"You're adapting faster than I thought."
Atsuki said nothing — but his crystals darkened further, glowing faintly red at the cracks now. His wild swings became tighter, faster. Raiden moved to strike his ribs — but Atsuki twisted at the last second and buried his claws into Raiden's shoulder, drawing a hiss and a spray of sparks.
The first blow landed.
"Good," Raiden murmured, eyes narrowing. "Don't stop now."
And he retaliated with a savage headbutt, knocking Atsuki back, then followed with a barrage of strikes — palm, fist, knee, elbow — each one a crack of thunder in the air. Atsuki was driven to his knees, coughing blood onto the black stone.
"Faster." Crack! "Stronger." Crack! "Smarter." Crack!
Raiden's strikes rained down like judgment, yet somehow, somehow, Atsuki kept standing.
His crystals grew darker still.
Charred.
The glow faded into a dull ember-red, like something ancient trying to wake. Even Raiden paused when he saw it, brows furrowing faintly as his dragon recoiled in confusion.
"What the hell…?"
Atsuki staggered, coughing blood, his knees trembling — and then he smiled.
That smile.
That impossible smile.
Raiden's golden eyes narrowed.
The boy's cracked lips parted.
And one word escaped.
"Senmetsu."