Once the moon rose above Yamikuro and Urashin, they sat on the porch of the cabin. Urashin had heated up soup for the two of them that they ate in silence, with occasional singing of grasshoppers.
It was a weird contrast to the ruthless training, but that was Urashin's way of pushing Yamikuro past his limits, considering who his opponent was going to be.
Yamikuro had spent the day doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and carrying heavy weights around. It wasn't anything special, which is why Yamikuro was confused about how he was supposed to take on Urashin.
Comparing Yamikuro from a few days ago to now, the difference was beyond noticeable. Not only was he more powerful, but he also felt himself adapt to the current situation mentally.
After this mission, there was no going back. Taking down a world leader was surely going to change history going forward, especially for someone like Lucian.
It was almost like all Yamikuro thought of was Lucian; every push-up he did, the image of him flashed before Yamikuro's eyes. The same went for every other step of the training of these seemingly endless stairs.
Yamikuro knew a lot about Lucian, yet he knew nothing about the other members in his gang, as they called it. And those were the people Yamikuro's friends were going to go up against. There was some doubt within Yamikuro about whether some of them could match Lucian's strength.
But he had no choice but to rely on his friends and believe that they, too, would train to overcome their opponents, because Yamikuro had to be the one to fight Lucian. There was no other way.
Kishin, Seikodo, Naiko, Shintai, and Kensei-all of these seemed a lot at first, but Yamikuro had already gotten a fair understanding of each of them. Though his skills were far behind Urashin's, he wanted to exceed not just him, but everyone that came his way.
The truth was that Yamikuro hated relying on the Darkness, and now he had powers to use on his own. Well, apart from Kensei, which he assumed was because he wasn't actually a Resonant.
Kensei, or in other words, the power that reflected one's heart, was exclusive to Resonants, along with Gods, whom Urashin didn't seem to know much about, unlike Yamikuro.
Graceless could also use Seikodo and Naiko, but not to the extent of Resonants; they were rather known to be far superior in Shintai, the physical capabilities.
Yamikuro had finished his soup, completely losing sight of the current reality before his eyes. His mind had reflected his state, rather than trying to pay attention to the present.
Urashin also drank the last bit of the broth at the bottom of his bowl. He wiped his beard clean and stood up, looking in the distance, almost like he admired the faint glow of the beetles dancing around the tall grass.
"You should get some rest, tomorrow will be even harder, unless you let your body prepare for the training," Urashin said as he turned towards the wooden door.
"Yeah..." Yamikuro responded with a tired voice, while his arms were aching.
So, he too stood up, taking one last glance at the sight before them, as he stepped inside.
The following day came fast, and Yamikuro found himself standing in the pit with Urashin once again.
He did some push-ups, squats, and sit-ups, but today was different. Not because he got better, his body still ached, but because Urashin added a new Shintai move to his training.
"In order to utilize your Shintai to leave behind an after-image, your body must move faster than physics allows it to."
"Move faster than... what?" Yamikuro repeated.
"It's an advanced level of Shintai, one that is required to match the speed of Lucian. Which is why I'll also include running in your training."
"Seriously...?" Yamikuro seemed distraught. He thought what he already had was too much, but now he had to also run?
But nonetheless, Yamikuro listened and ran ten kilometers.
Very quickly, those days turned into a week of consistent training. Yamikuro had gotten stronger and more capable of utilizing Shintai.
A week wasn't much to add to his physical appearance, but that didn't matter to Yamikuro when he started to keep up with Urashin's speed.
Urashin's afterimage disappeared from Yamikuro's vision, and instead, his eyes followed the Urashin that moved at top speed.
But Urashin still landed an attack, kicking Yamikuro to the ground. That cycle had repeated for an entire week, with him improving, but still failing as if he had accomplished nothing.
Anything he did, he put everything into it, so maybe that's why Yamikuro stood up. Yamikuro's arms shook as he pushed himself up from the dirt again. His body felt like it had been ripped apart and stitched back together, only for Urashin to knock him down once more. He spat blood to the side, forcing his legs under him.
"Get up," Urashin said calmly. Not cruel, not mocking. Just calm. That calmness burned worse than any insult.
Yamikuro staggered forward, fists clenched so hard that blood dripped from his palms. His vision blurred. Each time he tried to read Urashin's movements, he was already too late.
A kick to the ribs, a strike to the jaw, a sweep that sent him crashing back to the ground.
'Why… why can't I touch him?'
The words repeated in his skull. Each failure coiled tighter around his chest until it felt like he couldn't breathe. Urashin's voice echoed again.
"Weak."
Another strike.
"Useless."
Another blow.
"Incapable."
Urashin stood still, his cloak slightly waving in the wind that blew on it. He wanted to see Yamikuro go past his limits, and he was getting exactly that.
For a week of failure, the time of Lucian's battle was getting closer than ever before, and Yamikuro had to prove himself wrong.
His eyes were covered by a shadow as he stood tall. Before Urashin knew it, Yamikuro lunged at him, his speed faster than it had ever been.
Urashin had to block Yamikuro with his widened eyes, as his feet slid backwards from the impact.
"I'll kill you," Yamikuro muttered to Urashin.
No, that wasn't Yamikuro. He lifted his head, and his lips twisted into a grin that didn't belong to him; his pupils shrank to pinpoints. Purple lines spread across his arms like veins of poison, and a thick mist coiled out of his skin, swallowing the air around them.
The Darkness had erupted within Yamikuro as an instinct. Perhaps Yamikuro had gotten weak and allowed the Darkness to gain control.
"Not now…" Urashin's eyes narrowed.
Urashin stepped back, his heart pounding. His hand twitched toward the dagger at his hip. He didn't want to use it, not here, and definitely not against Yamikuro. But if he hesitated any longer, the boy was going to be consumed completely.
So he swung, cutting Yamikuro.
The wound healed almost immediately, and Yamikuro laughed. The hollow voice echoed in the wide pit.
"Urashin Kari... I'll devour you alive," Yamikuro, infused with the Darkness, said before lunging once again.
Urashin took out both of his daggers, dodging Yamikuro's attack. Despite losing control of himself, he wasn't using any of his powers and relied on just Shintai.
'Damn it, this could be bad.'
With each dodge, Urashin swung one of his daggers, cutting Yamikuro in different parts. But every attack was healed immediately.
As the battle went on, Yamikuro seemed to lose himself more and more. It reached a point where Yamikuro threw his hand before him, and beneath Urashin, shadowy purple hands tried to grab him.
'I see.' Urashin said to himself as he jumped backwards.
'So I'm forced to use that.'
Yamikuro, who resembled the Darkness more now than himself, stood completely still, waiting for Urashin to make a move.
Urashin spread out his arms from beneath his cloak.
The surrounding area around Yamikuro glowed with golden colors, and golden pillars burst out of the ground. They were aimed at Yamikuro, in hopes of suppressing him.
They wrapped around Yamikuro's arms, legs, and torso, forcing him completely still.
That was the first time Urashin used his Kensei around Yamikuro, but he was left with no choice. The situation had escalated in unexpected ways.
For a moment, Yamikuro froze inside the cage of golden pillars. His head tilted, his grin fading into something almost human. His chest rose and fell with sharp, panicked breaths.
Crack!
The golden pillars of Urashin started cracking, as a purple aura surrounded Yamikuro.
Urashin froze, his finger even twitched with the sight before him. Someone was strong enough to break through his power.
Yamikuro moved his arms, and the pillars shattered, and without a second later, Yamikuro lunged once again.
Urashin almost failed to react, and things would've gone south had Yamikuro not stopped.
They shared a brief eye contact, Yamikuro's eyes completely hollow. His hand was placed on his chest.
Without second thought, Yamikuro's own hand cut through his heart.
"Yamikuro!" Urashin yelled, trying to pick his body up.
But Yamikuro collapsed, his body hitting the ground heavier than any of Urashin's kicks ever had.