«Innatus... and what kind of vampire magic is that?» Hakuto asks Chantal.
His voice sounds confused.
«You're Shin's son, and you don't even know what an Innatus is...? You're really ignorant...» Chantal sighs. She's clearly disappointed. «As the name suggests, it's an innate ability unique to vampires. Only a small number of us have it. Since vampires are magical beings, their DNA not only controls physical and mental traits like in humans, but also shapes our magical energy. That means every vampire has magical traits different from the others.»
«I don't need a lesson in vampire biology, I already know that!» Hakuto interrupts her.
«Not if you don't know what an Innatus is!» Chantal snaps back. «Anyway... when a vampire's DNA takes a particular form, it creates an Innatus. A unique and exclusive ability for that vampire. I explained it in the simplest way possible. Even an idiot like you should understand it!»
«In these last six years, you've become even more of a bitch than I remembered. Getting into HESPARC Academy at just twelve made you completely unbearable!»
«If you had gone to the academy too, you wouldn't be this weak!» Chantal snaps.
«You know perfectly well I couldn't! Because of the rift between my father and HESPARC!» Hakuto fires back.
«Yeah, yeah...» Chantal cuts him off.
Her eyes stay fixed on the fight between Shin and Itsu.
Even with all that heavy armor, Itsu moves much faster now. So fast that even Chantal struggles to keep up.
«So, old Tendo, what do you think?!» Itsu shouts. His voice is full of confidence, and his face shows it too.
His fists come down fast and heavy, striking from all directions at once. Sharp bone spikes grow from his knuckles, glowing with the same dense orange energy. He uses them like brutal brass knuckles.
«Really not bad, young man. Really not bad!» Shin comments.
Once again, he stays on the defensive, as if still analyzing Itsu's power. He blocks the rain of punches with his white fire sword, but this time it's harder.
The Sacred Flame burns brighter around him now. It's clear Shin is finally starting to take things seriously.
With extraordinary reflexes, Shin spots a flaw in Itsu's movements.
He seizes that split second to slash at his torso, but the blade strikes the skeletal armor.
It chips the surface but doesn't destroy it.
Itsu's punch shoots straight at his face.
Shin barely has time to cross his arms in front of it.
The white flames stop the spikes from piercing him, but the force of the blow hurls him back violently. Still, Shin lands on his feet after a backward flip in midair.
«How is it possible that Itsu is fighting on equal terms with Shin...?» Chantal murmurs. She looks visibly shaken, her eyes wide with disbelief. The words barely leave her lips. It's not just shock—it's fear.
She realizes one thing: if Itsu had fought her the way he's fighting Shin now, he almost certainly would have defeated her.
Hakuto feels the same fear, maybe even stronger. If Itsu had really wanted to kidnap Rika and Yuzu that night... there's no way he could have stopped him.
The same thought strikes both Hakuto and Chantal at once: I absolutely have to become stronger!
Meanwhile, the fight doesn't slow down for even a second. It remains perfectly balanced.
From Itsu's palm, a rain of sharp bone projectiles shoots at Shin, but he cuts them down with a powerful slash of his sword.
But that wasn't the real attack.
In the instant the flaming blade crossed in front of Shin's eyes, blocking his view—
Itsu made his move. A sudden, frontal strike.
Only Shin's incredible reflexes save him.
Itsu had formed a huge sharp bone spike in his fist, aimed straight at Shin's chest.
Shin blocks it with the flat of his blade, but the impact still sends him flying back.
He tries again to do a backflip and land on his feet, but Itsu doesn't give him the chance. He's already on him before Shin can even reach the ground.
Hakuto and Chantal grow more uneasy with every passing second. They can't accept it. The thought that someone stronger than Shin Tendo might exist... it terrifies them.
Rika and Yuzu, meanwhile, stopped following the fight a while ago. They can't even see the fighters anymore. Itsu and Shin are just too fast.
A punch to the stomach sends Shin crashing to the ground. Once again, the white flame protects him from the spikes. Just before hitting the ground, he touches it with one hand, pushes off, and launches himself into the air toward Itsu. His kick slams into Itsu's chest.
The skeletal armor creaks but doesn't break.
Still, Itsu is thrown far back. They both land at the same time.
For the first time since the battle began, everything falls silent. The two stand about thirty meters apart.
What was once a neat garden now looks like it barely survived an air raid.
Itsu is exhausted, his breathing heavy and labored. The Innatus has drained his energy fast.
Shin, instead, looks fresh, only a few drops of sweat sliding down his forehead.
Then, in front of everyone's stunned eyes, Shin starts stretching his arms and legs, like an athlete warming up before a match.
«I'd say I'm warmed up enough. What do you say we get serious now?» Shin says with a satisfied smile. He's clearly enjoying this.
The Sacred Flame burns far brighter around him than before.
Itsu lets out a tired laugh.
«You're really incredible, old Tendo...» he admits, his voice worn out.
«I'll admit it. You're really strong too. You're still young, and with proper training, you could surpass me someday.»
Hakuto and Chantal breathe a sigh of relief.
Itsu's skeletal armor shatters, and the orange energy around him vanishes. But it's not from exhaustion or surrender.
It's Shin.
Now, he and Itsu are back-to-back.
Shin moved so fast not even Itsu noticed. With a single slash, he broke the armor and got behind him.
The Sacred Flame finally fades.
The fight is over.