The shards formed a perfect X around Kaya, each line rotating in opposite directions. They stayed locked to her body, moving as she moved, spinning so fast the air around her hissed.
Tetsu adjusted his glasses. "This is bad."
Sora flicked an ear. "Why?"
"Because you can't just charge her. That vortex moves with her — and stepping in means stepping into the stream. It'll tear him apart before he gets close."
Kazuo circled, trying to find an angle. The X-shape shifted with her footwork, cutting off every approach. He waited for the smallest opening — and in that heartbeat, a shard broke from the pattern, snapping straight toward him.
He dodged the first. The second. But the third caught him across the side. The impact flared white in his vision, followed by a chain of explosions as more shards struck home. Dust and heat tore against his face, his jacket ripped open, and pain burst across his ribs and shoulder. The cuts burned like fire, raw air stinging the open skin. His sword clattered away, skidding across the runes.
Through the haze, Kaya's silhouette advanced, the X spinning around her like a living wall.
Before the dust fully cleared, he hurled a massive spinning disc of water.
Her eyes narrowed. "Again? Tch—"
She stepped into a sidelong dodge, the shuriken hissing past — but Kazuo was already behind her, boots slamming down for balance. His elbow drove hard into her back, the impact solid enough to force a stumble.
The vortex reacted instantly. Shards whipped outward, scoring fresh, burning cuts across his side as he disengaged. He grit his teeth and backed off, chest heaving.
Kaya straightened slowly, head turning just enough to glance over her shoulder at him. The movement was precise, deliberate.
She didn't speak — but the weight in her gaze said enough.
Kazuo kept circling, sword angled low, eyes locked on the shifting pattern of the shards. "Seriously — what's your problem with me?"
Her gauntlets flexed, the vortex of stone tightening around her body. "You really wanna know?"
"You so badly want to be someone important," she said, voice sharp and rising. "The one hero. The one who changes the system. The one they'll talk about when it's all over."
Kazuo's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"That's who you are, isn't it? Acting like you belong here — with those eyes. Like you've earned this."
"I don't care about the system. Or anything like that," he said flatly.
She blinked, just for an instant, her rhythm faltering.
"I do have empathy for the lower class, yes," he went on, stepping around the ring edge. "But this is not my battle. I'm not here to prove anything, or to change the system. I simply don't care."
The words landed like a hammer, selfish and unpolished.
"I'm here because I'm forced to be here," he added.
Her gauntleted hands tightened.
"But what about you?" Kazuo pressed. "Why are you here?"
For a moment, her eyes hardened — then, in her mind, her father's voice rose again, low and cutting: You disappoint me. Failure is not an option.
Her jaw set. "To defeat you," she said, every syllable heavy. "And restore my pride, my honor… and my family name."
Kazuo frowned. "Restore? What does that have to do with me?"
Kaya's breathing sharpened, the rhythm of her vortex losing its perfect X-pattern. Shards still spun around her, but slower now.
She spread her hands toward the floor, voice steady:"Stone Magic — Pillar Break!"
The arena shuddered, faint cracks spidering out from her boots. Kazuo tensed, weight shifting, eyes on the runes beneath his feet — here it comes.
But the ground didn't erupt.
Instead, the tremor cut off, and the vortex around her snapped tighter. Hidden between the larger stones were razor-thin shards, flickering like glass.
"—Wait—"
They shot out in a crossfire, scoring deep across his ribs, shoulder, and forearm before he could fully react. Without his sword, he twisted away, forearms taking the brunt. Each impact burned through fabric, drawing fresh blood.
The last shards skimmed past, and the glow of her Arcane spell bled away completely.
Kazuo straightened slowly through the dust, bleeding, jacket in tatters — but still on his feet.
Kaya's breath hitched. Crap… I'm exhausted.
She adjusted her stance, lowering her guard and exposing her vitals — chest, neck, and stomach all unguarded.
From what I've heard… he can't kill.
Kazuo's eyes narrowed, reading the bait instantly.
His chest rose and fell in ragged bursts, each breath scraping against bruised ribs. Blood trickled from a fresh gash along his side, soaking into the torn fabric of his jacket. His arms ached from blocking without a blade, every muscle screaming at him to stop.
Still, his gaze locked on hers.
"You know… at first, I didn't understand why you dodged the big shuriken when everything else didn't work."
He winced slightly, shifting his stance to keep weight off his injured leg.
"But now I get it."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"It's because of the compressed water pressure, right?"
She said nothing.
Kazuo snapped his hand forward, fingers straight like a blade. "Water Magic: Riptide Cutter."
A needle-thin beam of compressed water ripped from his palm. It cut a clean line through the arena floor and grazed her side. Blood bloomed instantly.
Kaya's eyes widened, her body flinching with an instinctive half-step back. Her hand went to the wound, pressing hard.
"Don't assume just because I won't kill you… that I can't cut you."
At the Captains Gallery
Jin leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "That's… dangerous. For a standard spell?"
Setsuna's mouth curved faintly. "So he really did master it that fast."
Idris's gaze sharpened. "Interesting."
At the Squad Stands
Sora's tail twitched. "So he did have a new spell. This is insane — he really wasn't bluffing."
Tetsu adjusted his glasses, thought flashing sharp and quick: Library trips well spent… what a beast.
"But why wait until now? This could've ended the match."
Aoi, still watching the ring, spoke without turning. "Because it wasn't the right time. He used the big water shuriken twice — merged into one — to see why she dodged it. Now he knows. He waited until her Arcane faded, so the shards couldn't shred him before he got close."
Tetsu's eyes narrowed. "…So the whole fight—"
"A gamble," Aoi finished. "He didn't know if her Arcane would fade in time. But if it did… this was the only shot."
Back in the Ring
Kazuo's chest heaved, sweat mixing with the blood streaking his side.
"You talked about pride and honor," he said, voice low but carrying across the arena. "But you know… there's a thin line between ignorance and pride."
His eyes hardened.
"And I think you crossed it."
He stepped forward, water swirling at his fingertips.
"Now it's my turn."