The air stood still.
Kouji stared, his breath caught.
A thin drop of blood dripped from the person's fingertip where the bullet had formed seconds ago.
His brown hair moved gently in the wind and his violet eyes were calm, reflecting the sunlight.
The man with the scar on his throat.
"You…" Kouji breathed.
The man didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on Idoku.
Idoku tilted his head, his plague mask gleaming. "Oh?"
"I already sensed you, though I thought you wouldn't intervene."
"What's your name?"
The man hesitated for a moment, almost thinking.
"Meichi," he simply answered.
Meichi didn't flinch at Idoku's sight.
He made a small jump off the stone and simply stepped forward, each step deliberate.
Kouji blinked – and then noticed.
Thin threads of blood came out from under Meichi's sleeves, shimmering in the sun.
Idoku shot forward swinging blade.
Meichi dodged to the side – and pulled a thread of blood at Idoku's ankle.
Idoku staggered, but could barely dodge.
Kouji noticed the change in Idoku's balance and Meichi kicked Idoku in the guts
"The next technique is inspired by one of my former students," Meichi said.
A whip of blood lashed across Idoku's side, cutting through the fabric and cutting into the flesh before dissolving.
Idoku spun his sword. Acid splashed and burned through the cobblestones—
But Meichi had already disappeared, slipping through the gaps in Idoku's field of view.
Kouji watched in shock.
Meichi was reading every blow from Idoku and blocked before it fully formed.
The blood changed seamless between solid and liquid.
Meichi is toying with him.
Idoku lunged high.
Meichi dropped low and reached into the air.
The blood that dripped from his hand, gathered in his palm and formed a dagger.
Idoku growled. "Enough, time to—"
Then—
Idoku staggered, "What?"
"It seems to take effect now," Meichi said.
"It's slower than I thought."
Idoku steps to the right and left as his vision blurs.
Meichi explains, "I injected my blood into yours step by step, now your immune system is trying to fight against my blood and this causes fever like symptoms"
"I can go further so retreat. You lost."
"Shit," Idoku said and then dissipated into smoke.
He was gone.
The street fell silent again.
Kouji dropped to his knees, every muscle trembling.
"I…" His voice cracked. "I trained so hard. And it didn't matter. I couldn't—"
"It's fine," Meichi said simply, as the blood on the floor was flowing back to his palm and healed his wound.
Kouji looked up.
"Some enemies can't be killed with normal methods. Some will always counter you completely. This one wasn't about strength."
"Me too, I don't have the power to kill him, if this would have gone on, his body would have adapted to my blood and I would have lost."
He turned, hands sliding into his pockets. "I was wandering what took you so long. So I searched." He glanced over his shoulder. "Guess that was the right call."
Kouji eyes began to shine, the view reminded him of someone else.
He swallowed, "Who exactly are you?"
Meichi's tone didn't change. "Let's get back to training."
Far away in a quiet office room.
Ryo leaned over his desk, papers scattered across its surface.
His gaze wandered over old diagrams, charts, and notes—his own scribbles besides Akechi's neat handwriting.
He stared at the corner of the page.
Ryo sat back, touching his missing arm's shoulder.
"What are you muttering for?" Kagami asked.
"The old smith can extract aura and put it into other things." he sighed.
"I feel like I'm onto something, but I can't tell yet."
"Kagami, what would you do if your future husband contracted a devil?"
"I'd break up with him." She said with a side eye.
Ryo smirked and leaned back in his chair.
"But if it was to protect something important, I think it would be okay," she added.
A short silence.
Ryo finally opened his mouth again.
He stood up abruptly.
"Enough thinking."
"Time to move."
Rain clouds gathered overhead as Ryo crossed a nearby town.
"About to rain?"
The air split.
A crack of thunder.
Something landed in front of him, kicking up dust.
Ryo's coat fluttered in the sudden wind.
"I'm Kenryo," he said, eyes bright as lightning. "And who are you?"
Ryo raised a brow. "Ryo."
"Good for me," Kenryo smirked faintly. "Shinji wants you gone."
Lightning cracked behind him, almost theatrically.
And then, one lighting came down, right where Ryo stood.
Ryo stepped to the side, leaving Kenryo in shock.
"Why so shocked," Ryo asked, "Didn't Shinji tell you that I'm exceptionally good with my Aura."
"Then I'll just freeze you to death, so you can't dodge," Kenryo shouted.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "So you can control weather. Impressive."
"Keep talking big, until I decreased the temperature to -100 degrees."
Ryo's eyes widened.
The air dropped to minus 10 degrees. The wind howled. Ice needles formed from nothing.
Ryo stood still. The hail flew against the aura coating his skin.
Kenryo scowled—and the temperature decreased again.
A blizzard came up, swirling shards of ice the size of knives at Ryo.
"This is bad," Ryo said.
He stepped once, cutting through the storm like it wasn't there—
—and slammed his fist into Kenryo's ribs.
Kenryo hit the ground hard and the storm disappeared.
Ryo exhaled, brushing frost from his sleeve. "This would have been dangerous for the people who live here."
Kenryo groaned, half-conscious.
"You decreased the temperature," Ryo continued, calm. "But as I said, I'm really good at controlling my aura, I can just filter the temperature before it reaches me."
Aura surged over his skin, wrapping him head to toe.
Ryo took him onto his shoulder like a bag and carried him back.
Hours later, Kenryo was locked away, and Ryo stood alone on the quiet balcony outside the holding cells.
He was looking at the aura emitting from his missing arm and formed a hand out of the aura.
"If it just would be that easy."
The sunset painted orange lines across his face, painting his left otherwise mint green eye in yellow.
He turned around and leaned with his back against the railing, resting his elbows.
"I guess I have to try it."
He stepped back toward the dim halls of the Association.