Kaein's POV
I blinked, the whisper cutting through the downpour . My muscles tensed, every sense screaming. That voice… it wasn't just teasing. It was a challenge. The second Hanami wasn't panicking. She was daring me.
"Focus," I muttered under my breath, my heart hammering. "Two real targets. One distraction, one bait. Don't get greedy."
Shion leaned in, eyes narrowing. "Kaein… she's circling us again. "
I followed her gaze. The second Hanami's movements were fluid, almost predatory, skimming the edge of our trap line without committing. Every step calculated to draw us apart. My gut twisted if she lured one of us too far, Takechi's trap would fail, and Daichi's rear line would be exposed.
I pivoted, signaling Shion. "Mirror me. Don't engage fully. Keep her moving toward the center."
Takechi growled, frustrated. "I don't like this. She's teasing us. I want to hit her now!"
"Control it," I snapped. "If you rush, she splits again. We need the pattern, not blind strikes!"
The first Hanami, cornered near the mud pit, crouched low. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she pivoted, spinning just enough to dodge Shion's controlled swing. The illusions around her flickered, useless now, collapsing like mist in the rain.
I lunged forward, careful, guiding her now with precise movements, forcing her into Takechi's line. She stumbled slightly, just a fraction, and my pulse spiked. That was all we needed.
"Now, Takechi! Front line!" I shouted.
Takechi roared and barreled forward, catching her momentum. She twisted, but the net of coordinated attacks held. Shion flanked, pushing the real one toward the mud pit's edge, while Daichi sealed the rear.
The first Hanami's grin faltered just for a fraction and I pressed the advantage, pushing her closer to the trap. Mud clung to her boots, slowing her just enough.
But before I could step in for the finishing maneuver, a blur from the side slammed into me. The second Hanami, silent, swift, cutting straight toward my flank. My sword barely caught the edge of her movement. I twisted, countering, and the rain sprayed in all directions.
"Split attacks!" I barked. "Shion, flank the second! Takechi, secure the first! Daichi, rear control, don't let either escape!"
The squad shifted like a living net, stretching, snapping, closing. Both Hanamis moved in perfect opposition, one a shadow of the other, baiting, feinting, exploiting any tiny gap.
I could feel my muscles screaming, strategy clashing against raw chaos. Every micro-movement mattered. Every twitch of mud, hair, blink could betray the real ones. And yet… they were too good. Too fast. Too coordinated.
The first Hanami surged toward Takechi, spinning her body like a blade through water, but he sidestepped, twisting her momentum into a stumble. I caught her fall with a gloved hand, preventing her from slipping free.
The second Hanami leapt toward Shion with a speed that made my stomach drop. Shion pivoted, barely blocking the strike, mud flying as her blade deflected the blow with a ringing clang.
"Watch your timing!" I yelled, moving toward the second, eyes tracking her micro-slips. She was good but not perfect. There was always a tell. Always a rhythm we could break.
I feinted left, then swung right, forcing her to pivot. Mud slid beneath her boots, and I caught that slight hesitation the split-second she shifted her weight unevenly.
"Now, Shion! Push her toward me!"
She pivoted, blades flashing, driving the second Hanami into the open. I met her there, mud squishing beneath my boots, and locked eyes.
Her grin, wide and unnerving, faltered for the briefest instant. Enough. I lunged.
And that's when I heard it the laugh, soft, chilling, from both sides, almost merging into one. Two real ones, mocking us in tandem waiting for a single misstep.
My gut twisted. This fight… this fight wasn't about skill anymore. It was a test. And if we failed, we wouldn't just lose the battle we'd be swallowed by it.
I tightened my grip, breathing steady despite the storm. I could do this. We had to.
"Move!" I shouted. We pressed the net tighter. Mud splashed under our boots, slipping, sliding, but controlled. Takechi lunged, pushing the first Hanami's momentum into the trap we had set. She flailed, claws scraping mud, but couldn't escape. I advanced, cutting across her trajectory, forcing her into a choke point.
She hissed, a sharp, piercing sound, but the moment she stumbled, I struck. My blade met her side with a wet, precise hit. She shrieked, body dissolving into a shadowy mist. One down. I barely exhaled before my eyes snapped to the second Hanami.
She was already circling, fluid and predatory, testing our coordination. The second Hanami was smarter than the first predicting our moves, almost taunting us with each step. Shion whispered urgently, "She's baiting us. She wants to divide us."
I nodded.
I stepped in, ready to deliver the final blow. Blades met in unison. She shrieked, a sound of fury and disbelief, and her body started to dissolve, shadows peeling away in the rain. For a heartbeat, I allowed myself to think it was over.
But then a blur at the edge of my vision. The rain, the mud, I froze. She had moved again, slipping past the corner we had sealed, almost like she had predicted the exact moment we relaxed.
"She's gone…" Shion whispered, voice tight.
I cursed. "Impossible. She was cornered!"
Daichi's calm veneer cracked slightly. "Not all traps hold do they?. She's smarter than we imagined. One misstep from us, one fraction of distraction… and she's free, fuck no!."
Takechi slammed his fist into the mud. "Damn it!"
Then the news came, carried by breathless townsfolk who had witnessed the fleeing shadow: the second Hanami had escaped, and in her flight, she had kidnapped one of the town's most beloved young men the boy everyone said about as the prettiest in town. Well she took more people with her, but this boy was prettier than the rest so they mostly talked about him.
My stomach twisted. His fate now lay in the hands of a demon who had toyed with us from start to finish, who had tested every strategy, every coordination, and had laughed in our faces as we adapted, improvised, and finally cornered her almost.
Shion's hands shook slightly as she cleaned her blade in the mud. "He… they might not survive if we don't move fast. We were close. Too close."
Takechi's boots squelched as he pivoted, scanning the distance where she had disappeared. "Next time, we'll cut off every escape route. No mercy and no mistakes."
Daichi's voice, steady despite the tension, reminded us all of the stakes. "We've won the battle, but not the war. She's still out there, and now she has leverage. Our response has to be perfect like today's strikes, but sharper."
The first Ha
nami was gone. The second had escaped. And now the town's people had been taken.