"They don't call me Rhino for nothing, you moron. I've earned that title through my own strength."
Rhino turned toward the massive steel safe and twisted its handle.
A deep rumble shook the castle.
The walls shifted, and the floor beneath them began separating into enormous stone sections. Hidden mechanisms groaned as the entire chamber transformed, revealing a colossal battlefield concealed beneath the main castle.
Rhino glanced around the newly revealed arena before clenching his fists.
"Don't look so surprised, Pascal. I knew you'd come here eventually. Did you really think I'd face a rat like you without preparing for it?"
A slow clap echoed across the battlefield.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
A calm voice came from behind him.
"I didn't expect you to see through my disguise so quickly. And this battlefield... I couldn't have asked for a better place to bury you."
Rhino spun around.
Pascal stood several meters away, walking toward him with a smug smile.
Behind Rhino, the body he had smashed into the stone floor began to flicker. Its form gradually broke apart before crumbling into dust.
Rhino's grin vanished.
"A decoy?"
"Surprised?" Pascal chuckled. "You didn't seriously think I'd bring my real body into your territory without a backup plan, did you? Only an idiot would walk into an enemy's den without preparing for the worst."
He stopped, his smile widening.
"Looks like you're the fool here, Rhino."
Rhino stared at him for a moment before letting out a low laugh.
"You bastards never disappoint. Fortunately, neither do I."
He roared and charged forward, summoning a gigantic hammer from his Renshi.
The weapon materialized in his grip just as he reached Pascal.
Pascal tilted his head, examining the enormous figure rushing toward him.
"A Special Darkside Knight who can't even use Switch Mode, huh? Pathetic. You're nothing more than a bulky Shinra who relies on his muscles."
He vanished.
Switch Mode.
Pascal reappeared behind Rhino, swinging his longsword toward the back of his neck.
Rhino reacted instantly. He twisted around and brought his hammer crashing toward the attacker.
CLANG!
The weapons collided, sending sparks scattering across the battlefield.
The impact forced Pascal backward several steps. His sword trembled in his grip, but his expression remained composed.
"What ridiculous strength."
Rhino gave him no time to recover. He stepped forward and swung again, forcing Pascal to activate Switch Mode and escape the hammer's path.
Pascal reappeared to Rhino's left and slashed toward his ribs.
Rhino turned, allowing the blade to scrape across his cape before swinging his hammer sideways.
Pascal disappeared just before the weapon struck him.
The battle continued at a furious pace.
Rhino's hammer repeatedly crashed against the ground, sending cracks spreading through the stone. Pascal moved around him with Switch Mode, appearing and disappearing as he searched for an opening.
Each time Pascal attacked, Rhino turned to meet him. His enormous reach and overwhelming strength made it difficult for the faster fighter to approach without risking a direct hit.
Then, without warning, Pascal stopped moving.
His expression grew serious.
"Kaizen Kumano..."
His body vanished.
A moment later, he reappeared several meters away.
Then another Pascal appeared beside him.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of identical figures surrounded Rhino. Every copy carried a longsword and wore the same mocking smile.
Rhino's eyes widened.
"What the hell is this?"
Pascal's voice came from every direction.
"This is the Art of Mojito, a technique you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."
The copies spread across the battlefield, carefully maintaining their distance.
"I've mastered the East, West, and North signs. The South sign is still incomplete, but that's more than enough to deal with someone like you. The name Kaizen Kumano is just for show-off anyway."
Rhino tightened his grip on his hammer.
"Another bloodline technique?"
"You're nothing special, Special Darkside Knight," the Pascals replied in unison. "I expected more from you. Perhaps you're just a brainless tank after all."
Rhino's expression twisted with anger.
"Shut your mouths... all of you."
He slammed his hammer into the ground and brought his hands together.
A powerful surge of Renshi erupted from his body.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as his muscles expanded and his body grew larger. Layers of hardened Renshi formed over his chest, arms, legs, and head, gradually covering him in thick, metallic armor.
Within moments, Rhino had transformed into a towering juggernaut.
He picked up his hammer and rested it against his shoulder.
"Every great bloodline begins somewhere," he growled. "And mine begins with crushing pests like you."
The Pascals burst into laughter.
"Still relying on brute force?"
"That's your entire strategy, isn't it?"
"Hit harder, get bigger, swing that hammer. How boring,this was the reason I was sent to deal with you in the first place,always interfering in other people's business."
Rhino's eye twitched.
"Keep talking. I'll make sure none of you leave this place."
He hurled his hammer into the air.
Before the weapon could begin falling, Rhino leaped after it and delivered a powerful kick.
The hammer shot toward one of the copies.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the clone, which dissolved into a cloud of Renshi particles.
The hammer continued past it before curving back toward Rhino.
He landed heavily, extended one arm, and caught the returning weapon.
The remaining Pascals immediately launched their attack.
They rushed him from different directions, aiming their swords at his joints, neck, and the exposed areas between his armor plates.
Rhino planted his feet and swung his hammer in a wide arc.
Several copies vanished beneath the force of the blow, but two others slipped past the weapon and struck at his sides.
Their swords scraped against his armor.
One blade nearly found a narrow opening near his shoulder, cutting into the hardened Renshi covering it.
Rhino grunted and drove his elbow backward, forcing the attacker away.
Before he could follow up, another Pascal appeared behind him.
Rhino turned and raised his hammer just in time to block the incoming sword.
CLANG!
Sparks flew from the collision.
He shoved forward, using his superior strength to force the attacker back before bringing his hammer down.
The clone disappeared just before the weapon connected.
"Tch. Annoying little pests."
Rhino scanned the battlefield, trying to distinguish the real Pascal from his copies.
But they continued moving, switching positions and attacking whenever he committed to a strike.
Every time he destroyed one, another appeared to take its place.
Gradually, Rhino was being forced to defend himself from every direction.
Then...
SWOOSH!
A longsword descended from above, aimed directly at his head.
Rhino raised his hammer, but the blade struck his helmet before he could bring the weapon into position.
CLANG!
The sword bounced off his hardened Renshi armor without leaving a scratch.
The real Pascal landed several meters away, his longsword still in hand.
The remaining copies disappeared.
He clicked his tongue.
"So your armor really is that tough."
Rhino grinned beneath his helmet.
"Disappointed? Or impressed?"
He charged forward, swinging his hammer toward Pascal's chest.
Pascal activated Switch Mode and vanished just before the blow landed.
He reappeared behind Rhino and slashed toward his back.
Rhino twisted around and swung his hammer, forcing Pascal to disappear again.
The two continued exchanging attacks across the battlefield.
Rhino's strikes carried enough force to shatter the stone beneath his feet, while Pascal relied on his speed and precise movements to avoid being caught.
However, Rhino's armor continued protecting him from most of Pascal's attacks. The longer the battle lasted, the clearer it became that speed alone wouldn't be enough to bring him down.
"Rhino!"
Pascal reappeared at a distance, lowering his sword slightly.
"This has dragged on long enough."
His expression turned cold.
"Anyone who witnesses my true bloodline technique never lives long enough to speak of it."
Rhino tightened his grip on his hammer.
"Big words for someone who hasn't managed to put a scratch on me."
Pascal smirked.
"Then let's see how long that armor lasts."
He activated Switch Mode and vanished.
A split second later, he reappeared in midair, directly above Rhino.
But he didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he disappeared again.
Switch Mode.
He reappeared behind Rhino, his longsword poised to strike at the gap between the armor plates covering his neck and shoulder.
Rhino reacted on instinct.
He twisted around and hurled his massive hammer toward Pascal's chest.
The weapon tore through the air with terrifying force.
Pascal's eyes widened.
He had expected Rhino to turn and defend himself, not launch a counterattack at such close range.
He tried to activate Switch Mode again.
But the hammer was already upon him.
CRACK!
The weapon struck Pascal squarely in the chest.
His body bent around the impact before he was launched backward across the battlefield.
He crashed into the stone floor and skidded several meters, leaving a trail of broken rock behind him.
The battlefield fell silent.
Rhino stood with his arm extended, watching Pascal's motionless body.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
"That's what happens when you underestimate me."
As the dust began to settle, Rhino's expression hardened...