Kaito turned towards Dalton, slipping both sheaths into his obi with a silent, practiced motion.
Walking back toward Dalton now—his expression unreadable—he drew both swords out chipped here and there but majestic.
With quiet finality, he spoke:
"This might take a little longer."
Kaito lunged towards Dalton.
Each step thundered against the wooden floor as he closed in.
Dalton.
He simply raised one hand, fingers crossing.
"Paa."
Kaito's blades came crashing down—
Clang!
They struck Dalton's shoulders.
Nothing.
Not a flinch. Not a scratch.
From the sidelines, a few monks exchanged glances.
"Here we go again…" one muttered.
Dalton just stood there, arms loose, shoulders relaxed.
Unmoving. Unbothered.
Kaito charged onto him again.
Dalton, he stepped slightly aside, letting Kaito rush past him—
And pivoting his body on his left foot, brought his right foot crashing into Kaito's back.
THUD.
Kaito stumbled forward, coughing.
He spun around, raising his blades again, breath ragged, and dashed in once more.
This time, a furious barrage.
Steel flashing, left–right–down–up. In every way possible.
Every move was sharp and practiced.
And still—
Dalton tanked it all.
The monks in the sidelines whispered.
"It's no use, those attacks… they'll be only used against him."
And then—Dalton moved.
Right hand up again.
Fingers crossed.
"Guu."
He vanished forward.
Kaito's eyes widened—
WHAM!
A brutal punch slammed into his right side—ribs cracking, a line of blood spraying out.
Before Kaito could react, Dalton's other hand came up, driving straight into his gut—
Another slash tore through.
Kaito's body lifted off the ground.
Dalton didn't stop there.
He twisted, raised his right leg, and kicked Kaito mid-air—
The blow landed directly in his abdomen, another slash tearing across him.
BOOM.
Kaito was sent flying across the chamber—
His body hit the wooden floor hard, tumbling back in a painful roll.
He barely got a breath a he got up, but—
Dalton was already there.
Another punch. Then another. Each one carrying the weight of a stored blade.
Kaito stumbled back, blocking, dodging just enough to stay conscious.
And then—
A single kick.
Kaito drove his leg forward with everything he had—
Right into Dalton's gut.
Dalton grunted. His body lifted and flew—crashing backward across the chamber.
Silence fell for half a second.
One monk whispered, half in disbelief:
"The kick, It… landed?"
Kaito staggered back, chest heaving.
Blood soaked through his robes, dripping from the fresh gash across his gut.
Across the chamber, Dalton raised his left hand—
Fingers crossed.
"Choki."
Dozens of clones burst out from his body like echoes made flesh, rushing toward Kaito.
Some landed their attacks and disintegrated into paper blossoms, with their purpose served.
Others were cleaved down mid-charge, erupting into the same delicate swirl of petals.
In seconds, Kaito was surrounded—
A storm of white and red blossoms swirling around him, blinding his vision.
Then—
"Guu."
A whisper inside the petals.
And from the storm, like a ghost slipping through mist, Dalton emerged—
Fist cocked back, eyes locked onto Kaito's gut.
Kaito reacted instantly—blades raised in defense, the Twin Flow Blades aligned in parallel to shield his midsection.
CRACK—!
The punch struck.
Steel screamed.
The impact shattered through his guard, chipping both blades deeper and slashing across Kaito's stomach.
He coughed blood, barely keeping his feet.
These slashes… they're mine.
Stored ones. No doubt about it.
Dalton wound up for another strike.
Kaito, groaning, kicked off Dalton's leg and launched himself backward, skidding across the floor.
They're weaker now. Much weaker.
If he hadn't used most of them on Urashima… I'd have been cleaved in two.
But Kaito didn't wait.
He lunged again.
Dalton raised his right hand—fingers crossing once more.
"Paa."
The next barrage by kaito was tanked. Again.
Kaito backed off, frustrated.
Then Dalton extended his left arm low and to the side.
"Choki."
More clones spilled out, charging toward Kaito.
This time, none landed a hit.
Kaito cut through them all, his eyes unblinking, his body slicing through the chaos like a storm.
From the sidelines, Soen muttered, "If he makes it fast enough…"
Kagen whispered, "He can land a strike."
And he did.
Kaito exploded forward, his body a blur.
Even Dalton's expression broke.
His eyes widened—surprised by the sheer speed.
The Twin Flow Blades came down in a twin arc, aimed right at Dalton's neck—
But when they landed—
Thud.
Nothing.
The monks watching from the sidelines were stunned.
"It… didn't land," one of them breathed in disbelief.
"He didn't switch in between," muttered another.
"Damn it… which one is it?" a third hissed. "Paa or Choki?"
Dalton didn't hesitate.
He stepped in, his fist crashing into Kaito's face, snapping his head back.
More clones followed—
Slamming into him, overwhelming him.
Kaito grunted, pushing them off, kicking back against the tide.
Then—
He let out a scream.
A defiant cry.
He locked the deeply chipped parts of his twin blades together, like pieces of puzzle, teeth gritted, legs braced.
Soen and Kagen looked at this site and wondered what is he even upto.
Clones lunged. He pushed them off of him, some of them even managed to land a few slashes.
He kept defending and grunted hard, while applying pressure on the blades.
Then–
CRACK.
A sound echoed through the chamber—Kaito snapped the blades.
Silence.
Soen and Kagen were stunned.
"He… snapped them?" Soen gasped.
Kagen's jaw was on the floor.
Kaito stood now with two short swords—barely half the original length.
His body bloodied.
His breath ragged.
But his eyes—
Sharp. Wild.
Like a predator who hadn't hunted in a while.