Kiro: "Time for real training."
He exhales inside the tank. The bubbles scatter. The metal armor on his arm creaks.
"Now who to choose?"
A pause in the void.
"Okay. The General first. He's a good spar."
The world shifts.
He's back in the army base headquarters. Gray walls. Fluorescent lights that buzz too loud. The smell of old blood and newer lies.
And there he is.
The General.
Standing in the center of the room. Arms loose. Eyes already watching.
Kiro doesn't wait.
He charges at full speed.
Punch.
The General dodges barely and counters.
Punch back.
Kiro ducks in time. Feels the wind rip past his ear.
Kiro's thoughts:
"Almost got me."
He resets. Circles left.
"But I need a way past that prediction. It's impossible."
The General doesn't move. Doesn't blink. He already knows where Kiro will be. Always knows.
Then Kiro feels it.
A click in his chest. A flicker in his cube.
"I got it."
He focuses.
Hand stretched out. Looks deep within himself. Past the muscle. Past the stamina. Past the fear.
Somewhere in the real world
The healing tank shudders.
Electricity dances across the water.
Zzzz.
Veyra's head turns. Aurora stops walking.
But neither of them interrupt.
Back in Kiro's mind
His arm ignites.
Not fire.
Lightning.
Yellow. Bright. Hungry.
He points at the General.
Beam of lightning.
It tears through the air. Through the General's chest. Through the wall behind him.
The General falls face-first.
Kiro: "Okay. That surprised him."
He lowers his arm. The lightning fades. His muscles burn.
"But this guy's endurance is off the charts. I've got to try to get a counter."
The General is not done.
He pushes himself up. Dust falls from his uniform. His eyes find Kiro again.
General: "Time for overdrive."
His muscles bulge.
Veins rise. Skin stretches. His eyes turn red not angry, not bleeding, just... wrong. Like something else is looking through them now.
Kiro: "Okay. I think I've got it."
He remembers the Pastor. The way light bent around him. The way every attack was redirected, not blocked.
"Use the Pastor's move. Deflect."
Lightning generates on Kiro's arm again.
But this time it doesn't shoot.
It coats him.
He dashes.
Fake punch.
The General goes for the counter.
Deflect.
Kiro's arm pushes the General's fist sideways.
Another punch.
Another deflect.
The General stumbles. Off balance. For the first time.
Kiro forms a ball with his hands.
Lightning compresses. Cracks. Screams.
He throws it while the General's guard is down.
Bang.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
The General flies backward.
Slams into the wall. Cracks it. Slides down.
Not dead. But done.
Kiro: "Okay. That's done."
His breathing is heavy. Even in the mental world, he feels the drain.
"Next is the Pastor."
He looks up at the void ceiling.
"Hope I can do this."
Kiro summons the Pastor.
The void twists. The church materializes around him.
Same white stone. Same stained glass. Same wrongness in the air.
And there he stands.
The Pastor.
Hands clasped. Eyes calm. Smile like a blade wrapped in silk.
The fight begins.
Blind speed.
The Pastor moves not fast, not slow, just between the moments. Every bolt of lightning that Kiro throws?
Dodged.
Like nothing.
Like the lightning was never there.
And the ones that get close?
Deflected.
Casually. Almost bored.
Kiro's thoughts:
"Wait"
He stumbles back. Creates space.
"He's faster. He should be taking me down right now. Why isn't he?"
The Pastor doesn't advance.
He just... waits.
Deflects only.
Never strikes back.
Kiro: "He's waiting for an opening."
His jaw tightens.
"Come on, think. Kiro won't be able to go this long in the real deal. The real thing is stronger than this simulation."
The Pastor tilts his head. Still smiling.
Then Kiro sees it.
A flicker. A breath. A moment.
One second of break.
The Pastor's guard drops. Just for an instant.
Kiro dashes.
Uppercut with a light punch
Hammer punch mixed with a one-inch punch
Kick
The blows land. One after another. Fast. Dirty. Perfect.
The Pastor flies backward.
Kiro grabs him.
Mid-air. Before he can recover.
Arms locked. Chest to chest.
Kiro: "Thunder bolt."
Lightning erupts.
Not from his hand. Not from his arm.
From his entire body.
The Pastor's whole frame shudders. Muscles lock. Eyes go wide. The smile cracks.
Then he falls.
Smoking. Twitching. Down.
Kiro: "Phew."
He lands. Steps back. Watches the Pastor's body fade into the void.
"That should do it."
But he doesn't smile.
Because he knows.
"Next is all three together."
He looks at the empty church. The empty void. The weight of what's coming.
"That's going to be a tough fight."
BACK TO RAIJI'S MIND
Raiji stands in the void. The knight watches him. His father watches him. The wind watches everything.
Raiji: "This is getting boring."
He rolls his shoulder. Feels the phantom weight of Baneblade even though it's not here. Even though it's broken in the real world.
"I need other wind styles. I need to end him fast."
He raises his training sword.
Raiji: "Okay. Sword. Take my wind."
The Elemental Slayer.
It absorbs his wind.
Not steals it. Not redirects it. Drinks it. Like the blade was thirsty and Raiji just unlocked a well.
Raiji: "Nice."
He shifts stance.
Raiji: "Now, Baneblade... you do the same."
Even in the simulation even broken the idea of Baneblade answers.
Wind wraps around the blade.
Not visible. Not loud. Just... present. The kind of quiet that comes before a scream.
Raiji: "Now. One hundred."
He doesn't say Paladin. Doesn't need to.
The knight is the Paladin now. The armor shifts. The stance changes. The threat multiplies.
Raiji dashes.
Straight down the middle.
No feint. No hesitation. Just intent.
First knight
Cut in half.
Second knight
Cut in half.
Both turn to shadow. Fade into the void like smoke through fingers.
Then the third.
Raiji uses Elemental Slayer.
Huge wind slice.
Not a line. A wall. The kind of cut that doesn't ask permission.
Two more.
Hugenado. Twin cyclones of compressed air.
The third knight blocks
And then
His father cuts him from behind.
Raiji blocks.
Gets pushed back.
His feet carve trenches. His arms shake. His father's blade sings against his own.
Raiji: "This is my ult now."
He jumps.
High. Higher than the void should allow.
Huge wind slice comes down from above
And Baneblade
Smaller slice.
Wind Diamond.
Wind window.
The cuts cross. Intersect. Become a cage of compressed air.
Hits most of them.
The knights dissolve. The father stumbles. The void cracks.
BACK TO REAL WORLD
The healing tank by Raiji's bed
Shatters.
Wind explodes outward. Glass flies. Water floods the floor.
Aurora gets pushed back. Slams into the wall. Gauntlet flickering. Hair a mess.
Aurora: "Wow"
She coughs. Wipes water from her eyes.
"You broke the healing chamber."
Raiji sits up. Dripping. Barely healed. But awake.
Aurora: "Someone is going to be mad."