Chapter 31— Lightning's End
Tetsuya was ruthless. Lightning danced along the edge of his massive axe as he pressed the attack, every blow carrying the power of a storm.
Tetsuya: "Too slow…"
He lunged, spinning the axe in a deadly arc aimed squarely at Jin Yuan's chest. Jin Yuan barely rolled aside — the blade nicked his side, drawing a thin cut that stung with cold metal.
Tetsuya: "How weak… Maybe I'll kill you fast, and then you can rest."
He dove back into the assault. Each clash sent shockwaves through the Blue Realm; buildings cracked and folded like paper under their fury. Sparks rained, metal screamed, and the mist glowed with electric light.
Jin Yuan saw an opening and drove his blade forward. Tetsuya blocked with practiced ease; the impact shattered the katana's edge. Jin Yuan's breath hitched as the weapon's blade split, a chunk flying off into the blue haze.
(Jin Yuan — thinking): I can't win like this. I need a clear opening — something more than strength.
Tetsuya grinned and struck again, relentless. Jin Yuan parried, staggered, forced back. The fight was bleeding him dry — each movement costing more than the last.
Then something unexpected happened. As Jin Yuan's katana met the center of Tetsuya's axe, a red shockwave pulsed through the clash — an energy that wasn't Tetsuya's lightning. It flowed into Jin Yuan's body, warm and electric. The taste of metal changed to something almost sweet.
(Jin Yuan — thinking): What is this…? My wounds… they feel lighter. Healing?
The red energy knit his flesh, eased the pain in his ribs, sealed a bleeding cut. Strength returned in small, precise measures. For the first time since the battle began, Jin Yuan felt the balance tilt.
Tetsuya, too, registered the change. A faint scar of surprise crossed his face; a cut on his arm glowed and began to mend.
Tetsuya (teasing, breathless): "Seems I helped you… silent one."
He launched forward again, but Jin Yuan moved differently now — not faster by reflex alone, but seeing the rhythm. Time bent at the edges: attacks slowed, openings sharpened into clear lines. Jin Yuan's focus cut through the din.
(Jin Yuan — thinking): I can see his motions in slow motion…
He tested it — small feints, tiny shifts of weight, the ghost of an incoming strike. The red energy hummed in his veins as he combined this new perception with the remaining heft of his katana. Every swing sent shockwaves that cracked nearby facades; the moon watched pale and cold above them.
Tetsuya: "You got faster!"
But Jin Yuan didn't answer. He stepped through a gap in Tetsuya's guard and vanished behind him like a shadow. A red filament of lightning coursed along his blade as he drove the broken edge into Tetsuya's back — straight between the shoulder blades, center chest.
Jin Yuan: "Maybe I should thank you… for giving me this."
Tetsuya's face flickered — not with pain alone but with something like recognition. Memories flashed across the Blue Knight's features: a lonely boy, avoided by parents, offered a place by a man in black who promised a world without betrayal.
Tetsuya (gasping): "No… I don't want to die. I wanted to keep hurting humans… I wanted—"
His words slowed, his breath shallowed. The lightning in his axe sputtered and dimmed. The storm that had followed him so long stilled into a soft rain.
He sagged on his knees, the Blue Realm's neon light tracing the lines of his face. Jin Yuan watched for a moment — unreadable, calm — then turned and began to walk away.
From the wreckage, Tetsuya managed a last, ragged whisper: "…maybe… maybe I'll find peace." Then his body went still.
Jin Yuan left without ceremony. Behind him, the realm hummed and the ruins settled into silence. Another knight had fallen. Another piece of the plan had been cracked.