The night sky was overcast, a mix of moonlight and starlight piercing through gaps in the clouds and spilling onto the giant crimson sphere floating ominously above the field. A thin crack marred its surface, like fractured glass.
The crack spread rapidly, branching outward until the entire sphere was webbed in jagged fractures.
Tsushiro gritted his teeth as the three watched the reality-defying sight in stunned silence, caught between fear and awe.
Then the sphere shattered like cheap glass.
Amid the falling shards of glowing blood, a silhouette emerged.
Long hair cascaded down to his lower back. The upper half of his robe was gone, replaced by sleek black fur growing from his back and spreading along the sides of his chest—leaving the center bare, save for a closed slash wound running across it.
The black fur flowed across his arms, leaving only his hands partially bare. He had long black claws that reflected the moonlight ever so slightly."
A large, wavy tail swayed behind him, ending in a massive silver ring—the same ring Asahi had worn on his upper arm moments earlier.
His predatory eyes glowed an ominous yellow as they locked onto Tsushiro below.
The falling shards of blood suddenly froze midair, freed from gravity. One by one, they broke apart and reconstructed themselves into several hovering crimson spheres.
"Behold, Tsushiro," he said, looking down upon him. "This is my djinn metamorphosis."
"I should thank you," he continued, his calm voice carrying through the silent night wind. "Driven into a corner, you forced me to take a risk—and thanks to you, I have attained a new level of strength."
"You took quite the gamble," Tsushiro scoffed. "We both know what would've happened if you had failed."
"Yes, I am well aware that failure would have meant death," Asahi replied evenly. "But it is precisely because I took that risk that I have now evolved."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And yet, in this state, I wonder—have I truly evolved, or have I regressed?" he mused. "My appearance may be more primal, but my senses are sharper than ever. My control over source energy is almost as natural as breathing. My mind is clear, processing information faster than it ever has before."
He tilted his head, a faint grin forming.
"So I ask myself—have I regressed, or evolved… or are both true in their own way?"
"So tell me, Tsushiro—how do you perceive me now?"
Tsushiro stepped forward, his sword clenched tightly in both hands. A single spark flared to life, quickly blossoming into a roaring flame that enshrouded his blade.
In one fluid motion, he slashed upward toward the sky, releasing a blazing arc of fire.
The attack completely missed Asahi, tearing past him and surging into the clouds above.
A heartbeat later, the clouds were torn apart—followed by a thunderous blast that stripped the sky bare, revealing a field of stars and a crescent moon shining valiantly overhead.
Tsushiro looked up, his expression cold and unwavering.
"Well," he said evenly, "to me, all dead men look the same."
"Is that so?" Asahi replied, moonlight glinting off his glossy black fur.
Asahi slowly descended from the sky, his features gleaming with each measured movement, long hair flowing freely in the wind.
The moment his foot touched the ground, a large septa-circle flared to life beneath him.
A pattern of solid light stretched across the ground. At its center lay an illustration of a crescent moon and star, encircled by an eight-pointed star and twin rings etched with strange symbols.
From its center erupted a mass of black sand, twisting and writhing as it shaped itself into chains.
As the chains coiled and rose around him, Asahi turned his gaze toward Tsushiro.
He uttered a single phrase.
"Tower Series, Number Eleven: Chaining Defiance."
The chains lunged toward him—
—and with a casual motion of his hands, he shattered them instantly.
The broken grains of black sand halted midair, liberated from gravity. Then the particles began to move again, reforming into chains that surrounded him from every direction.
Asahi watched calmly, making no move until they were close enough.
Then he motioned his right arm downward, blood droplets emerging from the fur before coalescing into tiny spheres.
They erupted in rapid succession, back to back, like a chain reaction, disintegrating the black chains completely.
As the flames from the blast died down, Asahi instinctively turned to his left, his eyes leaving a trail of yellow as he pivoted.
And, sure enough, there was a flaming sword raging in his clutches.
He swung the sword at Asahi—only for it to be parried by claws that were now harder than steel.
Tsushiro remained unfazed by this and instead poured more strength into his next slash, forcing Asahi backward.
Asahi struck back—and so did Tsushiro—as a clash of metal and claw erupted.
They moved at blinding speeds, incomprehensible to the three spectators standing helplessly on the sidelines.
In the wake of all this chaos, there was nothing they could do but be swallowed whole.
As the clash continued, several crimson spheres swarmed toward Tsushiro at a higher velocity than before. Despite the danger, he pressed on, closing the distance on Asahi as best he could.
Asahi's eyes narrowed. Tsushiro was trying to stay out of the spheres' explosive range by pushing into the zone of safety.
With precision, Asahi struck, using the momentum of his counterattack to create some space between them. Then, he sent the spheres flying—detonating in rapid succession as they neared Tsushiro.
Yet Tsushiro didn't falter. He tore through the blazing inferno, determination etched across his face.
He would not fall to this enemy—not today, not ever.
Finally closing the distance, he swung his flaming sword toward Asahi's neck, aiming to decapitate. But at the last moment, a thick blood clot formed along Asahi's neck, blocking the blow.
Tsushiro didn't back down. Planting his feet firmly, he pressed on, forcing his sword against the searing barrier of blood and flame.
Asahi struck again, landing a hit to Tsushiro's gut and driving him backward. Blood spewed from his mouth, but his eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
Raising his raging sword high, he summoned every ounce of strength for one final strike.
With his gaze locked, his voice tore through the chaos like thunder:
"Taksho Tenyin!"