"Hmph! You really are different from other humans," Tohka hissed. "But that won't save you."
Kaito didn't wait any longer. His hand shifted Yamato slightly to the side, his index finger moving quickly in a barely visible pattern.
"Judgement Cut."
Instantly, a shimmering blue light shot out.
Zzzzztttt!
One, two, three… up to six energy slashes shot out in quick succession, so fast it seemed as if the air itself was being torn apart. Tohka briefly swung her sword in defense, but the speed and precision of Kaito's attacks were too much.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Tohka's spirit dress was slashed, pieces of fabric flying through the air. Thin but deep cuts appeared on her arms, shoulders, and waist. Fresh blood dripped, contrasting with the dark purple glow of her inversion aura.
"Aaarrgghhh!!" Tohka screamed, anger and pain mingling. She glared at Kaito with hatred.
From a distance, Shido, who was watching everything, couldn't contain himself. "Tohka!!!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
He tried to run towards Tohka, his face pale and cold sweat pouring down his temples. The stab wound he had just suffered from Ellen hadn't fully healed, but his anxiety made him forget the pain in his body.
However, before he could go any further, Miku quickly grabbed his arm from behind.
"Shido! Don't!" Miku cried in a panicked voice.
"But... Tohka! She's injured! I have to—" Shido struggled, his eyes glued to Tohka's now bleeding body.
Miku shook her head, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound firm. "If you approach now, you'll only die! Don't you feel that aura? Ordinary humans can't stand in the middle of their fight. Even spirits can be destroyed if they're careless!"
Shido fell silent, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. He looked back at the battlefield with a look of despair.
On the other hand, Tohka wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. Her dark eyes stared straight at Kaito. The wounds on her body only made her inversion aura wilder, like an uncontrollable purple flame.
"Noir Blade…" she muttered in a low, hateful tone. "You will pay for this wound with your life!"
Kaito stood still, the Yamato in his hand still dripping with blue energy sparks. Not a word escaped his lips, only a cold gaze from behind the mask that seemed to imply that this fight had only just begun.
A roar of energy exploded from Tohka's body, its vibrations making the air tremble like a storm born in the middle of the night. A dark purple light enveloped her, the inversion aura growing thicker as the rage boiled in his chest. The wounds inflicted by Kaito's Judgment Cut only made his anger overcome his reason even more.
"Tohka…" Shido whispered softly from his hiding place, his voice barely audible amidst the din of the clashing energies. "Please… don't lose."
Tohka stared straight at the Noir Blade, her eyes filled with burning hatred. Her breath was ragged, but her grip on her sword tightened. "I won't stop… until you're destroyed, human!"
With a loud shout, she charged forward. Her angelic slash ripped through the air, creating a wave of purple energy that swept away everything in its path.
Kaito lifted Yamato with one hand and, with a calm movement, coated it with his armament haki. The blade now glowed a bluish-black glow, every strand of energy around it trembling, as if afraid to be touched by its power.
The clash happened again.
BAAAMMM!
Sparks of purple and blue light dazzled the room, while the fragile floor shattered in two. Tohka pressed on, each swing filled with brutal power capable of destroying anything. But Kaito… he was different. Every move was precise, measured, and cold. Every slash Yamato struck a weak spot, every block draining more energy from his opponent.
The fight was intense. Seconds passed, until minutes turned into minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes.
In that time, Tohka screamed, slashed, struck, and forced her body to keep moving despite the new wounds that appeared. Her breathing grew heavier, her shoulders heaving uncontrollably. Sweat mixed with blood dripped down her body, but her dark eyes still burned with rage.
Kaito, on the other hand, though his breathing was slightly labored, remained calm. His movements showed no signs of fatigue. The power of the haki that coated Yamato made each of his attacks even more deadly.
Finally, Tohka jumped back, stabbing her sword into the floor to support her barely standing body. "Haaah… haaah… not… finished…!" she gasped, her stubborn voice still audible even as her body threatened to collapse.
Shido, watching this, panicked even more. "Tohka, stop! You're already seriously injured!" he shouted, nearly leaping from his hiding place if Miku hadn't forcefully held his shoulder.
"Shido!" Miku snapped. "Do you want to die?! Look at her… Noir Blade doesn't even look tired yet!"
Shido remained silent, but his heart broke at the sight of Tohka covered in wounds.
Kaito stared at Tohka, who was still struggling to stand. He lifted Yamato slowly, then sheathed it back with a smooth motion. A click was heard as the sword fully retracted into its sheath.
"That's enough," he said coldly.
Tohka snorted, "Not… finished…"
Kaito lowered his head slightly, his voice sharp like a knife stabbing to the heart. "You're too stubborn. So, let me end it."
His hand touched Yamato's hilt. The air around him suddenly shifted, as if the entire world were holding its breath. Blue light began to glow from the scabbard, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Judgement Cut End."
Instantly, the space around Kaito split. Hundreds of rifts of blue light appeared in the air, like the world being torn apart by an invisible blade. In an instant, slash after slash shot out simultaneously, sweeping towards Tohka, who had not had time to move.
Kaito stood still, staring at her expressionlessly. He sheathed Yamato completely, and another click sounded, quiet yet meaningful.
Zzzzzraaaassshhhhhh!
The space shattered like glass around Tohka from all directions. Her spirit dress was torn to shreds, new wounds appeared, and her screams echoed through the crumbling building.
"Tohka!!!" Shido screamed, his eyes wide with terror.
Tohka's body was thrown back, then hit the floor with a loud crash. The inversion aura that had previously enveloped her slowly extinguished, like a fire running out of fuel. The dark purple light faded, replaced by a soft, now dim glow.
Her long hair, once filled with inversion aura, returned to normal. Her eyes were tightly closed, her body slumped weakly. Tohka had returned to her original form, no longer inversion… and unconscious.
Silence enveloped the room. The only sounds were Shido's heavy, almost gasping breaths, and the slight sound of the crumbling building.
Shido stared at Tohka's sprawled body, his eyes moist. "Tohka…"
Miku looked down, wringing her hands. Although she wasn't the closest to Tohka, seeing that terrifying power made her shudder. "That person… she's a monster…" she muttered softly.