Ren hit the ground hard.
Pain spread through his back as his breath slipped out of him. Mei landed a few steps away, steady on her feet—but her eyes burned when they turned toward him.
"Stay down," she snapped.
"You're in the way."
That hurt more than the fall.
Before Ren could answer, the air twisted.
Water surged.
The Soul Eater moved first.
Mei raised her blade and stepped forward, her grip tightening.
"Water Whirlpool."
The ground beneath the Soul Eater flooded instantly. Water spun at terrifying speed, forming a violent spiral. Mei drove her sword straight into its center—the whirlpool collapsing inward, compressing the force into a single, devastating thrust.
The attack screamed forward.
But the Soul Eater reacted.
Its body rippled, and dozens of razor-thin water needles burst outward, colliding with the whirlpool's flow. The spiral shattered mid-air, exploding into mist and scattered streams.
The Soul Eater didn't stop.
A thin disc of water formed at its side—flat, spinning, screaming through the air.
Water Disc.
It flew like a boomerang, slicing through stone as if it were paper.
Mei slammed her foot down.
"Water Barrier."
A curved wall of water rose in front of her just in time. The disc struck it and screeched violently, sparks of pressure rippling across the surface before the attack dissolved.
Mei exhaled once.
Then she vanished.
Water burst beneath her feet as she ran—circling the Soul Eater at impossible speed. Streams followed her path, tightening into a glowing ring.
The ring closed.
Pressure crushed inward, slamming into the Soul Eater's body from every direction. Its movements slowed, its form distorting as cracks spread through the water surrounding it.
Mei didn't wait.
She turned back toward Ren.
"Get up," she said sharply, gripping his shoulder. "Now."
Ren's eyes snapped open.
Before he could speak—
The Soul Eater screamed.
A massive sphere of water rose above it—dense, vibrating, terrifying. The sphere compressed rapidly, shrinking into a concentrated pressure stream.
A weapon meant to pierce mountains.
It fired.
Straight at Mei.
She crossed her arms and thrust them forward.
"Layered Water Barrier."
Two massive barriers formed—one in front, one behind—while water spun violently between them. The pressure stream struck the first layer, slowed, twisted, and was shredded by the rotating current before it could break through the second.
The impact shook the ground.
Mei staggered but stayed standing.
Ren stood beside her now, fists clenched.
The Soul Eater laughed.
Its body pulsed.
Suddenly—water needles erupted from every inch of its form, firing outward like a storm.
Mei reacted instantly.
But this time—
She was too slow.
The needles struck.
Her body slammed into the ground as blood mixed with water.
"MEI!"
Ren screamed.
The battlefield fell silent.
And something inside Ren finally cracked.Mei lay motionless.
Water slowly seeped into the cracks of the ground, carrying streaks of red with it.
"MEI!"
Ren's voice tore through the battlefield.
The Soul Eater straightened, its form stabilizing as the water around it calmed. Its gaze shifted—away from Mei… and locked onto Ren.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then—
crackle.
A sharp sound cut through the silence.
Ren's breath caught.
Behind him, deep within the trees lining the mountain path, flames ignited.
Not scattered sparks.
Not accidental fire.
Entire sections of the forest began to burn at once—unnatural, controlled, deliberate. The fire crept across the wood like it was being called.
Heat rushed over Ren's back.
The Soul Eater tilted its head.
"…So it finally noticed you."
Ren slowly clenched his fists.
The fire reflected in his eyes.
And the mountain answered.