Karyū asks.
So... You're cursed?
Never seen something like that before...
As he swings with his blade pointing at Z.
But deal is a deal.
You win the fight you win the temple.
Well... It's not exactly a fight.
Z watches him talking, calm and slow like time doesn't matter, Z realized what he said.
Fight? What do you mean?
Karyū swings his blade
You have to survive 10 swings by my Ryūka, if we fought it would be not fair for you actually...
So I decided this.
Survive 10, you pass.
Z feels humiliated but he accepts.
He already saw how strong the first flame user Kagutsuchi, there would be almost no difference between him and the other 24.
Z gets ready and changes his form to fight mode.
Bring it in.
Karyū's blade fires with red-orange looking heat.
He counts down from 5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Swings
The first swing is so powerful and super fast almost seen.
But Z dodges it easily with a smurk drawn on his face.
Really? Is that what you got?
But before Z finishes his sentence the other swing follows.
Slower this time.
Z dodges again but he felt something is off.
Gravity is fighting him too.
The enketsu coming out of Karyū's body starts showing slowly.
The first swing Z didn't feel it at all but the second was stronger.
Z realized that the more enketsu he uses, the more pressure he gets, the more harder to dodge.
Z focused on flexibility leaving his speed on a corner so he could focus...
But Karyū lowered his enketsu and swings the third swing.
Seconds later and Z's fingers went flying.
Z have to fight with both flexibility and speed and endurance instead of just one thing, making pressure in his own mind and body instead of the fight itself.
Then suddenly... The sword comes out of Z's stomach.
Lifting him off the ground.
Z feels the pain. The heat. The power.
He slightly touches the blade trying to get out of his stomach but Karyū throws him away like a bug was sticked on the blade.
He didn't survive the serious one, he doesn't deserve this power.
Throw him away or kill him I don't care.
Karyū kicks Z's head.
A curse like you doesn't have place in this world.
Giving another hit on his shoulders.
Z screams loud.
Sharp pain, suffocating, another hit and he would die instantly.
But Karyū lifts him up by his hair gripping hard.
Look at this failure, killed his mother.
You're still carrying her blood on your hands, aren't you? That's why they smell like rot.
and not only that but also cursed.
Suddenly a strong punch with hate and anger hits Z's head destroying his face and humiliating him.
Blood running down through his mouth and eyes.
Z's vision is pure blood.
Everything is dark-red, pain, and blood.
As he almost gave up, another punch crosses his chest aiming at the heart.
Karyū takes out his heart.
Look at this little thing...
Failure...
As he pops the heart into pieces and Z... Dies...?
Suddenly Z wakes up, Karyū counting down.
5...
4...
Z is still broken from what just happened.
It was kurayami...
The curse deactivate and now Z have to fight again the first swing.
He realizes two things.
He gotta rely on everything instead of just one.
And he have to dodge the fourth swing that came behind him crossing his stomach.
Z's face is dead serious.
Bring it in.
But in very cold and calm voice.
Karyū swings.
Z dodges.
This time Z didn't talk, he kept the silence and fought with dead-focus.
The second swings comes in.
He feels the enketsu again like a heavy weight suddenly shifted on top of him.
But Z dodges again, barely...
As the third swings comes in another blade suddenly shows behind Z.
At this moment he realized that this is a technique like the telportaion but with the sword.
Z dodges both of the swords but with a cost...
He loses his fingers but less than last time, he lost 3 fingers.
Karyū is impressed...
He never thought he could actually dodge the third and fourth swing together.
And most importantly, he dodged it like he knew it was coming.
Karyū felt something... Weird.
Z dodged two strong swing with the Enketsu pressure, but yet he survived with less loss than expected.
Karyū reveals his other twin sword.
The twin Ryūka blades on both of his hands.
Nice job... Actually... Im impressed.
I never thought you would actually survive the fourth swing.
Z watches him speaking.
He doesn't move neither speaks.
Waiting for the next swing so he could survive it with less pain.
A slight smile drawn on Karyū's face.
Okay okay~
Shall we get serious?
Throwing one blade away while holding the other tight.
Karyū speaks again with a smurg on his face.
I'll make it fair and do it with one sword.
This one is my favorite anyways~
He counts down again from 5.
4.
3.
2...
1...
Karyū swings.
This one was so strong, powerful, and full of heat.
The sword changes fire color from red-orange to pure white.
The second level of heat from the four levels.
Z tried to dodge but the blade hits the ground hard making a slight earthquake.
Z can't belive.
If this one hit him he would've instantly died.
Karyū gets ready for the next swing.
But... His Enketsu doubles making more pressure on Z's shoulders enough to make him kneel.
Karyū swings his sixth swing, while Z is still kneeling trying to move away.
The blade hits the ground again missing Z.
No...
Z used his Hibari-Ten just in time changing his position to dodge the deadly swing.
Karyū's face keeps changing from impressive to smirk everytime this kid do something unbelievable.
Without any hesitation Karyū swings the seventh swing with more aggression and a wide smile on his face.
Z had no time to dodge as the blade is just few inches away from hitting Z.
Suddenly the swing is blocked.
Again Z blocks with the twin blade but he was holding the sharp part.
His hands starts bleeding and he buries into the ground just slightly.
And Karyū can't do anything but grins even wider.
Z didn't only survive the third and fourth swing...
But he also survived the sixth and seventh swing that was absolutely death if he didn't react in time.
Karyū forgets that he's supposed to swing the eighth swing and tries to fight Z with a 1v1 blades...
But Kagutsuchi stops the fight with just one finger holding Karyū's blade.
Enough.
We've seen enough.
You can rest now... Karyū.
Karyū steps back and pulls down his blade.
I guess you won...
He turns around heading back to the other flame users to watch what will Kagutsuchi gonna do.
Kagutsuchi claps for Z congrats him for his win.
Now choose...
A move that would flip the whole battle in just one sentence...
Or the legendary sword you're holding.
Z stands there still wondering which one would be helpful, but he doesn't know both of them fully yet so he asks.
What does the move look like, and why this sword?
Kagutsuchi makes a chair made of flames and sits on it.
First : you will learn a move where you can use it, it's not easy to use and hard to recover after using it, you have to use your Enketsu your core power with some type of tasks that's hard to do.
Second : The blade you're holding is one of the rarest blades in the world.
There's only eight of them for each power.
And if you're wondering why is there two of them here...
He points at Karyū's blade calling it and grips the blade Z's holding.
He mix them together and became one shape long blade.
This is one blade not two, you can't split them like I do but later you'll learn it...
You can change the fire color using this blade, from level one red color to level three blue color.
Level 1 can be from 0 to 1300°C
Level 2 can be from 1300°C to 1600°C
Level 3 can be up to 1600°C to 2000°C maximum.
But level 4...
Not even I know the fourth level.
Maybe you'll figure it out... son.
So now...
Which one are you choosing?
Z thinks deeply knowing that this is war changer.
A move where he could dominate but loses alot of Reiritsu.
Or a blade where he can control it heats but need alot of experience.
After very deep thinking Z decides to take the blade.
Kagutsuchi nods and gives him the blade between his hands.
Now I can approve... You're the new flame user for this new generation.
Z takes the blade holding it like he won a trophy but everyone around him is disappointed.
A cursed child just took a legendary blade, how awful.
Z hesitates and wonder.
I he actually deserve it or not.
But Kagutsuchi taps his shoulders.
Don't worry... Son... You'll make it till the end.
As Z looks at him in the eyes full of hope.
He nods while slight tears on his eyes.
Yes... I'll try..
Minutes later he leaves the gates with lost fingers and bleeding hands.
Liona waiting him outside excited to know what he chose.
As he shows the blade and cheers.
I made it! I... Finished the...
He suddenly falls on the ground.
After the exhaustion and Reiritsu he wasted in there he needs to rest for the next 12hours so he could leave the temple and get to the real world finally...
Scenes changes.
Hayato shows up, walking straight after he passes next to corpse of body's.
Pftt I thought it would be hard...
let's see what's next~