Edward sat on the fallen log, hands resting on his knees, the aftermath of the last fight heavy on him. Ash and Fang lay beside him, their breathing slow but alert. Gama's shadow shifted above, tongue curling around a branch, still tense.
"I keep seeing them," Edward said quietly. "The three humans we… ended."
Mark didn't look at him. His eyes swept the jungle floor, scanning for subtle shifts. "You think about it differently than me. I notice the patterns, the threats, the way they moved. That's all."
Edward shook his head. "It's more than that. Animals… it's instinct. But humans… we calculated everything. I chose where to strike, when to pull back. It's like… we made a decision to take life. And it sticks."
Mark stretched his arms, letting the black coating flicker faintly. "You're going to have to get used to it. Not the act, but the necessity. Otherwise it eats at you. You can't fight efficiently if you second-guess everything."
Edward leaned back, staring at the canopy. "Doesn't mean it feels right. Even knowing it's survival."
Mark smirked lightly. "Right or wrong isn't the point here. Efficiency, timing, awareness. That's survival. Feelings… feelings are a liability in combat."
Edward frowned. "I don't want to become someone who ignores that… I want to control it, but not lose myself."
Mark nodded. "Then control it. Your mind, your energy, your shikigami. Don't let the system control you. It won't care about your morals. Only results."
Edward exhaled, watching Ash and Fang. "I guess that's the difference between us. You're calm. I… have to think through it every time."
"I'm calm because I've had to be," Mark said. "It doesn't mean I don't feel it. Just… I choose not to dwell."
Edward's chest tightened. "I need to get stronger. I can't rely on instinct forever. I need control."
Mark tilted his head. "Then start. Test yourself. Find your limits. Push a little further every day."
Edward nodded, and the air between them settled into quiet determination.
By late afternoon, Edward stopped moving. "It's time. Nue." Shadows stretched from his hands, flickering in the filtered light. Ash and Fang readied themselves. Gama readied above.
Edward crouched in the clearing, shadows pooling around his hands. Ash and Fang pressed close, teeth bared, ready to move at a moment's notice. Gama coiled above, massive, poised, watching for any sign of movement.
He glanced at Mark. "I want to test something. Normally, the ritual only completes if I deliver the killing blow. If anyone helps… it doesn't count. I want to see if that rule has exceptions, because you have no cursed energy."
Mark flexed his black-coated fists and grinned. "So you want me to try helping without touching the kill? Fine. Let's see how this goes."
Edward crouched at the center of the clearing, shadows coiling like living tendrils around his hands. Ash and Fang flanked him, muscles tense, ready to dart at the first sign of movement. Gama hung in the branches above, immense and coiled, sensing the air shift as if aware something was coming.
The shadows shivered and twisted, condensing, until nue emerged from the darkness. Wings stretched wide, crackling faintly with static electricity. Its glowing eyes tracked Edward immediately. Within seconds, the air vibrated with its speed. Even before it moved, Edward felt the tension radiate off it.
Mark crouched beside him, black-coated fists ready, observing every angle. "Ready?"
Edward nodded, flexing his fingers. "Let's see how fast it really is."
Nue shot forward, wingbeats a blur. It arced high, then descended, claws aiming directly at Edward's reinforced chest. Ash darted under one arm, snapping at its side, while Fang twisted under a hind leg. Gama lashed with its tongue, anchoring one wing against a tree to limit its mobility.
Electric sparks traced along nue's wings. When it struck downward, a jolt surged through Edward's reinforced arm. Muscles seized briefly as he staggered slightly, the shock leaving him partially paralyzed for a heartbeat. Mark observed from the side, stepping into the path of the wings lightly to deflect, never interfering with Edward's shadows.
Edward adjusted. Shadows lashed, wrapping around nue's limbs to control movement, while he reinforced every strike with pulses of cursed energy. Ash and Fang kept close, forcing predictable shifts in nue's position. Nue twisted violently, wings beating, and struck again. Sparks jumped from feathers, arcing along its wing edges and striking Gama's coiled form, forcing it to retract slightly.
The Nue's speed was blinding. It launched into the air, carrying its wings high to strike from above. Edward rolled, shadows following, attempting to control its flight path. Ash leapt, biting at a leg while Fang twisted under a forearm. Nue's wings arced down in a shocking, blinding strike. Edward's reinforced limbs absorbed some, but the electric jolt left his arms numb briefly.
Mark moved like water, using Observation Haki to anticipate each aerial strike. Black-coated fists collided with wings mid-air, redirecting them slightly and creating openings for Edward to strike. Nue shrieked, spinning in the air, wings whipping in arcs charged with electricity.
Edward lunged forward, shadows wrapping around one leg to pull it off balance. He struck with reinforced palms into the torso, sending sparks flying. Nue twisted violently, recovering mid-air, wings whipping in an upward arc. Gama lashed its tongue, wrapping a wing to prevent it from sweeping downward on Edward.
The battle became a frantic dance of air and ground. Nue surged upward, carrying itself in dizzying arcs, striking from above. Every contact from its electric wings left brief paralysis. Edward coordinated shikigami to force predictable flight paths, avoiding being struck directly while still delivering heavy counterattacks.
Minutes passed. Edward reinforced arms and legs repeatedly, cursed energy pulsing in sync with shadow attacks. Ash and Fang nipped and bit, forcing the creature to twist midair, keeping its wing strikes predictable. Nue shrieked and twisted, attempting to strike at Edward while using its speed and mobility to stay out of reach.
Finally, Edward saw an opening. Shadows wrapped tightly around the torso and wings, forcing nue low. Ash and Fang lunged in, clamping teeth onto limbs to hold it steady. Gama coiled above, anchoring the wings. Edward pushed a reinforced strike into the skull. Sparks flared as nue twitched violently.
It collapsed to the ground, wings splayed, body shuddering. Edward's chest heaved. Shadows held, but as the form settled, the ritual did not complete. Nue's body dissolved into darkness, nothing happened.
Edward's teeth gritted. "I have to do it myself. No shortcuts."
He extended his hands, forming the hand signs once more, shadows lashing outward. Right as Nue formed, Ash and Fang moved, forcing nue into predictable movement. Gama held the wings steady for attack points. Edward advanced, strikes timed precisely, shadows controlling the limbs and flight of the bird-like shikigami.
Nue struck with ferocity, flying low and high, claws sweeping and wings arcing with electricity. Edward rolled and struck, reinforcing strikes with cursed energy, a tongue coiling and pulling its limbs, yanking it off balance midair. Sparks arced along feathers, leaving brief paralysis, but Edward timed every pulse to land when nue could not recover quickly.
Nue shrieked and twisted in the air, attempting to carry Edward or knock him down.
Edward reinforced his legs and arms repeatedly, lunging at vulnerable points. Gamas tongue coiled tightly around wings, pulling them downward, controlling motion midair. Ash and Fang twisted under limbs, biting with precision. Gama lashed to anchor nue again, preventing a sweep that could send Edward airborne unintentionally.
Finally, Edward struck decisively. A tongue pulled nue's torso into place. Ash and Fang latched onto limbs, teeth and strength forcing it to stay. Gama coiled around a wing. Edward's reinforced fists struck directly into the skull and chest, shadows yanking tight, constraining its thrashing. Nue's shriek cut off as it collapsed, twitching once, then still.
This time, the ritual was a success. Nue had been killed by Edward alone, subjugated completely. Ash and Fang circled the body, teeth bared, while Gama coiled above, tongue resting. Edward sank to a knee, chest heaving, sweat dripping.
Mark exhaled. "No loopholes this time. You did it."
Edward's hands glowed faintly. "Exactly. The ritual isn't about assistance. It's about the kill. Shikigami, shadows, every strike… had to be mine."
The jungle around them settled. Leaves rustled in the wind, sunlight flickering across the clearing. Edward had survived, adapted, and completed the ritual. Nue was finally subjugated, its speed, electricity, and wings fully under his command.