Rika and Dante both shake in fear. The man who stood in front of them was no ordinary man. He was a guild leader, and a brutal one at that.
"I was hoping we'd catch him off guard, but it looks like he came after us!" She cries.
Renji looks around looking utterly unimpressed. "This, pathetic show in front of me, is what's trying to stop me?" He asks. Letting out a deep laugh he points. "All i see in front of me is a group of brats!" He shouts. "Do you think im gonna let a bunch of kids stop my glory!?" He questions.
Toni smirks. "Now friend, I don't know you, but i ain't a coward!" Toni shouts. Rika and Dante quickly grabbing him. "Will you shut up!?" Rika yells.
Kaito's dagger gleamed as he pointed it directly at his opponent, a fierce grin curling on his lips.
"Come show me how much of a brat I am!" he taunted, voice sharp with challenge. Beside him, Nanami readied herself, eyes blazing with anticipation, muscles tense for the impending clash.
Renji's lips curled into a sinister smile as he leapt down from the mountain summit. His descent quickened, and upon landing, the impact shattered the ground beneath him—sending a deafening shockwave rippling outward, knocking the group back in a wave of dust and debris.
Kaito reacted instinctively, catching himself just in time. His eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he surged forward, dagger flashing in a blur of movement. He aimed a swift slash toward Renji's chest, intent on catching him off-guard.
Renji, surprisingly agile for his size, dodged at the last second, the blade slicing through empty air. Not missing a beat, Kaito spun around, launching a high kick aimed at Renji's head.
Renji caught Kaito's leg mid-air, gripping it tightly before slamming him into the ground with brutal force. The impact knocked the wind from Kaito's lungs, leaving him gasping for air.
Seizing the moment, Renji closed in, fist clenched. Kaito managed to throw a quick punch, their fists colliding in a thunderous clash that sent a jarring shock through Kaito's hand. Pain flared up, but he grit his teeth, refusing to back down.
Renji shoved Kaito away with a powerful shove, sending him skidding backward.
"Crap—he's stronger than that other guy?!" Kaito thought, adrenaline surging.
He caught himself on his hands and feet, eyes flickering with resolve. Channeling energy fission, he propelled himself forward again—legs blazing with kinetic force—dive-bombing at Renji with a burst of speed.
Their fists collided once more, a burst of raw energy crackling in the air. Blow after blow rained down. Kaito's breath hitched as a grim realization dawned—"He's stronger than me." The weight of that truth pressed down heavily.
Determined, Kaito swung a powerful hook, aiming to land a decisive blow. Renji raised his arm to block, but Kaito swiftly altered his trajectory, aiming for a vulnerable spot.
The punch connected with Renji's gut, eliciting a deep, resonant laugh from the larger fighter.
"Neat trick," Renji chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. "But your attacks are too weak!"
Fury ignited in Renji's eyes. He reared back his fist, then drove it forward with devastating force. Kaito barely managed to raise his arm in time to block—yet the sheer impact launched him backward like a ragdoll, hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour.
Watching helplessly as Kaito is launched away. The others prepare for Renji.
He laughs, launching towards them. "If that was your leader you're all good as dead!"
Dante shakes as he sees him approaching. Nanami dives in front blocking the punch barrowing through the air. The force of the blow sending immense pain through her arms. SLAMMING her into the ground. Nanami hacks, a horse cough.
Renji laughs as he raises his leg into the air. Before she's stomped, Toni attempts to tackle Renji, to his surprise he just harmlessly slams into him, like a brick wall. "Heh, sorry friend...." Toni awkwardly said.
Before Renji can move, a shimmer of magic bends the air behind him. Rika strikes from the shadows, cloaked in illusion, silent and swift like a phantom.
But Renji doesn't flinch. His eyes narrow, he's already seen through it.
In one brutal motion, he slams his elbow back, catching Rika square in the face with a sickening crack. She cries out as he seizes her by the hair and swings her like a weapon, hurling her into a jagged hillside. Rock tears into her skin as she crashes down, leaving a trail of blood.
Toni taking the moment to retreat.
Nanami, unnoticed below, scrambles from beneath Renji's towering leg, fingers flying across her wrist device. Runes flash. She runs off, buying precious seconds.
Rika groans, trembling as she pushes herself up. Her vision blurs. Her body screams in pain.
"I should run." The thought burns through her. "No. I won't abandon them."
She wipes blood from her mouth and rises to her feet.
"I can do better," she whispers.
The wind answers her call. She twirls her massive boomerang, gathering speed. The sky darkens around her as currents surge, howling like a storm god's fury. With a battle cry, she launches herself at Renji, a streak of spinning steel and roaring wind.
From the side, Toni grins, already drawing his guitar.
"Need a little lift, Rika?!" he shouts, slamming into a riff that echoes through the battlefield like thunder.
The magic kicks in. Rika's form surges forward, faster, blazing. Renji's smirk falters for a heartbeat.
"Wind Blades!" Rika cries. She spins midair, releasing a flurry of slicing gales, each one sharp enough to cut steel.
The wind slashes through the air. Two blades rip into Renji's arms. Another carves across his chest, drawing a burst of blood
Renji stumbles back, laughing as he wipes the crimson from his mouth.
"Now that's more like it!"
But then his gaze locks onto Toni, watching the power source behind Rika's sudden speed.
"So that's where it's coming from."
He moves like a bullet. One second he's standing. The next, he's already in front of Toni.
Toni barely has time to gasp before Renji's fist collides with his chest. The ground cracks as Toni is smashed into it.
The boost vanishes. Rika's momentum dies mid-flight.
She turns, horrified. But Renji is already in front of her again.
A savage punch catches her midair, slamming her down so hard the ground buckles. Then, as she rebounds off the earth, he kicks her in the ribs with enough force to send her flying, vanishing into the distance like a broken comet.
Renji stands tall, arms bloody, grinning like a devil. "Is this it? Is this all you've got?!"
Suddenly, a new voice cuts through the chaos.
"GURA!"
Nanami launches into the air, her arm glowing with unstable energy. Her wrist device screeches with strain, the lines of power drawing directly from her own elara. Her eyes glow with raw Elara, pulsing brighter and brighter—until she unleashes it.
A massive orb of concentrated magic detonates from her arm, ripping through the air. It crashes into Renji's face with a force like a meteor.
The shockwave flattens everything around them. Trees bend. Rocks explode. Renji is hurled backward, skidding across the earth and vanishing into the smoke.
Nanami drops to one knee, panting hard. Blood runs from her nose.
"I was saving that…" she mutters, voice shaking. "But the prototype's unstable. Pulled too much Elara from me—not enough from the atmosphere."
She tries to stand. She wants to believe it worked.
But the smoke parts, and Renji walks through, burnt, bleeding… smiling.
"Well now," he says calmly. "That was impressive. Didn't think tech like that worked outside of containment fields."
Before she can react, he dives.
Nanami raises her arm to shield herself, but he barrels into her, knocking her off back into the ground.
Walking towards her Renji is suddenly halted, by his legs freezing to the ground. He turns around and sees Dante shaking like a leaf. Renji burst out laughing, "I forgot all about you!"
Effortlessly Renji breaks free from the ice, marching towards Dante, "Now what can you do?" He asks.
Dante's legs just won't move, he's watched as Renji dispatched his friends one by one, if even Kaito was beat, what can he do? How was he meant to stand up to someone like this.
As Renji approached.
BLAM!
All Dante saw was flash of wind and flame.
Kaito had returned to the fight bloody and battered, his fist slamming into Renji's face sending him flying. With a wave of relief washing over Dante.
But once again looking on at Kaito the relief is replaced by a deep shame. He had stood bye as all of his friends, fought. Wasn't he too meant to be a fighter, how come he was this way.
Renji's smile is gone. "You must be the one." Magic begins erupting from him. "That one actually hurt!" Renji says.
But suddenly he powers down before revealing his magic. "You're lucky i have other things to do." Renji says.
Kaito grits his teeth. "What?! Are you running like a coward!?" He shouts.
Renji smiles and laughs. "You know the noble thinks I'm saving his daughter from you?"
Kaito keeps his guard up not dropping it for a second.
Renji approaches Kaito smiling. "And he had a lot to say about a specific boy, white hair, red eyes, dark skin, almost Kaya?" Renji says, Kaito turning to listen.
Renji laughs. "Don't worry i don't plan on blabbing, Queen Kaya is an entirely different situation, but don't test me." With finishing his whispering he backs off.
"There's no point in you showing your faces in Kuni. Not only can you not beat me." He says before looking around at all of Kaito's friends. "You're traveling with a bunch of weaklings!"
"Strength is all that matters in this world, it's what decides it all, so having these pathetic people in your corner is doing someone like you no favors." Renji says plainly before leaving.