The air trembled.
The world had gone dark.
Jin Akasa stood at the peak of the shattered hill, chest bare and bloodstained, his body coiled in tension. Above him, the storm boiled—a massive swirl of cloud and lightning that pulsed like a living thing. His grip tightened around the heavy blade in his hand, the Black Dragon Fang, its blood-red engravings glowing faintly with a murderous rhythm.
He could still feel it—the blade's spirit, fierce and defiant, trembling under the weight of heaven's wrath. The storm wasn't simply random. It was after the sword.
"Damn it… this isn't just a weapon test anymore."
He spat a thin stream of blood, his jaw set. His entire body felt like cracked stone—charred skin, muscles twitching under the strain. The previous lightning strikes had nearly torn him apart. The next one… might finish him.
The Black Dragon Fang quivered in his grip, its once violent resistance now fading. Jin could feel the sword's life dimming, its nascent soul being burned away by each strike. It wasn't trying to kill him anymore—it was dying itself, piece by piece.
"You're not the target," he muttered through his teeth. "They're trying to erase you."
He looked up.
The clouds rolled faster, dragging the sea winds across the island in violent bursts. The air burned with the scent of ozone and iron. He could barely see anything now—just darkness, the faint shimmer of blood-red arcs flickering across the heavens.
Then it came.
A low, throbbing hum built above him, deep and sharp enough to make his ears bleed.
"Tch… no rest for me, huh?"
Jin's purple eyes flashed, locking on the expanding shape in the sky. It wasn't another lightning strike.
It was a pillar—a column of black light twisting and grinding like a storm of blades. The sound it made wasn't thunder, but a shrieking metallic scream.
Makino, Kuina, and Hina watched from the ridge below, frozen in disbelief. The entire mountaintop glowed with a dim, hellish light.
"Jin!" Makino cried, her voice breaking against the roar of the storm.
But he couldn't hear her. The sound was too immense. The sky was cracking apart.
He gritted his teeth, tightening his stance. His body was already pushed to its limit—blood leaking from his nose, arms trembling. He had endured two strikes. A third like this… might mean death.
"One last round," he growled. "If this thing still wants to test me… then I'll make damn sure I pass."
Jin inhaled sharply, gathering every drop of energy he had left. His veins swelled with searing pain as Inner Force and blood power collided inside him. Crimson mist erupted from his skin like steam. His heartbeat thundered in his ears—fast, erratic, alive.
The storm answered him.
The black pillar descended.
It was slow this time—agonizingly slow, as if the world itself wanted him to see what was coming. Jin's instincts screamed. His entire body flared with danger. He could feel every hair on his arms rise as the pillar connected with the heavens.
"That's not lightning," he hissed. "That's judgment."
He laughed—wild, exhausted, defiant.
Even now, staring at destruction, a grin tugged at his lips.
"You think I'll kneel for this? Hell no."
He slammed the Black Dragon Fang into the ground beside him, the blade sinking into shattered stone. Both hands pressed against its hilt, his stance low and wide.
"Alright, my stubborn friend," he murmured to the sword, his voice low and sharp, "you don't have a name yet—but if we live through this, I'll give you one. Let's end this together."
For a brief second, the trembling of the blade stopped.
It was subtle, but he felt it—a quiet acknowledgment. The killing intent around the weapon softened, then steadied.
"Good," Jin whispered. "Let's fight."
He threw his left hand toward the sky. His entire arm darkened, veins bulging as his Armament Haki surged forth. The black sheen spread across his flesh, streaked faintly with blood-red light. Every muscle screamed, every bone strained.
Then—he stepped forward.
The world exploded.
The pillar fell like a hammer from the gods, crashing down in a column wider than the hill itself. The impact shattered the air, sucking all sound away before replacing it with a blinding roar.
Jin met it head-on.
His body blazed with dark red light. The mountain beneath him cracked like brittle glass. He pressed his right fist upward, black lightning bursting from his knuckles as he met the descending storm.
"With my flesh, I shield my blade!"
"With my will, I defy the sky!"
"Now break!"
His voice tore through the chaos. The pillar met his fist, and for a single, terrifying heartbeat, the world stopped.
The air twisted.
The clouds recoiled.
And the sky screamed.
The shockwave tore through everything. Trees were ripped from the ground. Stone shattered into dust. Makino and the others were thrown to the ground, shielding their faces as debris exploded outward.
Kuina could barely breathe. "He's… still standing," she gasped.
Her voice trembled, a mix of awe and terror.
Hina's eyes narrowed, jaw tight. "No… look closer."
The light at the center of the storm flickered.
Jin's silhouette was still there—but barely. His entire arm trembled, steam rising from his skin. The Armament coating cracked, pieces of hardened black energy flaking off like burned metal.
"Come on, come on, damn it…" he hissed.
The pressure grew heavier. His legs sank into the earth. His heartbeat thundered until it felt like the world itself was beating with him.
He roared. The sound wasn't human anymore—it was raw and primal, something that came from deep within, the voice of a man pushing beyond every mortal limit.
For a moment, the pillar wavered. The black lightning faltered, shrinking as if pressed back by his will alone.
Then—he moved.
With a surge of everything he had left, Jin twisted his hips, channeling every fragment of his Inner Force through his spine, shoulder, and arm. His muscles convulsed. The energy roared out through his fist.
"Break!"
A deafening blast split the mountain in half.
The black pillar bent, shattering like glass. Pieces of dark light scattered into the air, fading into motes before dissolving completely. A blinding flash consumed the peak, then vanished.
Silence.
Only the sound of falling debris remained.
Smoke drifted from the crater where Jin once stood. The mountaintop—what remained of it—was cracked and scorched, the earth glowing faintly from the heat. A deep pit yawned at the center, wide and bottomless.
Makino stumbled to her feet, her voice trembling.
"Jin?! Jin—!"
Kuina held out an arm. "Wait! It's not safe yet!"
But even she couldn't hide the fear in her voice. Her eyes searched the cloud of smoke, desperate for any sign of movement.
A few heartbeats passed. Nothing.
Then—a shadow stirred.
At the edge of the crater, a faint glimmer of red appeared. The smoke parted, and a lone figure emerged, walking through the dust. His clothes were in tatters, his body covered in burns and blood—but he was alive. The heavy sword rested across his shoulders, its blade still faintly glowing, as if breathing.
Jin exhaled weakly.
"Haah… you… really are one hell of a troublemaker."
He looked down at the Black Dragon Fang. The blade no longer trembled. Its surface had turned darker than before—like a piece of the night sky had been forged into steel. The blood-red lines pulsed once, then dimmed.
The storm above finally began to fade, the clouds dispersing into streaks of gray.
Makino couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed forward, nearly tripping on the broken ground. "You idiot!" she cried, voice cracking as she reached him. She didn't even care about the heat still radiating from his skin—she just wrapped her arms around him, trembling.
Jin let out a dry chuckle, his body relaxing slightly against her. "Careful… my ribs might explode if you squeeze any harder."
"Then don't joke like that!" Makino's voice broke, her tears mixing with the soot on his chest. "You scared the hell out of us…"
Kuina and Hina approached from behind, both silent. Kuina's grip on her sword eased as she watched the two of them. Despite the dirt and destruction, Jin's faint smirk somehow made her heart settle.
Hina crossed her arms. "You look like you crawled out of a volcano."
"Feels like it," Jin muttered, smirking faintly.
Makino looked up at him, her green eyes shimmering in the dying light. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Then she rose on her toes and pressed her forehead lightly against his.
"Promise me," she whispered, "no more of this reckless madness."
He looked into her eyes and smiled—tired, but sincere.
"No promises. Not with this world the way it is."
For a moment, neither spoke. The wind blew softly through the broken stones, carrying the smell of burnt earth and rain. It was quiet. Peaceful.
Then, the Black Dragon Fang pulsed again—just once.
A faint sound, like a distant dragon's roar, echoed in the air.
Jin tilted his head, staring at the weapon. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Guess you've accepted me, huh?"
The sword didn't answer, but the silence that followed said everything.
Makino sighed, brushing dirt from his cheek. "Let's go home, Jin."
He nodded, leaning slightly against her for balance. "Yeah… let's."
The four of them descended the ruined hill together. Behind them, the storm finally broke apart completely, sunlight spilling once more over the island. The Black Dragon Fang rested quietly across Jin's back, its crimson lines fading into stillness.
And in that silence—beneath the calm blue sky—the world itself seemed to exhale.
The storm was over.
But something new had awakened
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T/N :
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