Two Years Later

The underground training area was the same as ever, but Yuichi and Mei had both changed. They stood opposite each other once again, their eyes locked in the same silent, intense standoff that had marked their earlier sparring sessions.

But this time, there was something different in the air. Yuichi could feel it. He was stronger now, more experienced, more capable. And Mei… she had grown as well.

“Ready?” Mei asked, her voice cool and confident.

Yuichi nodded, a determined smile on his face. “Let’s see how much we’ve improved.”

With a flick of her wrist, Mei tossed her blade into the air once again. “Freeze, Shiro no Shikaku.”

Yuichi held his blade point upward, his voice steady as he called out, “Reflect, Kagami no Jotei.”

For a moment, they stood still, assessing each other, two seasoned warriors preparing for a battle that would test their limits. Then, with a flicker of movement too fast for the eye to track, they clashed.

Mei was the first to strike, her blade flashing in a swift horizontal arc aimed at Yuichi’s midsection. Yuichi sidestepped, bringing Kagami no Jotei up to parry, the sound of clashing steel ringing out in the chamber. Sparks flew as their reiatsu collided, and Yuichi immediately countered with a downward slash aimed at Mei’s shoulder. But she was already moving, her blade intercepting his in a perfectly timed block.

“I see you’re still favoring power,” Mei murmured, her voice barely audible as she twisted her blade, slipping beneath Yuichi’s guard.

Yuichi grinned, his muscles tensing as he pushed her back with sheer force. “And you’re still as annoyingly fast as ever.”

Their movements became a blur, each strike and parry flowing seamlessly into the next. Mei’s attacks were quick, almost surgical in their precision, while Yuichi’s were heavier, more deliberate, each swing carrying the weight of his considerable strength. But this time, Yuichi wasn’t just brute force. He had learned from their continuous battles, adapting his style to match Mei’s fluidity.

As their blades met again, Yuichi decided to unleash something new.

With a subtle shift in his stance, he activated his new ability. “Maboroshi no Itami (Phantom Pain),” he whispered.

In the blink of an eye, a perfect illusory clone of Yuichi appeared beside him. It was an exact replica, down to the smallest detail—his spiritual signature, his stance, even the way he held his blade. The clone moved in sync with him, mimicking his every motion, creating the illusion that there were two Yuichis attacking in perfect harmony.

Mei’s eyes narrowed as she watched the two Yuichis trying to figure out which was the clone. Her instincts screamed at her that something was wrong, but the clone’s reiatsu was indistinguishable from Yuichi’s. She couldn’t risk ignoring it.

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Yuichi and his clone attacked simultaneously, blades flashing toward Mei from opposite angles. She reacted with lightning speed, parrying Yuichi’s real blade with her own and kicking backward to avoid the clone’s strike. But even as she evaded, she couldn’t help but notice the unsettling sensation of being surrounded.

“This is new,” Mei commented, her voice betraying a hint of surprise.

Yuichi smiled grimly. “You’re not the only one who’s been picking up new tricks.”

Mei darted to the side, slashing at the clone with a lightning-fast strike. Her blade connected, and the clone shattered like glass, sending shards of spiritual energy cascading through the air. But instead of dissipating harmlessly, the shards sent a jolt of phantom pain through Mei’s body. She grimaced as the sensation of being struck coursed through her, though no real damage had been done. Across the battlefield, Yuichi winced as well, feeling the shared pain of the illusion’s destruction.

“Tactical… but obviously incomplete,” Mei noted, her voice strained as she recovered from the shock. “I’ll admit, you’re getting creative on when to use your abilities. Let me show you how to really use something like that.”

Without warning, Mei’s form blurred as she activated her own technique, Glacial Glide (氷河滑走, Hyōga Kassō), the ability she had perfected over the past two years.

Her body moved with a fluid grace, almost as if skating on invisible ice. As she darted across the battlefield, she left behind multiple afterimages, each imbued with freezing Reiki. Yuichi recognized the danger immediately. He had seen this move before, but Mei had refined it. Each afterimage was a potential trap, and the cold energy radiating from them would sap his strength if he came too close.

Yuichi’s eyes darted from one afterimage to the next. They were nearly indistinguishable from the real Mei, but he couldn’t afford to hesitate. If he did, she would strike him down before he could react.

“I’ll need to disrupt her flow,” Yuichi thought, tightening his grip on Kagami no Jotei.

Mei darted in, her blade flashing as she closed the distance. Yuichi parried, but as soon as their blades met, she vanished, reappearing behind him. Her afterimage lingered in place, and Yuichi could feel the biting cold emanating from it, slowing his movements. He swung at her, but his strike passed through another afterimage, the frigid energy clinging to his limbs.

“You’re surrounded,” Mei said, her voice echoing from every direction.

Yuichi gritted his teeth. He needed to take control of the battlefield. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing his spiritual energy, then activated his Shinkirō (Mirage Step). His body shimmered for a moment, leaving behind a faint afterimage of his own as he repositioned himself, dodging Mei’s real strike at the last second.

The two of them moved like phantoms, each leaving behind mirages and afterimages in a deadly dance of deception and speed. Yuichi’s clone reappeared beside him, adding to the confusion as it mirrored his movements perfectly.

Mei struck again, her blade aimed at Yuichi’s torso, but her blade cut through the clone instead. The illusion shattered once more, sending another wave of phantom pain surging through her body. She faltered for just a moment, but it was enough.

Yuichi seized the opportunity, closing the distance between them. With a roar, he swung Kagami no Jotei in a powerful horizontal slash. Mei moved to parry, but the force of his attack knocked her back, her feet skidding across the floor as she struggled to maintain her balance.

The cold from her afterimages was still slowing him down, but Yuichi pressed on. He couldn’t afford to let up now.

With a surge of reiatsu, he launched a rapid series of strikes, each one aimed at overwhelming Mei’s defenses. She blocked and countered with incredible speed, but Yuichi was relentless. His blade moved with precision and power, forcing her to stay on the defensive.

“You’ve improved,” Mei admitted between gritted teeth, her movements growing more frantic as Yuichi pushed her to her limit. “But can you keep this up?”

“I don’t need to,” Yuichi replied, a determined smile on his face.

In a final, desperate move, Mei activated Hyōketsu no Kuchizuke (Frozen Kiss). She vanished from sight, reappearing behind Yuichi with her blade poised for a killing blow.

But Yuichi was ready. He had been waiting for this moment.

As Mei’s blade descended, Yuichi activated his Sutoraiki o kaesu (Return the Strike). The energy from her attack was absorbed and reflected back at her with twice the force. Mei’s eyes widened as her own power surged toward her, but she had no time to react. The force of the counterattack sent her sprawling to the ground, her body numb from the cold and the pain.

Yuichi staggered, his own body battered and bruised, but he remained standing. He had won.

Both of them collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. For a long moment, the only sound in the chamber was the sound of their labored breaths.

“You… you’ve grown a lot,” Mei said, her voice weak but filled with admiration.

Yuichi chuckled, wincing at the pain in his side. “So have you. That was close. That makes 390 victories and 340 losses.”

Miel flew over to them, her arms crossed and a look of mild irritation on her face. “You two always push yourselves too far.”

With a sigh, she lifted them both effortlessly and carried them to the nearby herbal hot springs. As their bodies soaked in the warm water, the pain began to fade, and their wounds started to heal.

“Thanks, Miel,” Yuichi muttered