Going back from the earlier scene, its present conditions became far more worse as the Phoenix incinirates the whole plaza alone. Akari, which arrived not long ago, was still unable to leash it down and just blocks its attacks on the contrary.

At the moment, Heavy numbers of smoldering flames struck scattered atop of an encircling impediment she conjured a minute ago. However, it's durability were slowly diminished by layers and so She retracted it back underground and rushed beside an open space with less buildings.

"C'mere chicken! Fight me!" she yelled outrageously.

Successful to lure the winged beast, an ear shattering screech turned the atmosphere scorching amidst the vicinity of its enigmatic aura of fire that succumbs it whole.

Heeding the call, the Phoenix casted it's wings upward, taking off from the streets, thus blasted gusts of flames at the same moment. Burning most of the place under, it climbed towards high altitudes of the atmosphere and was aiming to crush Akari with its Meteoric fall. And due to that, She withdrew back.

"Shit!"

From an enormous speed of a hundred kilometer per hour, the Phoenix Busted a deep, sizzling hole of its size against the crossing. On the other hand, Akari managed to surf away from the crash by sliding herself with a medium-sized rock shard which also lead her spending a huge amount of mana in stock.

While catching her breath, the monster arose from the ground with the debris falling up into the air. Aware of the fact that its mostly composed of earth, Akari was able to take an opportunity to engage a massive rain of molded bullets into the Phoenix's body.

Soon as it makes contact from its skin, the rocks pierced stuck on its place and without further ado, Akari's next move drove the monster into a feast of pain.

"Neo Outburst!"

Together with a big portion of her mana as exchange, those small debris bloomed into spikes that grew stabbing the Bird's insides. With countless numbers of the same kind, a deafening Groan released into its vocals, hence drew nearly into its downfall.

Aiding her balance while leaning beside a wall, Akari managed to stay low for the time being.

She rested the elevated ground back.

"Huff... Painful isn't it?" she said.

"Those trick looks effective enough to subdue your tantrums huh. Guess even a Basic Mage could take a mythical beast like you"

or so she'd thought...

Gazing the Phoenix stood up once again, Akari felt a immenent quantum rise on its wake. The restrictions of rocks were molted from the body of the Phoenix as it erected from its undoing.

Biting her lip, Akari still haven't recuperate from the drain. "Guess Its too early for meto say that."

Proceeding into another onslaught, the Phoenix into a stampede, rushing towards her with full speed while its neck pointed ahead of its direction. Akari's sustainance wasn't that resilient enough to withstand long term battles since she was halfway from reaching another level of Mana. And so left mo choice instead of running away or waste her life dealing into an enraged monster.

By using the earth to move away, she surfed by the ground as it elevates before her feet. It may look taking a lot of Mana, but with the help of a small amount of energy between the ground, she is able to mobilize and outrun the attacks of the monster.

"Huff. So This is my last resort after all." she muttered.

While evading the offensive opposition through weaving the ground, she tried to analyze the routes. Since her mana is on halfway of full drain, she gazed ahead of the road and dashed between the rubbles. Behind was the Fury chasing her trail while emitting a conflagirating flame.

She asked to herself. "If only I could just hit that thing physically..." she ranted. "But that damn flames on its body might roast me!"

And so a thought hits her head all of a sudden. "Wait."

"If it flames... Then would it be..."

She then gasped. "Haaa-- I knew it!"

On a stride, Akari seems to devise a plan to execute. Steering herself behind the Phoenix before it throws a storming Flame breath ahead which rendered a line of buildings into a sequence of explosions. Failed to do so, It screeched with in a destructible pitch, hence rushed towards the girl for another time.

The land rumbles from the chase, and which the same thing disturbed anither battle nearby. Meanwhile on another event, the siblings continued to struggle by number of opponents circling them on every sides. Both Matsuo's physical and mystic strength slowly wavers from each second, causing a minor fatigue whenever he moves, while Reika is on her way from the same fate.

Three of enemies started to go into offense, hence leap onto the two. A right hook was thrown aiming into Matsuo's cheek, but he fastly tilts his head away and was enough to conjure a small amount of mana into his fist which connected into the guy's jaw, also taking him down.

With daggers on both of their hands, the other two aimed at Reika's presence on the hand. Both of their equipments are augmented with certains magics that made either of it dangerous by contact. As it is possible, Reika's left leg swift kicks ahead of the two, but with a shroud of Darkness as its tails. Now amidst of obscurity, She jumped high up into the air unnoticed, and with her hands in a straight form while she charges it up, a wave of tenebrosity struck from both of the opponents, thus slammed them onto the ground. Thought, neither of those heavy attacks the sibling made were enough to snap the opponents' consciousness away and after being hit, they are still completely mobile.

However, Matsuo's body is almost in the verge of collapsing after the blow. Possessing a low stage of mana variations affects both of the siblings, especially Matsuo's Energy, since his Procure uses both energies at once.

Striving to maintain his balance, Matsuo's visions starts to blur.

"Damn... My sight are getting fuzzy now." he murmured.

Reika, whose happened to turn her gaze onto him immediately approached his sorry state.

"Brother!" she yelled.

However on the way, a searing blast of fire Halts her steps.

"Oopsies. No stepping out." a robed woman at giggled.

Halted, then blocked by three persons, Reika had no choice to decide. With a speed faster than a blink, a black trail elapsed between their eyes. And soon as they noticed she was gone, those two ahead collapsed in an instant, leaving the one in the middle turning his back together with a readied fist. Reika behind caught the guy's fist, hence a vigorous roundhouse kick blasted him away, printed into a nearby wall.

The impact of the blast made from the attack was able to shake the ground underneath as a series of a electric poles on sight is about to fall above them. Taking it as their chance to flee, she carried Matsuo by the arms before the crash, thus escape scene before everything fall before them.

Arriving behind an open space between two intact buildings, Reika dropped down the Injured Matsuo which sat on the walls.

Spitting out the blood from his lip, Matsuo took a short Breather.

"Tsk. This is getting far more worse than I thought." he mumbled while recuperating on his wounds.

Reika doesn't look in a good mood at all, thus slapped Matsuo's swelling cheek. "Shut up."

"----Ouchie Ouch, Ouch! What was that for??"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Reika shifted her gaze with crossed arms "Your reason?"

Holding his distended face. Matsuo answered odd. An unseemingly sarcastic tone to think of.

"E-Ehhh.... Reason??"

"It's obvious."

"Obvious?" Matsuo queried again.

Reika impassively averted. "---You know what I mean."

Matsuo suddenly had the urge to grin despite the injuries as if he is joyed by something. However, it appears that he intended himself to be hurt on the contrary; It looks like it is his plan at the first place. Matsuo soon couldn't hold out, shifting himself into another ego of scorn while remained sarcastic.

Reika, which peers outside the wall coldly uttered. "Such sanguinity into a sneer. Better refrain from being confident, Brother." she continued. "We can't afford to let ourselves lose. The enemy isn't cheap as you are."

Matsuo cracked his neck. "What? You're afraid from those shrimps? That doesn't sound like you at all." he followed. "That Sentinel isn't a big deal. He's just lucky from the last time."

She shook her head in a disagreement. "Even so, we have to stay vigilant. Anything could happen. We just have to fend them off and save Rin without busting our Identi---"

At a spur of moment, the ground violently quakes under. It is getting more stronger and stronger each time, and on the second thought, blaring steps of a heavy object rampages towards their direction. Hence two entities passed in a split of second.

Reika was able to recognize both as she anticipated it by the corner of her eye.

"Wait, It's Akari, isn't it? What is she doing with that Bird?"

Matsuo stood up from the ground and saw it for himself. "Oh yeah. You're right."

Reika then followed. "She appears to be chased by that thing. I think we have to help her."

To rush for an aid, the two was about to follow The Phoenix's searing trail of fire, yet at the other side of the alleyway, the Crimson's sentries have already located their whereabouts.

Matsuo noticed the blast of their entrance. "Tsk. These damn henchmen." thus festered by his wounds, he remained. "Go now. I'll be taking care of these small fries."

Being responsible for the rear, Matsuo stayed behind to strain several numbers chasing them from the back. Reika, on the other hand let herself gradually consumed by a guise of the dimmed as she stalk both of the two ahead.

Gritting his teeth only to draw a scornful grin, Matsuo positioned his legs at open. "I won't hold back now."

Waiting for the first attack while inside the slim passageway, the one to the fore had his right fist readied for a strike. Henceforth, threw it at directly into Matsuo.

However, it was too late for Matsuo had already jumped higher with enough speed to be seen as a vague figure through everyone's vision. From amidst the fall, he pointed his left leg to the guy's head and so with his sheer strength aided by the force of gravity, the counter was successful to do so. Through the same moment, he used its own knock back to glide against the atmosphere leaving the first victim's head slammed unconscious on ground due to the power he exerted. The other three from the company followed his movement vaulting Spheres of mana which emits a small blast on on contact of any matter.

Matsuo then altered his foothold using both narrow walls while maintaining his doubled speed. Neither of it managed to graze a portion of his skin, and so the projectiles made, wasted to the walls, giving an open spot for him to take a land.

Aware of the difference of numbers regardless, a swift crouch and a round kick from the ground broke their balance away from them.

The two persons who remained unscathed suddenly stepped back.

"This guy! He isn't normal after all." one wielding a knife on her left palm trembled.

Matsuo in front of them, eyed on the remaining two. Both are girls; The one on the left's hands were shaking forebode, while the other remained vigilant with her eyes focused from him.

He soon perceived their identities and proceeded scratching the back of her head "Women?? Seriously?" then jested. "Hm. Did they already knew my weakness?"

The redhead woman noticed his murmurs at the distance. She tried to speak, but in a stuttering voice. "J-Just what are you? You weren't this strong a while ago!"

Matsuo sighed. "Well, there's some things you don't have to know--"

At a short pause, The other seems displeased from Matsuo's ego. Silently, pulling a Kris from her waist, she took the initiative for an offense.

"Your wide open!"

A strong thrust blinked directly between Matsuo's eyes tore down the layers of the air encircling presence. Despite that, his speed and Reaction Time prevailed enough to dodge a single attack with ease, hence progressed himself to touch the blade with bare hands.

His expression turned sour as he hold a tight grip onto the other side of the blade. Though, his mocking smile still hasn't erased between his lips.

"You Should've just stayed harmless."

Suddenly, the female's grip could last long against him, and so left her no choice to release the Kris in her palms then jump away.

However, as she shifted gaze, Matsuo was already gone in front of them and so followed both of their napes was hit with enough, thus the two's consciousness got stripped away.

"H-How---" Hence dropped fainted into the ground.

Standing behind; yawning, Matsuo went for a stretch. Seeing the pile of I sentient foes at his back makes him feel a slight disappointment. Though, he could do nothing but to carry on.

"Ugh. Being serious sucks so hard." he said. "Ah nevermind, I should come after her."

After ensuring every person switched off, and without further analysis, Matsuo sprinted as fast as he could to catch up.

Going back at the middle of the deserted road, Reika in full speed plowed the whole streets by an amassed aggregation of Darkness surrounding her as her Visage. On the way, The tracks of elevated ground Akari weaves to lure the monster are freshly lifted just seconds ago before her arrival, which also implies the lessening gap of distance between them.

Unlike her Mana's pace, she expressed a fret from both eyes. To think their day in peace was cracked by an unanticipated onslaught, she couldn't settle down, but worry instead.

"Hang in there, Akari." she whispered."

Howbeit, her smooth stride was severed the moment she passed by a crossroad as a sudden rupture from the ground blew a massive amount of flames from beneath the ground. Able to sense it beforehand, she managed to stop her mobility on time. From the same scorching hole arose a humanoid guise encased by a Visage of flames.

Holding a sword beside his waist, Kazuto threw an slash of Pure Pyro Energy towards her. Reika then spurred a moment between each second, and was managed to evade the destructive attack from ducking. It may look like a small Arc of Smooth flame, but the accumulation of power within was inevitable that it even cut everything on its path before bursting onto third building it severed.

Kazuto drew his blade back. "How agile. So your title wasn't just for naught."

Reika denied his statement. "Title? I know nothing about your business."

"Stop Acting dumb. I already knew everything from the moment you took that damn fraud away from my grasp" he exclaimed. "Your mana and hers... That answers a lot of questions in my head."

With his head high and chin up, he offered: "I know you are aware about our difference of strengths--- You are aware that you couldn't beat me, even with the help of him, but very well. You are fortunate to make me spare your life for this moment."

"---Spare my life?" she asked.

Kazuto then clarified. "Indeed." he said. "All you have to do is to guide me from where that guy is, and I could pretend I didn't see you this time. Great deal, isn't it?"

Hearing his worthless deal, Reika sarcastically smirked. "Yeah. Sure it is." then a void blade created by her sheer Procure emerges from her right arm. "But no thanks!"

Attempting to slash him crosswise, her flung from inertia, and so swayed it against him. Though failed to do so, she vaulted back then withdrew the power residing in her arm back inside.

Kazuto; unscathed, positioned his palm on the grip of his sword. "So you choose death over huh." Hence, a sharp grin grew into his face. "Fine. Now face your death at once."

And so two forces clashed amidst the fog of war. The opposition between the Purging flames of Eternal Darkness lead the city shrieks with the sounds of blaze and the steel hitting the ground or even their footsteps hardly slamming into the broken ground. None wavered, nor prevailed until one's blood splatters in front of the victor.

Moving back while avoiding every hits as a flurry of sword slashes energized ahead, Reika could hardly evade it all which left several grazes at her cheek and Wrist. She tried to find an open spot to take him out, yet Kazuto's Melee stance is just absolute to gape a single downside pass his supervision. The girl had no choice rather than to tumble beside a rubbled concrete wall to serve as her shield seconds before Kazuto reduced it into smoldering smithereens.

Leaning through each debris and using it as an advantage is the only thing she can do right now. Even so, she couldn't find a way to reciprocate a single offense so proceed to dance in the ruined arena blindly until some small fragment of an opening fall right from the heavens. Though, the battlefield may be full of resourceful things from the wreckage, yet every move she makes always turn futile amidst her opponent's control.

At the middle of her Struggle from the last piece of a wooden plank standing forth, Reika is lucky to divert his attention from the object. At a swift series of sways, the thin wood was shredded in just seconds, and so do gave the girl a chance to do another divergence which she threw a An prickly shard of Darkness formed between her palms the moment the plank tattered from Kazuto's steel blade that Lost his anticipation from the true motive of the attack.

Stepping out from crouching, she skipped then bent her upperhalf with her palm aiming at Kazuto's unguarded abdomen.

He gasped. "What?"

Shocked, but recomposed himself before something pierce his being, Kazuto's reflexes started to show its complexity, hence an unanticipated elevation of his lower half behind. Once again, Reika was failed to inflict damage into the lone enemy, and so is in the verge of falling out of balance forwardly. Mid air; flipping, Kazuto let his heels devoured by a holocaust of flames to the shin. The scorching legs started to synchronize from the turn as the force of gravity pushed it down, hence swiftly, his leg came striking towards Reika's nape for it to cut her breathing from the heavy fall.

Thus, he uttered. "It's over."

Due to the speed and strength within the strike, It made direct contact from the solid bone which made a crach resound from the battle grounds. Blood splattered above the ground, painting it Crimson red.

However, the final piece of the puzzle doesn't fit well.

Obscured by the smoke from the scorch, Kazuto hardly could see an arm underneath his leg. Soon as the smoke disperses, it drew a figure of a person standing in front of him. The same figure blocking his leg from landing on the ground stood still, huffing with a manly, but gentle voice.

Kazuto suddenly paused in a slight surprise. "Huh?" "This empty aura... It looks you've got sick of hiding already."

With his ragged breath, the guise spoke lowered.

"Seems I made it in exact time..." he murmured as he draws a small smirk on his lips.

Together with his foot vaulting away, the hindrances slowly faded in every sides of the place, and so both fighters struck frozen. Behind the mist, Rine's shocking appearance struck both of them breathless.