Shun POV:
[Equipment Name: Ultimate Fishnin Katana (Enhanced +12)
Durability: 238/240
Description: A katana forged exclusively from Ultimate Fishnin to the Ultimate Level. It has been enhanced to the ultimate limit via a deep understanding of both the Katana, Fishnin Culture, Fishnin Species, and Fishnin materials. Offensive and defensive properties have been multiplied by 12x.
• The Ito and Sageo are made from a red sash of an Ultimate Fishnin, reflecting the species’ symbol of power. That strength is transmitted down the blade, strengthening offensive properties by 8x.
• The Saya is made from orange footwear of an Ultimate Fishnin, reflecting the covering the fish tank once offered them. That extension is wrapped around the scabbard, strengthening defensive properties by 8x. Water content is stored and purified within the blue Koiguchi.
• The Tsuba is made from the large, webbed gloves of an Ultimate Fishnin, reflecting the hands they now possess to care for their own. It is the hand guard of the blade, strengthening defensive properties by 8x.
• Movement Speed is increased significantly. Sweat is purified and redistributed through the arm to maintain accurate water content within the body due to the skin of the Ultimate Fishnin reaching the Ultimate Level.
• It is an ultimate masterpiece made by Shun, an Ultimate Blacksmith. Complete understanding of all materials has allowed him to bring out the specialities within.]
Fishy drew the Ultimate Fishnin Katana: its curved blade split into orange and red. Her own white shadow sash held the scabbard in place that matched parts of her attire. She stood opposite Reaver with a confident smile.
Then Fishy opened her mouth.
“This is... THE BLADE OF AN ULTIMATE FISHNIN!!”
And everyone went silent.
“...I am aware.”
Her cheeks turned dark red. The laughter among the shadows led to Fishy coughing in an effort to mask her embarrassment.
I shifted my gaze to Zinyul’s entire body submerged beneath the earth. He climbed out of the hole, bowed toward Talky, and shifted back into his stance.
‘Good.’
Cheers erupted the moment sparks flew from the Fishnin Katana and Zero Sword, clashing against one another. Fishy adopted what I had taught her, streamlining it into her own way of fighting. On the other hand, Reaver redefined his entire method of combat from the teaching he had received.
“!?”
Fishy’s large eyes widened at the display of mastery Reaver kept hidden. A silent flurry launched her out of the crater, shocking the crowd in attendance.
“Ultimate Fishnin Style: Troubling Slash!”
Fishy spun in the air; her katana sliced through it, projecting an orange arc of Ki that split into dozens more. They rained down on Reaver, each one strengthening the previous strike by 2%.
“Reaver Style: Imminence Slash.”
Amidst the dust clouds, Reaver’s blade fell. The afterimages shot back into him, but still no counter was made toward Fishy’s assault.
This was the technique that almost killed me.
“Come on, Rea—“
Fishy’s Ki exploded. She raised her guard but was too late. A powerful slash smashed her back into the ground, battering her through the bedrock.
Imminence Slash.
It was a technique that, out of all the Imminence Reavers I had fought, only Reaver had mastered. There were two factors that determined the speed and strength of the Imminence Slash: timing and afterimages.
The timer was first based on how fast the blade’s tip pointed to the ground in a slashing motion; those seconds were then doubled. Once elapsed, the Imminence Slash would appear in front of the target.
The strength was based on the number of afterimages that rushed into the Imminence Reaver, and then the speed of how fast that process took. From that point onward, they only needed to stay in range. Other techniques could also be utilised with afterimages in order to hide the Imminence about to occur.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
In other words, the moment Reaver’s sword fell was the moment the countdown began. When the Slash hit you, it reflected the state of ‘Imminence,’ meaning it took a damn long time for the actual attack to end while its power was further doubled during that duration.
“Ultimate Fishnin Style: Vivid Colour!”
An eruption of orange, red, white and a hint of blue painted the sky with the coating Fishy once had. It formed a type of Domain, where her base was doubled within the area of Vivid Colour.
Fishy shot out of the hole and dropped to the ground. Her eyes beamed toward Reaver, unable to hide her genuine happiness at his unknown skills.
“Imminence...”
Reaver stepped forward.
“...is Bliss.”
Reaver entered the zero second window. Fishy’s strikes left the same colours behind her, causing their rapid blows to be an infusion of fireworks that excited the shadows watching.
Orange and violet intertwined together. The clash caused moments of russet to be added to the colourful display of swordsmanship. Afterimages converged into slashes that were met with pinpoint deflections.
The katana spun, but the sword fell.
Loud cheers dwarfed the resulting explosion. Sparks flew within the smokescreen; each one sharper than the last.
Fin Wave. Circuli of Destruction. Invading Competition.
Converging Wind. Converging Blackout. Converging Demise.
“Ultimate Fishnin Style: Lightless Source!”
Vivid Colour drained away the pigment from Fishy’s body before turning the sky black. The white shadows accentuated the state she had entered, adding a hint of regality to the form.
‘...I don’t remember seeing this technique before?’
The Fishnin Katana was also stripped away of its colour. It reacted to the ultimate technique by lining the white blade with the Ultimate Fishnin mantra in red.
It was written in their language, but I could read it. Even if I couldn’t, I still knew what it meant. Everyone knew what it meant.
Reaver’s glowing violet eyes fell on me for permission. I flicked my fingers in order to study what Fishy could do.
“Reaver Style: Imminent Death.”
A silent flash shot Fishy out of the crater. It blasted her through hundreds of buildings and fissured the earth. Wind empowered Blackout. Blackout turned the darkness within their cloaks into a true shadow. Demise set the final foundation for what Imminence would bring.
Reaver was nowhere to be seen, but death drew near. Explosions rang out around the extended battlefield until Fishy flickered into view. A faint shade of red tinted her colourless cheeks as she sliced the katana down.
Silent flickers grew the quiet storm. The speed deepened its intensity, and the gentle increase in cheers restricted its size. A burst of wind split the spiralling clash, leaving both sides visible.
Their techniques ended, but the spar continued on at a calmer pace.
‘Interesting.’
Talky’s fist launched Zinyul into the middle of their exchange. He weaved through the strikes that shifted toward him before blocking a sharp roundhouse kick from Talky.
‘Very good.’
The three of them adjusted formation and tested Zinyul’s progress. The corners of my mouth rose till it threatened the borders of my eyes.
“!”
Reaver’s blade froze mid motion. His glowing violet eyes shifted toward the Floor Exit direction, halting the spar at the same time.
“My liege, units have reported a group of humans sprinting down the Floors.”
I ruffled my hair and let out a frustrated sigh.
‘It’s them.’
The shadow monsters assembled once I got to my feet. Zinyul kneeled along with them as they awaited further instructions now that the situation had changed.
“Zinyul, hide yourself and train well.”
If Aiden became aware of his existence, he would put two and two together and arrive at the conclusion that I wanted to be alone to train dungeon monsters.
His observations didn’t go unnoticed; I already knew how calculating he was when it came to the safety of his friends.
“Yes, my liege!”
Zinyul vanished after bowing toward Fishy, Talky, and Reaver. I ignored their solemn expressions while choosing a few shadow monsters to accompany me.
“My lie—“
I slipped the emerald pin into Talky’s ponytail, rubbed Fishy’s shoulder, and nodded toward Reaver. With the annoyances dealt with, I made my way to the Floor Exit right when Phoebe appeared. She was followed by Gerard, Aiden, and then Katherine.
“Spy.”
Dark Ki peeled away my Shinobi attire with a black suit tailored to perfection. I loosened the tie and undid the top buttons before pointing a gun at Phoebe’s forehead.
“None of you move.”
The concern on Katherine’s face multiplied. Aiden narrowed his eyes, leaving Gerard unsure of why I was acting this way. He turned to Phoebe, but her reaction was even more intense than he expected, based on the beads of sweat that accumulated on the side of Gerard’s forehead.
“S-Shun? What is going o—“
*Bang*
A bullet made from Ki tore through the air. The dark clouds swallowed the small parting it created before the muzzle faced the middle of Phoebe’s forehead again.
“One of these damn monsters know how to shapeshift.”
“What??”
There was a slight anxiety that troubled Aiden’s calm demeanour. Gerard’s eyebrows both rose and fell. His lips retained a neutral position despite the slight shaking of his pupils. On the other hand, Katherine’s focus rested on the shadow monsters behind me.
‘Tch.’
She walked forward, forcing me to aim the gun at her head instead.
“Did you not hear what I just said, Katherine?”
“Please do not worry. We rushed to find you out of concer—“
I let out a deep sigh and ruffled my hair. Everything about this damn woman annoyed me. She was irritating to be around. Frustrating to look at, and...
‘...’
“I’ve had enough.”
Bloodlust coated the nearby area once a shadow fell over my face. I glared at Phoebe, biting her lip at whatever she thought she could understand.
She didn’t know me.
None of them did.
Her amber eyes shimmered. They penetrated the status quo of silence in order to close the gap between us. I felt her genuine care; her feelings of affection, and how she wanted to support me.
“...”
Phoebe never looked away, nor did she move. She didn’t need to because she was confident her gaze could convey everything she felt.
The bloodlust faded back into the darkness. I spun the pistol in a horizontal fashion while it dematerialised.
“Disperse and do what you want.”
The shadows kneeled, choosing not to say a word due to the party members’ presence. They disappeared moments later, and I bowed my head.
“I’m sorry.”
I avoided the evident worry on all of their faces; my feet only stopping once I passed Aiden. The corners of my mouth rose beneath the shadow, curving my eyes with them.
‘This is only one Arcane Dungeon after all.’