"You lost to a level 5 demon," the woman dressed in a white cloak said to Ayume, her loud expressions making her disappointment obvious. Ayume tried miserably to defend himself, "No, I didn't lose. I defeated the demon, but yeah, I was too exhausted after casting the light twice, so I collapsed."
"You could cast the light twice, impressive," the woman replied. She was the one who saved Ayume from his nightmare, known by her dream world name of Akagi, considered one of the strongest of the Blue Eye clan. "While the doctors try to bring you back, let's see how strong you have grown," Akagi called out to Ayume for a battle between the master and apprentice, reminiscent of their old training days.
Trying to fake an intense look, Ayume struck a pose, his weapon chakra appearing in his hand. "Master Akagi, I have been practicing every night since you left. I have grown strong," he said, gazing upward comically with determination. "Maybe even stronger than you."
No sooner had he completed his sentence than a powerful kick struck him in the throat from below, launching him high into the air as he shrieked, "Ahhh!"
Ayume's body fell with a thud. "I wasn't ready!" he protested. "The demons won't let you get ready," Akagi replied, jumping and deploying her two swords in the air, ready to stab through Ayume, her red hair flying behind her, with no mercy in her sparkling violet eyes. Before she could strike him, Ayume rolled away.
Ayume launched his counterattack, hurling the chakra toward Akagi before charging at her. Akagi managed to block the chakra but left herself open, allowing Ayume to land a powerful kick.
Recovering from Ayume's kick, Akagi spoke, "Not bad," impressed by Ayume's speed. "Let's see you dodge this." With those words, Akagi charged towards Ayume, who immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Suddenly, Akagi unleashed a rotating whirlpool attack with her sword, her movements creating a tornado of slashes heading toward Ayume. Ayume sidestepped at the last moment to dodge the attack, but to his surprise, a punch popped out of the whirlpool and struck him in the abdomen.
Akagi halted at a distance, turning slowly to instruct her apprentice as she had in days of old. "Make sure to keep your distance from the attacks," she advised.
"Now it's my turn," Ayume declared. Drawing two chakras from one, he gestured to summon two more, resulting in four chakras held in his palms. With a whirlpool motion that blurred his movements, he hurled the chakras one by one into different directions, vanishing into the void. Then, with determination, he charged towards Akagi, holding one chakra in his hand.
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Akagi deftly parried Ayume’s chakra strike with her sword and blocked his kicks with her hands. "I can see through your moves," Akagi replied confidently. Ayume persisted with his relentless attack, gradually pushing her onto the defensive. "You have pushed me exactly where you want me," Akagi said, raising her sword in the air to block.
One of the chakras Ayume had launched suddenly materialized from thin air and streaked toward Akagi at supersonic speed, hitting the swords. The force of the impact shattered the chakra. Akagi had anticipated Ayume's move and positioned her sword to block exactly where the chakra would strike.
"That was just one; there are two more," Ayume said, not ready to give up yet. He resumed his barrage of attacks, dodging Akagi's counterattacks and pushing her to the defensive. Akagi fought with her guard up, ready to block any incoming chakra. One by one, both the other chakras returned from the void, but Akagi blocked them with ease even while engaged in combat.
"It's time to end this," Akagi announced. "You have improved, no doubt. But not enough to beat your master." As she surged toward Ayume, he stood unflinching. Akagi lunged with both her swords, aiming to tear through Ayume. However, this time, Ayume didn't dodge. Instead, he used his arms to absorb the brunt of the attack. Akagi was surprised when Ayume smiled. Suddenly, a flying chakra struck Akagi from behind, and she shrieked in pain. Clenching her teeth in agony, she said, "So you didn't throw three, but four chakras."
Ayume explained his strategy. "Yes, Master, I showed you four chakras and fought with one, so you thought there were just three flying out. That's a lesson from your book on deception." Akagi was impressed with how her apprentice had grown, not just in strength but also in strategy. "You allowed yourself to be hit in the arms, just so you could pin me down exactly where you wanted."
Ayume replied, "So, I win this battle. Your attack on my arms would only drain about half of my life force, while the chakra hit to your back is sure to drain almost all of yours."
"Yes, yes. You finally win a battle," Akagi said, stepping away and recreating herself, her swords disappearing as if resetting herself.
"Master," Ayume said, his face showing shock and concern. "What now? Do you want to go at it again?" Akagi replied.
"No, everything's getting blurry," concern crept onto Ayume's face. "Am I dying? I can't die yet. I have sworn to kill every last one of the demons."
Akagi didn't say anything. She had been here before, between life and death; she had experienced death.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Ayume's chest, accompanied by the radiance of two blocks of light. "What's happening?" he exclaimed.
The sensation repeated, over and over, until everything vanished.
On the monitor, Ayume's heart rate returned to normal. The doctor holding the defibrillator heaved a sigh of relief and stepped back.