Kazuki and Rika stood face to face, the moment between them thick with unspoken words. Blood dripped from Kazuki’s brow, blurring his vision further. His limbs trembled, exhaustion seeping into his bones, but seeing Rika before him was a strange comfort. Rika’s face showed a flicker of relief—just a flicker—before she furrowed her brow in concern.
“You look like shit,” she muttered, brushing some hair out of her face.
Kazuki gave a weak, lopsided grin despite the ache in his jaw. “I feel worse.”
Rika glanced down at his state: torn clothes, wounds deep and fresh, body swaying unsteadily. She sighed. “Seems like you had a fun day, huh?”
“You’re not wrong,” Kazuki said, trying to steady his breath. “My day was great indeed... Fat guy first, now... her.”
Kazuki’s eyes shifted past Rika—toward the figure just a few steps away.
The Ghoul.
The battered woman stood, her breath uneven but steadying. Pink threads hovered menacingly around her, pulsing like venomous snakes waiting to strike. Despite the blood caking her skin and the fatigue in her stance, she wore a grim determination. A slow smile spread across her lips.
Rika tensed, fists clenching. “Looks like she’s getting ready.”
“Yeah,” Kazuki muttered, wiping some blood off his chin. “Great.”
The Ghoul lunged without warning, closing the distance in an instant. Kazuki barely reacted, stumbling backward to avoid the sweeping arc of threads. Rika shot forward, intercepting the attack with her own Aura-enhanced strength, her eyes glowed with a cyan hue, her sclera turning black as she deflected the strike with her claws.
The air hummed with tension as the fight reignited, and Kazuki knew one thing for sure—he was running on fumes, and things were only going to get worse. He staggered to the side, clutching his ribs, wheezing as he tried to stay upright. His legs felt like jelly, and his body screamed for rest.
Rika’s movements were crisp, honed—each step calculated, every swipe purposeful. The Ghoul’s pink threads lashed toward her like a whip, but Rika slashed them aside, each strike sending tiny strands scattering through the air.
But the threads kept coming. A tendril slipped through her defenses and grazed her side. She hissed under her breath, twisting her body to avoid another lash, narrowly evading it. With a grunt of frustration, she crouched low and surged forward, claw first, swiping in rapid arcs. For a moment, it felt like she had the upper hand—until she didn’t.
The Ghoul’s threads moved like a tide, pressing in with relentless precision, impossible to block forever. One coiled around Rika’s arm, another shot toward her leg. She yanked herself free with raw strength, but not without taking another nick across her shoulder.
She needed more power.
Without a word, Rika planted her feet,her breathing slow and deliberate. Her eyes glowed an intense cyan, the sclera dark as ink, giving her gaze a predatory gleam. A moment later, a massive, tail-like structure erupted from her back—long, sinewy, sharp and lethall, moving with the fluid grace of extra limb. Entirely made of Aura, it twisted and coiled behind her, each movement deliberate, like a serpent testing the air, ready to lash out with lethal intent.
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The Ghoul barely had time to react before the tail shot forward, crashing through the tangled web of threads like a battering ram. Each swing was vicious, tearing through the pink tendrils and sending pieces of them flying. Rika moved with renewed ferocity, her tail acting like a second body—wrapping around the threads, snapping them apart, and launching precision strikes that kept the Ghoul on the defensive.
Kazuki stared, wide-eyed.
“Try to heal yourself with Aura augmentation. Just stay out of the way—I’ll handle this.” Rika’s voice was calm but carried weight
Kazuki grit his teeth, frustrated by his uselessness, but he knew she was right. He forced himself to sit this one out, hands trembling as he tried to summon his Aura internally. He could only hope it’d work fast enough.
Junpei had told him about this, and he had practiced this once before, but healing yourself was harder than augmenting your strength. Nevertheless, he tried. But, he couldn’t. He barely had enough strength to stand.
Meanwhile, Rika pressed the attack. Her tail lashed out again, cutting through a thick bundle of threads with a wicked crack. The Ghoul staggered back under the relentless assault, her movements faltering for the first time.
The arena became a blur of light and motion. Rika's tail extended in fluid arcs, striking with precision and speed. The Ghoul twisted and weaved, her threads reacting with similar finesse. Every clash sparked with tension—Rika’s serpents against the web of pink threads, like two predators testing each other’s limits.
The Ghoul lashed out with a whip-like thread, aiming for Rika’s leg, but Rika pivoted mid-air, the tail slicing through the air to parry it away. She landed smoothly and countered with a downward strike that the Ghoul barely avoided.
The Ghoul grinned wickedly, flicking a sharp thread toward Kazuki, but Rika intercepted it just in time, slamming her tail into the ground to block it. “Eyes on me,” she warned coldly, her expression unyielding.
She hissed, her movements speeding up. They clashed again—a dance of brutal precision. Rika moved like a whirlwind, her spines coiling and striking from unpredictable angles. Yet, the Ghoul adapted, spinning threads in perfect harmony to defend and retaliate.
With a flick of her wrist, the Ghoul gathered the scattered threads into a swirling vortex. They spun faster and faster, creating a maelstrom of pink fibers that moved with terrifying precision. The moment Rika’s tail shot forward for another strike, the vortex collapsed inward, wrapping tightly around the slithering extension.
Rika’s momentum halted in an instant, the tail bound and immobilized by the dense whirl of threads. She snarled, yanking against the bindings, but the more she struggled, the tighter the threads coiled around her Aura construct.
Rika’s tail was mere inches away from the Ghoul’s chest.
The Ghoul’s grin was razor-sharp, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
Rika’s heart pounded in her chest, but she didn’t falter.
They stood locked in place—a predator and prey without clear roles, poised at the edge of a stalemate.
***
Junpei stood rigid, his arms folded, eyes locked on the small screen in the Manager’s hands. The flickering image showed Rika, her cyan Aura tail thrashing violently as she battled the Ghoul. The sight of her sent a surge of emotions through him—a strange cocktail of pride and guilt.
When she first appeared on the battlefield, a wave of relief had washed over him. ‘Kazuki’s saved now,’ That was all that mattered in that fleeting moment. Now, watching her fight like a seasoned warrior, claws slashing and tail sweeping with precision, pride swelled in his chest. ‘She’s become so strong.’
But beneath that pride lurked something darker. A nagging sense of unease coiled around his mind. Seeing her go through this turmoil, forced into a life-or-death fight, left a bitter taste in his mouth. Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t deny the flicker of satisfaction—the girl he’d always looked out for was now standing on her own, wielding power she had forged through her own struggle.
"Didn't expect that," the Manager said, his voice smooth, laced with a venom. "Your little princess is quite the fighter."
Junpei’s jaw clenched, but he kept silent, his eyes never leaving the screen.
The Manager raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Junpei’s lack of response. "And what about those other two buffoons?" he asked, his tone playful but sharp, as he swiped the screen.