The Impact Echoes
Hiroto's blade trembles—
Not from fear—
From force.
The Enemy Stands Before Him
Calm.
Unshaken.
Their weapon presses against Hiroto's
Effortless.
Hiroto grits his teeth
"…I'm not… moving."
The Enemy Tilts Their Head Slightly
"…You already are."
A sudden push—
Hiroto is blown back
He skids across the ground
Barely holding onto his blade
Akari shouts
"HIROTO—!"
Kenzaku steps forward
"…We need to—"
Goro stops him instantly
"…No."
Kenzaku glares at him
"…He'll die!"
Goro's voice stays calm
"…If he can't survive this…"
A pause.
"…He was going to die anyway."
Silence
Back to Hiroto
He forces himself up again—
Breathing uneven—
The enemy doesn't rush
Just watching.
That's worse
Hiroto steadies his stance
"…Why aren't you attacking?"
The enemy answers calmly
"…Because I don't need to."
That hits harder than any strike
Hiroto tightens his grip
The blade pulses—
Violent
This time—
He doesn't resist it
He steps forward
Faster than before
Strike—
CLASH
The enemy blocks easily
But—
Hiroto doesn't stop
Second strike
Third
Fourth
Relentless pressure
Akari's eyes widen
"…He's pushing…!"
Kenzaku watches carefully
"…No…"
A pause.
"…He's being pushed."
The enemy counters
A single strike—
Hiroto fails to block completely
Blood splashes
He staggers
But doesn't fall
The enemy speaks again
"…Still standing."
Hiroto breathes heavily
"…I said…"
He steps forward again
"…I'm not done."
The blade pulses violently again
This time—
It aligns
Hiroto's movement sharpens
Cleaner
Faster
He closes the distance instantly
CLASH
This time—
The enemy is pushed back half a step
Silence hits
Akari whispers
"…He moved him…"
Kenzaku's eyes narrow
"…Just barely."
The enemy looks at Hiroto
A pause
Then—
"…Interesting."
That word again
Hiroto doesn't stop
He attacks again
Faster now
The blade moves almost on its own
CLASH—CLASH—CLASH
The enemy blocks—
But now—
Actually defending
Hiroto sees it
A small opening
He moves in
Final strike—
The enemy disappears
Hiroto's eyes widen
"…What—?!"
Too late
Impact from behind
A brutal strike lands
Hiroto is sent crashing forward
He hits the ground hard
The blade slips slightly from his grip
Silence
The enemy stands behind him
Looking down
Then says—
"…That's your limit."
Hiroto doesn't move at first
Blood on the ground beneath him
Akari takes a step forward
"…Hiroto…!"
Goro watches closely
Silent.
A long pause
Then—
Hiroto's hand tightens on the blade again
Slowly—
He pushes himself up
Breathing broken
But eyes still burning
"…Then I'll break it."
The blade erupts with a stronger pulse
The enemy's expression shifts slightly
For the first time—
Interest becomes real
The air trembles slightly—
As Hiroto lifts his blade again—
"…I'm not done yet."
To be continued… 🔥