"Agree," the prompt blinked, followed by "Ding," then a triumphant series of system messages.
"Successfully added Upper Moon Three Akaza as a friend!"
"Detected that Upper Moon Three Akaza's intimacy with the host's friend is 'initial acquaintance', randomly awarding an item!"
"Obtained skill: Blood Demon Art: Destructive Kill – Compass (Mastery)!"
"Do you wish to merge skill now: Blood Demon Art: Destructive Kill – Compass (Mastery)?"
"[No]"
If Raiden had been surprised by receiving Akaza's friend request, his reaction now rose to pure exhilaration when he saw the item he'd been granted. The Blood Demon Art: Destructive Kill – Compass was the central technique of Akaza's own art, the cornerstone from which all his forms like Vacuity, Chaotic, and Annihilation were derived. In other words, after merging this skill, Raiden could analyze and recreate powerful forms from it. To kill several birds with one stone was an understatement.
"I said… I will fulfill my duty," Kyojuro Rengoku said with effort, lifting himself despite trembling lips. Pain twisted his breath. He could not fall here — nor could Raiden or anyone else. Looking to the broken Nichirin blade beside him, Rengoku swallowed hard and reached for it.
His fingertips brushed the cold hilt, a chill creeping up his arm that felt like fate pulling his life apart. Each breath rattled with agony, but just as Rengoku was about to muster what strength he had left to grip the sword, a gentle hand pressed against his shoulder.
"Leave it to me."
Rengoku looked up, startled but relieved to see Raiden's face emerging through the smoke and dust. His clear, focused eyes were filled with concern.
Raiden didn't yank the sword roughly; instead, he steadied Rengoku's trembling hand and gently guided it away from the hilt. Then, with careful precision that honored the moment, Raiden knelt and took hold of the blade himself.
His fingers felt the lingering heat where Rengoku had just touched it, and a quiet smile formed. A smile that carried warmth despite the devastation around them.
"What are you doing, Raiden? Cough… cough," Rengoku rasped as he regained his senses.
Seeing Raiden holding the blade, panic flickered in the Flame Pillar's eyes. What was he planning? To face Upper Moon Three Akaza alone? The thought made Rengoku's heart seize. He knew Raiden's strength was remarkable, but Akaza was a monster — unmatched even among demons. No guarantee existed that Raiden could survive much less win.
Akaza's voice cut through the tension, calm and confident. "What? Still unwilling to give up? Raiden, without Rengoku's assistance, you no longer have the right to fight me."
There was no mockery, just the truth in Akaza's assessment. Compared to a Hashira like Rengoku, Raiden's overall skill was inferior, especially while injured. Akaza wondered how Raiden still stood.
"Right? Are you talking about this?"
In the blink of an eye, Raiden reappeared behind Akaza. The speed was so sudden that Akaza barely had time to tense before pain exploded in his neck.
Bang!
Akaza jerked back, instinctively clutching his neck as Raiden stood before him, sword lowered, eyes unreadable yet alert.
"What's going on?" Akaza muttered, dazed. Deep in his core, the shock of this sudden strike surged. He had expected to dominate the wounded Raiden easily, yet his opponent had just struck him first.
Raiden's movements were like a phantom. Akaza tried to anticipate his location with his Compass Needle technique, which lets him sense an opponent's fighting spirit and predict their actions with uncanny precision. Yet Raiden's presence flickered like a flame in the breeze, appearing unpredictably. Every time Akaza believed he had located him, Raiden was already somewhere else, landing another blow.
"What speed is this?" Akaza wondered, struggling to follow him. Normally Akaza's predictive ability was nearly unbeatable, but something about Raiden's presence within the so‑called Transparent World state made him unpredictable — like liquid lightning that refused to be grasped.
Beside him, Rengoku rose to his feet, eyes wide with shock. He could hardly believe what he was seeing — Raiden was moving against Akaza as if he had complete mastery of the battlefield. They should have been at their lowest point after suffering such injuries, yet Raiden's speed and precision rivaled even a Pillar's skill.
Each attack Raiden made seemed effortless and exact. Flames of sweat and grit shot through the air as Raiden weaved through Akaza's fighting spirit field, almost dancing through a storm of intent and aggression. Akaza, usually the aggressor, found himself disrupted. Raiden's strikes carried both searing thunder and fire — effects that didn't just bruise, they eroded Akaza's spirit and slowed his regeneration.
With every connection, Akaza felt burning pain he had never expected from a "mere" human‑level fighter. He began to feel something unfamiliar. A hint of fear buried deep beneath his bloodlust.
What… what is Raiden? Is this the Supreme Realm?
Akaza's voice faltered as the realization hit him. Raiden's state wasn't normal — but it wasn't complete Supreme Realm either. A true Supreme Realm would allow total dominance, not just pressure. Yet Raiden was doing something no ordinary fighter could: he moved so fluidly that Akaza could no longer read him, no longer finish him in one strike.