The air between them crackled with raw tension.
Yumi's boots skidded across the uneven stone, her gaze locked on the man before her. His jagged obsidian sword hummed with energy, vibrating faintly as if charged with intent.
He held it loosely at his side, but his eyes—those eyes—were calculating everything. Her stance. Her breath. Her readiness.
She kept her own arms steady, Cosmic energy flickering in radiant streams along her shoulders, orbiting her like fractured comets. Her breathing was calm, but focused. She couldn't afford another mistake. Not with how quickly he adapted.
"You've held your own longer than most," the villain said, breaking the silence. His tone wasn't mocking anymore. It was… curious. "You don't panic. You don't hesitate. That's rare."
Yumi didn't respond. She was done with games.
He continued, voice lowering. "But that won't matter soon."
Then, clearly:
"Distort."
The cavern warped. Space twisted ahead of him, like heatwaves on metal—but sharper. Razor-thin slits of spatial distortion laced toward her. Not visible enough to dodge by sight alone.
She didn't wait.
Yumi surged forward, skating just along the edge of the distortion fields. Her control over her Quirk was sharp now—fluid, dynamic. Cosmic energy wrapped her arms and calves like armor as she propelled herself through the shifting terrain.
"Slice."
A word. The rock wall behind her shattered into a curved blade of stone, whipping toward her like a scythe.
She twisted in midair, Cosmic energy bursting from her back in a short flare. She struck the blade with both palms, redirecting its arc and letting it slam into the floor harmlessly.
The villain raised a hand. "Crumble."
The ceiling above her cracked. Yumi's eyes shot upward—and she dove forward just in time as a cluster of boulders collapsed where she'd been a heartbeat ago.
"You're just saying words now," she muttered, brushing dust from her face. "Trying to overwhelm me."
"It's not about the words," he said, stepping toward her. "It's about control. Precision."
He slashed the air with his sword.
"Skewer."
From the ground, spikes launched upward in a wide arc.
Yumi didn't retreat. She planted both feet, raised her hands—and unleashed a burst of pure energy, vaporizing the nearest spears in a sweeping blast. Shards clattered around her.
She moved faster now, sharper.
No hesitation.
She flashed left, cosmic trails behind her. The villain spun and said—
"Invert."
Her momentum flipped backward mid-step. Her body twisted in the wrong direction, as if gravity itself betrayed her. She crashed to the side, landing hard on her shoulder.
The villain approached slowly, blade in hand.
"You're strong," he said. "But strength without control is chaos."
She coughed, groaned—and pushed herself up. "Then I'll bring chaos."
Her energy condensed suddenly—too fast to see. A perfect ring of heat and gravity shimmered at her back, and her body rocketed forward.
The villain's eyes widened.
He raised his sword—"Repel—"
Too late.
She struck him square across the chest with a focused cosmic burst, sending him flying. His body crashed through the nearby stone pillar, the sword clattering somewhere into the shadows.
Dust clouded the cavern.
She advanced, slowly. Her arm shook slightly. That blow took more energy than she meant to give. She hadn't landed a clean strike like that until now.
The dust began to clear.
"Are you done?" she called, breathless.
But then—he laughed.
The kind of laugh that chilled her spine.
A silhouette stepped from the debris. Blood trailed down his temple. His cloak was torn. But his eyes gleamed brighter than ever.
"You really are interesting," he said. "I was holding back. I didn't think I'd need to push past my limits today."
He raised both hands.
"Arm me. Fortify. Echo. Multiply."
Yumi's eyes widened. "Wait—"
The air shattered.
A dozen weapons appeared—obsidian spears, curved blades, jagged chains—and copies of himself flickered in and out like illusions around him.
Her heart pounded.
She tightened her stance, gathering everything she had left. Her cosmic aura condensed into a tight sphere, ready to erupt.
No more words. No more tricks.
It would come down to this.
He raised his sword, smile gone.
She lifted her hand, energy burning white at her fingertips.
And then—together—
They charged.
TO BE CONTINUED.
The victor… still unknown.
…