First Stage: Monster Unleashed~
The arena shuddered as Kairon surged forward, his eye—a hypnotic spiral of deep crimson and gold, streaked with crackling lightning—locked onto the Empress. It was a vision of raw, untamed power, burned into the minds of every spectator.
Announcer (voice trembling with excitement):
"Ladies and gentlemen, bear witness! The storm has awakened—Kairon's eye, a hypnotic spiral of crimson and gold, is burning brighter than ever!
The Empress unleashed a barrage of magic blasts, but Kairon, abandoning all defense, let his sixth sense and the storm of his Crimson Domain guide him. He weaved through the attacks, a streaking blur, never breaking stride.
He crashed into close quarters, Chakra Scalpel flickering in one hand, armored gloves sparking as he unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, slashes, and kicks. Sparks flew as her twin short swords clashed with his blows—a high-pitched shriek of metal on metal filled the air, the impact rattling Kairon's bones even as he absorbed the shock. Each strike was a fusion of Ironhide's brutal offense, Artemis's pinpoint strikes, and Pantha's wild ferocity. Every time his skin met her enchanted blades, he felt a jolt—not pain, but a peculiar, exhilarating surge of absorbed magic, fueling the storm within.
Audience:
Gasps and cries of disbelief ripple through the stands. Some fans leap to their feet, others clutch each other, eyes wide as the battle intensifies.
The Empress, wielding her Emperor Stick—now split into twin short swords—fought back with desperate skill and magic, but Kairon's speed and unpredictability overwhelmed her. She tried to create distance, coating her blade in lightning and electrocuting him in a violent display. For a heartbeat, the world froze in a blinding flash—the air snapped, thick with the pungent scent of ozone, as lightning snaked across his skin, illuminating the arena in a blinding, violet flash. But in the Crimson Domain, Kairon felt no pain. He absorbed the electricity, his aura flaring brighter, lightning crackling across his skin.
Announcer:
"He's taking the Empress's lightning head-on! But… he's not even flinching! Raze is feeding on the storm!"
Without warning, he unleashed Blade of Wind, a silent, unseen force that ripped across her arm, leaving a razor-thin cut and forcing her to teleport away just in time.
Illusionary Onslaught
The scenery warped. The Empress's magic plunged them into a nightmare forest, the sky pitch-black save for a skeletal half-moon. Dozens of red eyes glared from the shadows, and a chill seeped into the air, heavy and damp, the scent of decaying leaves and stagnant water clinging to the pervasive gloom.
Announcer (awed):
"The arena… it's changed! The Empress has turned the battlefield into a living nightmare!"
Audience:
A hush falls. Some children hide behind their parents, others stare in silent awe as Raze grins, undeterred.
Kairon's lips peeled back in a grim, unsettling grin—a silent acknowledgment of the Empress's futile attempts to break his will. He muttered, "Lightning Overdrive," the words a low hum that resonated with the very fabric of reality. He couldn't see through the illusion with his eyes, but he felt the lie, a dissonant hum vibrating in the very air, his aura flaring, hair standing on end as blue and white lightning snaked across his skin.
With every step, illusions shattered in a four-meter radius, reality snapping back in his wake with a faint, crystalline chime, like countless tiny bells ringing in triumph. The Empress sent spectral beasts, but Kairon dispatched them with single, brutal attacks. His fighting style had devolved—or evolved—into pure dominance: overwhelming power, blistering speed, and raw resilience overriding technique, his movements wild and unstoppable.
He felt a surge of exhilarating power, the raw force of the Domain thrumming through him, a predatory hum echoing in his bones. This wasn't just a fight; it was a dance of destruction, and he was the lead.
Announcer:
"He's breaking the illusions! Raze is unstoppable!"
The scenery shifted again and again—a frozen wasteland where the biting wind tore at his exposed skin and the crunch of ice beneath his boots echoed in the desolate quiet; a silent graveyard reeking of decay; a scorching desert; a burning village with phantom screams, thin and desperate, curling on the wind, and the acrid stench of smoke burning his nostrils; jagged rocky mountains. Each new world brought creatures to match: undead warriors with clattering bones, slithering sand serpents, shrieking fire wraiths, implacable stone giants. Kairon tore through them all, a living storm that could not be contained.
The battlefield finally solidified into a hellscape familiar to all shinobi: the Fourth Great Ninja War. Shattered earth, burning trenches, and the clang of clashing illusionary armies filled the air. Kairon fought through hordes of phantom shinobi, never losing focus on his true target—the one whose magic painted this horrific canvas.
Then, an absolute darkness descended. The Empress's voice, smooth and taunting, echoed around him:
"Now try to escape again, my dear little ninja."
Spectral chains, cold as grave dust, rushed at him. Kairon propelled himself skyward with Flying Wind Locust, blowing away the chains with a burst of wind and crackling lightning. In midair, he vanished with Shunshin, reappearing directly in front of the Empress. She instinctively threw up her arms to block her face, but he changed his strike at the last instant, driving a powerful punch into her gut and shattering her illusion for the first time since the tournament began.
Audience:
Some spectators shiver as the arena seems to grow cold and dark, illusionary screams echoing. Children hide behind their parents; veterans of past tournaments stare, jaws slack, as Kairon tears through monsters only he can see. When reality snaps back, there's a collective gasp a sigh of relief—and a surge of wild applause.
The Empress gasped, a rare tremor of surprise crossing her face, her carefully constructed illusion shattering around them with a sound like splintering glass. For all her formidable power, his relentless truth-sense was an unexpected, infuriating counter. "He… he felt it," she thought, a flicker of irritation, then renewed determination. "No matter. This is far from over."
Without pause, he unleashed a barrage of taijutsu, forcing her to teleport away. As she landed, Kairon crashed down, leg raised for a devastating kick. She barely teleported out of the way before his Earth Stomp detonated on the stage, sending shrapnel of concrete and twisted rebar flying. Hidden in the dust, Kairon swallowed an upgraded soldier pill from a concealed compartment in his glove, feeling chakra and mana surge back into his veins, his wounds knitting, stamina returning with a violent rush.
_________________________________________
Mid Stage: The Stolen Blade~
Kairon pressed the attack, never giving the Empress a moment to recover. He moved in a blur—vanishing, reappearing, attacking from impossible angles.
Announcer (shouting):
"Raze is everywhere at once! The Empress can't keep up!"
The Empress, at first overwhelmed, began to adapt, her eyes narrowing as she infused her movements with more potent magic, using teleportation not just to evade, but to launch cunning counter-attacks with renewed ferocity.
She coated her blade with wind, unleashing a razor arc that whistled through the air. Kairon's sixth sense screamed—a violent, internal alarm bell that jarred him, forcing him to twist back, narrowly avoiding the strike, the wind pressure ruffling his hair like an unseen hand. The close call left him open.
The Empress lunged, her sword a flash of steel. Metal rang—not just blade on armor, but blade on blade, a sudden, jarring thunk that was too solid to be a simple parry. She staggered back, her eyes widening in disbelief, staring at her empty hand. Half her Emperor Stick was gone—stolen in the chaos, her own weapon now turned against her, humming faintly with Kairon's stolen power in his grip. "Impossible! How…?" she cursed inwardly, a rare surge of frustration.
Announcer (shouting, nearly losing his voice):
"Unbelievable! In a flash, Kairon has stolen half the Empress's weapon! He's wielding her own blade against her—what a twist! The Empress looks rattled, but she's not done yet!"
Audience:
The stands erupt—cheers, shouts, and a few stunned silences as the balance of power shifts. The tension is electric, the air thick with the scent of sweat and anticipation.
END OF CHAPTER 9.