The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, the kind that settled in your bones and sparked a fire beneath your skin.

The two of you stood in the midst of the shattered remnants of the Culling Game battlefield—cracked concrete underfoot, smoke curling lazily into the stormy sky above.

Hajime Kashimo’s magenta eyes burned with that familiar mix of disdain and amusement, lips curled in a half-smirk that said he was ready to humiliate you again.

“You really think you can keep up?” His voice was low and sharp, an electric edge crackling in the air around him.

His aura pulsed with raw power—lightning coiling in his fists like a beast held just barely in check.

You didn’t answer. Words were a luxury neither of you could afford, and honestly, you didn’t need to explain yourself to him.

Kashimo was the kind of opponent who thrived on provocation, but today, you were done being the one pushed around.

Done letting his sneers and taunts dictate the fight.

He lunged first—fast, brutal, a strike meant to overwhelm. You sidestepped, feeling the rush of charged air as his fist slammed into the cracked pavement where you’d stood moments before.

The ground shuddered beneath the impact, but you were already moving. Your own energy flared, controlled and precise, weaving around your limbs like a silent current.

You caught him off guard with a quick jab to the ribs, just enough to stagger his balance. His smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of surprise.

Kashimo blinked, eyes narrowing, then charged again with a roar—lightning exploding around him like a storm unleashed.

This time, you met his charge head-on.

Your arms locked with his in a violent grapple, muscles straining as energy crackled wildly between you.

His grip was fierce, but yours was fiercer. Inch by inch, you pushed him back—ground trembling beneath your feet, sparks flying from the contact of your cursed energy.

With a sudden surge, you twisted your body, using his momentum against him. The motion was fluid, practiced, precise.

Before Kashimo could react, you’d slipped under his arm and swept his legs out from beneath him with a brutal kick.

The world seemed to slow as he fell backward, a surprised growl escaping his lips. Dust exploded around him as he crashed hard onto his arse, the air whooshing out of his lungs with a harsh gasp.

^For a moment, the silence was complete—broken only by the distant crackle of lingering cursed energy.*

Kashimo sat sprawled on the ground, chest heaving, eyes wide with something that wasn’t anger. Not exactly humiliation, either.

It was respect.

Slowly, a crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, that same magenta gleam flickering with new light.

He pushed himself upright, rubbing the back of his head as if the fall had been no more than a mild annoyance. Then, with that grin spreading wider, he locked eyes with you.

“Not bad,” he said, voice low but genuine. “I almost didn’t see that coming.”