Waterfall Area - Outside Osaka

  Rei and Raiden moved as one unified force, their coordination a testament to the countless missions they had completed together. Each attack flowed seamlessly into the next—Rei's heavy, brutal punches followed by Raiden's swift, lightning-infused strikes that temporarily disrupted Varkas's nervous system.

  Varkas studied their rhythm with calculating eyes as he defended against their onslaught. "Interesting tactics," he growled, blocking another of Rei's devastating hooks. "Your punches are heavy and brutal, while the blind one is swift and infuses lightning that temporarily stuns my berserk concept."

  The giant's analytical mind was already working through the problem. When Raiden's electrical attacks hit him, his body's growth response was momentarily interrupted, making Rei's subsequent strikes even more damaging than they should have been.

  "I should take out the lightning user first," Varkas decided aloud. "He's the bigger threat and nuisance."

  Varkas shifted his defensive stance and feinted a massive punch toward Rei. But instead of following through, he grabbed Rei's arm and spun him around, using his body as a human shield just as Raiden committed to his own lightning-enhanced attack.

  Raiden couldn't stop his momentum. His electrically charged fist struck Rei directly in the chest, the lightning coursing through his central nervous system and causing him to convulse before collapsing to the ground.

  "No!" Raiden gasped, realizing what had happened.

  "Tactical thinking wins battles," Varkas taunted as he immediately pursued Raiden with unbelievable speed that didn't match his massive size. "Not just brute force and flashy abilities!"

  Rei lay on the rocky ground, his body twitching as he fought to regain control of his nervous system. Inside his mind, Leonis observed the healing process with professional interest.

  "Impressive growth, Young Master," the lion-warrior noted. "Working against your own nervous system to repair the electrical damage—most fighters would be incapacitated for hours from such an attack."

  Leonis also cast an approving glance toward where Raiden was fighting. "That Fujiwara's use of lightning is remarkable. Precise, controlled, deadly when properly applied."

  Rei gradually regained his composure, forcing his body to respond to his mental commands as he pushed himself back to his feet. He could see Raiden engaged in desperate one-on-one combat with Varkas, barely holding his own against the giant's overwhelming aggression.

  "Damage only makes him stronger, Raiden!" Rei shouted across the battlefield.

  Raiden smacked his teeth in frustration as he narrowly dodged another crushing blow. "Great! Only now you tell me that, huh?"

  Rei realized the tactical error they had made. While fighting together, their teamwork had been perfect for disrupting Varkas's growth through coordinated attacks. But in a one-on-one situation, Varkas could adapt to his opponent's patterns, growing stronger with each exchange. This made him the worst possible matchup for a singular fight.

  Meanwhile, Varkas's speed had grown significantly beyond what either Rei or Raiden could match. Every swing Rei attempted missed completely and was countered with an even heavier blow. Raiden was barely keeping up even when he encloaked himself in lightning to enhance his speed.

  Varkas delivered a devastating combination to Rei, sending him flying backward into the lake with a tremendous splash. He immediately turned his attention back to Raiden, overpowering him with brutal efficiency—crushing blows to the kidneys, chest, and face that left the blind hero reeling.

  Rei struggled out of the water, his body aching from the impacts, and saw clearly that they were outmatched. The situation was deteriorating rapidly.

  Inside his mind, Leonis's voice carried urgent frustration. "Young Master, do something quickly! Your hesitation is pissing me off!"

  Rei tried to shrug off the thought, but he couldn't ignore their predicament. They were being overpowered by a force of nature, with no mentors, no other friends to help them. He had to act, and he had to act now.

  Varkas continued his relentless onslaught as Raiden could barely deflect the giant's increasingly heavy blows. Blood ran down the Fujiwara's face from multiple cuts.

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  "A Fujiwara who's blind and weak?" Varkas taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "You truly are a clown and a waste of elite blood."

  His expression darkened with bitter rage as he spoke. "Unlike the two of you, I was born from nothing. Thrown to the wastelands without a care in the world. That anger filled me, watching those who thought of themselves so highly that anyone weaker than them was worth nothing."

  Varkas grabbed Raiden's head and began pounding it into the rocky ground repeatedly, each impact creating deeper cracks in the stone.

  "What do you know about being kicked to the curb?!"

  Raiden suddenly engulfed both himself and Varkas with lightning so intense it shone bright enough to be seen for miles. The electrical energy crackled around them like a miniature sun.

  "I know everything about that!" Raiden replied through gritted teeth. "Don't underestimate me!"

  Varkas shielded himself from the intense electrical assault until he suddenly broke free from the lightning prison, his body smoking but his rage only intensified. He charged a punch toward Raiden with deadly intent, his fist crackling with absorbed energy.

  Everything moved in slow motion for Raiden. He could sense that Varkas had been fueled by the damage from his desperation attack, making the giant even stronger than before. Varkas's mana surged to levels that made the air itself feel heavy, and Raiden could tell this next blow would end his life.

  The massive fist stopped mere inches from Raiden's face as he was suddenly pulled backward against his own will. He found himself being dragged through the air, wondering who else had joined the fight, until he saw himself moving toward Rei.

  Rei was on both knees with one arm supporting his weight while his other arm extended toward Raiden, glowing with an otherworldly blue energy.

  Although Raiden was blind, he could feel something fundamentally different in Rei's mana signature.

  "This mana... you're still Rei?" he asked uncertainly.

  Rei looked up, his eyes now piercing blue instead of their usual black. "Of course," he gasped, clearly straining from using an unfamiliar power.

  Within Rei's mindscape, chains had been pulled taut around Hikito's form. The space contained only the two brothers now, their confrontation unavoidable.

  "You dare touch my soul, use my concept, and keep me enchained?" Hikito screamed, his voice filled with indignant rage.

  But the evidence was undeniable—Rei was learning to utilize Hikito's concept at an alarming rate, driven by his desperate need to protect his friend.

  "I needed to protect him," Rei responded firmly. "Don't think I need you. I am only borrowing this power."

  “How naive, little brother. You struggle with borrowed strength while our birthright flows unused. Father's sacrifice demands more than your childish resistance to destiny.”

  Rei ignored the warning, focusing instead on his hands and the sensation of having pulled Raiden to safety. Using the gravity manipulation had felt natural. Still, he knew there was more to discover about Hikito's concept.

  Utilize the concept as an extension of yourself rather than forcing it, he thought, remembering lessons from both Leonis and Kage. I hope I can make you proud.

  Back in the physical world, Rei finally stood up fully. He faced Varkas, who was walking toward them with confident, measured steps.

  Without looking at Raiden, Rei spoke with quiet determination. "Raiden, we're about to pick up the speed of things. Can you keep up?"

  Raiden dusted himself off, his battered body already responding to his resolve. "Let's go."

  Both fighters stood ready, their determination to end this battle burning brighter than ever.

  Varkas studied Rei's transformed appearance with calculating interest. Those eyes... they're foreign, yet something feels ancient about them, he thought, his analytical mind working even through his rage.

  "You truly are something else, Vessel," Varkas said with a loud chuckle that echoed across the waterfall area. "One minute your eyes are black and hollow, then red and fierce. Now blue and piercing."

  His expression suddenly turned deadly serious. "All the more reason you piss me off."

  Varkas charged at the two fighters with overwhelming force, but suddenly found himself stopped in place as if hitting an invisible wall.

  What is this? he thought, struggling against the unseen force.

  Raiden seized the opportunity, charging at Varkas with both hands clasped together, forcing a concentrated lightning spear to manifest and impale the giant. Instead of relying on his berserk concept, Varkas reinforced his body with pure mana to limit the electrical damage.

  What the hell was that that stopped me? Varkas wondered frantically.

  Suddenly, his head was forced downward directly into Rei's waiting fist, the gravity manipulation creating an unavoidable collision that landed a critical blow to Varkas's skull. Rather than relying on increased speed like before, Rei was using Hikito's gravity concept to infuse his already heavy punches with magnetic-like attraction, while Raiden continued releasing lightning into Varkas to minimize his rage response.

  Dammit, these clowns are continuing to grow, Varkas thought as the coordinated assault overwhelmed his defenses.

  Rei didn't stop his offensive. As Raiden ceased his lightning infusion, Rei transitioned into defense, using gravity manipulation to misdirect Varkas's punches, making the giant's massive fists curve away from their intended targets.

  "This damn Vessel!" Varkas screamed, his wrath growing by the minute from being systematically humiliated. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"

  Varkas suddenly stopped his attacks completely, his massive frame trembling with barely contained fury.

  "The elites will have no choice but to recognize me as the one who killed prodigies from prestigious bloodlines," he declared, his voice carrying the weight of years of resentment. "A man thrown to the waste. A man closest to killing a god."

  Rei and Raiden halted their assault upon recognizing the hand sign Varkas was forming—the ritual gesture known to select sorcerers, and even fewer could achieve, which meant only one thing.

  "Shrine Technique... Release."