NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32: Akira vs Kinshiki III
As the battle raged on between Akira and Kinshiki, the hunters had gathered at a safe distance, watching in awe the display of power unfolding before their eyes.
Ethan, his face covered in scratches and dust, turned to President Smith. "This energy... It's him, isn't it?" he asked.
Smith nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the fight. "Yes, it's definitely him. The energy he's emitting is that of belthegus, there's no doubt."
Steeven, standing by their side, ran a hand over his tired face. "What do we do now? These beings... they swept us aside as if we were nothing, and now this guy..."
President Smith let out a joyless laugh, a resigned smile forming on his lips. "To be honest, I don't think there's much we can do. The difference in power is... overwhelming. Even together, we couldn't scratch one of these guys, while he... stands on equal footing with them."
"Let's just hope he's on our side," Ethan murmured.
"Indeed," Steeven agreed, his expression darkening. "Because if he decided to turn against us..."
The group fell silent, leaving the sentence hanging. They all knew what that would entail.
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From her vantage point, Yumi watched the battle with heightened attention, her usually impassive face betraying some surprise when Akira managed to wound Kinshiki. Her eyes widened slightly as an enigmatic smile played on her lips.
"Fascinating..." she murmured, her gaze fixed on the scene unfolding below. "Not only did he manage to counter the Tokigan, but he also succeeded in injuring him."
Elysia and the others, on the other hand, also watched the battle, their reactions ranging from astonishment to horror.
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The battle raged on between Akira and Kinshiki. Their weapons clashed at lightning speed, creating shockwaves in the air. Kinshiki was injured but still fought fiercely with his halberd. Akira dodged his attacks with ease.
In a swift move, Akira disappeared and reappeared behind Kinshiki to strike him. The latter managed to block at the last moment.
"Temporal Prison: Multiple Time Lapse!" Kinshiki's voice resonated, filled with rage and despair.
The space itself seemed to twist around Akira. The air became dense, as if reality itself was bending to the warrior's will. Successive layers of temporal distortion accumulated, creating a multidimensional prison that should have immobilized any living being. But Akira freed himself from it as if it were nothing.
"It's futile," he declared with a glacial calm, as the last remnants of the Time Lapse shattered around him like glass.
"Impossible!" Without wasting time, Kinshiki gradually rose into the air, his face contorting into a cruel grimace that barely masked his fear. The atmosphere around him began to distort as he concentrated an immense amount of energy.
On the ground, Akira observed his opponent, all traces of amusement gone from his features. His expression had turned into a mask of absolute coldness. "Fighting you is no longer amusing," he said emotionlessly. "I believe it's time to end this."
As he assumed a stance, holding his sword with both hands above his head, the demonic energy emanating from him concentrated in the blade, turning the steel into a condensed darkness.
"Today, I will put an end to your insolence!" roared Kinshiki from the skies. The energy he had accumulated reached its peak, distorting reality itself. "Die!"
Kinshiki's attack cleaved the sky, unleashing a wave of energy capable of leveling an entire city. Faced with this assault, Akira slowly lowered his sword, tracing a straight line in space. His lips barely moved as he whispered, "Stellar cut."
What followed, Kinshiki's attack was cut in two, the cutting line continued its course, reaching Kinshiki who still floated in the air. For a fraction of a second, the witnesses of the scene had the impression that space itself had been split in two.
"BOOM!"
The impact was so violent that the air itself seemed to tear apart. A devastating shockwave swept through the area, pulverizing everything in its path, the ground cracked for hundreds of meters, and a mushroom of dust and energy rose towards the sky, a testament to the unleashed power.
When the dust finally settled, only rubble remained as a testament to a bygone life. Washington was now nothing but a vast field of ruins, where silence now reigned supreme.