The Ultimate Test of Strength

Kaze stood motionless as Sora looked down at him, gloating over his apparent victory. Blood dripped from the corner of Kaze's mouth where Sora's last attack had connected. 

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Sora sneered, his mismatched eyes alight with excitement. 

Kaze said nothing, merely spit a glob of blood onto Sora's boot in defiance. Sora's face contorted in anger and he barked to his allies Saki and Miyu, "Give me the suppressor!"

The two hurried over, handing Sora a sleek, metallic gun. "This will deactivate his abilities for five minutes," Saki explained. "More than enough time to finish him off."

Sora grinned wickedly, leveling the gun at Kaze's head. "Say goodbye to your anolity." 

There was a click, then a flash of blue light. Kaze jerked as the beam hit him square between the eyes. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then a wave of weakness washed over him, accompanied by a hollow ache in his core where his abilities normally resided. 

Dr. Keito watched with bated breath. He had never seen technology like this, able to temporarily neutralize an anomaly's powers. What else were the Eclipse developing while he had been away?

Slowly, Kaze rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he adjusted to the absence of his powers. He gingerly touched his forehead where the suppressor had struck. There was no mark or blood, only a lingering headache and that unsettling hollowness inside.

Sora let out a sharp laugh. "Not so tough now, are you? For the next five minutes, you're just a normal human - while I'm still an A-rank." His smile turned savage. "I've waited years for this moment. To finally beat you, the so-called prodigy. Once I kill you, I'll take my rightful place as the top agent!"

He nodded to Saki and Miyu. "Report Kaze's death to Hiroto Nagasaki. I'll handle the clean up here." 

As the two hurried off, Sora turned his full attention back to Kaze. "I've replayed this a thousand times in my head. Taking you down, proving once and for all that I'm the strongest. I mean, they said it couldn't be done, that you were invincible but nothing is out of my reach!"

Kaze regarded him coldly as Sora ranted, his mind racing. The suppressor's effects were undeniable, leaving him weakened and exposed. He had to act quickly, before Sora seized the opportunity to end him. 

Dr. Keito spoke urgently from the sidelines. "Kaze, you must flee! Without your anolity, he is too strong for you now!"

Kaze ignored the doctor, reaching instead for the suppression bracelet on his wrist, the device that had dampened his abilities since childhood. With effort, he wrenched it free, feeling a hint of his anolity trickle back as the bracelet clattered to the ground. It wasn't much, but it was something. 

Sora paused his tirade, eyeing Kaze curiously. Then he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, I see! You've managed to tap into some of your powers again. Doesn't change a thing. I'm still way more powerful than you."

As he spoke, Sora began to cough violently. Blood flecked his lips as he dropped to one knee, his right eye flickering from gray back to solid black. Kaze watched impassively as Sora's body spasmed.

"What...what's happening?" Sora choked out.

"I thought your victory seemed way too easy," Kaze said coldly. "Making me believe the shadows would tilt the odds in your favor against me? Laughable. You really thought I wouldn't notice? It's not the darkness you're banking on; it's the S-23 experimental drug that Rin is on. You've been juicing up on that stuff, haven't you?" His stare became more intense, cutting through the gloom like a knife.

Sora bared his teeth, blood dripping from his chin. "You don't know anything!"

Kaze met his furious gaze unflinchingly. "I've got the picture. It's pretty sad, you know, leaning on chemicals to scrape together some semblance of strength. And it looks like that boost of yours is just a fleeting high, Nothing lasting, not like with Rin. That drug actually meshed with her system."

With a primal roar, Sora burst forward, his shadow blade materializing in his grip.

Sora watched as Kaze dodged his Umbral Blade, covering his fist in gravity spheres. But before Kaze could counterattack, Sora already knew his plan.

"I knew you'd do that," Sora said, dodging the gravity-infused fist as he slashed Kaze across the gut with his blade. It was a shallow cut, but blood still flowed from the wound.

Kaze gasped for air, realizing this battle could end in his death if he didn't act fast. He had to stall for two more minutes until his abilities fully recharged. Pressing his hand against the gash on his stomach, Kaze turned and fled from Sora.

Sora laughed in disbelief as the mighty Kaze retreated from him. "I can't believe my eyes - you, the strongest, running from me? How the mighty have fallen." He slid his hands into his pockets and melted into the shadows, effortlessly pursuing Kaze.

Kaze reached a nearby lake and dove into the water. Sora emerged from the darkness at the lake's edge, puzzled by this tactic. "What is he planning?" Sora wondered. Then it dawned on him - Kaze was trying to stall until he regained his full powers. "I can't let him do that," Sora realized.

Charging up a massive sphere of darkness, Sora aimed both hands at the lake. "Eclipse Strike: Maximum Output!" he shouted, unleashing the full force of the attack. The resulting explosion vaporized the lake in an instant.

Sora scanned the devastated landscape for any sign of Kaze, but instead found him standing right behind him, badly burned but alive. Kaze was breathing heavily, but he smiled - his powers had returned.

Sora's watch beeped, confirming Kaze was at full strength again. Terror gripped Sora, who began shaking uncontrollably. "I-I lost. How did he survive that attack?" Spying a tunnel beneath the remains of the lake, Sora realized Kaze must have created an escape route from the blast. "What a monster," he thought in dismay.

Kaze raised his right hand, charging up a finishing blow. "Any last words?" he asked coldly.

Sora laughed nervously. "Nah, I'm just happy I was able to overpower you, even for a minute. I'm glad to die by the strongest hand." He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

"Vorte-" Kaze began, but a desperate shout interrupted him.

"Stoooop!"

Sora and Kaze looked up to see Usagi standing with Keito in the distance. Despite Keito's efforts to silence him, Usagi cried out, "I don't want to see people dying, please Kaze!"

Kaze clicked his tongue in annoyance and stopped charging his attack, then turned and walked away without a word.

Sora was swirling with confusion and anger. "Hey, what the hell?" he shouted after Kaze. "I said to kill me, did you not hear me, you bastard?"

Kaze paused and glanced back with an icy detachment. "If you want to die so badly, just go jump off the nearest cliff. That should do the trick. I'm out of here."

His callous words signaled the end of their clash, leaving Sora shocked. He slumped to the ground, grappling with his emotions as Kaze departed.

____

As the sun came up, Chairman Kurosawa Misuki sat back in his limousine's comfy leather seat, driving through the quiet streets of Eclipsia City, Japan.

He took a deep puff of his cigar and the smoke gently swirled around his face. The glowing tip lit up his slick dark hair and sharp brown eyes. He wore a black suit that fit snugly around his broad shoulders and slim waist, almost like armor. His white gloves stood out against the dark suit, showing his love for detail and a flair for the dramatic.

"Chairman Kurosawa," ventured the chauffeur, a nervous glance in the rearview mirror capturing a fleeting eye contact with Kurosawa. "The meeting with the President is set to begin in thirty minutes."

Kurosawa let out a slow breath, the smoke swirling around his head like a misty halo. "Cancel it," 

"Sir? But—"

"The President will wait." His voice was as smooth as aged whiskey, firm yet without a hint of urgency. "Project K requires my attention."

The chauffeur swallowed hard, retreating into his seat with a nod. "Of course, sir. My apologies for overstepping."

Kurosawa's lips curled into a semblance of a smile, more predatory than pleasant.

"Tell me," Kurosawa said after a moment's silence, "have you heard of Kaze Jūryoku?"

The chauffeur's eyes widened slightly at the name—a reaction that didn't go unnoticed by Kurosawa. "Yes, sir. The top enforcer... they say his anolity is called 'gravity rift' and he has full control over gravity."

Kurosawa chuckled, "Imagine a man who controls gravity itself." He paused, admiration coloring his tone. 

"I'm really looking forward to meeting this Project K specimen that can go toe-to-toe with Jūryoku. It's not every day you get to see such a rare treat!"

The car was quiet until they got close to The Eclipse Agency. Its huge building stood tall against the sky, like a giant keeping secrets.

Kurosawa looked up at it through the window, his forehead wrinkling in thought. "It's been a long time since I've been here,".

With those words still in the air, he got out of the limousine and walked into The Eclipse Agency—a place full of power and risk, where every decision mattered.