Chapter 45: Determination Of The Strong 2

“You want my cooperation? You’ll have to prove you’re worth it. If you win, you get what you came for. If you lose, Squad 3 becomes part of Squad 9 and you’ll learn firsthand how we handle loyalty here.”

“Fine,” Soujin said firmly. “If those are your terms, I accept.”

The young woman Bellar had defeated earlier stirred. She groaned while pushing herself to her feet. She stumbled slightly with her spiky ponytail disheveled and her face flushed with exertion. Her eyes locked onto the scene unfolding before her, widening while seeing Soujin standing defiantly before Ginger.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” she said weakly. “I failed you.”

Ginger turned her head slightly, glancing at the young woman with an eased face. “No biggie, that just means I get to fight today.” Her lips curled into a grin that sent a chill through the air.

Bellar leaned against her sword, watching intently with her lips pressed into a tight line. She looked ready to shout something but perhaps knowing Soujin’s motivations, she held her tongue.

Ginger stepped forward. The massive sword was drawn. The weapon was larger than any blade Soujin had ever seen. It had intricate tribal patterns that seemed to glow as if alive with power.

Soujin drew his own blade. His stance shifted and eyes narrowed. His Mystcry flared subtly around him in a green aura.

“Let’s get something straight,” Ginger said loudly over the gathered spectators. “You don’t come into my territory and challenge me unless you’re ready to lose more than just pride.”

Ginge pointed the tip of her blade at Soujin with a grin never wavering.

“Show me, Squad 3 Captain,” Ginger said with challenge. “Show me if you’ve got what it takes to earn anything in my territory.”

Soujin tightened his grip on his sword. “Oh, You’ll find out soon enough…”

The first clash sent a deafening shockwave through the arena. Soujin’s blade, though swift and expertly guided was nearly overpowered by the sheer force behind Ginger’s swing. The ground beneath them cracked and dust kicked into the air as Soujin was hurled backward, barely regaining his footing by summoning a gust of wind to cushion his fall.

“She’s strong,” Soujin muttered. He could feel the vibration of their clash still humming through his arms. "Way too strong."

Ginger chuckled as she stood across from him with her blade resting on her shoulders. “You holding back, Captain? Don’t tell me that’s all your strength.”

Soujin didn’t answer. Instead, he exhaled sharply and channeled his Mystcry. A subtle breeze began to swirl around his blade as it sharpened the edge. ‘Speed over power, then,’ he decided. In his mind while shifting his stance and darted forward. He became a blue of motion that seemed almost impossible to follow.

Soujin darted around her, striking at her sides, her back, anywhere he could find an opening. Each strike landed true but Ginger barely flinched. Her massive muscles seemed to absorb the blows with little more than a grunt.

“Fast,” Ginger admitted, turning on her heel with surprising agility for someone wielding such a massive weapon. Her blade swung in retaliation in an arc so wide it could have cleaved through a tree trunk.

Soujin’s wind-enhanced reflexes allowed him to duck, twist and propelled himself backward with a sharp gust, avoiding the devastating swing by a hair’s breadth. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. ‘One wrong move, and I’m done.’

Again and again, Soujin struck with his speed carrying him out of reach before Ginger could counter but her retaliations grew sharper, more precise and increasingly ferocious. Soujin felt the wind from one swing graze his face, close enough to sting.

Soujin stepped back. His blade lowered slighty. His eyes studied Ginger and saw she was smiling.

Ginger tilted her head. “Squad 3’s warriors are as fast as the wind, sharp as a blade. I’ve always respected that about your team, but speed comes at a cost. You give up your strength to gain it.” She rolled her shoulders. “You won’t break through my defense with speed alone, Captain.”

Soujin exhaled deeply. The wind around him faded momentarily. His lips quirked into a faint smirk as he muttered under his breath, “Well, she’s got me there.”

Soujin raised his free hand and shouted, “Fine. You win, Ginger.”

The arena buzzed like a kicked hornet’s nest with whispers and gasps ricocheting around the arena. Bellar snapped with her eyes narrowing into laser-focused daggers aimed at Soujin. “Did you just...?” she started with disbelief in her tone. “You’ve completely lost it, haven’t you?”

Even Ginger blinked in genuine shock. Her smile wavered, faltering for the first time as if Soujin had just flipped the script of a play she’d written. She spoke in a low tone. “What? You throwing in the towel? That’s not the impression I got from you.”

Soujin shook his head. “No, no, not like that. You win in one point of respect. At this rate, I won’t be able to cut you. Not without bringing something a little... extra to the fight.”

Ginger narrowed her eyes but seemed intrigued. “Something extra, huh? Let’s see it then.”

Soujin closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, the breeze around him returned, stronger this time. His Mystcry flared around his blade vibrating with a high-pitched hum.

“You wanted to see what Squad 3’s Captain can really do?Well, here it is. No more holding back.”

The air around Soujin shifted and a fierce wind whipped through the arena as he raised his blade high and shouted:

“Strafe, Kaze no Monogatari!”

The blade in Soujin’s hand pulsed with a vibrant green glow. The winds around him intensified into a swirling vortex. His sword’s shape altered subtly with it’s edges becoming more jagged. A sigil appeared in his hair like a crest of the wind god itself.

Ginger planted her feet firmly with a grin appearing. “Now we’re talking.”

The wind danced around Soujin like a living entity, pulling debris from the cracked ground and forming a whirlwind that encased him. His expression shifted to a serious one while his eyes glowed faintly with the same green energy as his blade.

“Ready yourself, Ginger….”

On those lines, he vanished.

No, not vanished—he was moving so fast that even Ginger struggled to track him. A burst of wind slammed into her left, causing her to shift her massive sword defensively. Another came from the right, then behind, each strike a blur of green and silver. The sound of blades meeting flesh echoed through the arena as Soujin’s attacks came faster and sharper.

Ginger grunted. Her arms trembled slightly under the relentless onslaught. Still, she remained on her feet without stumble like the roots of a great tree.

Ginger felt the weight of Soujin’s relentless barrage. Each strike grew sharper. Her muscles ached faintly, and for the first time, she sensed the fight wasn’t entirely in her control.

Ginger’s body began to radiate an orange aura, faint at first, then growing brighter with each passing second like molten energy. She whispered to herself, “He’s more focused now... He’s looking for weaknesses. Can’t see him, but I can feel it. He’s slipping away after every strike. Clever boy.”

She exhaled sharply. “But if I can’t see him... then I’ll make sure there’s nowhere for him to go.”

With that, Ginger unleashed a wild series of swings. Each strike was faster and more unpredictable than the last. She wasn’t aiming for him directly but for every flicker of a shadow, every whisper of movement in her periphery. Dust exploded in bursts where her blade struck the ground, and the arena trembled under the force of her swings.

Soujin darted to her left and intended to strike at her side but her sword came down in a blur, narrowly missing him. He darted to the right, only for another swing to graze his whirlwind.

“She’s adapting,” Soujin muttered under his breath. His eyes were focused entirely on the patterns in her strikes. She was using the chaos of her swings to flush him out and force him to reveal himself.

Ginger growled as her blade met empty air once more. “Clever... but not clever enough!” she roared while spinning the blade in a wide arc. Her sword smashed into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling outward and forcing Soujin to leap into the air to avoid being caught in the blast.

It was the opening she needed.

As Soujin descended, she turned on her heel with speed that defied her size and her blade sliced upward in a powerful arc which Soujin brought his blade up just in time to block. The clash between their blades was deafening and caused a flash of green and orange Mystcry to be unleashed.

For a moment, they were locked with their blades pressing against each other. The ground beneath them gave way, forming a shallow crater from the sheer force of their combined strength.

Soujin gritted his teeth. “You’re not just brute strength huh…You’re reading me.”

Ginger’s grin returned. It was fierce and full of fire. “And you’re not just speed. You’re testing me, poking at my defenses. I like that.” She leaned in. “But you’re not gonna break me.”

With a sudden burst of strength, Ginger pushed Soujin back and swung at Soujin while he was in the air once again. Soujin twisted mid-air and used the wind to propel himself away before landing lightly on his feet, his blade still glowing with green energy.

He smirked, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. “Good. I was worried this would be too easy.”

Ginger laughed. “Oh, Captain, we’re just getting started.”

“No, that’s what she thinks,” Soujin muttered under his breath. “She doesn’t realize I’ve got her exactly where I want her.”

As Ginger readied her next move, Soujin’s mind raced. ‘This fight isn’t just about winning. It’s about testing these powers... these abilities I’ve been reincarnated with.’ He glanced briefly at the swirling sigil in his blade and the faint green glow surrounding him. ‘I barely have time to train between missions. If I’m going to grow stronger... if I’m going to stand a chance against someone like Will, this is the moment. I need to push myself here and now.

Soujin shifted his weight, letting the wind carry him a step to the side as Ginger’s blade slammed into the ground where he had just stood. The shockwave sent debris flying, but Soujin barely noticed. His focus was singular.

He exhaled sharply, his Mystcry flaring once more as the winds around him roared to life. ‘I need to beat her here, and I have the perfect opportunity to do it.’

Soujin's movements began to slow. The whirlwind of energy around him seemed to settle slightly. Ginger’s sharp eyes narrowed while swinging her blade again. Her strike carved through the air, missing Soujin by inches as he leaned back at the last second.

“What’s this?” she muttered with suspicion. “Fatigue? No... His Mystcry levels are still high. So, what’s he up to?”

Soujin sidestepped her next strike with the blade grazing just past his torso. Ginger growled in frustration. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong but she couldn’t quite place it. Soujin’s smirk grew while narrowly avoiding her final swing.

In that moment, he channeled power into his blade. The blade’s energy extended outward in a cutting arc, slicing through Ginger’s shoulder. She gasped, stumbling backward as blood trickled from the wound. Before she could recover, Soujin released another wind-enhanced slash, this time catching her other shoulder.

“Damn it—!” Ginger staggered with her knees buckling under the force of the attack. Her aura flickered and lost some of its intensity.

Soujin didn’t hesitate. He moved with his blade guided by the surging winds and struck her stomach. The impact sent her reeling, forcing her down to one knee. Ginger clutched her middle with her breath labored. She attempted to rise back slowly.

“I’ve got you now,” Soujin declared coldly. He stepped back with his blade glowing brighter as he lifted it to shoulder height. The swirling sigil on the blade began to pulse violently, resonating with the green energy coursing through his Mystcry .

With a deep breath, he planted his foot firmly and gripped the hilt tightly. His voice boomed with resolve while roaring, “Galeforce!”

The blade erupted with a massive burst of wind. The unleashed gale tore through the battlefield like a tempest, creating a brilliant arc of energy that surged toward Ginger. The sheer force of the blast cut through her defensive aura and shattered the ground beneath her.

The gale enveloped Ginger entirely with the winds spiraling around her like a vengeful storm. Her growl of defiance echoed at first, but when the pressure intensified, it shifted into a reluctant scream that tore through the battlefield.

The energy around Soujin’s blade began to wane with the green glow dimming. At the same time, thesigil on his forehead faded to almost nothing.

On the sidelines, Bellar stood with arms crossed. Her face was uncharacteristically grim. The typical snark in her eyes was replaced by a focused seriousness while taking in the scene.

From further away, the young woman Bellar had defeated earlier shouted, “Ginger!” Her face showed a concerned look.

Was it over? Had Soujin Defeated Ginger?