Chapter 46: Beast

A Silence enveloped the Squad 9 battlegrounds for the longest minute ever. Then, a glow began to emerge from the settling dust that picked up from Soujin’s last attack. It was a vibrant orange aura that danced like flames caught in a whirlwind.

Bellar lowered her eyes slightly with a knowing look crossing her face. She exhaled softly. “Of course.”

The young woman on the sidelines gasped audibly before face erupted into a wide, beaming smile. “I knew it! That’s Ginger for you!” she shouted with excitement.

Soujin’s eyes narrowed with curiosity. He took a cautious step back. “What… is that?” he murmured.

The dust cleared completely, revealing Ginger standing tall with her muscular frame radiating orange energy. The aura spiraled around her like a wild. It resembled wind but its movement was fiercer than Soujin’s wind.

Ginger tilted her head back and laughed. It echoed across the battlefield. She gripped her blade tightly and said, “Surprised, Soujin? You’re not the only one who knows how to wield the winds.”

She shifted her gaze briefly to the sidelines, snapping her fingers sharply in Princess’s direction. “Oi, Princess!” Ginger barked. “You of all people should know better. You think something like that would knock me off my feet?”

Princess flushed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly but she still grinned from ear to ear. “Right, right. My bad, Captain!”

Soujin’s grip on his sword tightened. “Wind…?” he muttered. His thoughts raced. ‘Her aura…it’s like mine but… different…’

Ginger’s smile deepened with a predatory glint flashing in her eyes. “It’d be downright disrespectful to hold back any longer,” she said with her tone shifting darker. She took slow steps forward and spoke with a thrill within a lowered tone. “You’ve shown me your fangs, Soujin. Now… let me show you mine.”

Soujin tensed instinctively. The air around them grew heavy as Ginger raised her weapon. She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply, then exhaled a single, commanding:

“Gather, Mandikhmet.”

The colossal blade in Ginger’s hands began to glow fiercely with fractures spreading across its surface like molten lava. With a sudden burst of energy, the sword shattered into a cascade of fiery embers that danced in the air before converging onto her hands.

The embers reshaped themselves into glowing, ember-like claws that latched onto Ginger’s hands. The claws pulsed with a faint orange glow running along their length and their edges rippled with translucent cutting winds.

Fiery tribal markings ignited across Ginger’s arms, legs and chest. The patterns pulsated rhythmically, glowing in sync with her Mystcry. Her eyes snapped open, now ablaze with an intense orange glow that radiated an aura of primal sovereignty.

Soujin’s breath hitched when he took in the sight before him. The aura Ginger exuded now was overwhelming.

Ginger flexed her fingers and then spoke steady. “This is what my sword released looks like, Soujin. Let’s see if your winds can survive mine.”

Soujin’s mind raced while taking in Ginger’s transformed state. ‘Ah Shit. I completely forgot they could do that too. Well, she’s a Captain… I probably should always remember these things but still...’ He tried to suppress the rising unease and keep his breathing steady. ‘Stay calm. You’ve got to keep your c—‘

Before he could finish his thought, Ginger vanished from her spot in a blur of motion.

He barely had time to raise his blade before she was on him. Her clawed hands descended with a speed and ferocity that caught him off guard. He parried the first strike, but the next came immediately after.

Her attacks were relentless. Soujin matched her speed, narrowly avoiding or deflecting each blow but it wasn’t what he expected from her. Her movements were swift, fluid, almost animalistic.

“Fast, huh?” Soujin muttered under his breath. The claws grazed his uniform, leaving faint scorch marks and a trace of wind sharp enough to sting. ‘Damn it, she’s forcing me to react to her pace.’

Soujin sidestepped another swipe from Ginger’s claws. He pushed off the ground, matching her speed and weaving through her relentless strikes. A faint smirk crossed his face as winds swirled around his body at his command. ‘Two can play at this game.’

As Ginger lunged again, Soujin let his Mystcry surge outward. A green wind enveloped him like a cocoon, deflecting the brunt of her assault just long enough for him to retaliate. He stepped in close with his blade slicing through the turbulent air with precision.

The clash of winds created sharp, whistling burst from Soujin sending ripples through the battlefield. Ginger managed to block his attacks with her claws but she could feel a shift in Soujin’s attacks.

Soujin pressed his advantage, his counters growing faster, sharper, each one chipping away at Ginger’s offensive. She began a low growl while struggling to regain control of the battle. She leapt back, landing a few paces away.

Ginger snarled. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, Soujin? I didn’t think you’d keep up, let alone push me back.”

Soujin didn’t respond. Instead, he allowed the winds around his blade to intensify. The green energy spiraled wildly, untamed and chaotic compared to its earlier form. The air around him crackled with raw power as the wind expanded.

Ginger’s eyes narrowed. She dug her heels into the ground with her orange aura surging around her body to form a fiery wind barrier.

With a roar, Soujin swung his blade in a wide arc and unleashed a powerful, long-range slash. The green wind surged forward like a tidal wave, carving a turbulent rail through the air. The force of it kicked up debris, tearing through the ground as it raced toward Ginger.

Ginger roared back with her wind wall flaring outwards. The two forces collided with a deafening boom. The clash of winds sent shockwaves rippling in all directions.

Soujin gritted his teeth. The backlash of the collision whipped at his uniform. His blade hummed in his hands. Across from him, Ginger stood firm with her fiery aura blazing defiantly against the storm.

For a moment, the battlefield was a chaos of green and orange winds fighting for dominance. Then, with a final burst of force, the two energies exploded outward, forcing both combatants to skid backward.

Soujin lowered his blade slightly. “Damn, you’re good,” he muttered while watching Ginger steady herself. Her tribal markings glowed brighter and her face shifted into a predatory grin.

“Not bad at all,” she echoed with exhilaration. “But you’re in for a rude awakening.”

As Ginger’s fiery aura flared, Soujin’s mind sharpened. His thoughts drifted to Cera with her pained look when the Senodokidatsu had taken hold of her. If he lost here, Ginger would take control of Squad 3 and there would be no chance to save her. ‘Bellar... She came all this way to help Cera. If I fail now...’

Soujin grit his teeth. ‘I won’t let that happen. Not on my watch.’

Ginger’s claws ripped through the air toward him with terrifying speed, Soujin, in that moment rang out defiantly. “Nah, you’re the one in for a rude awakening.”

In the blink of an eye, Soujin moved. His blade swept forward in a fluid arc and in the space between them, a spiral of wind began to form.

The air around Ginger shifted as winds swirled in a vicious circle around her.

“What?”

The moment her claws struck the circle of wind, it transformed into a vortex that seized her body, pulling her into its powerful grip.

“W-what is this?!” Ginger snarled. She tried to fight against the vortex but the wind twisted tighter around her, suffocating her movements. Her claws slashed wildly through the air but the spiraling winds only tightened, pushing her deeper into its center.

Soujin stood firm. “Fujin Rasen,” he muttered under his breath, “You won’t escape this.”

The wind continued to swirl violently with the edges of Ginger’s fiery aura flickering in the storm..

Ginger’s face contorted in frustration while the winds pressed against her. “Damn you, Soujin!”

For a moment, Soujin thought he had her.

But then, a low growl rumbled from Ginger’s throat. Her fiery aura flared up and her eyes burned with a fierce, wild energy. She lifted her claws to the sky and roared, "Fine! Looks like I’ve got no choice!"

The ground beneath them trembled as orange winds began to surge outward from her which forced the vortex to stretch and strain. Soujin’s eyes widened in realization.

“No way, she's trying to brute-force her way out with her Mystcry!”

He tightened his grip on the sword and focused every ounce of his energy to keep her contained but Ginger’s power was overwhelming. Her Mystcry surged with intense force and the walls of wind around her exploded outward in a powerful gust which pushed the Fujin Rasen back.

The swirling winds started to break apart momentarily after from the force of Ginger’s push which also sent shockwaves through the air.

“She’s breaking through!”

Then, with a final deafening roar, Ginger pushed her wind wall high into the air and the vortex snapped apart.

Soujin staggered back slightly but he quickly regained his footing. His eyes narrowed while he thought, ‘She escaped... but...’

A bead of sweat dripped down Ginger’s face despite her attempt to hide it behind a glare. Her breath came in ragged gasps and her posture was slightly unsteady.

Soujin’s gaze didn’t miss the subtle signs of fatigue.

Soujin took a slow, steadying breath, watching Ginger carefully. A wry smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“That move… looks like it took a lot out of you,” he said with mild amusement.

Ginger’s eyes snapped to him with intensity. She snarled at him with defiance in her tone “What are you talking about?” She straightened, her claws and flexed. “I still have plenty left in me. You haven’t made me tired yet.”

Soujin's gaze flickered to the thin sheen of sweat on her brow. The heavy labored breaths that escaped her mouth were hard to ignore.

He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked with doubt. “You sure about that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Of course I am!” she snapped.

Soujin stepped forward slightly. “Look, I’m not blind. You’ve been working that Mystcry hard, and it’s showing. You’re sweating. Breathing hard. Don’t tell me it’s nothing.”

Ginger clenched her teeth with her posture stiffening. “You’re wrong. I can keep going. You’ll see,” she growled with barely contained frustration.

Soujin shook his head. “You can keep going, but even you must know, you won’t be able to keep this up much longer.”

Ginger’s glare hardened but her chest rose and fell just a little too rapidly to be convincing. She suddenly let out a low, dark chuckle. The sound was unsettling. Without warning, she raised her clawed hands which began glowing with an orange hue. Her stance shifted and it seemed as though the very air around her thickened.

Soujin's senses went on high alert as he felt her Mystcry increasing rapidly. ‘Here goes,’ he thought. ‘Is she about to unleash the third level of her sword magic? Or….Maybe she’ll go for the Sword God form...

He had never seen a member of the Divine Blades pull off that transformation but he knew that Ginger had to be capable of it since she was one of the Captains. He steeled himself with his blade held out infront of him gathering wind energy around it.

But then, Ginger’s claws didn’t transform into anything more than slightly longer while taking on blade-like shapes. The shift wasn’t what he’d expected.

Soujin lowered his sword slightly with confusion flickering across his features. ‘Did she—?’

He studied her Mystcry carefully, searching for any sign of an increase in power or a transformation, but instead, it had decreased to a level lower than what she was at before. She was still just... Ginger, albeit with slightly longer claws. ‘What the hell is going on here? Is she... bluffing?’

Soujin was about to question her motives but his instincts told him not to waste time thinking. He could feel her aura which was still incredibly dangerous. If anything, it was that feeling of unpredictability that made her dangerous.

Soujin’s blade slammed into Ginger’s dual claw blades with a force that could have split stone. The clash rang out like thunder. His muscles strained with the impact, but the force of Ginger’s resistance was surprising.

Soujin couldn’t get rid of the unsettling sensation that something was off. Her face..

Ginger looked... thrilled.

“Damn it… what trick do you have up your sleeve, Woman?”