He is improving every second

Ryan raised his hand, a provocative smile dancing on his lips. His gaze fixed on Toji was pure challenge.

"How about we stop warming up and fight for real, old timer?"

Toji rested his sword on his shoulder, the blade lying there as if it were a mere toy. His tone was loaded with sarcasm.

"Wait a minute... you're the one who's been running away the whole time. I'm starting to think you're all talk and no action."

Ryan tilted his chin up, maintaining his cynical smile.

"Then let's stop the chatter and come at me already, you idiot."

Toji let out an exaggerated sigh, as if the situation were a great annoyance.

"You asked for it, girly."

And then, he disappeared.

Ryan blinked, but Toji was already on top of him.

The assassin moved like a blur, his absurd speed distorting the space between them. Ryan took a step back, his blade moving to intercept Toji's path, but—

"You're so slow it pisses me off."

The voice came from behind.

"Holy shit, this is gonna hurt!"

Before he could react, Ryan felt a searing pain tearing through his back. The biting cold of the blade mingled with the warmth of the blood flowing out.

But then—

Time twisted.

The pain disappeared.

The scene went back a few seconds.

"You asked for it, girly."

Toji advanced once more.

Ryan narrowed his eyes.

"This is an unfair game for you, Toji..." he murmured, already knowing exactly where his opponent would be.

This time, he moved as before, but prepared his blade to stab Toji from behind.

He channeled divine energy into the sword.

But, to his misfortune, Toji stopped an instant before the blow, stomping hard on the ground and launching himself backwards.

Ryan spun his body, his eyes fixed on him.

Toji was already at the top of the cavern, his feet touching one of the rocky ledges.

From up there, the assassin laughed, his voice full of mockery.

"You're distracted, kid..."

Ryan felt his chest pound.

"Fuck! I forgot that—"

He turned around quickly.

Toji had already thrown grenades against the cavern ceiling, aiming for a collapse directly over Riko and Geto.

"Kamikaze son of a bitch!"

Before the explosion happened, Ryan forced time backwards.

Toji's movements reversed.

The exact moment.

Ryan froze everything.

The assassin hadn't even thrown the grenades yet.

"Not gonna happen!"

Ryan jumped between the debris, aiming at the grenades the instant Toji made them spit out from the curse he carried on his shoulder.

Toji realized too late.

He released the explosives and moved away with a series of acrobatics, but not without shooting at Ryan in the process.

The shots came fast.

Ryan dodged at the last second, his body leaning to the side, the bullet passing close to his face and cutting a strand of hair.

He landed among the rubble, his heart beating fast.

His gaze locked on Toji.

"This bastard is targeting Riko... to him, I'm just a distraction."

Ryan felt anger boil inside him.

His fists clenched to the point where his knuckles turned white.

"You better not look away, you worm!"

Channeling divine energy into his arms and legs, Ryan advanced.

His blade shone with a shimmering flame, the cut aimed directly at Toji's throat.

CLANK!

The impact echoed through the cavern.

Toji had blocked the blow with his own sword.

A shock ran through Ryan's arm.

The two stared at each other, Toji's gaze overflowing with that irritating confidence.

Then, before Ryan could react, Toji plunged a dagger into his chest.

The world spun.

Pain tore through his torso like a burning spear.

The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Ryan's eyes glowed with pure rage.

He gritted his teeth and spat.

"I'm going to kill you the same way, you bastard!"

And time twisted once more.

The world bent to his will.

Seconds before the attack.

This time, Ryan didn't use both hands to hold his sword.

This time, he already knew what was coming next.

Toji smiled.

Ryan smiled too.

The fight wasn't over yet.

It was just beginning.

Toji held Ryan's blade firmly using ur sword, a smile full of confidence playing on his face. His gaze fixed on his opponent's eyes exuded superiority.

"My eyes are wide open, kid. How about you?"

Ryan felt a shiver run down his spine.

He already knew what was coming next.

Milliseconds before the fatal blow, his body moved instinctively.

His foot rose at a precise angle, hitting Toji's knee with enough force to throw off his balance.

The assassin growled as he felt the impact, his base faltering for an instant.

And that was all Ryan needed.

With a fluid movement, his sword slid at the perfect angle, tracing a cutting line across Toji's chest.

Blood spurted into the air.

Toji reacted instantly.

His clenched fist advanced like a hammer, hitting Ryan with absurd force.

The impact cracked in the air.

Ryan was launched like a projectile, his body crossing the distance between them in a second before violently colliding against the trunk of a colossal tree that stood in the center of the cavern. The wood cracked with the impact.

He gasped, air escaping his lungs in a hoarse groan. His chest burned with the force of the punch.

On the other side of the battlefield, Toji ran his fingers over the newly opened cut, his eyes narrowing as he watched the blood run down his skin.

"Damn brat..."

The wound wasn't serious, but it was a fact.

He had been hit.

An insignificant detail to anyone, but not to Toji.

"At first he couldn't even touch me."

Ryan spat to the side, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand before raising his voice.

"You're looking away again, moron!"

At the same instant, he raised a massive trunk torn from the rubble around him.

His body shone in golden tones for an instant before channeling an absurd amount of divine energy into the wood.

What was once just a piece of tree now looked like a large flaming spear, vibrating with pure power.

He launched it.

The projectile tore through the air, leaving an incandescent trail as it advanced straight towards Toji.

The assassin didn't move immediately.

His eyes flashed with a shadow of seriousness.

The curse on his shoulder writhed and, in an instant, spat out a new weapon directly into his hand.

The black blade reflected the ambient light for an instant, and then—

SLASH!

With a single blow, Toji cut the spear in half, the incandescent wood exploding into sparks as it split into two harmless halves.

The scene made Riko shudder.

Her fists were clenched, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

She swallowed hard before looking at Geto.

"G-Geto... do you think Ryan can win?"

The shaman didn't take his eyes off the fight.

His attentive gaze followed every movement, analyzing every exchange, every advance.

And then, he murmured in a serious tone:

"He is... improving every second..."

Toji spun his weapon with dexterity, the blade gliding through the air as if it were part of his own body. His sharp gaze met Ryan's, and a smug smile formed on his lips.

"This here is the Inverted Spear of Heaven... Is it familiar to you, kid?"

There was an almost irritating arrogance in his voice, as if he were presenting a spectacle whose outcome was already decided.

Ryan arched an eyebrow, his expression full of forced boredom.

"Never heard of it." He gestured vaguely to the curse on Toji's shoulder. "By the way, how much crap can you pull out of that ugly little thing? It's getting kind of ridiculous."

For a second, Toji remained silent, just watching.

Then, in a drawn-out voice loaded with contempt, he replied:

"Asshole."

The world around seemed to bend when Toji shot forward.

The displacement of air was brutal, a cutting gale accompanying his advance. The spear blade advanced towards Ryan, whistling as if death itself were whispering in his ear.

Ryan didn't even have time to react.

CRACK!

His sword gave way on the first impact, metal shards flashing for an instant before the enemy blade passed straight through his throat.

His eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

It was his last thought before feeling the cold of steel tearing off his head.

But even before his head hit the ground...

Time twisted.

Reality bending around him, redoing the last few seconds.

The world returned to the previous scene.

"Asshole."

Toji advanced again.

But this time, Ryan already knew what was coming next.

His eyes shone with determination as he concentrated divine energy in his muscles, in his sword—in every fiber of his body.

CRASH!

The impact between the weapons was fierce.

This time, Ryan's blade did not give way.

His muscles burned with the effort of keeping Toji's blow away, but he didn't budge for a second. The steel groaned as Ryan used all the strength he had to deflect Toji's attack.

The assassin's hand faltered.

It was the opening he needed.

"My turn!"

Ryan's voice came loaded with fury.

He spun his sword in his fingers and advanced.

His movement was fast, fluid, a lethal blur moving towards Toji.

A perfect thrust.

Toji had no room to dodge.

But he wasn't just anyone.

The assassin raised his arm at the last instant—and let the blade pierce through it.

SCHLACK!

Toji's eyes widened in an instant of surprise and pain.

Ryan's divine energy burned like incandescent needles, spreading through his skin and muscles as if his flesh were being slowly consumed from the inside out.

But he smiled.

Even with the sword embedded in his arm, Toji planted his feet on the ground and prepared a kick that tore through the air.

Ryan barely had time to dodge. The blow passed inches from his face, the cutting wind leaving a burning trail on his skin.

He backed away, his chest rising and falling in heavy breaths.

Toji, in turn, ripped the sword from his own arm with a dry tug. Blood flowed in thick streams down his wounded limb, dripping onto the stone floor.

But instead of anger or frustration, his expression overflowed with excitement.

"Son of a bitch..."

There was something strange in his voice.

He was having fun.

Even with blood covering his arm, even with the pain throbbing through his pierced flesh, Toji smiled.

"I didn't imagine I could find someone more interesting than Satoru Gojo!"

The curse on his shoulder writhed.

And then, as if he already had everything planned, it spat out another weapon.

Toji held the new tool with ease and, without hesitation, connected it to the Inverted Spear of Heaven.

The metal links intertwined quickly, and in seconds, a deadly Kusarigama was in his hands.

He raised his eyes to Ryan.

His smile widened, now tinged with something perverse.

"Now..." He spun the chain once, the metallic sound echoing through the space.

"I'm quite interested in killing you."

_______________

Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well! ^^

Things are certainly heating up for Ryan – feels like a big confrontation is just around the corner, doesn't it?

I wanted to reach out with an honest update about the story and its future. As you know, writing this is a labor of love for me. It began as a passion, but also with the hope that it could eventually help support me financially, allowing me to dedicate more time to bringing you new chapters. Unfortunately, the support through Patreon, while deeply appreciated, hasn't yet grown enough to make that sustainable. Coupled with increasing demands from my primary job, I'm finding it harder to keep up the current pace, and I might even need to seek out extra work soon.

Because of this, I'll have to adjust our posting frequency and slow things down a bit. I know this might be disappointing, and I truly wish things were different.

However, I want to make one thing crystal clear: My promise to you is that this story will be completed. Finishing Ryan's adventure and sharing it with you remains incredibly important to me. Even if it takes longer, transitioning back into more of a beloved hobby than a source of income, I am dedicated to seeing it through. Your readership and encouragement have been the fuel keeping me going, and I can't thank you enough for being part of this journey!

If you'd like to help me bridge the gap and potentially allow me to keep dedicating more consistent time to writing, visiting my Patreon would mean so much. Your support, no matter the size, directly helps sustain this creative endeavor. <3

Find me here:

patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph