Penalty V

As Kai's foot met the asphalt, the Weeping Slayer stirred. It was a slight motion, barely noticeable, but he saw it.

Her head tilted up, her empty gaze locking onto him as though she had been waiting for this exact moment.

A brief silence passed between them. And it seemed as if she were giving him one final chance to reconsider.

Kai inhaled slowly, determined to strengthen his resolve.

'I can do this.' His grip on his sword tightened.

'I've trained for this...Kinda...so all I need now is some damn confidence.'

His wounds had healed to some extent, but he'd rather trust a healer's evaluation than his own guesswork.

At the end, the telling moment would be if he could survive this penalty.

The Weeping Slayer rose to her feet.

With relative ease, she tore her sword from the ground. She lifted it, her expression unreadable, and took her stance.

Kai exhaled and lowered himself into position, blade ready. A moment passed.

Then— a blur.

The Weeping Slayer lunged forward, a stab flashing toward him faster than he could comprehend. But this time, he dodged. His body moved on instinct, carrying him out of the blade's path.

But she wasn't finished.

Even as he evaded her strike, her other hand lashed out, a sudden strike aimed at his ribs. He barely caught it in time, twisting his body away before leaping back several meters.

His boots scraped against the ground as he landed, with his eyes still locked on her.

She didn't pause.

A second later, she was upon him again, her sword a silver blur as she unleashed a series of relentless slashes.

Kai barely kept up. His blade met hers in rapid succession, each clash sending a tremor through his arms.

clang! clang! clang!

The sound of steel ringing through the air. Every impact sent a tremor through his arms, but he endured, not that he had a choice.

'At least I'm putting up a fight this time.' He thought, attempting to motivate himself. However, right then—

She shifted her weight, unbeknownst to him, and snapped a kick toward his chest.

'...Shit. I can't dodge it.'

Kai braced but it was too late.

The impact sent him rolling backward. Pain flared through his body as he tumbled, but he refused to stay down. The moment he hit the ground, he twisted, using the momentum to push himself upright before he could crash completely.

His feet skidded to a halt.

Eyes up. Blade steady, once more.

The Weeping Slayer stood across from him, her sword raised slightly. Then she muttered.

"Fiamma…"

Kai's heart pounded.

'Shit.'

He knew what came next all too well. Usually, this was the moment he would avoid at all costs, but this time—

"This is my opening."

He surged forward, closing the gap between them in no time.

Right then, The Weeping slayer completed her chant.

"…Imperitura."

Just like before, flames erupted.

The blast was instant, a surge of fire bursting outward like a dragon's breath, consuming everything in its path—including Kai. The sheer force of it roared through the air, searing the battlefield in an inferno of destruction.

For a moment, it looked final, and anyone who watched would most definitely say that the attack was fatal.

However, from the side of the roaring flames, a figure emerged.Kai.

He had leapt to the far end of the street just in time, dodging as far as he could before circling in from the side. Still, the fire had caught him. Ash clung to his skin, his clothes were slightly burned, and pain laced his body.

Regardless, he ignored it.His only thought was landing a strike.

So, with every ounce of strength, he drove his blade forward, aiming straight for the Weeping Slayer's chest.

And for the first time—

Her eyes widened, a flicker of surprise. But at the last moment—

She moved, just an inch, and with that, she missed his blade. Not wasting a single moment, she leaped backwards, gaining distance between herself and Kai.

Kai's breath hitched.

"Damn it!"

He had lost his one chance..but still...

'Stay calm. Keep it cool. Just watch her movements. She'll use another fire-based attack, and when she does—that's when I'll strike again...That's my ticket to clearing this penalty.'

Right then, he noticed something.

The weeping slayer wasn't moving. She stood still, her gaze locked onto him, as if studying him...for the first time in all his time in the penalty world, he'd seen the weeping slayer lost in thoughts.

'Huh...What the hell is she doing? Did she… lose focus?'

For a brief second, he hesitated.

"Wait, do devils even have thoughts?"

He didn't get an answer.

Only that, The Weeping Slayer suddenly straightened, her stance shifting. And in a gradual manner, she raised her sword again.

Kai tensed.

'Another blast? Already?...well, I guess we'll go again.'

He was already moving before she even spoke, charging in with murderous intent.

"Fiamma…"

Kai lunged, blade poised— But then—

"…Diavolo." She muttered, raising her sword as though she was pointing up to the sky.

His breath caught.

'Dia- what?!'

The fire exploded—not forward, but upward.

The flames shot into the sky, rising higher and higher, as if reaching for the heavens. It wasn't like before. This wasn't a simple blast.

This was something else.

On reaching a certain altitude. It stopped.

For a brief moment, the flames settled, hanging in the air. And then—

A face formed at the tip-a monstrous visage, shaped from fire itself, staring down at the battlefield. It didn't speak. It didn't move. It only roared—a deafening, guttural sound that sent shivers down Kai's spine.

His fingers tightened around his blade.

"What the fuck?"

Then in an immediate instance—

The fire crashed down back to the ashen street, aiming right for Kai.

The explosion was devastating.

The force sent a shockwave through the battlefield, scattering dust and fire in all directions. The asphalt beneath them cracked, the ground scorched beyond recognition. The terror could plainly be seen.

The Weeping Slayer stood motionless, her eyes scanning the aftermath. The dust had yet to clear. She couldn't see anything. But still, the victor was most definitely obvious..or so she thought.

Right then—She felt it. A shift in the air.

Something was moving, fast, and coming from her side.

She reacted instantly, raising her sword just as—

Clang!

A blade met hers.

The impact sent vibrations up her arm, but something was off.

Her eyes darted to the weapon that had clashed with hers—

Only to watch it fall.

Her gaze flicked up.There was no one there, no yielder, which typically would make no sense.

But at that moment, a presence was felt behind her.

The devil spun, sword ready to eliminate the threat with a single thrust.

But a hand caught her wrist, pausing her attack.

Her eyes widened as her gaze caught with Kai's.

His grip was iron, holding on as he gritted his teeth in anger. He had thrown the blades and darted at the opposite direction in hopes of achieving this scenario, and now, it had worked!

Before she could even react, a fist came crashing down right towards her, fast paced and fueled by Kai's rage as he let out a scream.

"Gotcha."

Nothing much could be seen, but the strike most definitely sent shock waves about the clearing, exposing the true nature of their clash as the dust particles gradually faded.

And there you could see, Kai's hand was locked in the Weeping Slayer's grip, her gaze as cold and unreadable as ever as his face was clouded with awe.

She had blocked it. Effortlessly. And now, Kai was utterly defenseless.

The moment stretched as Kai still couldn't believe what had happened. He had given it everything, and it still wasn't enough which left for the question- what more did it take to break past her?

With a tingle of fear from his voice, he muttered.

"..Got...cha?..."

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