Chapter 12: Unlucky Draw

 'What's going on now?' Takemitchi thought, annoyance creeping into his mind. 

 'Won't things just go my way for once?' His grip on his sword tightened instinctively as he sensed the change in the air.

 "Should we help him?" Shizuri asked quietly, her body tensing as she observed the transformation of the slimes.

 "Nah, I'm sure he can handle it," Ayame replied with feigned nonchalance, though her hand moved subtly closer to her weapon. 

 "Besides, they're just slimes," she added mockingly, though her eyes never left the scene unfolding before them.

 In that very moment, before Takemitchi could properly fathom what was happening, all the slimes launched themselves at him from all directions with incredible speed. 

 The peaceful, slow-moving creatures had transformed into lethal projectiles in the blink of an eye.

 Everything seemed to happen in slow motion and yet all at once. 

 The slimes bounced around from everywhere like supercharged tennis balls, ricocheting off walls and ceiling with a velocity that left blurred trails of red light in their wake. 

 The air filled with the unsettling sound of their gelatinous bodies cutting through the air.

 One slime hurtled directly toward his face. His body reacted instinctively, muscle memory kicking in before conscious thought could form. 

 He dodged it with surprising grace, twisting his body sideways as the creature whizzed past his ear close enough that he could feel the disturbed air on his skin.

 "What's up with the sudden power boost?" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos as he continued moving and weaving, his body a constant blur of motion. 

 His training was paying off as he dodged all the slimes that came at him like deadly bouncing balls, each miss by mere inches.

 He ducked down swiftly to avoid another slime that nearly caught his face, feeling it graze his hair as it passed. 

 In one fluid motion, he sprang back up with an upward swing of his sword, the blade slicing cleanly through another slime's core. 

 The creature shuddered before bursting into droplets that scattered across the floor.

 Suddenly, the slimes' glow intensified to an almost blinding brightness, and then, as if responding to some unheard command, they ceased their attack.

 The abrupt stillness was almost as disorienting as the frenzied assault had been.

 "Alright, now it's our turn," Ayame announced, stepping forward with newfound determination.

 "Ready for some practice with moving targets this time, Shizuri?" She shot a meaningful glance at her companion, who nodded in agreement.

 The two girls walked purposefully toward the center of the room where the slimes were most concentrated, their footsteps in perfect synchronization. 

 Takemitchi stepped back, giving them space while catching his breath.

 "Alright, let's see who can take out the most," Takemitchi called out, tightening his grip on his sword, unwilling to be outdone despite his recent close call.

 The two girls positioned themselves back-to-back in the center of the room, each watching the other's blind spot in a display of absolute trust and coordination.

 The pose struck an impressive silhouette against the red-lit room.

 "Are you ready?" Shizuri asked calmly, her voice barely above a whisper yet carrying clearly to her partner.

 "Did you have to ask?" Ayame replied confidently, a small smile playing on her lips as adrenaline began to course through her veins.

 "Alright then, let's do just as we practiced," Shizuri said with a rare, slight smile that betrayed her excitement beneath her composed exterior.

 The slimes stopped glowing momentarily, and then their entire bodies transformed, changing from blue to a deep, menacing red. 

 Then, as if responding to some unseen signal, they resumed their attack with even greater ferocity, launching themselves with high-speed bouncing maneuvers that seemed to defy the laws of physics.

 In that instant, ninja daggers began to materialize between the girls' fingers, appearing as if conjured from thin air.

 With perfect timing and flawless coordination, they simultaneously leaped upward, each bouncing off the other's legs in a perfectly executed maneuver. 

 While suspended in midair, they released their daggers with pinpoint accuracy, each blade finding its mark in a slime's core.

 With each strike, another slime was impaled and pinned to the wall, its gelatinous body dissolving slowly. 

 Soon, the walls began to be covered with the remnants of defeated slimes, creating an abstract pattern of red and blue.

 The girls' movements were nothing short of spectacular. 

 They performed intricate parkour and acrobatic feats that seemed impossible, their bodies moving in perfect harmony as if they were two parts of a single entity. 

 They supported each other seamlessly—providing balance when needed, enhancing midair movements, coordinating attacks, and offering defense in vulnerable moments.

 'After all that training, we're finally able to synchronize not only our movements but our attacks as well,' Ayame thought proudly as she executed a backflip over a slime, slashing its core during her rotation.

 'With this, we'll get even stronger.' The thrill of their successful coordination fueled her every move.

 'Teaching each other the basics of our fighting styles so we could fight in sync,' Shizuri reflected as she vaulted off Ayame's shoulders to reach a slime crawling on the ceiling. 

 'At first, I thought you were crazy, but I never expected it to work out this well. I guess we can become stronger if we try.' A rare sense of satisfaction filled her as their combined strategy proved effective.

 The scene was so mesmerizing that Takemitchi stopped fighting altogether. He stood transfixed, his sword hanging loosely at his side as he watched the girls execute their perfect teamwork. 

 Their fluid movements and flawless coordination were like a deadly dance, beautiful and lethal in equal measure.

 Within mere seconds, all the slimes in the room were destroyed. 

 The two girls landed gracefully in the center of the now-cleared space, breathing heavily but with triumphant expressions as they surveyed their handiwork.

 "That was quite good," Takemitchi admitted, sheathing his sword with a practiced motion.

 "I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed. At this rate, I might lose the bet." He tried to sound casual, but there was an edge of annoyance in his voice that he couldn't quite hide.

 'I knew the two were practicing together, but how did they get that good within such a short period of time?' he thought to himself, secretly impressed yet frustrated. 

 'Well, at this rate, I won't get to show off anything. Damn it.' His pride stung, but he couldn't deny their skill.

 "Well, it was nothing impressive," Ayame said with feigned modesty as she brushed some slime residue from her sleeve. 

 "I mean, they're just slimes. We should head to the next section, and this time, let's use our magic." Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the prospect of testing their magical abilities.

 Riding high on the success of their training, Ayame couldn't contain her enthusiasm. With impatient strides, she approached the heavy door at the end of the room. 

 Without hesitation, she gripped the ornate handle and pulled it open.

 The moment the door swung open, a palpable wave of sinister magical energy rushed out like a physical force, hitting them with an almost suffocating pressure. 

The air seemed to thicken and grow cold, and a feeling of dread washed over them.

 What greeted their eyes was far from what they had expected. In the center of the vast chamber beyond sat a boy upon an elaborate throne, his posture relaxed yet commanding. 

 On either side of him loomed two giant slimes, each easily ten times the size of the ones they had just defeated. The massive creatures pulsed with an intimidating red glow, their cores dark and ominous within their transparent bodies.

 The boy sat upon his throne like a king surveying his domain. His head rested casually on his hand, elbow propped on the armrest as he looked down at the trio with cold, calculating eyes. 

 There was something unnatural about his presence, an aura of power that seemed to press down on them from all sides.

 "Did you have fun taking out my subjects?" the boy asked, his voice carrying a weight and pressure that seemed impossible for someone of his apparent age. 

 Each word resonated with power, sending chills down their spines as they faced what was clearly a far more dangerous enemy than they had anticipated.