QUARTER FILAS MATCH 1: JIN VS KAITO

The arena was charged—not just with energy, but with tension. Spectators leaned forward, some standing, eyes flicking between the two names etched onto the massive holo-display above the battlefield.

JIN KISARAGI vs. KAITO RENJIRO

Jin stood on one side, his silver hair gleaming under the arena lights, Hexen resting in his grip in its default broadsword form. His breaths were slow, focused, but deep down, he felt it—the pressure. Not fear, but weight. He had no innate Spark. What he had was grit, Hexen, and the Flames of Malevolency. His ace.

Across from him, Kaito cracked his neck, spinning a metal coin between his fingers before flipping it up and catching it—then vanishing from that spot in a blink. He appeared twenty meters to the right, stretching like this was nothing more than warm-up. That cocky grin played across his face like it always did.

"It's time for you to have the greatest honor, of facing Lord Kaito" Kaito called out, casually spinning the coin again.

The announcer's voice boomed.

"QUARTERFINAL MATCH ONE—JIN VERSUS KAITO. BEGIN!"

A boom of force rang out—not from any attack, but from Kaito zipping toward Jin by switching his position with a piece of debris at Jin's side. Jin barely managed to raise Hexen, metal clanging as Kaito's fist connected. A direct hit would've rattled anyone else, but Jin gritted through the blow and retaliated with a low sweep. Kaito leapt, flipped midair, and switched with a rock above them, launching himself back down at double velocity.

Jin rolled to the side, Hexen already morphing—twin daggers now. He needed speed. Kaito's mobility was absurd.

Kaito blurred across the field, switching positions mid-sprint with tiny objects—coins, pebbles, even a discarded gauntlet—confusing the hell out of anyone trying to follow. He was a damn magician.

Jin's mind raced.

"He can't switch what he can't see. Keep moving. Don't let him mark a spot."

He hurled a dagger—and instantly, Hexen absorbed ambient energy mid-flight, its shape glowing a ghostly blue before Jin reformed it into a bo staff and jabbed it toward a point behind him.

KLANG.

Kaito had tried to sneak in another blindside switch, but Jin anticipated it—barely. The clash sent both sliding apart.

And then…

All of a sudden, the arena's temperature dropped. From his hands, the Flames of Malevolency erupted—super-cold fire, blue as a dying star, burning not flesh but energy itself. The flames coiled unnaturally, like liquid serpents of cursed frost, sliding along Hexen's blade and into the floor, cracking it in jagged, crystalline patterns.

"Holy shit!! I can't believe it worked! It only happened once before during training."

Spectators gasped.

Even Kaito's smirk faltered.

"That's new."

Jin surged forward, wielding a scythe now—Hexen's form growing larger with each energy pulse it devoured. He swung, missing—on purpose. The flames left trails mid-air, forming floating sigils, and as Kaito landed from his latest switch—

The sigils detonated.

Not with heat, but with a nulling force—temporary voids in energy. Kaito's Spark flickered.

"Nice try," he muttered, tossing a small metal disc upward.

Switch.

Kaito appeared above Jin—barely outside the blast radius—and drop-kicked him into the ground. Dust plumed. The crowd roared.

Jin staggered up, bleeding from the lip, Hexen shifting again—this time into a chain-sickle. He hurled the blade outward and caught Kaito's arm. Pulled him forward.

"Gotcha."

The flames surged again—this time on contact, licking across Kaito's Spark like a virus. His energy began to destabilize.

But—

CLINK.

The chain broke. Jin blinked. Kaito had switched it with a broken cable from the arena wall. Then, he switched their positions entirely.

Now it was Kaito holding the scythe. Kaito tried using Jin's own weapon against him.

But Hexen wasn't having it.

Every swing Kaito tried to make, Hexen resisted it completely.

Angry and confused, Kaito tossed the weapon back.

"Screw you and your damn Hexen. It wasn't worthy to be wielded by Lord Kaito anyway!"

Jin grabbed Hexen quickly, ready to face Kaito again but—

"Surprise."

Kaito appeared above again—another switch—slamming a boot into Jin's back and throwing him forward. He tumbled.

And that was the start of the end.

Kaito was relentless now, a blender of momentum and teleportation, disorienting Jin every second. Jin's flames burned bright, but the longer he fought, the more energy he lost. Each flicker of the Flames of Malevolency cost him so much.

He managed one last surge—Hexen taking on a massive greatsword form, glowing with inverse-fire. He charged. The crowd leaned in.

Kaito, calm, tossed a pebble midair.

Switch.

He appeared behind Jin once more.

BOOM.

Jin hit the wall, cratering it.

Silence.

Then, the announcer's voice rang out, cutting through the tension.

"THE WINNER OF MATCH ONE—KAITO!"

The crowd erupted. Cheers, boos, gasps. Jin lay on the ground, dazed, breathing heavy.

Kaito walked over, offered him a hand.

"Impressive. You almost had me, almost. But it'll take more than that to best Lord Kaito."

Jin chuckled, coughing. "Almost… still means I lost."

But there was no resentment in his eyes. Just resolve.

Because Jin wasn't done. Not yet.