11

The wind howled through the shattered silence of the forest, red mist still clinging to the underbrush from Kaizen's massacre. Six bodies laid motionless, blood soaking into the dirt, their heads separated by brutal swings. Only Ei remained standing.

His breath was steady, but his eyes twitched.

"Why? Why did you have to turn your back on Jashin-sama?" Ei spat, veins throbbing in his neck. "You could have had glory, you could've be our Jashin-sama next vessel."

Kaizen stood still, blood trickling down his shoulder from the earlier wound, now fully healed. His eyes were cold. "Vessel? I am my own self, not that Jashin."

Ei didn't waste another word. With a sudden burst of speed, he blurred forward, body flicker technique launching him like a bolt of lightning. Kaizen barely had time to brace before Ei's fist slammed into his chest, cracking ribs despite Kaizen's tank-like body. Kaizen stumbled, sliding backward across the dirt.

Ei was already behind him.

Another kick connected to Kaizen's side, followed by a flurry of punches aimed at his head and ribs. Each blow was precise, calculated — Ei was a master of taijutsu.

Kaizen grunted, but his footing remained solid.

"[Prayer]," he muttered. A faint glow shimmered over his body, wounds knitting with divine light. Blood ceased to flow.

"Tch." Ei leapt back. "Still hiding behind those tricks."

Kaizen charged forward this time, swinging his kunai. Ei dodged easily, slipping beneath the slash and responding with an elbow strike to Kaizen's gut. But Kaizen grabbed him mid-move, his grip iron-like.

"Got you."

He slammed Ei into the ground with a thunderous impact. The earth cracked beneath them.

Ei flipped free before Kaizen could follow up. Dirt caked his face, but he was smiling. "You're tougher than before. I'll give you that. But you're still slow."

Again, he blurred.

Kaizen spun just in time to parry a kick, blocking it with his forearm. They exchanged a storm of blows — fists clashing, feet colliding mid-air, grunts and snarls echoing through the trees. Neither gave ground.

Kaizen's muscles screamed. He was used to brute strength and pain, but Ei's strikes were surgical, aiming to disable. Yet Kaizen pressed forward, letting punches land if it meant getting close. Every hit he took, he healed. Every hit Ei took, he didn't.

"You think just can endure pain you can outlast me?" Ei growled, ducking low and sweeping Kaizen's legs. Kaizen dropped, rolled, then lashed out with his kunai. The blade nicked Ei's side.

"No," Kaizen said calmly, eyes narrow. "I know I can."

Ei dashed back again, panting now. His robes were torn, and sweat clung to his skin. Kaizen stood, wounds closing even as blood still dripped. The longer the fight went, the more one-sided it became.

"You're not going to the paradise! You monster," Ei hissed.

"Maybe. But you're the one who used his teammate as a shield. What does that make you?"

With a shout, Ei lunged again, fists burning with chakra. Kaizen raised his arms in a cross-guard, blocking the furious barrage. The sheer speed and power drove him back, but he held.

Suddenly, Kaizen's hand snapped forward — a counter-kunai thrust. Ei twisted, the blade grazing his ribs.

"[Chakra no Ami no Gi]," Kaizen whispered.

A ritual circle flared to life beneath Ei's feet. The momentary shock gave Kaizen the chance to slam his palm into Ei's chest, launching him into a tree.

The ritual activated. Viscous red tendrils of chakra erupted from the earth, binding Ei's legs. He slashed at them with a dagger, but each second he spent resisting gave Kaizen time.

"You can't beat me with tricks!" Ei screamed, breaking free and charging.

Kaizen took the hit to his jaw — a strong punch that made his ears ring. But his hands were already moving.

Another kunai flashed, slicing across Ei's thigh.

Then a knee drove into Ei's stomach, sending him sprawling.

Ei tried to rise, blood pooling beneath him. He staggered forward, arms shaking. "I… I'll kill you. For Jashin-sama…"

Kaizen raised his weapon.

"You already died the moment you used that child as a shield."

The blade fell.

Silence.

Ding! You killed Jashin cult Follower you gained 5500 EXP.

Kaizen stood over the body, breathing heavily. His shoulder bled again, but he simply murmured, "[Prayer]," and the wound closed. He looked around at the corpses, at the blood, at the ruined trees.

'If Ei is this strong how much stronger is that Jaron?' I should get out of here' Kaizen thought as he run to escape.