Crystal-clear waters

Without hesitation, Hideki surged forward like a bolt of lightning, his determination rippling through the air and unleashing a devastating shockwave that nearly tore the trees from the ground, raising a curtain of dust that obscured the awakened one's vision.

As he closed in, his blade cut through the air with surgical precision, but the man halted his charge with a bare, steady hand.

He was fast—but not faster than the hunter's reflexes.

"Nice one, genius," he said, not referring to the exorcist.

"Grrrrgh!" he growled, as the blade grazed dangerously close to his face, slicing through his hand like paper. Blood splattered across his cheek, and he tasted the metallic tang between his lips. "You're fast… way too fast!"

"Pathetic! You call that fast?"

His pants were shredded at the hem, but his feet remained inexplicably unscathed — for someone with no spiritual aura, that was unnatural.

With a swift motion, he thrust his dark blade upward, splitting Romero's hand in two and knocking him back with a powerful kick to the chest.

"You've already lost one hand…"

It sounded like mockery.

Blood gushed out, painting the ground like a slaughtered beast. He could feel it — the hunter's merciless nature. But the enlightened one refused to back down; coldly resolute, he faced it all.

"Transmutatio materiae et status…"

The words rang out, summoning flames that burst from his wounded hand, pulsing with pain as he manipulated the fire through his aura's rhythm. Thanks to the spell, the flames cauterized the wound, stopping the bleeding.

"I'm no Achilles to fall to a mere heel!"

Anticipating the next move, he stepped back twice, merging with the curtain of dust.

As the other retreated with a backward leap to gain ground, his crimson eyes gleamed with demonic perception. With a spinning motion in midair, he hurled his blades into the dust cloud, guided by sound and intuition. The blades struck the earth, encircling his opponent.

Is this darkness?

In disbelief, the exorcist stared at the blades, realizing it was a trap. Seeing the flames in his hand, he got an idea.

But to defeat the hunter, one had to stay three steps ahead…

"Da potentiam nuntio inferni, et efflare!" he whispered with a cursed intonation, making both blades explode with the force of a bomb, sweeping away the dust cloud and replacing it with another. Dirt clung to his hair, but his stance remained firm as he looked behind, the air thick and heavy with darkness that pulsed like black lightning. "You barely survived that, huh?"

As he mocked his opponent, a light broke through the arid mist, forming a dome of fire around him, and a muffled voice echoed from within.

"Don't underestimate me, Exorcist Killer… Everything I perceive moves a hundred times faster than human thought!"

As he spoke, countless balls of searing flame shot from the dome, gradually eroding the barrier around it and dispersing into the air. Hideki dodged each one with irritating ease, a smug grin on his face, until the flames finally died down. Then he dispelled them, raising his hand to control the fire he himself had created.

His affinity with nature.

"Exorcist killer? Heh! Nailed it, stud!" he joked, arching his back without a bead of sweat.

Up to now, everything was under control.

"So, the Order left a freak like you as a watchdog? These leaders are worse than I thought…" he said, interlocking his fingers, deeply annoyed by the situation.

The hunter's smile stretched from ear to ear.

Perfect!

Sharpening his gaze, he summoned a spear of darkness in his hands—twice his size. Its tip seemed to smolder, radiating black tones.

"Hey demon, get ready—we're going kamikaze!" he growled, his voice thick with threat.

His words reached into the depths of the man's soul, and suddenly, the dark aura ceased. His eyes cleared. Somehow, that made him even more confident, and from the abyss, he heard his inner voice and charged.

The ground trembled beneath his force…

At that moment, his mind shut off, his arms moved, riding the winds of wrath mingled with adrenaline. A suicide move, addicted to risk, savoring the thrill between his teeth.

But the ex-exorcist wasn't just going to watch.

"Expande energiam: utopia, harmonia speculi aquae!" he called without hesitation, and in the same moment that the threat came within meters, he activated his innate technique.

Energy expanded at incomprehensible speed, and in just 0.15 seconds, he altered space-time around him, engulfing any conscious being within fifty meters.

The assassin's steps slowed as he moved across solid earth, but when reality shifted, he found himself stepping onto mirrored, crystalline waters stretching over a vast salt desert.

He skidded to a stop; water splashed onto his shirt and pants, his eyes briefly lost in the breathtaking beauty of that place.

The waters reflected the skies and themselves, while the horizon stretched infinitely with no beginning or end.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? This place gives a feeling no place in Crea can offer. Ever thought of living in a world like this?" he said, cautiously circling him.

Now calm and centered, to many exorcists, being there meant certain victory.

"It's beautiful, but… A damn postcard won't sway me to your ideology, philosopher! I came here for one thing… To kill you!" he replied, spinning his spear as its black blade skimmed the ground, scattering water and salt. With determined posture, he raised it from chest height, the tip touching the floor and the shaft rising past his neck.

"You really are a moron…" the man muttered, continuing his circle while Hideki followed him with hawk-like eyes.

He watched him sink deeper with every step into the shallow waters—until he vanished.

Three seconds submerged in his technique, and then, he resurfaced.

In an instant, the enlightened one's presence became tangible, almost overwhelming. Without hesitation, Hideki reacted with dazzling agility, lunging forward just as his opponent emerged. The staff of his weapon sliced through the air toward the man's head, but he narrowly dodged, the darkness grazing his face as he ducked back.

He still reacted in time…

Both thought it. Cat and mouse—but who was which?

There was no pause in the euphoria, a relentless dance of blows, each one a potential death sentence.

With impressive fluidity, he hurled his weapon into the air in a perfect arc. In a smooth, balletic motion, he threw himself backward, catching it mid-air in his right hand. Every move was like a dance, every stance a declaration of unbreakable resolve.

Surpassing limits despite being so limited.

An Expansive Technique… Without seals or chants… interesting.

As he pondered, he saw the man's posture shift—more grounded now, with a faint smirk blooming on his face. Then, arms wide open, he fell forward into the shallow waters, vanishing like mist.

"What?"

The disbelief echoed as an internal whisper. It was genuine.

The enlightened one had thrown himself into the abyss.

But always focused—even when he wasn't. He *was* preparedness itself—almost like a bat, seeing in the pitch dark.

Silence ruled the space.

The mirrored waters gave no hint. Time felt frozen—until a ripple, soft and subtle, formed at his feet.

A promise.

Something was coming.

"Got you!" echoed the enlightened one, as a hand burst from the water, grabbing his leg. "Unire picturam!" he cast, crystallizing it instantly.

Then he dove and reappeared behind him, completely soaked.

"Resorting to cheap tricks now?" the hunter scoffed, spinning his spear with effortless mastery.

Unaware, the ex-exorcist nearly had his throat slit, instinctively raising his arm just in time.

The strike hit instantly. He felt it—the draining of energy. Blood soaked his clothes, and because of the darkness wrapped around him, the wound felt irreparable.

Beneath his feet, his hand fell—lifeless and limp.

"Dammit… You're just a fool with a spear… I don't sense even a flicker of black energy, or… wait… you…" he muttered, puzzled, realizing something was wrong.

His breathing was erratic. The weight of two attacks was evident in his eyes. He had lost a lot of blood—but nothing fatal. Not for an exorcist.

Is he using Seals or Pacts?

Maybe he was hiding it… or storing his energy outside his body… Spiritual energy wasn't like physical force — it needed an emitter, a soul or entity.

"You're overthinking, aren't you?" said the hunter, just as the sound of shattering crystals echoed. In an instant, he was impossibly free. His weapon struck the man's chest, blood spraying and blending into the crystal waters.

Taking the chance, he dashed forward like a feline. Dropping low, he swept the man's legs, moving with shadowy grace. In one continuous move, he unleashed a powerful kick with his right leg, landing a precise hit that left the exorcist stunned, unable to counter.

The enemy collapsed backward into the water, forcing him to stay alert, bracing for the next move.

Shit… He could be anywhere!

His thoughts betrayed him—but his stance blazed with confidence.

And this was only the beginning of the battle.