Chapter Fifteen: “Of Wolves and Shadows”
Chapter Fifteen: "Of Wolves and Shadows"
Tournament Arc – Round I, Match Three
Scene One: Enter the Predator
Platform Three stood quiet, encased in a faint blue fog that curled like smoke from the mouths of sleeping dragons.
On one end of the ring, Akihiro Matsumoto rolled his shoulder calmly, adjusting the collar of his half-armored jacket. His Shikigami wolf, Raito, paced beside him—a creature of silver mist and sharp fangs, its eyes locked forward with silent hunger.
On the other end, stepping out like a shadow from behind the gate, was his opponent:
Kaname Raizel – Third Year
Clanless. Demon-Fusion Specialist.
Nickname: "The Phantom Binder"
Kaname was lean, crooked-smiling, and shirtless, revealing veins of black energy pulsing across his ribcage like spider cracks. He wore a demon-stitched sash, and his left eye glowed with unholy clarity.
"Another Fourth Year runt?" Kaname said, licking his teeth. "Don't blink. I want you to see your spirit break."
Akihiro cracked his knuckles.
"You talk too much for someone who's prey."
Announcer Sigil: "Match Three — Begin!"
Kaname lunged.
From both arms, curved blades made of fused demon bone sprang forth. He weaved like smoke and sliced horizontally—fast.
But Raito intercepted, clashing against the blade with its fangs. Sparks flew. Mist scattered.
Akihiro didn't move.
Instead, he whispered:
"Shadow Copy – Left Fang."
A second Raito erupted from his own shadow—an afterimage that bit into Kaname's side. Kaname spun with a grunt, landing on his feet, but his shoulder was bleeding black aura.
"Twin summon?" Kaname muttered, amused. "Clever boy."
Kaname slammed both hands into the floor.
"Ritual Mode: Demon Veil – Illusory Hive!"
The ring warped.
A dome of distorted space shimmered around them. Inside, hundreds of Kaname clones formed—half-phantoms, half-real, each fused with fragmented demons: claws, horns, wings, glowing bones.
Akihiro and Raito stood back-to-back.
"Stay close," he whispered.
Clones rushed in from all directions.
Akihiro ducked one blade, struck another with his knee, then threw a shikigami seal across the ring. It latched to a clone and detonated—one down.
But another struck his ribs.
A real blade.
Blood spilled.
"Too slow, wolf-boy," Kaname's voice echoed from all directions.
Akihiro knelt, coughing.
Flashback – Dormitory Field, Training Day
Rengoku's voice echoed in memory:
"A true Shikigami user doesn't command. He bonds. Your wolf is not your weapon. He's your second soul."
Back in the present—Akihiro stood up, eyes cold.
"Then we fight together."
His seal pulsed.
Raito roared—and merged with Akihiro.
Their bodies overlapped in a burst of shadow and fang.
New Form: Fenrir Aspect Mode.
Aura exploded outward in waves of silver and crimson. His arms became clawed, eyes slitted, voice deeper—still his, but older.
"Let's hunt."
With one dash, Akihiro tore through ten clones in a flash.
Then—
He stopped. He sniffed.
"Found you."
He vanished.
Reappeared directly behind the real Kaname.
"Shadow Snare: Death Chain."
Vines of shadow coiled up from below, pinning Kaname in place.
"And now—Crimson Fang."
He slashed once, clean and deep. The blade hit not skin—but soul.
Kaname's demon core screamed, and the illusion dome shattered.
The real Kaname fell, twitching, defeated.
🏁 Scene Six: Ring Silence
Announcer Sigil: "Match Three – Victory: Akihiro Matsumoto"
Cheers erupted—but Akihiro didn't celebrate.
He looked down at his hand—still clawed—and slowly unclenched it. Raito reformed beside him, licking its paw casually.
Sakura (watching):
"Okay… that was hot."
"Remind me not to spar with him.", Takashi says smirking.
Above in the Council Box, Rengoku nodded once.
"The wolf knows his pack now."
To Be Continued in Chapter Sixteen: "Foxfire Rising"
– Sakura Natsumi enters the arena. And the battlefield becomes hers.
Would you like to begin Chapter Sixteen now? It will be a fast, brutal, and clever fight—Sakura's true coming out as a Shinigami prodigy.