The guild master's voice still echoed in the air, "Then fight!" The words barely faded before Kai burst into motion, his sword gripped tightly as he charged straight for Kaito. Kaito's grin grew wider, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "You really don't believe you're still stronger than me," he whispered to himself.
With a sudden acceleration, Kaito met Kai head-on. Kai's sword sliced through the air, spinning around in a deadly arc aimed straight for Kaito's neck. Kaito dodged by falling down, sliding past Kai with precision.
Kai quickly adapted, his right leg turning around as his left leg launched into a powerful kick aimed straight for Kaito's face. Kaito sensed the danger and swiftly halted his slide by slicing the ground with his sword, using the momentum to propel himself upward. Kai's kick missed Kaito's head by mere inches, striking the ground with a deafening crash that sent shockwaves through the earth. The impact created a small crater, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
Kaito landed back on the ground, his sword held high as he met Kai head-on. The two swordsmen engaged in a breathtaking display of skill and speed. Blades clashed, sparks flew, and the air reverberated with the sound of steel meeting steel.They exchanged blows, their movements lightning-fast, their techniques flawless. The ground shook beneath their feet as they battled, their swords leaving trails of sparks in the air.
As the fight intensified, both warriors began to create distance between each other, their chests heaving with exertion. Kai's eyes locked onto Kaito, his gaze burning with determination. Kaito's grin had faded, replaced by a fierce glint in his eye.
The crowd still watching from the screen projected by the guild's mages from the city watched in awe, their voices echoing through the streets. "Yeah, that's what I call an SSS-rank match!" someone shouted. Another spectator chimed in, "Kai, show him who's boss!"
Sakura's expression turned urgent as she grabbed Lila's arm. "We have to stop that fight now. Take me to where that place is," she said, her voice firm.
Lila quickly turned, her eyes wide with concern. "Okay, follow me," she replied, already running away from the crowd. Sakura followed closely behind, her determination evident in every step.
As they disappeared into the crowd, the spectators continued to cheer and chant, oblivious to the concern that drove Sakura and Lila away.
Kai's grin spread wide as he looked at Kaito. "Kaito, I'm impressed. You're now stronger than the last time I fought you."
Kaito's grin matched Kai's. "Of course, I am. I've been training for the past five years. What do you expect?"
Kai's expression turned puzzled, confused by Kaito's mention of five years. He chose to ignore it, his grin returning as he looked at Kaito. "But you're still weak," he said, his tone low, his gaze seeming to look down on Kaito.
Kaito's face began to redden, his eyes turning a deep, fiery shade. His anger was palpable, his body tensing as he struggled to contain his emotions. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the air. "Okay, Kai, then let me show you what true power is."
"Kaito shouted, "Unique Skill: Shadow Replicant!"
The weather responded to Kaito's declaration, dark clouds gathering overhead. Rain began to fall, the droplets hitting the ground with a rhythmic intensity. The air charged with electricity, lightning starting to spark between the clouds. A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the darkening sky. The sound of thunder boomed, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The storm was awakening, and Kaito's power was at its center.
Suddenly, two Kaitos appeared in front of Kai, their identical faces grinning with an unnerving intensity. Kai's eyes widened as he blinked, trying to process what was happening. Before he could react, the number of Kaitos multiplied, and now ten identical figures stood before him. The duplication continued, and soon twenty Kaitos faced Kai, their eyes gleaming with a fierce determination.
The crowd watching from the city erupted into whispers. "Do you see that? They're now 20 of him!" someone exclaimed. Another spectator chimed in, "Is that even fair?"
At the guild training area, the Guild Master stood near Shinji, his voice booming across the field. "Since this is one of Kaito's skills, it's 100% legal and allowed!"
The Kaito in front, seemingly the original, shouted at Kai, "Okay, Kai, who's weak now?" Kai, still grinning, tried to cover up his confusion. "So, you think an army of weak ants can kill a god?" he replied, his tone laced with confidence.
The Kaito in front just grinned, his eyes flashing with amusement. "Okay, let's see how long you keep up this act of yours." With a burst of speed, all twenty Kaitos began running straight for Kai, their movements perfectly synchronized as they charged forward with deadly intent.
Kai thinking of the cheat code again quickly chanted it again, but like the last time, nothing happened. Kai grinned, "Okay, then guess I'll just have to fight this one serious."
Kai gripped his sword, meeting the incoming attack head-on. The first clone appeared in front of Kai, his sword slicing straight at Kai. Kai held Kaito's head as he quickly jumped into the air, spinning around and landing a round kick on two clones approaching him. The kick sent shockwaves through the air, and the clones stumbled back, their movements momentarily disrupted.
As Kai landed, he quickly landed a strong punch with his left hand on the clone he had just jumped, sending all three Kaitos flying and crushing into the group. The clones tumbled to the ground, but they quickly just got up, as if nothing had happened. Their eyes seemed unfazed, their determination unwavering.
More of the clones continued coming, their swords held high. Kai dodged one clone's slash, his body weaving between the attacks. He countered with a swift kick, sending a clone crashing into another. The clones stumbled, but their numbers seemed endless.
Kai spun around, his sword slicing through the air, striking down clone after clone. Each impact sent shockwaves through the ground, but the clones just kept coming. Kai's movements became a blur as he fought on, his sword arm strong and precise. The clones surrounded him, their attacks relentless, but Kai stood firm, determined to take them down.
Kai then backed away, jumping up and down with a fierce grin. "Okay, now I'm warmed up. Let's finish this."
The Kaito in front shouted, "Let's all attack at once!" The clones charged, surrounding Kai. In a blur of motion, Kai burst into speed, suddenly appearing above the Kaito in front. With lightning-fast reflexes, Kai grabbed the clone's face and sent it crashing into the ground. The impact sent shockwaves through the earth, creating a small crater. Debris scattered everywhere as the clone's body crumpled.
The other clones quickly jumped at Kai, but he leapt into the air, his sword flashing in the light. As he jumped higher, he spun around, his sword spinning around his hand in a deadly arc. With a powerful throw, the sword sliced through two clones, cutting through their bodies like paper. The clones' bodies crumpled to the ground, their swords slipping from their grasp. The sword landed with a thud, vibrating into the ground.
But before Kai could catch his breath, the clones quickly disappeared and reappeared, unharmed and ready to attack. Kai landed back on the ground, his senses on high alert. A clone's sword sliced mere inches away from Kai's face, the blade whispering past his ear. Kai tilted his head just in time, his heart racing. He quickly countered with a knee strike, connecting with the clone's stomach, and then stepped back, landing a round kick that sent the clone flying.
As Kai landed, a clone quickly grabbed him from behind. Another clone lunged forward, sword slicing straight for Kai's neck. With a swift motion, Kai dropped his head down, the sword slicing through the clone holding him. Kai quickly connected two jabs to the clone with the sword, followed by a spinning kick that sent the clone crashing into the clones behind it.
As Kai landed on the ground, a clone landed a strong kick straight at Kai's stomach, the impact sending shockwaves through his body.
Before Kai could act, another clone appeared above him, crushing down on Kai and hitting the ground with him below. With a burst of speed, all the clones held Kai's hands and legs. One clone emerged in front of Kai, sneering. "Who's the god now?"
The clone connected a strong punch to Kai's face, the sound echoing like a hammer hitting metal: _CRACK_. Kai's lip split, and blood trickled down his chin. The clone laughed maniacally, connecting another punch, and another, each one landing with a sickening thud. Kai's face was a mess of blood and bruises.
The Guild Master whispered, "I think I should stop this fight," but Shinji's low voice intervened. "Remember, Guild Master, the matches only end if one of them gives up or is unconscious. Clearly, Kai hasn't given up."
Kai's mind went dark as he stared ahead, whispering the cheat code, but nothing happened. He chanted it again, still nothing. Just as the clone was about to land another punch, it sensed something and stepped back. "What's wrong?" the other clones asked, "Finish this!"
But before the clone could react, Kai emitted a red and dark aura, like a volcanic eruption. The aura sent all the clones near him flying, along with nearby trees, as if they were mere leaves. The ground shook, and debris scattered everywhere.
Kai stood up, his eyes bright red, whispering, "I guess the cheat code finally worked... but how?" A clone appeared behind him, sword raised, but Kai was too fast. He suddenly appeared distant from the clones.
Kai shouted, "Did you really think you could hide from me?" and looked into the tree. Kai quickly jumped onto the tree, pulled Kaito out, and whispered into his ear, "I've always hated you, you know that, right?" Kai threw Kaito away, and Kaito landed nicely on the ground.
Kai looked at Kaito, "Got any last words before I finish this?" Kaito gripped his sword, shouting, "Then I'll have to use my strongest attack to finish this!" As he finished, all his clones returned to him.
Shinji threw his sword straight at Kai, who caught it and looked at Kaito. "Ready, Kaito?" With a burst of speed, Kai charged. Kaito shouted, "_Thousand SwordsofGod_," and clones appeared mid-air, each sending out sound waves from their swords that aimed straight for Kai.
But Kai ignored the attack, whispering "_Dragon Slash_." A lady's voice echoed, "Lila, I see them." Before anyone could react, Sakura appeared between Kai and Kaito, shouting, "Barrier magic!" Two barriers appeared, one in front of Kai and the other in front of Kaito.
Kaito's attack was repelled by the barrier, sending the attack back at him. Kai finished his sentence, "_Dragon Slash Unleashed_." A gold shockwave burst from Kai's sword, breaking through Sakura's barrier. Sakura stood confused, "What? He destroyed my barrier... even Akira can't break that barrier."
The blast was inches from Sakura when Lila appeared, pushing Sakura away from the blast's direction and she then landed in the blast's direction. Sakura shouted, "You stupid girl, what are you doing? You're going to die!"
The sound wave struck with unimaginable force, creating a massive explosion that shook the earth. The blast sent debris flying in all directions, creating a massive crater. The impact was like a nuclear explosion, sending shockwaves through the air, and the sound was deafening. Trees were uprooted, and the ground was scorched.
Sakura shouted, "Lila No!!!".