The Zenith of Life and Death

"Kyōgetsu Style... Kagen no tsuki!!"

The impact didn't trigger an immediate explosion, but rather a point of absolute pressure where emerald light and black flames devoured one another.

"...Royal Style... Ascending Waterfall!!"

In that suspended millisecond, Shija's "Kagen no tsuki" and the Valkyrie's "Ascending Waterfall" intertwined like two beasts claiming the same territory.

(SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!)

Then, the equilibrium shattered into a frenzy of aerial exchanges.

(SHIN-SHIN-SHIN-SHING!!)

With not a single inch of ground beneath their feet, both became a whirlwind of constant collisions as they ascended toward the cavern’s dome.

(CLANG-CLANG-SHHH-KRA!!)

There was no separation after the first strike; instead, a sequence of continuous clashes erupted, so fast that the air around them began to ignite from the friction.

(CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!)

Every time the Valkyrie's serrated sword descended with the force of a cataract of shadows, Shija responded with a palm slash that deflected its trajectory just enough to launch a Qi-charged kick.

(BWA-LINNNNNNG!!)

But she, rotating on her own axis in mid-flight, blocked with the tower shield, using the vibration of the impact to propel herself toward a new angle of attack.

(VROOOO-ZAP!!!)

It was an even match, a choreography of destruction where neither side gave an inch of ground.

(Just as I thought...)

Shija used the threads of his attire to propel himself through the void, creating ephemeral footholds, while the Valkyrie manipulated the repulsion of her own black flames to maneuver with a gravity-defying agility.

(... Something is wrong.)

Amidst the continuous exchange of attacks, Shija’s expression was one of total concentration, the zenith of his mastery being put to the test; in contrast, hers was a mask of agony and emptiness.

(KRA-SHHH-KRA-SHHH!!!)

The crescents of energy and the bursts of dark fire crossed in the air, drawing a web of light and shadows that intermittently illuminated the faces of both combatants.

(BOOM!!!)

However, at the highest point of their ascent, just before touching the stalactites of the ceiling, both concentrated all their power into one final, simultaneous exchange.

(CLANG-SLASH!!)

There was a shoulder strike from Shija against the edge of the shield, and a horizontal slash from the Valkyrie that Shija blocked by crossing his forearms, which were reinforced by the mystic silk empowered by his use of Qi.

(KRA-TA-KOOOOOM!!!)

As a result of the exchange, the shockwave finally released into a dome of residual energy that forced them to break away from each other.

(SHOOOOO-OOM!!!)

Thus, both were sent hurtling in opposite directions, slicing through the air like meteors.

(Clang!!)

Regaining his stance, Shija spun in mid-air, extending his threads to halt his inertia against one of the lateral columns, while the Valkyrie landed heavily yet gracefully on the opposite wall, driving her sword into the rock to arrest her fall.

(... She is attacking... But I don't sense true "bloodlust"... Instead... I don't even think I am reflected in her gaze...)

Despite the violence of the encounter, silence reigned once more for an instant, heavy with the smoke of black flames and the luminous vapor of Shija's Qi, which he used to evaluate the situation...

"....."

In turn, the Valkyrie remained silent as slight tremors ran through her body, her empty gaze fixed upon the ground.

"... I'm sorry."

And after apologizing, the Valkyrie plunged her sword with such force that the blade was buried up to the hilt.

(FROOOOOOOOSH!!!)

In an instant, the ground ceased to be stone.

(She wouldn't...!)

From the crack opened by her weapon, igneous waves erupted, spreading like a ravenous tide, submerging the entirety of the surface in a sea of black flames.

(She's going to incinerate the entire living space!!)

Shija, suspended in the air by his threads, read the flow of Qi with his stellar perception.

(I have to stop her right now!)

His eyes caught the pattern: she wasn't just burning the ground; she was turning the cavern into an absolute combustion chamber where there would be nowhere to land and no air to breathe.

(VROOOOOOOOOM!!)

Without hesitation, Shija went into a nosedive.

{Hey... are you sure this is a good idea?!}

Ignoring the doll's worried tone, Shija, wrapped in the glow of his aura, sliced through the air like an emerald projectile.

(THWACK!!)

However, the Valkyrie, despite her vacant stare, anticipated his desperation.

"Dammit...!"

Taking advantage of the stalactites that had fallen to the ground and were now floating in the sea of black fire, she executed a "piston" movement with her leg, striking the base of the rocks with violent precision.

(KRA-SHHH-KRA-SHHH!!!)

This caused the stalactites to shoot upward, but not as simple stones.

"Get out of my way!"

As they were kicked, they were instantly bathed in the black flames, turning into volcanic spears that sought to impale Shija in his downward trajectory.

(ZIP-ZIP-ZIP-ZAK!)

Without losing an ounce of his momentum, Shija began a dance of frenzied slashes in mid-flight.

(I WON'T MAKE IT!!)

Using his palms and the prehensile extensions of his attire, he sliced through every igneous projectile that crossed his path.

(BOOOOOOM-KRAAASH!!)

The flame-engulfed stones exploded around him, turning his advance into a tunnel of sparks and charred debris.

{Fall back now!!}

Finally, as Shija—realizing he would be unable to retreat in time—extended his hand, charging a palm strike directly at the guardian's chest to interrupt the flow of the fire...

"... Burn."

It was then that a frost-cold whisper echoed amidst the chaos, just millimeters before his fingertips could connect, and everything was dyed black.

(BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!)

The black flames covering the floor and the pulverized stalactites reacted to her command, expanding in a thermobaric deflagration that turned the entire cavern into an absolute hellscape.

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!)

The pressure increased exponentially, and the oxygen vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a black heat that sought to disintegrate both the mystic silk and Shija's flesh alike.

"¡¿?!"

However, despite her advantageous position, the guardian felt a shiver of pure danger that made her skin crawl—a sensation she had forgotten a long time ago...

(VROOOOOOO-OOOOM!!!)

Amidst the flames, a shockwave of raw energy erupted from the center of the fire, dispersing the black flames as if they were shreds of mist.

{... You're right... Silver... They burn and... they sear...}

In the epicenter of the dissipation, a silk cocoon appeared, dark and scorched by the thermobaric heat.

{... I'm leaving... the rest to you... Agh...}

The mystic fibers, burnt and smoking, burst open into hundreds of ribbons that lashed the air, repelling the remaining fire with a pulse of centrifugal force.

"... Count on it."

From within emerged Shija, unharmed but with an expression of icy ferocity...

"¡¡!!"

At the last second, the doll had taken full control of the attire, suffering the full impact of the fire while whispering a few final words to Silver’s shadow before losing consciousness...

"I will borrow your technique... Boudica..."

Taking advantage of the brief opening created by the Valkyrie's effort to maintain that hellscape, Shija landed with a thundering crash, flexing his knees and sinking his center of gravity.

(ZIIIIII-ZAP-ZAP-VUM!!!)

The Qi began to swirl and compress in his fist with a density never seen before, becoming a sphere of pure white light that distorted the very light around it.

"MOUNTAIN BREAKER!!"

It was a technique of concentrated destruction, a single point of pressure designed to pierce through any defense.

(PUM!!!)

Shija propelled himself forward, turning into a bolt of light that pierced through the smoke.

(KRRRA-TA-KOOOOOOOOM!!!)

Connecting the strike squarely against the Valkyrie's plexus...

"¡¡¿?!!"

The impact was so violent that the energy from Shija's fist didn't just strike the surface; it projected through her body, erupting in a cone of sonic force that shattered the cavern wall behind her.

(KRA-SHHHHHHH!!!)

However, at the very same instant Shija’s fist, charged with the totality of his Qi, sank into the Valkyrie's plexus, she reacted by counterattacking...

(VROOOOOM!!)

Without yielding a single millimeter to the force that was crushing her core, the Valkyrie raised her serrated sword with a speed that defied physics.

(SLASH!!)

In a trajectory parallel to Shija's arm, the obsidian blade descended, charged with a burst of black flames, executing a frontal counterstrike of absolute violence.

(CRASH-FROOOOSH!!!)

In this scene, both sides remained in a deadlocked clash...

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"!!!"

Shija's fist pierced through the girl's guard, projecting a shockwave that cracked reality behind her, while the blade of black flames sliced through the air head-on, seeking to split Shija in half in a final act of defiance.

(Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-KRA-BUM!!!)

As a result of the clash between both energies at point-blank range, a dome of interference was generated.

"Uggh...!!"

In the exchange, Shija gritted his teeth, feeling the scorching heat of the Valkyrie's blade millimeters from his shoulder and chest, while the doll, from within him, screamed to maintain the silk's cohesion so that the counterattack wouldn't disintegrate him, acting purely on survival instinct.

"KILL... ME!!!"

At the same time, the Valkyrie, with overflowing madness in her gaze, gathered her strength, determined to rend flesh and vanish all life before her...

(CRACK-SHHH-BOOM!!)

The ground beneath them vanished, turning into a perfect crater from the downward pressure of both techniques.

(VUP-VUP-VUP-VUMMMM!!!)

The air whistled, the walls crystallized by the heat began to crumble, and the eyes of both combatants met just inches apart...

"!!!"

... One clinging to life.

"....."

And the other to death.