The Mytho Chronicles: Eclipse Of Faith

CHAPTER 99: Recovery, Or is it?

The battlefield lay in a shattered state, the ground marred with deep scars and scattered remnants of the violent clash. Smoke curled up from the charred earth, and the air was thick with tension and the acrid scent of blood. The once-crimson sky had darkened, heavy clouds swirling above as if nature itself was recoiling from the chaos below.

Yona staggered under Sayori's relentless onslaught, her very soul reeling from the sheer force behind each Astral Fist strike. Sayori's mastery of the technique far surpassed Ren's; each blow reverberated deep within Yona, as if tearing at the fabric of her being. Panic flashed through her mind. "How... how is this possible? Another Astral Fist user? I never imagined there could be more than one..."

Sayori's punches grew heavier, each one carrying a burning intensity that seared through the air. Her black-gloved hands blazed with a fierce orange light, the same glow emanating from her mask's eyes. There was an unmistakable fury in her attacks—one born not just of battle, but of something personal, as if she was avenging a deep-seated wound.

Nearby, Ryuzen cut through Yona's shadow soldiers with a precision and fluidity that bordered on the effortless. His ninjatō danced through the air, slicing down every opponent in his path, the soldiers' forms dissolving into darkness the moment they fell. Despite their endless numbers, Ryuzen's resolve did not falter; he moved with the lethal grace of a master, as if this horde was nothing more than a trivial distraction.

From a distance, Ryota watched the unfolding chaos, his breath catching as he took in the two mysterious figures who had come to their aid. Ren, now standing beside him, was equally entranced, his gaze fixed on Sayori's glowing fists.

"Who are they, Sensei?" Ren's voice broke through the tension, laden with confusion and awe.

"I don't know," Ryota replied, his tone laced with uncertainty. "I've never seen either of them before. But that woman over there..." He pointed towards Sayori, who continued to batter Yona with unrelenting force. "She was the one who saved you."

Ren's eyes widened in realization. His attention locked onto Sayori's movements, the unmistakable aura of Astral Fist radiating from her every strike.

"Sensei... this shouldn't be possible," Ren whispered, a hint of disbelief coloring his words. "Astral Fist is one of the rarest techniques in existence. For there to be two wielders... it's unheard of!"

Ryota's brow furrowed as he shook his head. "I've encountered many extraordinary things in the sorcery world," he said quietly, "but never this. If she is truly a master of Astral Fist... it changes everything."

Their conversation was interrupted as Kaida, Ryohei, Kyoko, and Yuto limped towards them, their bodies bruised and battered.

"Ryota!" Yuto exclaimed, his voice sharp with alarm as his gaze fell on Ryota's hollowed eye socket. Dried blood crusted around the empty space where his left eye had once been. "What happened to you?!"

"It was Yona," Ryota answered, his voice low, laced with a restrained anger. He kept his head down, as if the memory of the encounter weighed heavily upon him.

Kyoko's hands clenched into tight fists, her voice trembling with rage. "That monster... she dared to do this to you? We can't just let her walk away after that!"

Ryohei's eyes burned with fury as he stepped forward. "You're not seriously going to let this go, are you, Ryota?"

For a moment, the battlefield was wrapped in an unsettling stillness. The tension clung to the air, thick and suffocating. Ryota's head dipped, his fists clenching tighter as if trying to hold back an avalanche of emotions. His voice, strained and bitter, finally broke the silence.