Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

End of CP9

Ryomen stood in front of Yorozu, her bulky insect armor completely covering her.

She threw the golden snail to the ground, encasing it in a small liquid metal dome.

"The only way to take it back is by killing me!" She shouted, her voice deformed by the armor.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" A wide grin spread on his face, despite the potential danger she could be, excitement coursed through his veins.

They stared at each other for a moment, before quickly acting.

She flicked her wrist, and a barrage of sharpened metal shards appeared around her, whirling in the air like a storm of blades. With a snap of her fingers, they shot forward.

"Dismantle!" The shards were instantly destroyed, but more continued to appear, as if there were an endless amount. 

As they got closer to him, Ryomen was forced to dodge. Twisting his body, he sidestepped the first wave, ducked under another, then spun on his heel, allowing the rest to pass by harmlessly. One, however, changed course mid-air.

'She can control them freely?'

He leaned back, but the shard scraped his cheek, drawing blood.

"Slippery, aren't you?" Yorozu sneered, flexing her fingers to recall the metal fragments, making them hover beside her. "But is that all you can do?"

Ryomen cracked his neck. "You've got no idea."

The next moment, he vanished.

Yorozu's eyes widened as Ryomen reappeared above her, his coated fist descending like a meteor. She barely raised her arms in time as he smashed her into the rooftop, shattering the stone beneath them.

Before she could recover, he twisted mid-air, aiming a kick at her ribs.

Yorozu countered, forming a metal wall from the shards to block the strike.

Ryomen's foot slammed into it, sending a shockwave through the structure, but the defense held. She retaliated instantly, shifting the wall into dozens of jagged spikes and launching them at him point-blank.

Ryomen's instincts screamed at him. He had no room to dodge—the spikes were already mid-flight, aimed at every vital point..

He exhaled, his body pulsing with cursed energy. Then, a black wave of cursed energy shot out toward the projectiles.

The incoming spikes shattered mid-air, reduced to nothing but metallic dust.

Yorozu's head snapped up, barely catching a glimpse of Ryomen blitzing through the remnants of her attack.

'He's fast—!'

She barely crossed her arms before his fist slammed into her again. This time, he didn't stop.

With all four arms, Ryomen unleashed a barrage of devastating blows.

A right hook to her ribs. A left uppercut to her jaw. A hammer strike to her shoulder. His fourth arm, coated with cursed energy, drove into her stomach like a piledriver.

Each hit sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The rooftop cracked beneath their feet.

Yorozu grunted, skidding backward from the force.

Her insect armor absorbed most of the damage—but cracks were already forming.

"Heh…you're really trying." She mused, wiping the blood dripping from her lips. "I like that."

Ryomen didn't waste time responding.

He shot forward again, his four fists weaving into a relentless dance of destruction.