Sacred Killers - Akuma no yoru

The Assessment V: Control

Kairo stood firmly on the ground, still not able to visually see perfectly, but after flowing Koseishi throughout his body, he was able to see in a blur. He could make out Kan's figure, and he could see his distressed face.

[Kan] *struggling* Damn you!

[Kairo] I will not lose...

[Rin] There's not much he can do with that shoulder.

[Muigetsu] He'll pull through, I know it.

Standing firmly with his lead foot in front, Kairo refused to waver. As soon as Kan made it into his distance, he struck. Kairo swung his blade down with incredible force, so much so that even with one hand, he managed to completely throw Kan off balance. He followed up by swinging upwards, cutting Kan's left side again. Dashing away, Kan dropped to a knee, breathing heavily and trying to recuperate. Kairo got back into a stance and did not move from his position.

[Yamachi] *in his mind* He's putting everything he learned into effect. Not taking unnecessary challenges, and waiting patiently for the strike in order to counter. He's on the defensive but he's drawing out his strength.

[Taizuchi] *in his mind* The amount of control he has, even with one arm, is incredible. I thought Kan would end up demolishing him, but I underestimated his potential.

[Kan] *infuriated* Damn you! I will not be humiliated like this!

Surging with even more energy, the atmosphere around them became dark. Leaving a shockwave behind, Kan exploded forward with devastating speed. He extended his arm, jolting his dagger at Kairo and pried through his defenses with one blow. Kairo however did not panic and even with his arm in the air, he shifted his weight and dashed away. Kan followed, exceeding speeds of Kairo's reaction time, even so, Kairo had yet to be phased by his attacks. His heart was racing, however he was locked in and not ready to be caught off guard. Kan began pressuring Kairo with powerful strikes that created shockwaves as he struck. Kairo parried each strike with unwavering force, but soon it caught up to him. Shattering his posture, Kairo buckled and dropped to a knee, his left arm dangling, and his right arm clutching the ground. Kan's eyes, jet black like an empty closed closet, sprung into the air and spun around. He darted downward, slicing Kairo with a flurry of slashes so quick it was impossible to evade them all. Kairo dropped to the floor, clutching the ground and losing sight in both eyes momentarily. For a moment, everything went completely black, losing all consciousness.

[???] *inaudible whispers* Kairo...

Kairo opened his eyes but he couldn't move and he felt a strong and overwhelming tingling sensation all over his body, especially his head. Everything was cloudy, and he couldn't think straight, or move, nothing felt real. He saw Kan in front of him, but behind him was a tall figure that he couldn't make out. Everything started to go dark again, his heart racing and his eyelids falling. Kan went to strike Kairo's body with a piercing blow to his spine when his body jolted up and he flashed away, breaking into a sweat and panicking, where he stood clutching his katana tightly and his hands left shaking.