«Take this, old Tendo!»
Itsu's blade crashes down on Shin with overwhelming force.
Everyone is left speechless.
Even Chantal.
A moment ago, he was dozens of meters away from Shin.
Now he's already on him, as if he had teleported.
But that's not what happened.
Itsu moved so fast that even Hakuto and Chantal, with their trained eyes, barely followed him.
Rika and Yuzu couldn't keep up at all.
No matter how sharp a demon's eyes might be, it looked like a simple instant movement to them.
Itsu's rapier comes down from above.
Shin dodges it at the last second with a lazy backward hop.
The slash misses and crashes into the ground with the force of a meteor.
A crater forms, and a cloud of dust rises, swallowing everything around.
The shockwave turns into a violent gust of wind.
But Shin doesn't lose balance at all.
He lands on both feet with the grace and confidence of a cat.
«Damn, I almost hit you…» Itsu mutters.
«Almost…» Shin replies with a mocking grin.
Itsu charges him again.
The slashes of his long, blood-metallic sword rain down on Shin.
They come from every direction.
From above, then a diagonal upward cut to the left, and then a horizontal slash to the right.
Itsu attacks without pause.
But it's useless.
Shin dodges each blow with lightning speed and calm, precise movements.
With every strike, Itsu sees the blade miss by just an inch.
Shin never gets touched.
It's like he moves just enough to slip away from the path of each slash.
Itsu tries another thrust.
But Shin stops the rapier with his bare hand.
His right fingers grip the thin blade.
His arm is wrapped in white flames.
Shin has finally decided to use the Sacred Flame—for the first time in this fight.
«Young vampire, at this rate you'll collapse without me landing a single blow—just from exhaustion.»
Shin's voice carries both disappointment and confidence.
He expected more.
But he knows he's in full control.
«Well, I'd say it's time to get serious!» Itsu shouts firmly.
A smile still sits on his face, unfazed by all the wasted strikes.
He pours strength into his arms and pulls with all his might to free the blade from Shin's grip.
But nothing happens.
The rapier doesn't move at all, even though Shin holds it with just one hand.
Then Shin tightens his fingers with ease, like he's crumpling paper.
The blade shatters in his hand.
Metal shards fly everywhere, then dissolve into red smoke as they touch the ground.
Suddenly, Shin dashes toward Itsu.
He hits him with a single knee to the stomach.
In a flash, Itsu is sent flying and crashes to the ground nearly thirty meters away.
«What the…?!»
Itsu can't believe it.
He didn't even notice the hit.
One moment he was standing, and the next, he was on the ground with burning pain in his abdomen.
He has no idea how it happened, or when Shin struck.
It all happened in a blink.
Now he's lying on his back, in pain.
Blood pours nonstop from his mouth.
He tries to stop it with his hand, as if holding back vomit.
«Shin… Shin is really amazing!» Yuzu exclaims.
She bounces like a spring, full of energy.
All her exhaustion from running has vanished.
Her eyes sparkle with joy, like a child seeing a pile of presents on Christmas morning.
Rika feels the same, but stays silent.
She watches quietly, seeing only what her eyes can catch.
Hakuto and Chantal, meanwhile, are clearly surprised.
They know Shin Tendo well.
Anyone in HESPARC knows the stories of the strongest Monster Reaper of his era.
They've heard them too—but those feats belong to his youth, nearly twenty years ago.
And yet, even after years of inactivity and aging, his power seems untouched.
«Your father is still a monster…» Chantal murmurs.
Hakuto just nods.
Even he didn't expect his father to be in such good shape.
With effort, Itsu gets back on his feet.
Shin watches him, unmoved, still standing in the same spot.
«You're strong, old man. I mean it… I thought Hakotto was exaggerating about your combat skills, but he was actually underestimating you…» Itsu says with a nervous smile, his voice muffled by blood.
«But that makes me happy… now I can finally use my full power.»
At those words, Shin raises an eyebrow and tilts his head slightly.
He's clearly intrigued.
The others react the same way.
Hakuto opens his eyes wide and focuses harder.
He doesn't want to miss a single moment of the fight.
He knows it now—this battle isn't over, not by a long shot.
~His true power… I knew he was hiding something. Not even against Chantal was he serious. Now I'll finally see what he can really do!~
But suddenly, the crimson energy around Itsu disappears—like it's being reabsorbed into his body.
In its place appears a denser, heavier aura.
It glows a dull orange.
«Well, now that's a surprise…» Shin comments.
His voice sounds truly astonished.
The others look completely confused.
They clearly don't understand what's happening.
All except Chantal.
She's the only one who understands the source of that strange new energy from Itsu.
«That vampire possesses an Innatus…» she states.
Her voice is barely above a whisper.
Meanwhile, the dense orange energy takes form around Itsu's body.
It covers him completely, from head to toe, in thick, semi-transparent armor.
A skeletal shell.
A skull helmet sits on his head.
An oversized ribcage protects his chest and back.
Sharp bones wrap around his arms and legs.
Shin's gaze, once bored and slightly curious, lights up with true excitement.
A sword of white flame forms in his hand.
«The real fight starts now, old Tendo!»