The Hollow Lands ignited with chaos.
Spirit hounds lunged in from the shadows, their growls vibrating through the crater. Kaien leapt forward, sword blazing in his grip. Yuki moved beside him like a wraith, her frostblade leaving trails of shimmering mist.
But this time—they weren't alone.
"Hold the line, you two! We've got your flank!"
A boy clad in white windweave armor slid down the ridge, twin fans glowing in his hands. Wind exploded outward, slicing through the spirit hounds like invisible blades.
"Reizo Kisaragi," the boy said with a confident smirk. "Heir of the Tempest Gale Clan. Thought you could have all the fun without me?"
Behind him came a girl in red silk robes, fire dancing between her fingertips.
"Watch your back, Reizo. These mutts are crawling with hex-blood," she snapped, blasting three hounds with a wave of phoenix flames. "Akari of the Crimson Pyre Sect. Let's clean this up."
Boom!
A massive fist slammed into the ground as a burly teen—easily seven feet tall—charged in from the opposite side, covered in tribal tattoos that glowed gold.
"Baran of the Earthborn Clan," he bellowed, slamming two hounds into the rock with his bare hands. "I like your crater. Mind if I crush enemies here?"
Yuki blinked. "What…?"
Kaien grinned despite himself. "Looks like the others have arrived."
The Battle Erupts
Kaien and Reizo fought back-to-back, blades and wind colliding in bursts of elemental chaos. Reizo's wind style was fluid and acrobatic—each movement flowing into the next like a dance.
"I heard the dragon boy was strong," Reizo shouted over the howls. "But I didn't think he'd be this cool under pressure."
"I don't have time to worry about being cool," Kaien muttered, slashing through a shadowhound.
Across the crater, Akari and Yuki combined their elements. Steam and ice swirled as Crimson Frost Technique: Glacial Burst formed—freezing the beasts mid-leap before incinerating them.
"I don't like working with others," Akari said. "But I'll admit, your timing is sharp."
Yuki didn't reply. Her eyes were fixed on something in the darkness.
A final growl rose—and then, silence.
The last hound fell.
Temporary Alliance
Later that night, the five sat around the crater's fire. Kaien's shirt was torn, revealing the faint dragon scale pulsing over his heart. Reizo noticed it but said nothing.
"So, you all passed the Spiritfire Maze too?" Kaien asked.
"Barely," Reizo answered. "They threw me into a sky storm. I had to fly blind and tame a wind elemental to escape."
Akari smirked. "I fought a phoenix made of my regrets. Let's say my childhood wasn't pretty."
Baran laughed. "Mine was easy. I just punched a boulder until it cracked."
"…And that counted?" Yuki asked.
"I'm very good at punching," Baran said proudly.
Yuki gave him a rare blink of confusion.
The Trial Master Returns
Suddenly, a glyph ignited in the sky above them. The Keeper of the Trials appeared again, projected in magical fire.
"Sixteen remain," his voice echoed. "But only ten will reach the Final Gate. Ahead lies the Obsidian Deadzone, where the fallen spirits of ancient warriors roam. You will each face a ghost of the past… and the truth of your bloodline."
Kaien felt something twist in his gut.
The truth of my bloodline…?
Yuki stood. "We move at dawn."
Akari stretched. "Not without breakfast. Do ghost trials come with tea?"
Baran cracked his knuckles. "I hope the spirits know how to fight."
Reizo sighed. "I just wanted to glide into victory. Now I'm stuck with hotheads and icicles."
Kaien laughed for the first time in days.
Elsewhere — A Hidden Faction Watches
In the shadows of the Hollow Lands, deeper still, another figure stood.
Cloaked in black flame, with eyes like molten gold, a masked warrior watched Kaien and his group through a scrying crystal.
A second figure approached, hooded and whispering.
"The dragon heir is awakening."
The masked one replied, voice hollow. "The seal must not break. Dispatch the Ashborn Shadows. If Kaien Ryugami survives the Obsidian Deadzone… we will deal with him personally."