Versus Specter

You know, you really shouldn’t take any of your senses for granted, because the first thing I noticed when I came back to life was just how strange this cave smells. And Kamei’s relentless blasts didn’t help—the whole place reeked of gunpowder and smoke. But the weird smell barely registered as I took in the fact that, somehow, I’d done the impossible. I had cheated death!

With newfound confidence, I sat up and glanced around, spotting Kamei locked in combat with Specter. She was fighting fiercely—fiercer than I’d ever seen her.

Specter chuckled, finding Kamei's anger amusing. She launched another volley of bullets, each one zipping through the smoky air, but he dodged with a mocking smile, as if gliding effortlessly.

“Oh? What’s the matter, darling?” he sneered. “Is my game getting to you?”

“Shut up!”

Kamei's gaze grew strained. A ferocious glow flared from her shotgun, and she clenched her fists and teeth. Her spirit burned hotter than the embers left by her own blasts, and her resolve was unwavering. Her shot this time wasn't simply accurate; it was a devastating flare aimed right at him.

“I'll end you!”

She seems pretty pissed that I died huh? I'm glad Kamei cares so much about me despite how I treated her.

Specter only laughed and created another floating roulette with a flick of his fingers. The wheel whirled and radiated a sinister aura that chilled the cavern. Strange cards, each with sinister symbols I couldn't decipher, floated over it one by one. Excitement glistened in his eyes.

“Oh, I do hope fate's on my side today.”

As Kamei’s shot barreled toward him, one card landed on the roulette wheel, glowing brightly. He plucked it with a sly grin, holding it up with a snap of his fingers. Her powerful shot fizzled out, dissipating as if hitting an invisible wall.

“What—?” Kamei stumbled back, her resolve shaken.

“Rule number two,” Specter said, his grin widening. “In my game, there’s no such thing as a fair fight.”

But Kamei wasn’t done.

“I don’t need to be fair to beat you,” she spat.

Sliding her shotgun back into its holster, she tightened her fists and charged her grip. She was going in close.

“So, no more hiding behind a gun?” Specter jeered, his lips curling. “Brave, but foolish.”

Kamei didn't waste any time. With swift, accurate moves, she threw herself at him. With extraordinary speed, Specter's palm deflected her attack as her fist sprang forth, aiming for his jaw.

“So, you think switching to close combat would improve your odds of victory? Your mind works in mysterious ways.”

He forced her to turn before she could pull back by twisting her wrist, but she retaliated by sweeping her leg around in a kick that almost caught his shoulder.

Specter laughed as he casually shoved the kick away. He scoffed and said, “Not bad, but try a little harder.”

In seconds, he’d found an opening, his palm striking her shoulder and knocking her off-balance. Before she could react, He turned and kicked her repeatedly in the stomach. She stumbled back, gasping, but she kept her balance and didn't fall.

“I must...avenge, Yuuki.”

“What’s wrong?” Specter mocked, adjusting his gloves. “Miss your boyfriend? You need not worry, I'll send you to where I sent him in no time at all!”

Kamei charged forward again with a flaming gaze, combining quick, deliberate kicks with fists this time. Specter was forced to dodge and parry her unrelenting attacks, which came from all directions. Despite her efforts to push, Specter appeared to be one step ahead of her, evading her blows like water evading boulders and retaliating with powerful blows that left her dazed.

Specter finally stopped, catching her next punch in his hand and tightening his grip with a sinister grin.

“Nice try,” he whispered. With a vicious twist, he flung her across the cave.

Watching Kamei fight is always a spectacle to behold, but if she dies here, all of this is for nothing. It’s time for me to step into this fight.

Specter watched as Kamei struggled to stand, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her breathing labored.

“Is that all?” Specter taunted, crossing his arms. “This isn’t a game for amateurs, Kamei. You’re out of your league.”

Kamei wiped the blood from her lip. “You talk too much,” she hissed, reaching for her holster. But I stepped forward, gently pushing her hand down. She glanced up, startled, not sure who had stopped her. When she saw my face, focused and unyielding as I stared down Specter, her jaw dropped, and her eyes filled with tears.

Specter, too, looked taken aback.

“Y-Yuuki?” she stammered, eyes wide.

“Sorry if I made you worry, Kamei,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “And… Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“B-but I saw you die!” Her gaze shifted to the spot where I’d been injured, but the wound was completely healed. “It’s…gone…”

Specter’s shock twisted into outrage. “How is this possible?” he spat. “Are the odds also in your favor? No—this is nothing but a fluke! You don’t just overcome death like that!”

“You seem pretty rattled, Specter! What’s wrong—scared?”

“You cocky little twerp. Don’t think some miracle will save you from the house! The odds are still in my favor.”

“Sure,” I smirked. “We’ll see about that.”

Kamei shot me a wary look. “Don’t tell me… you’re planning to fight him?”

“Not like you’re in any shape to do it yourself.”

“Don’t play with me!” she snapped. “Every time you’ve pulled a stunt like this, you’ve just ended up disappointing me.”

Ouch.

“You don’t have to be so harsh,” I muttered, sulking. “But don’t worry—this time, things are different.”

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a strange curiosity that sent a spike to my heart. I can’t lie—it was kind of flustering. But now that I had her full attention, there was no way I could let myself lose.

Specter let out a furious snarl as he summoned a deck of dark, shadow-infused cards, each one glowing with an ominous light. He shuffled the deck with deadly intent, his gaze locking onto me.

“Fine, then!” he roared. “Do your worst!”

I planted my feet firmly, spreading them just right for balance, and raised a clenched fist to my face. Somehow, an energy surged around me, wrapping me in a force I didn’t quite understand, yet felt so natural. It made my hair whip gently in the air, the power humming like an electric current.

Awww yeah. It’s all coming together. My big moment is finally here, and all eyes are on me. Kamei, Specter—everyone watching with that look of intrigue. For the first time, I felt the weight of the spotlight truly fall on me.

The spotlight’s mine once again, Katsu Yuuki.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” I said with a smirk, feeling the energy pulse even stronger around me.

Then, with a deep breath, I uttered, “Chæoku!”

A surge of dark energy exploded around me, spiraling with a force so intense it made the entire cave quake. Loose stones and dust rained down as the raw power of the Chæoku I was summoning pulsed like a heartbeat. Kamei and Specter shielded their faces from the debris, squinting against the energy that flooded the space.

And then—there it was. The same shadowy angel that had pulled me back from death itself manifested behind me, wings stretching wide as my guardian spirit. The energy waves settled into a steady hum, but the atmosphere had changed; it was clear to everyone in that cave that something new had awoken in me during those brief moments I’d crossed death’s threshold.

“Yuuki, you could command a Chæoku this whole time?!”

“Not until a few seconds ago!”

“So, you’ve managed to call forth a contract spirit. Impressive, I’ll admit—but do you truly think it’ll be enough?”

“We’ll figure that out soon enough! Chæoku, do your thing!” I yelled, feeling a rush of exhilaration as I pointed toward him.

I extended my fist forward, and the dark energy surged, spiraling around my arm in thick waves before blasting outward with incredible force. Specter reacted fast, summoning his deck of cards to form a barrier, each card spinning into place to shield him. But my attack tore through his defenses, and he slid back, his soles scraping deep marks into the cave floor. His teeth clenched as he fought against the onslaught, struggling to hold his ground.

“I…won’t FALTER!” he roared.

“Now!” I shouted, pouring every ounce of energy into my attack.

With a fierce yell, my power finally broke through Specter’s shield, crashing into him with a force that hurled him back into the cave wall. He hit with a resounding impact, a cloud of dust and debris rising around him.

Staring at my hands, I felt a surge of disbelief and excitement. Unable to resist, I pulled off a quick little victory pose, pumping my fist in celebration. “Alright! Take that!”

I glanced over and saw Kamei staring at me with a look of surprise. I smiled at her, giving her an indirect look to see how she was reacting. And was that...a blush? Ohhh boy.

Specter slowly peeled himself off the cave wall, brushing dust from his shoulders, his face twisted

“So, you really do possess the power of a Chæoku,” he snarled. “But don’t think that one lucky hit changes anything!"

I smirked, feeling that newfound energy pulsing through me, ready to be unleashed again. I extended my hand, dark energy crackling along my arm, swirling into a dense, spiraling orb that pulsed with power.

“Let’s see if your deck of tricks can handle this!”

I unleashed another blast, the force tearing through the air, heading straight for Specter. He threw his cards up in a desperate attempt to block, each one spinning into place like a shield, but this time I had a plan.

“Chæoku, split!” I commanded, feeling the blast in my hand break into smaller projectiles. The main wave fractured into streams of energy, curving around Specter’s cards and striking him from multiple angles. He stumbled, caught off guard, his defenses collapsing as my attack pushed him back yet again.

Specter’s frustration boiled over, and with a growl, he flicked his fingers, summoning a set of dark, enchanted cards that surrounded him, each one glowing with a sinister red light.

“You think you’re clever, boy?! Let’s see if you can dodge this!” He flung his cards toward me, and they spun through the air, slicing forward like deadly projectiles.

I took a deep breath, realizing I’d need more than brute force to dodge his attacks.

I turned around to my Chæoku, leaning in to whisper, “Pssst! You got any other cool tricks?”

Its shadowy form flickered. “My power primarily consists of powerful blasts of nuclear force. But since we share this power, it’s up to you how you choose to use it.”

“So… I can just create new spells on the spot?”

The Chæoku tilted its head. “You did just that a few moments ago, did you not?”

“Huh… I guess you have a point.”

I focused, visualizing the energy around me, and felt my Chæoku’s presence. Raising my hand, I commanded, “Shield!”

Dark energy swirled, forming a protective barrier around me just as Specter’s cards slammed against it. They ricocheted, some flying back toward him, forcing him to dodge as the cave walls shuddered under the impact.

“Hey! You can't use my hand against me!”

“I'm just playing your game!”

“Well, I've got more where that came from!”

He summoned a storm of cards, each one buzzing with dark energy, and began launching them toward me in a chaotic wave. They swarmed like a swarm of angry wasps, closing in fast. I couldn’t block them all, so I had to think fast.

“Chæoku, give me a boost!”

“I've got your back!”

Feeling my legs surge with power. With newfound agility, I dodged and weaved through the oncoming barrage, barely avoiding each deadly card. In a blur, I jumped up, propelling myself through the air and charging another blast in my hands.

As I reached the peak of my leap, I shouted, “Eat this!” and released a wide arc of dark energy down upon Specter, who only had seconds to brace himself.

He crossed his arms in front of him, summoning a final shield of cards, but the blast overwhelmed him, smashing through his defenses and sending him crashing into the cave floor with a thunderous impact.

I landed, breathing heavily, but still on my feet. Kamei watched with wide eyes, a trace of admiration replacing her initial disbelief. Her eyes were on mine, and it only strengthened my resolve.

“Woah, Yuuki. I didn’t know you could fight like that.”

“I knew I could fight, but this is new to me.”

She shot me a glare. “Then why’d you seem so useless when we first met!?”

“Oh come on!” I groaned. “What do you expect me to do against freak stuff like that!? Besides, I just awakened to this power.”

Kamei sighed, rolling her eyes, but I caught a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

As the dust began to settle, Specter’s weakened form emerged, struggling to stand.

I walked toward him, keeping my hand raised, ready to fire another blast if he dared move. “What’s wrong, Specter? Can’t keep up with the ‘house’ odds anymore?” I taunted.

“I’ll give it to you, Yuuki—you’ve exceeded my expectations,” he snarled, wiping a streak of blood from his mouth.

Then, to my shock, Specter began drifting backward, floating just out of reach, rising higher into the air.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” I shouted, stepping forward.

He gave a mocking bow. “Which is why I’ll be making my unfortunate departure.”

“Damn you! You’re not getting away!” With a final roar, I gathered another surge of energy and hurled it at him, the blast tearing across the cave, lighting up the darkness. But to my horror, my attack passed right through him, leaving him completely unharmed.

“What in the—?”

“You see, I simply hadn’t anticipated that your Chæoku would be this powerful, but I’m not foolish enough to fight a losing battle. For now, I must take my leave and refine my deck.”

“Coward!” I yelled. “You can’t just pause the game when you’re losing! Admit you lost!”

“Oh, I haven’t lost,” he laughed. “Your Chæoku may be strong, but tell me… can it outrun a cave-in?” He gave me a villainous smile, snapping his fingers.

A sudden, ominous rumble shook the cave. My stomach dropped as cracks shot up the walls and across the ceiling, chunks of rock breaking free and plummeting down. I stumbled backward, heart racing as the entire cave began to collapse around us.

“Oh, you wouldn’t! That’s playing dirty!” I shouted.

Specter’s laugh echoed hauntingly. “Rule number two, in my game, there’s no such thing as a fair fight.”