Chapter 21 : Ryouma vs Kai

Ryouma's fight was taking place above the Cloud Sea, as he was propelled forward at full speed, taking Kai with him in his wake.

After much effort, Kai managed to free himself from Ryouma's grasp and float above the clouds.

Ryouma slowed down and found himself at the same altitude as his opponent. Now they were facing each other.

"I don't understand? You agree with my goals, but you refuse to accept them," Kai said.

"Your goals aren't the problem, it's your methods that I don't accept," Ryouma replied clearly.

"And besides, for your plan to restore order, who will be the supreme leader?"

"Obviously, it will be me. I am the most qualified and most capable of taking on this role," Kai replied in a masterful tone that left no room for doubt.

"Ah, your ankles are swelling... don't they hurt too much?" Ryouma said casually.

"In any case, there is no way I'm letting such an individual rule the world and endanger my family and friends."

"I don't understand that either. According to your file, the Kirishima family isn't your real family, the one you were born into, much less the one you chose. So why so much attachment to this 'family'?" Kai asked.

A short silence fell before Ryouma answered.

“You know… I asked them one day why they adopted me and not another child. My father told me it was because I looked like him, and in fact... we really did look alike, it was disturbing. Of course, it was a joke, I was still a child. But when I was 16, I asked them again, and this time I got a serious answer.

They adopted me because, among all the children in the orphanage, I was the only one who didn't mix with the others, who didn't play with them, the only one who didn't smile. They adopted a poor, lonely kid who rejected others and seemed deeply sad. They wanted to see me smile, enjoy life and live among others.

And for all of this… I can never thank them enough. There is not only the family you are born into and the one you choose, there is also the one that comes to you when you really need it."

Kai couldn't stand to hear his nonsense anymore. He roared his spear, lightning crackling along the metal, and charged at Ryouma with a piercing blow.

Ryouma dodged by dropping down, disappearing in a cloud of dust before resurfacing behind Kai to counterattack. But Kai, without even looking, skillfully positioned his spear and intercepted the attack. The two weapons collided with a thunderous crash, knocking Ryouma back.

Ryouma charged at Kai at full speed, and Kai did the same. After the initial collision, a series of shocks quickly spread around the surrounding area.

In mid-air, Ryouma and Kai moved with lightning speed, chaining attacks and counterattacks. Each person struck and then immediately repositioned themselves to strike from another angle, creating a chaotic ballet of blows and sparks. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed everywhere.

The fight seemed to be going in Ryouma's favor. Yet, unlike him, Kai was a seasoned veteran. He controlled his spear with such precision and fluidity that it seemed like an extension of his body.

Despite the difference in experience, Ryouma managed to keep up thanks to his strengthening physical abilities. He himself realized that his strength seemed to increase as his anger rose.

This power came from a magical attribute specific to the Ebonveils, called “Awakening of Vice”. Each vice corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins and amplifies physical abilities in proportion to the degree of sin committed. For Ryouma, it was anger, and the more his rage intensified, the more his speed, strength, and agility increased exponentially.

This particular condition was visibly manifested by the whites of his eyes turning black, his wings which doubled in volume, and his horn on his forehead which became more massive and threatening. Every muscle seemed charged with incredible energy, ready to explode with every movement.

Kai's spear and Ryouma's bident clashed in a duel of pure force, each impact making metal resonate in the air. But Kai then activated his electric ability, sending a discharge running through his spear and hitting the bident held by Ryouma. Sparks crackled with every touch, electrifying the air around them.

Ryouma took the surges of electricity that tried to overwhelm him, but he displayed extraordinary strength and resilience. Grabbing Kai's spear from his hand, he kicked him in the stomach. The impact was such that Kai was thrown backward, leaving Ryouma momentarily in control of the situation.

However, Kai didn't give in. His hand, still enveloped in the residual current from his previous attack, acted like a powerful magnetic field. The spear Ryouma held, despite all his strength, was irresistibly drawn towards Kai. In an instant, it leaped from his grasp and flew straight back into his master's hand.

Abandoning the idea of a direct confrontation because of the lightning, Ryouma opted for a ranged attack.

“Kamikaze – Kaze no Yaiba!” 

He brought down his bident violently, releasing two successive blades of wind which intersected in a deadly cross. They slashed through the air at high speed, aiming for Kai. He narrowly dodged, and the attack left a titanic gash in the sea of clouds, as if the sky itself had been slashed.

Seeing his opponent escape the first attack, Ryouma did not hesitate and immediately continued. He swung his bident counterclockwise so fast it resembled a helicopter propeller. The movement stirred up a violent wind, forming a whirlwind that intensified around him, ready to unleash its fury.

"Kamikaze – Arashi..."

"Pfufufu..."

Kai let out a small, sneering laugh.

Ryouma, surprised, stopped concentrating for a moment.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

"No, nothing... It's just... you're naming your attacks. I find that a bit... childish." Kai replied mockingly. 

"So what?! What does it matter if it's a 'kid thing'?" Ryouma growled, his teeth clenched.

Kai rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

“Frankly, many people would love to name their attacks if they had the chance. Do you see me making fun of your grand, totally clichéd plan for world domination? No! So respect other people's dreams."

This was the final straw. Ryouma, drunk with rage, accelerated the rotation of his bident even more. 

“Kamikaze – Arashi no Yaiba!” 

Ryouma unleashed a gust of wind blades that crashed down on Kai like a veritable deluge.

Unmoved, Kai focused his lightning into the tip of his spear. With a quick movement, he stabbed into the air. A flash of lightning flashed, immediately fragmenting into a shower of electric bolts. They shot like celestial arrows, striking the blades of wind.

The sky lit up. Lightning bolts and blades of wind clashed, canceling each other out in a series of bursts of light and gusts of wind. But soon the difference in power became apparent and the number of lightning arrows far outnumbered that of wind blades.

The remaining lightning continued on, tracing lines of light towards Ryouma.

This one didn't flinch. Its black wings suddenly spread, and it slipped with feline agility between the murderous arrows. Each wingbeat carried him out of reach of a lightning bolt, gliding through the air as if dancing in the midst of a storm.

Kai didn't wait a single moment, he was preparing the next salvo. This time it was no longer a shower of fragmented lightning, but a single colossal streak, a concentrated flash, straight like a divine spear.

It sliced through the air with a deafening roar. With a flap of his wings, Ryouma dodged it easily… But the lightning suddenly veered, describing an arc before returning towards him. Ryouma dodged it again, but the lightning immediately chased him again.

This lightning was not normal. It seemed to have a will of its own, alive, determined to strike its target, whatever the cost.

Tch… no point in dodging, it's endless… Ryouma thought, his black eyes sparkling with anger.

He spread his wings to their fullest, and with a sharp clap that tore through the sky, he broke the sound barrier. His body transformed into a living arrow, slicing through the air at breakneck speed, tearing up and scattering clouds in its path. The lightning, however, continued its trail without fail.

Kai watched the scene calmly, his cold smile on his lips.

“You can run as much as you want… you won’t escape my lightning.”

They covered more than a kilometer in a few wing beats. And then, suddenly, the lightning accelerated sharply, as if it had been waiting for this moment. In an instant, it caught up with Ryouma.

A dazzling impact. A blinding light flooded the sky.

"Gyraaaaaaahhhhhh!" Ryouma yelled.

He was pierced through and through, struck by lightning, his body caught in a storm of electricity. The lightning consumed him for several seconds... but for him, it lasted an eternity. Every moment he felt his blood boiling in his veins, his organs convulsing, and his heart beating irregularly, as if it would burst at any moment.

Kai, below, watched the light consume his opponent. His smile widened.

After the impact, Ryouma's body was thrown downwards, inert. He passed through the clouds of high magic density, like a sea suspended in the sky. The inside was heavy, damp, saturated with water. As he passed through, he was completely soaked... But, after being struck by lightning from the inside, this unexpected freshness seemed almost pleasant to him. Like a balm on a burn.

His fall continued until he landed on a layer of clouds denser than the others. These were so saturated with magic that they were as solid as soft ground, equivalent to cotton.

Ryouma collapsed there, lying motionless. The softness of this cloud reminded him of the warmth of his bed... a familiar memory that, despite the still stinging pain in his muscles, made him almost sigh with relief.

His eyelids trembled. Gradually, he regained consciousness, breathing heavily, his gaze still clouded by the residual sparks of lightning.

He was literally lying on a cloud nine.

A bitter smile escaped him.

"Hah... I think... I found my favorite bed..."

Seriously... this guy is a monster. His spear handling is impeccable, and his mastery of lightning makes every attack unpredictable. In a one-on-one, I have no chance. But his greatest strength… is also his greatest weakness.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes still blackened by the awakening anger.

"He must be looking for me right now... perfect. I'll take this opportunity to put my Hurricane Plan into action."

Ryouma spread his soaked wings and cut through the clouds, soaring at full speed to the heights.

As he had planned, Kai prowled below, scanning the sea of clouds to ensure his opponent had indeed perished. But the dense mist blurred his vision.

Then, suddenly, he saw a figure leaping above the clouds.

Ryouma.

Kai narrowed his eyes, a sneer on his lips. Without wasting a second, he launched himself after her, his lightning crackling on the long shaft of his spear, leaving a trail of light behind him.

Kai's greatest strength lay in his mastery of his weapon, an area in which he undoubtedly excelled. But this was also his weakness because he focused on it so much that he almost forgot his magical attributes. Ryouma had already noticed that other than using his wings to fly, Kai never actually used them in combat. He was thus neglecting the immense potential of his species... and it was precisely on this point that Ryouma intended to rely to gain the advantage.

On Sia's advice, Ryouma had studied his attributes in order to better understand his abilities and become stronger. Very quickly, he understood that his wings were not his only means of controlling the flow of air but it was his entire body that housed the attribute of wind, giving him the ability to manipulate the air at will.

But then... what was the air really like?

An invisible fluid, a mixture of gases forming the atmosphere. And to fully harness this power, he had to grasp all of its physical variables like pressure, temperature, density, volume, humidity, wind speed and direction… and even the energy flowing through it.

His magical attribute, which allowed him to control the air, actually amounted to manipulating its various parameters, all more or less linked to each other. Based on physical theory and his knowledge, Ryouma was able to fully exploit his potential.

Magic and science were often seen as enemies and rivals.

Magic consisted, in principle, of controlling the fundamental laws of the universe by the sole power of imagination. And what fuels this imagination is the knowledge provided by science.

Thus, scientific knowledge and magical power would combine to allow Ryouma to execute his ultimate attack.