Galen leapt backward, his boots scraping against the pavement.
Kashikoi slowly lowered his hand, never breaking eye contact.
"Impressive," Galen said, his smile wide and twitching. "Didn't think you'd catch that. I wanna study you. I wanna learn all the ways I could torture you."
Kashikoi remained still, unbothered. The air around Galen felt odd—no pressure, no flaring Reiki. It was like fighting a void.
"So fast… but I barely feel any Reiki coming from you. Aren't you afraid of burning out what little you have?"
Galen's grin only widened.
"Only a problem if you care about burnout. Or sanity." His eyes gleamed with mania. "I live for that line. I want to see what happens when I cross it."
He lunged.
A thrust aimed for Kashikoi's eye. But Kashikoi vanished—a flicker of space, a flash of motion—and reappeared behind him, driving a kick into Galen's back.
(What an odd way of fighting...)
Before he could follow up, Galen spun and stabbed again for Kashikoi's eye, the same reckless pattern. Kashikoi weaved and countered, slamming a fist into Galen's chest, followed by a rising kick that knocked him back.
"You keep trying the same strike. Are you an idiot?"
"Nah," Galen said, stumbling upright. "I'm just doing what the spirits tell me. That look in your eyes... I want to gouge them out, one by one."
Kashikoi narrowed his gaze.
This wasn't an enemy—this was a broken mirror.
Galen dashed in again, this time low, going for the thigh.
Kashikoi twisted out of range.
"This is boring!" Galen roared. "Why are you on the defensive?! Where's that confidence you showed when you caught my blade?!"
"You're predictable," Kashikoi said flatly. "But I don't go for the kill until I know all your tricks."
Galen paused. His smile remained, but something shifted behind his eyes.
Then—voices.
(He's not just fast. He's controlled. Stay defensive. Push him to overextend.)
Galen nodded, responding to no one—yet someone.
Kashikoi's eyes narrowed.
Galen raised his weapon. "If this keeps going, you'll regret it."
Kashikoi vanished—a crackle of lightning—and reappeared inches from Galen's face.
The blade trembled in Galen's hand from the shock of his sudden presence.
"So I should end this quickly, then?"
Kashikoi spun, delivering a roundhouse kick. Galen dodged—barely.
But in that moment, a red line traced itself down Kashikoi's right leg. Galen's Murder Blueprint activated.
He could see the weak point. The flaw.
"No escape now," Galen whispered. "You're done."
A blinding bolt of lightning struck Galen in the face.
A shadow made of lightning mirrored Kashikoi's previous movement, delivering the same kick—but with amplified force.
CRACK
Galen's ribs shattered as he flew through a nearby building, debris swallowing him.
Kashikoi exhaled.
"Skilled," he muttered. "But too hungry. That bloodlust makes you reckless."
From the rubble, Galen's sword was the first to emerge—thrown with precision.
Kashikoi chuckled. "Throwing your weapon? That's a coward's way to admit defeat."
Then Galen rose—clutching his side, bones audibly resetting beneath his skin.
[Galen's Reiki Percentage: 90%]
[Emotional Quota: Sane]
He smirked, eyes dead and alive at the same time.
"You healed your ribs," Kashikoi said. "But with how low your Reiki is, that must've cost you. You're burning through it. Does that not scare you?"
"No," Galen whispered, eyes glowing faintly. "I live for this. I need it."
Then—the voices returned.
(That lightning. That's what he clings to. Strip it away. Kill him.)
A dagger shimmered into Galen's hand, crackling with static.
Another aspect of Galen's ability revealed itself. The voices weren't hallucinations—they were real. Echoes of the souls he had slain. Each one whispering strategies, weak points, truths.
His Reiki ability was called Murder Blueprint.The more he killed, the more refined his instincts became. Alongside that, he could create weapons that adapt to the weaknesses of his opponent.
[Galen's Reiki Percentage: 88%]
[Emotional Quota: Sane]
Kashikoi tilted his head.
"Interesting… summoning that dagger cost more than your sword. Why?"
The blade hummed.
"You'll see."
Galen smirked—and raised the dagger.
"Try it again. Strike me with that lightning."
Kashikoi raised a hand, palm glowing purple.
"Alright, I'll bite."
He fired.
Galen caught the bolt on his dagger, and it vanished into the weapon.
Kashikoi didn't react.
"Interesting."
Then Galen—without hesitation—stabbed himself.
His body flared. Wound sealed. Power surged.
[Galen's Reiki Percentage: 75%]
[Emotional Quota: Fraying Edge]
"I've taken your lightning. And with Fraying Edge in play, I may be unstable… but you? You won't survive long enough for it to matter."
He burst forward, trailing arcs of wild lightning.
Kashikoi barely dodged—Galen's dagger slicing through the edge of his coat.
Kashikoi bolted up a nearby building, leaping between beams like a ghost.
Galen followed, faster than before.
Another clash—Kashikoi dodged again. Too fast to counter, too dangerous to risk a hit.
(So that's it then, his ability is some weird form of adaptation. But, it's in the form of making weapons.)
Kashikoi moved first—teleporting in and grabbing Galen's arm, the one without the dagger, and hurling him off the rooftop.
CRASH.
From above, Kashikoi summoned lightning again—but Galen dodged, then stabbed himself again attempting to power up more, using his reiki to heal instantly.
[Galen's Reiki Percentage: 62%]
[Emotional Quota: Fraying Edge]
From the street, he launched himself back to the rooftop.
Kashikoi raised a barrier. Galen laughed, stabbing wildly, teeth bared like a beast.
The barrier shattered.
But instead of absorbing the lightning this time—he swung.
A mistake.
Kashikoi ducked, reading the move, then went to strike Galen in the chest.
Blocked.
Galen grinned.
(I know this pattern—he's gonna attack me with his lightning again.)
He anticipated the counter. Waited for it.
Then, just like before, a red line flickered across Kashikoi's back.
Galen smirked—he knew this pattern. He would strike, and finish it.
(You thought I wouldn't see that coming! I'll bring you to Shyn in a body bag. He'll be more than pleased)
But that's when everything—detonated.
The lightning he absorbed ruptured within him, sparks bursting from his core.
"You assumed I'd repeat the same move," Kashikoi said quietly. "That was your first and last mistake."
Galen staggered, entire body crackling with unstable current.
Kashikoi leapt high, twisted midair, and slammed his heel into Galen's chest—driving him straight through the building, floor by floor.
BOOM.
Galen was launched through the roof—straight down four stories.
Kashikoi notices that he can still sense Galen's Reiki from below.
(Even after all that… he's still alive. I should've expected this much resolve.)
Kashikoi dropped through the hole, landing softly.
He walked toward the crumpled body.
"So how about it? Still willing to have your king crawl to me on his hands and knees, begging for a response?"
Galen, bloodied and broken, began to stir.
But Kashikoi didn't flinch.
"Clearly, you're a lot different than most people. So let me put it like this—if I even see you try to regenerate, I'll kill you. And since you're still fighting to stay conscious, I know you'll heed that warning."
A chuckle escaped Galen's lips—barely audible.
"You're… a monster. You knew. The dagger... the absorption… You knew it would end like this."
He coughed, blood painting his chin.
"But damn… that was fun."
His knees buckled. He collapsed.
But before darkness took him, he stared up at Kashikoi with a grin.
"Watch yourself."
Then silence.
Kashikoi turned, walking away into the night. Each step light, unbothered.
As he moved, he finally exhaled.
(Could've ended it sooner. But I needed to draw him away from Nyssa's house. Letting him fight that long... was a risk. But now I know—he's terrifyingly skilled.)