Sunday had co.
The crisp morning air carried the scent of damp earth and fresh leaves as Nero arrived in Mu and Zen's garden, facing his challenger.
The training ground, an expansive courtyard surrounded by ancient cherry blossom trees, stood bathed in golden sunlight.
Despite the tranquility of the setting, tension crackled in the air like an approaching storm.
Ayaka was wearing her training attire, her long red hair tied back in a high ponytail, her eyes burning with intensity.
Unlike her usual composed self, there was an edge to her presence, a sharpness that warned of her intent.
She was not here to spar, she was here to test Nero, to prove her superiority, and to show him exactly why she was considered one of Mahoutokoro's strongest students.
She also wanted to prove that she was ready to learn Muga and Muso to her uncles.
"You kept waiting," Ayaka said, rolling her shoulders as she stepped into the training circle.
"I had to make sure I was well-rested for this," Nero replied with an easy smirk, though his body was already coiled like a spring. "I have a feeling you're not going to hold back."
Ayaka's lips curled into a smirk of her own. "You wouldn't want to."
Zen clapped his hands from the sidelines.
"Alright, alright, enough flirting. This is a duel, not a poetry recital."
Mu, standing beside him, gave a slow nod. "Begin."
Ayaka wasted no ti.
She ford a quick hand seal, and from the shadows of her sleeve, a surge of paper talismans fluttered into the air.
With a flick of her wrist, they spiraled toward Nero, each one imbued with an elental force, flas, water, wind, earth, and tal.
The air shivered with the sheer power of balanced Onmyōdō.
Nero reacted instantly, sliding one foot back and pressing two fingers together in a swift seal formation.
The air around him shimred as latent inscriptions embedded in the ground activated, forming a protective barrier that materialized like a translucent mirror.
The talismans struck it, their respective elents clashing against the invisible boundary before fizzling out harmlessly.
The sheer force of the impact sent ripples across the barrier, illuminating the courtyard with bursts of multicolored light.
Ayaka narrowed her eyes. "A pre-cast Fuinjutsu barrier? Or did you just modify Shikigami Arts for defense? Interesting."
But she was only getting started.
She clapped her hands together, and a rustling sound echoed around the courtyard.
From the shadows, her Shikigami, Kumo, a monstrous red-and-white spider with sleek limbs and glowing red eyes, erged.
Its many legs barely made a sound as it scuttled toward Nero, each step deliberate, its body emanating a sinister aura.
Nero didn't flinch. Instead, he exhaled slowly and ford a single seal.
A talisman at his waist burst into flas, its inscriptions glowing as it absorbed his infused magic.
With a controlled flick of his fingers, the talisman dissolved into energy, and from the embers rose an eagle shaped Shikigami.
The paper construct flapped its wings, soaring high before diving toward Kumo with blinding speed.
The spider dodged, weaving through the air as Ayaka controlled it with near-perfect precision.
She followed up by dashing forward herself, her palms glowing with the marks of Fuinjutsu.
Her movents were fluid, each step calculated, each strike laced with sealing magic.
Nero t her charge with Onmyōdō-infused martial arts, countering her palm strikes with smooth, circular motions.
He reinforced his limbs with elental energy: water to his fists, earth to his stance.
Their exchange was a blur of clashing forces, Ayaka's relentless offense against Nero's adaptive defense.
Their blows sent shockwaves through the courtyard, scattering fallen leaves into the air, adding to the dramatic spectacle of their duel.
"Tch," Ayaka clicked her tongue. "You're not using your Western magic. Why?"
Nero smirked, twisting mid-air to avoid a strike before landing gracefully.
"This is the pri opportunity for to asure how far I've co regarding Eastern magic since arriving here."
Her irritation spiked. "Arrogant."
With a snap of her fingers, Kumo lunged again, its fangs gleaming with paralyzing venom.
At the sa ti, Ayaka launched another flurry of talismans, each glowing with raw elental energy.
Nero countered with a precise flick of his wrist, conjuring a vortex of wind that repelled the attacks.
But Kumo was relentless, its movents unpredictable.
Nero pivoted sharply and pressed his fingers together in a complex hand sign.
From the ground beneath him, a web of golden inscriptions spread out like ripples in a pond, Fuinjutsu.
The mont Kumo landed within the boundary, the symbols activated, locking the spider in place.
A low vibration filled the space with the force of the sealing magic, the inscriptions flaring with radiant light as they tightened around the struggling creature.
Ayaka's eyes widened. "You!"
But Nero wasn't done.
He pressed his hand to the ground, and the inscriptions surged, extending toward her.
She leaped back just in ti, narrowly avoiding being caught in his seal.
She retaliated imdiately, summoning streaks of fire and water, twining them together in an elegant spiral before launching them forward.
Nero countered with a precise gesture, forming a barrier that cracked but held firm under the force.
The duel continued, both fighters pushing each other to the limit.
Ayaka unleashed complex sequences of Onmyōdō, weaving elents together in ways few could.
Nero countered with his growing mastery of Eastern techniques, proving his adaptability with each passing mont.
The courtyard was alight with magic, the ground scorched and cracked from the intensity of their attacks.
But as the fight reached its climax, Nero did sothing unexpected.
Instead of dodging her next attack, he stepped into it, into the very center of her elental strike.
And then, in that instant, his presence seed to shift.
Ayaka gasped.
It was as if he was in two places at once.
For a fraction of a second, her instincts failed her.
She hesitated, unable to tell which was the real Nero.
And that was all he needed.
With a fluid motion, he maneuvered behind her, pressing his palm against her back.
The force of his magic sent her stumbling forward, her attack dissolving before it could land.
The duel was over.
Ayaka stood still, her breath ragged, her mind racing.
Her fingers clenched, her body tensed.
Then, slowly, she turned to face Nero, her expression unreadable.
Finally, she exhaled, shaking her head in disbelief. "You've grown strong, Nero."
Zen's laughter broke the silence. "Damn, that was one hell of a fight!"
Mu nodded approvingly. "Both of you have grown. But Nero, that last move... it was beyond impressive."
Ayaka crossed her arms, then, with a reluctant smirk, admitted, "I concede. But next ti... don't think I'll let you off so easily."
Nero chuckled. "Yes, yes... wouldn't have it any other way."
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50 Chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 174: The Man in the Cell
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