The alley reeked of filth and iron. Rain cascaded from the rooftops, pooling on the cracked concrete. Tenjin stood motionless, his bck fmes flickering faintly at his fingertips. Across from him, a Wielder emerged from the shadows, the soft whistle of air magic swirling around his figure. His sword glinted under the dim light of a flickering neon sign, its edge sharp enough to split atoms or so it seemed.
"You've made a mistake coming here," the Wielder sneered, his voice carrying the confident edge of someone who had never known defeat. The wind around him picked up, lifting his cloak and tossing debris into the air. "Another slum rat thinking they're tough."
Tenjin said nothing, his eyes fixed on the man's movements.
The Wielder shed out, his sword slicing through the air like a scythe.
WHOOSH!
The bde moved so fast it seemed to leave afterimages. A gust of wind followed each swing, cutting through the rain in sharp arcs.
Tenjin ducked low, the edge missing him by a hair. His bck fmes flickered to life, dancing around his hands as he retaliated. He unched a fireball toward the Wielder, the bckened fmes crackling with residual sparks of lightning.
BOOM!
The explosion lit up the alley, but the Wielder wasn't there.
SLASH!
A razor-sharp gust of wind grazed Tenjin's side, leaving a thin cut on his ribs. He stumbled back, hissing through clenched teeth.
"Too slow," the Wielder mocked. He spun his bde in a wide arc, sending another slicing gust hurtling toward Tenjin.
CRACK!
Tenjin propelled himself into the air with a burst of lightning-imbued speed, the attack missing him by inches. He nded on a steel beam jutting out from a crumbling wall, the bck fmes around his fists growing brighter.
"He's precise," Tenjin thought, his eyes narrowing as he tracked the Wielder's movements. "Each strike flows into the next. No wasted energy."
The Wielder leapt forward, his bde glowing faintly with mana.
"Let's see you dodge this!"
WHOOSH! SLASH!
The bde swung in a flurry, each strike accompanied by a burst of wind that cut deep into the walls and ground around them. Tenjin danced between the attacks, his fmes and lightning working in tandem to augment his speed. He felt the rhythm of the fight, the tempo of the Wielder's movements.
"He's relying on his wind to control the flow of the battle," Tenjin realized, weaving through another barrage. "If I can disrupt that..."
The Wielder lunged, thrusting his sword with deadly precision.
CLANG!
Tenjin caught the bde between his fming palms. The heat of his bck fire scorched the steel, forcing the Wielder to release his grip. The weapon cttered to the ground.
The Wielder staggered back, his hands glowing as he prepared a gale-force bst of wind. But Tenjin didn't give him the chance.
WHOOMPH!
A burst of bck fire engulfed the man, sending him skidding across the rain-slicked ground. Tenjin walked forward, picking up the fallen sword.
The Wielder snarled, his hands glowing brighter as he summoned another spell.
"Give it back!" he shouted, sending a slicing wind toward Tenjin.
SLASH!
With a single swing, Tenjin cut through the attack. The bck fmes enveloping the bde made it glow with an eerie light.
"This sword..." Tenjin muttered, his grip tightening. He watched the Wielder's stance, repying every move in his mind. His body moved before his thoughts could catch up.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, Tenjin recreated the Wielder's earlier combo each swing flowing seamlessly into the next. The bde hummed with power, amplified by the bck fmes surging along its edge.
The Wielder's eyes widened in shock. "You... how?!"
Tenjin's movements were fluid, precise, and devastating. He closed the distance in an instant, his legs crackling with lightning.
BANG!
With one explosive leap, Tenjin was behind the Wielder.
SLASH!
The head hit the ground before the body could react. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, painting the walls of the alley.
Tenjin flicked the bde, droplets of blood sizzling off as the bck fmes consumed them. He gnced at the decapitated body, his expression unreadable.
"This isn't enough," he muttered, sheathing the sword on his back.
The rain continued to pour as Tenjin walked away, the neon lights casting long shadows in the mist. His mind raced.
"I'm stronger now, but I'd still be just about a B-Rank," he thought, clenching his fists. Sparks of lightning danced around his legs as the bck fmes curled zily around his fingers. "I can't beat Riven like this."
Tenjin's memories of the fight with Riven repyed in his mind the overwhelming power, the humiliation, and the pain.
"I died again" he mused, his tone dark. "But this time... only ten days passed. Why?"
He shook his head. The why didn't matter. What mattered was the now. The Order still didn't know he could come back from the dead, and Tenjin intended to keep it that way.
For now, he would remain a shadow. He would move from pce to pce, hunting down the Wielders who used their powers to oppress and destroy. Each fight, each victory, would bring him closer to the strength he needed.
He disappeared into the rain-soaked city, his bck fmes and lightning crackling faintly in the dark.
Tenjin leaned against the remnants of a ruined wall, the stolen sword resting across his p. Rain had scoured most of the blood from its surface, but faint stains lingered, marking its grim history. He held the bde up to the light of a flickering street mp, inspecting its craftsmanship.
The weapon wasn't overly ornate, but it had a lethal elegance to it. The edge was slightly curved, the hilt was wrapped in faded leather, worn smooth from years of use. A faint etching of wings and spiraling air currents decorated the bde a mark of its previous owner's affinity.
Tenjin ran his fingers along the ft of the bde. "Light, but sturdy. Flexible, but it holds its edge" he murmured. His bck fmes flickered to life, licking harmlessly at the steel as he tested its resilience. The metal glowed faintly, responding to his mana infusion.
He stood, giving the sword a few experimental swings.
WHOOSH!
The bde cut through the air with a sharp whistle, the sound satisfying. Tenjin adjusted his stance, swinging again and again, each movement more precise than the st.
"Not bad" he muttered, twirling the sword in a reverse grip. "But let's see how it handles under pressure."
The bck fmes surged along the bde, wrapping it in a dark, flickering shroud. Sparks of lightning crackled at his feet, propelling him forward.
BANG!
Tenjin unched himself at an imaginary opponent, sshing downward with all his strength.
SLASH!
The bde cleaved through a rusted mppost, the metal shearing cleanly in two. The upper half toppled with a groan, nding in a puddle with a spsh.
"Perfect" Tenjin said with a grin, resting the bde on his shoulder.
"Not bad" a voice called out from behind him, soft yet ced with confidence. "But it'll take more than a stolen sword and fshy tricks to survive in this city."
Tenjin spun, his fmes fring instinctively. A young woman stood a few paces away, her arms crossed. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with sharp features framed by shoulder-length crimson hair. Her eyes glowed faintly, betraying her status as a Wielder.
"You're the killer, right? The one they call the Yin Yang Killer?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Tenjin's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Who's asking?" His tone was sharp, his eyes scanning her for any sudden movements.
The woman smiled faintly, unfazed by his hostility. "Rex. I'm not with The Order."
"That's what The Order would say" Tenjin shot back.
"Fair enough," she said, shrugging. "My name's Lysara. I'm with the Rebellion."
Tenjin snorted, raising the sword. "The Rebellion, huh? I thought you guys were a fairy tale. Next, you'll tell me you ride dragons and eat diamonds for breakfast."
Lysara ughed. "Cute. But I'm serious. We've been watching you."
Lysara stepped closer, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Look, I get it. Trust is hard to come by in a pce like this. But we're on the same side, Tenjin. You hate The Order, right? So do we. Join us, and we can help you grow stronger."
Tenjin's eyes narrowed. "How strong?"
Lysara's grin widened. "Let me show you."
WHOOSH!
Before Tenjin could react, she closed the distance between them in a blink. Her movements were impossibly fast, like a shadow flickering in and out of existence.
SLASH!
Tenjin swung the sword in a wide arc, bck fmes trailing behind it.
CLANG!
Lysara parried with a small, curved dagger, sparks flying as steel met steel.
"Not bad" she said, her voice calm despite the force of the blow.
Tenjin growled, sshing again and again, each strike faster and more aggressive than the st.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Lysara danced around his attacks, her movements fluid and precise. With a flick of her wrist, she countered, her dagger slicing toward his ribs.
SLASH!
Tenjin barely managed to dodge, the bde grazing his side.
"You're quick" Lysara said, stepping back. "But raw speed and power won't cut it against someone like me."
Blood dripped from a shallow cut on her forearm, but instead of wincing, she smiled. The blood shimmered, lifting into the air like liquid ribbons.
"What the—?" Tenjin started, but his words were cut off as the blood solidified into a cluster of razor-sharp spikes.
SWISH!
The spikes shot toward him, forcing him to dive to the side.
BANG!
The ground where he'd been standing erupted, shards of concrete flying everywhere.
"That's blood magic for you" Lysara said, her voice tinged with amusement. She sliced her arm again, more blood spilling out. It coiled around her like a living serpent, ready to strike.
Tenjin snarled, lightning crackling around his legs. He surged forward, his sword bzing with bck fire.
SLASH!
Lysara parried, but the force of the blow sent her skidding back. Tenjin pressed the attack, his movements relentless.
WHOOSH! BAM! CLANG!
The alley echoed with the sound of their csh. Tenjin's fmes and lightning lit up the darkness, while Lysara's blood magic painted the air with crimson arcs.
She countered with a wave of blood, the liquid hardening into a bde as it met Tenjin's sword.
CLANG!
The impact sent vibrations up his arms, but he didn't falter. He spun, delivering a powerful kick enhanced by his lightning.
CRACK!
The blow connected, sending Lysara crashing into a wall.
Tenjin smirked, raising his sword. "Looks like I win."
But Lysara only ughed. "Not quite."
The blood around her surged, forming a protective shield as she stood. She flicked her wrist, and the shield shattered into dozens of jagged shards.
SHING!
The shards flew toward Tenjin, each one aimed with deadly precision.
He twisted his body, dodging most of them, but a few grazed his skin, drawing blood.
"You're holding back," Lysara said, her voice calm despite the intensity of the fight. "Why? Afraid to go all out against a girl?"
Tenjin's fmes fred brighter, his expression dark. "Don't ftter yourself."
He charged again, their bdes cshing in a flurry of sparks. Lysara countered with her blood magic, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Finally, she saw an opening.
BAM!
Her fist, reinforced with hardened blood, smmed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could recover, she swept his legs out from under him and pressed her dagger to his throat.
Tenjin gred up at her, breathing heavily. "Fine. You win."
Lysara smirked, stepping back and offering him a hand. "Told you we're strong."
Tenjin hesitated before taking her hand, pulling himself up. "Alright. I'll check your Rebellion thing out. But if this is some kind of trap, I'll make sure you regret it."
Lysara grinned. "Alright, Tenjin"
