‘I wish I had time to change,’ Yuki thought. ‘These clothes will probably become ripped after this fight.’

It took him a while to come. He had to straighten some things out and instruct Yuna on what to do while at the same time not draw any more attention than he already did. Then he had to find someplace to hide for a few moments away from everyone else.

‘I can’t let people see the other me,’ he thought as he watched the man before him. ‘That is something that can be important in the future.’

“Hmm. So the boss has come out now,” the man said, twirling his sword. “I was wondering if you would appear.”

‘Observant type,’ Yuki thought. ‘I can’t gauge his strength. I wonder. What rank does this person hold in the Shikaku?’

“Oh, you’re quiet as well. Just like your friend,” the man remarked.

“I can talk if needed,” Yuki replied. “I just prefer to not to most of the time. But I do have some questions.”

“I do too. But we both know that we won’t get any answers,” the man said. “Will that stop us from answering? I don’t know.”

“Then let’s see what we can share.” Yuki flipped his knives, the blade spinning. “Let me start first. Are you here for the jewel?”

The man laughed in reply.

“Why ask me that? You know the answer to that already,” he said. “Let me ask you a question next. Why are you interfering with our operations?”

“Now it’s my turn to say why are you asking me that,” Yuki said. “You know that that is something that I can’t answer. Just like how you can’t answer why you want this jewel in the first place.”

“Hmph. Then I guess we’re at an impasse.”

“It would seem.”

“Well then, I’ll give you the same offer that I gave your friend,” the man said, spreading his hands apart. “Hand the gem over and I’ll leave, no questions asked.”

“No.”

“Wow, ouch. Rejection immediately. At least consider it for a little bit. It’s to the benefit of everyone if this ends quietly,” the man said. “I’m sure you know that.”

“I do. But I can’t do that,” Yuki replied. 

“I see. Then we have no choice then,” the man said, dropping his arms. “You know what we need to do then.”

“Of course,” Yuki nodded. He raised his arms, bringing his blades up. “Come. Let’s waste no more time.”

“Keep them busy, mate,” the man said, nudging the person beside him. “I don’t want anyone interfering.”

“Understood,” a robotic voice replied. The person reached behind their back and pulled out a metal pole which they attached to the hilt of their sword. “How long?”

“We’ll see,” the man said.

The person nodded and spread their feet apart. Yuki watched them carefully. He noted the dimensions of their armor and their design. It was sleek. A jet black with metal plating all around that seemed quite flexible. 

‘The other one is a female,’ Yuki observed. ‘Not that it helps to know that right now. I’ll let Akira and Erica keep her busy.’

The man raised his sword and took a stance. Yuki couldn’t see his expression past the helmet the man wore. All he could find were two red glowing orbs. Then Yuki’s eyes narrowed. The man had been continuously channeling mana into his blade and himself nonstop throughout the entire conversation. And that was a problem.

‘His mana pool must be large. As well as his experience.’

Yuki’s grip tightened. There may not be time to stop and observe quietly. The fighting would take priority in this battle. Then the man’s eyes brightened. Yuki blinked. The man was gone. 

Calling to his own mana, Yuki braced his arms, crossing his knives. He expanded his senses simultaneously. A mass of particles in the air hurtled their way toward him right before a sword appeared out of thin air and crashed into his blades. Yuki slid past them, the sound of metal scraping across metal screaming out. Then he slashed at where the man’s wrist would be if the sword was being held. It sliced through the air, hitting nothing.

‘Well. It was worth trying,’ he thought. Another sound of metal striking metal. His eyes flickered to the side and saw the other person between him and Akira. It seemed that Akira had tried to help but was intercepted and now they were occupied with each other. ‘That’s fine. I need to focus.'

His arm shot to the side of his head and knocked away a slicing blade. He spun and stabbed out. It wouldn’t do anything, but it would help him keep his flow within the fight. Keeping track of the air, he locked onto the man again. At the next attack, Yuki tried to trap the sword and pull it away, but merely disappeared into the wind. 

That proved to be a recurring theme. Being able to block the attack, but unable to launch a counter. Meeting metal but slicing air. The other battle didn’t seem to be faring any better. The woman seemed to be holding her own against both Erica and Akira. It seemed that this battle was going nowhere.

But Yuki knew better. Only being able to defend made it impossible for Yuki to exact any advantage. Maybe if it was a battle of attrition, but it wasn’t. Yuki would tire eventually. It was time to try something. 

He channeled mana into his blades and took his time. If this worked, then it would mean Yuki had a chance. All he needed was the right time to try and strike. Then it came. A direct stab aimed at his chest. 

In a flash, Yuki sliced forward. As he did, he changed the mana in his blades to that of wind. The man didn’t bother pulling back. The blades cut upwards, the air surrounding the blades coming under Yuki’s control as they did. They still went through nothing, but the mass that was the man seemed to shudder for a split second. Yuki’s eyes narrowed.

‘Did that do anything?’

The man reformed, though only partially. His upper half appeared while everything below his waist was a swirling cloud of particles. He lifted his sword arm and examined it for a little. 

“I’m honestly impressed,” the man remarked. “I’ve never had someone figure out a way to touch me that fast in a while. It seems that I miscalculated a little. I didn’t know you were a wind attribute.”

‘What? Didn’t he identify Akira’s element from a glance?’ Yuki thought, perplexed though he controlled his face to not show it. ‘Akira, he knows of your attribute right?’

[Yes. Saw it immediately. Busy right now,] she replied. 

‘Understandable.’

“Of course, I can’t really tell what attribute you are. And that’s odd,” the man continued. He laughed for a bit. “You are quite interesting, you know?” 

Yuki didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure why this man was sharing such important information. Unless the man felt like it wasn’t information that was consequential. But from what Yuki had seen from him, he didn’t seem like the type to share without reason.

“Using the elemental magic to take control of the air to separate a part of me from, well, me was quite a smart approach,” the man praised. “But there’s a small problem with that.”

“What’s that?” Yuki replied. 

“Why don’t I show you?” the man said. Yuki could hear his smile from behind his helmet. “Tell me what you think.”

He spread his arms and dissolved like dust into the air until there wasn’t a trace of him left. Yuki again fused his senses with the air to find the man. But he did it warily. The man might as well have said that something would change this time around. And Yuki recognized what changed immediately. He couldn’t find the man. There was no trace, no hint, nothing. All Yuki could see was air. 

‘What did he do?’ Yuki frowned. A familiar weight began to press down onto his chest. His head swiveled around though he knew it would do no good. ‘He has to be here.’

Coldness. His chest tingled as a shiver went his spine. His gut clenched. His gaze fell. Protruding out from where his heart would be was a shining metal blade. It’s cold gleam jeered at him. Death.

Or at least, what would be death. Yuki blinked as the slow realisation that his body felt fine. Only a cool chill could be felt from where the blade seemed to pierce him. Another blink. No blood seen. Just cold.

“You could die right here,” the man said quietly from behind. Yuki swallowed slowly, his mind racing, but his thoughts sluggish. “All I need to do is think one thought and this blade completely solidifies.”

‘Oh.’

The man had somehow passed the blade through Yuki’s body and had the precision and control to solidify only the parts outside. Except those parts also weren’t completely solid. The tip was still smokey.

“So you see it now? You can’t win how you are now,” the man whispered. “No matter how much you struggle or analyse, you can’t.”

It wasn’t arrogance. It was the truth. And Yuki knew it.

“Let me tell you the difference between me and everyone else,” the man continued. “And listen close because I will not repeat this. The difference is focus. Dedication. What I dedicate myself to. What I am willing to suffer through to achieve perfection. That’s what separates me from everyone you’ve fought. From my subordinates. And from you. But you’re young.”

The man knelt down beside Yuki and rolled a ring in his fingers. It was the ring that Akira wore. The one that held the naturae gem.

“I’ll be taking this,” the man said. The visor to his helmet slid up and Yuki saw his face for the first time. It was old and grizzled with dull blue eyes. A small smile appeared on the man’s dry lips. “I’m sure you understand.”

He stood back up and pocketed the ring someplace Yuki didn’t know. He snapped his fingers and his partner immediately appeared by his side. Akira’s head turned to where Yuki was. On his knees. He didn’t know when he got there.

“Yuki?” Akira said, rushing to him. Erica followed her closely, worry in their eyes. “Why is there a blade sticking out of you?”

Yuki only shook his head. There was a blade there because someone put it there. How? He didn’t know.

“Take this both as a warning and an invitation of sorts,” the man said. Yuki looked up and saw him standing at the entrance of the vault. “That is what I can do. If you can’t arise to the occasion, then hide. No one will blame you for it. But if you think you can. If you believe you can. Then come. I will be waiting for you when you do.”

“Why?” Yuki breathed, his head shaking. Why spare him?

“I’m old,” the man replied. “Older than you think. You interest me. I want to see what you become. So show me.”

He turned and snapped his fingers again, the phantom blade in Yuki’s chest disappearing. And though the blade was gone, its stinging coldness still remained.