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墨書 Inktalez
The man knelt gracefully on the mat of the East Side, his movements fluid as he gently rotated the teacup in his hand, causing ripples to dance across the surface of the tea. His gaze pierced through the swirling smoke, landing on the woman at the West Side, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. This smile was not one of politeness; it was a deliberate provocation, laced with indifference and disdain, as if the battle unfolding before him was nothing more than a tedious farce.
He lowered his head to glance at the tea in his cup before raising his eyes to the woman again. The cup wobbled slightly in his hand, as if hinting at some dismissive thought.
The woman sat on the West Side, maintaining her smile, but it appeared unnaturally stiff. The veins on her forehead throbbed subtly, suggesting she was on the brink of losing control. Slowly, she raised her hand and brushed her hair back with her fingers. The motion remained smooth, yet her fingertips trembled slightly from exertion. When her gaze met the man's, it bore an air of seemingly harmless calmness, but beneath it lay a torrent of suppressed anger.
“How is the tea?” she finally spoke, her tone soft yet laced with hidden barbs.
The man's smile deepened, and he offered no reply. Instead, he set down the teacup gently, producing a crisp sound that resonated in the air—a silent response. His attention shifted back to the dueling ground, seemingly disinterested in continuing the conversation with her.
In the arena, Mako Nakagawa remained on high alert. Her blade was positioned before her, eyes scanning her surroundings as if trying to catch a glimpse of an unseen assailant. An invisible pressure hung in the air, making her breaths cautious and strained.
“Where is it?” she murmured to herself, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. Beads of sweat trickled down her temple, yet she remained as steady as a rock. Even after being forced back by that last strike, there was no hint of retreat in her gaze—only deeper focus and vigilance.
The crowd around them hushed their voices, as if afraid to shatter this eerie silence. The smoke slowly dissipated, seemingly on the verge of revealing hidden truths, while a suffocating tension filled the air; everyone held their breath in anticipation of what would come next.
As the smoke cleared bit by bit, the atmosphere grew increasingly charged. Suddenly, a flash of white burst forth from within the haze, piercing through the veil like lightning splitting the silent earth. The flash was so swift it was nearly impossible to track, as if it had leapt from a crack in space itself, carrying Leng Lie's murderous intent straight for Mako Nakagawa's head.
The blade glinted ominously under the light, its deadly trajectory clear as it sliced through the air with precision that suggested countless calculations behind it.
Mako Nakagawa's eyes widened in shock; her pupils constricted instantly. Without hesitation, she raised her crimson blade and positioned it horizontally before her. A deafening crash erupted as metal clashed against metal; sparks flew from where their weapons met, eliciting gasps from the crowd. However, just as she deflected the first blade, a second one slithered past her defenses like a venomous snake, darting toward her chest plate with lightning speed.
The blade struck true against her armor. The grinding steel ignited sparks that scattered into the air while a pungent smell filled her nostrils. The impact reverberated through Mako Nakagawa's body; she staggered slightly but reacted with astonishing speed. She pressed down hard with her sword, forcing back her opponent's attack and halting its edge just shy of inflicting harm—only leaving a deep scratch on her chest plate.
Her breath was short yet powerful, her gaze filled with determination and fury. In that instant, her right leg shot up with an unstoppable force, delivering a fierce kick to her opponent's abdomen. A dull thud echoed as the opponent was sent flying, tumbling backward like a stone kicked from the ground.
In mid-air, the opponent deftly spun around, completing a backflip with grace before landing lightly on his feet. His figure gradually emerged in the sunlight, a half-transparent silhouette that seemed dreamlike, becoming clearer as the light refracted, revealing a blurred form.
"Sano Kagehisa," Mako Nakagawa whispered under her breath, her expression cold and focused on the indistinct figure before her.
Sano Kagehisa lightly swayed his twin blades, the tips slicing through the air with a low hum. This sound seemed to herald an impending storm of greater intensity. His cloaking device flickered momentarily, and his figure vanished into the air once more, as if he had never been there.
Mako Nakagawa steadied herself, her blade held horizontally in front of her, her gaze piercing. Wisps of smoke still rose from her chest armor, the sparks left behind telling tales of the earlier clash's peril. Yet her expression remained unwavering; the blade in her hand was steady as a mountain, radiating intense energy.
"Come on," she said softly, her tone filled with cold resolve, as if she were ready to burn away any hidden threats with that searing flame at any moment.
Whispers of astonishment rippled through the crowd, countless eyes fixated on the duel arena. When Sano Kagehisa's figure reappeared, everyone felt a mix of surprise and excitement. The once-smooth surface of his cloaking device seemed to have shed part of its armor, revealing sections of silver-gray cybernetic structure. However, judging by his movements and posture, these damages appeared to have no effect on him. He remained steadfast, blades in hand, agile and nimble like a leopard waiting for its moment.
"Can he keep going?" one spectator murmured incredulously.
"It seems he can do more than just continue; he appears to have plenty of tricks left!" another replied, excitement lacing their voice.
Some had already begun to place bets in hushed tones during this brief respite, quietly discussing who might emerge as the final victor. This duel had escalated from an uncertain outcome at its start to a thrilling spectacle that had ignited a new level of fervor among the crowd.
Bing Lie stood at the back of the crowd, his gaze calm yet tinged with an unexplainable depth of thought. He squinted slightly as he quietly observed the two combatants in the arena. Mako Nakagawa's fiery blade surged fiercely like a storm, sweeping everything in its path, while Sano Kagehisa countered each deadly assault with his cool and composed style.
"Stealth operations, assassination, sabotage..." Bing Lie mused inwardly; these were supposed to be Sano Kagehisa's specialties but felt out of place in such a direct confrontation. Yet Sano Kagehisa's performance was quite the opposite—he was agile and calm, even appearing to navigate the situation with ease.
Bing Lie furrowed his brow slightly, a hint of doubt stirring within him. "What else does he have up his sleeve?"
Sano Kagehisa tilted his head slightly, as if sensing Bing Lie's gaze. His twin blades crossed over his chest, subtly suggesting that the upcoming battle would not merely remain at this level. His movements remained concise, yet they carried an indescribable sense of pressure.
The tension in the arena escalated once more, with everyone holding their breath in anticipation of the imminent explosion. In that moment of silence, a spark of interest flickered in Bing Lie's eyes; this battle seemed to be far more thrilling than he had originally anticipated.
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