"Bring it," Kaji said, smiling coldly.
Without hesitation, they all surged forward.
Rei summoned two glowing arms behind her back, their movements flowing like water. Azar's fists lit up with flame. Taro's right arm bulged and morphed into the massive shape of a gorilla's. Goro conjured a ball of concentrated heat, swirling and pulsing. Kenshiro unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion. Shun extended thick wooden arms from his back, while Kaien summoned twin spectral chains. Jett drew both pistols and fired. Zanden sent spikes of sand barreling forward.
They all attacked at once.
But Kaji simply grinned.
"Blaze."
A violent burst of red flames exploded outward from him, swallowing everything in its path. The shockwave sent them all flying back, the heat choking and oppressive.
Rei winced. "So hot…"
"That's the second strongest fire technique... Blaze," Azar thought, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Zanden stumbled back. "What was that?"
Goro wiped sweat from his brow. "Damn, that was insane… If I can master my heat ability, maybe I could control something like that one day."
Kaji rolled his shoulders, grinning. "C'mon, try again. Rush me."
Kenshiro stepped forward confidently. "Everyone follow my lead. We'll break him down together."
Taro frowned. "Why should we follow you?"
"Because I'm clearly the strongest one here," Kenshiro replied bluntly.
Suddenly, a black hole opened under Kenshiro's feet and he dropped through.
"Let's go!" Rei shouted.
They charged again. Kenshiro emerged from above, sword aimed at Kaji's head. But Kaji saw it and dodged instantly.
Azar was already in place.
"Scorching Kick!" he shouted, his leg wreathed in fire as he launched it toward Kaji.
Kaji caught his leg mid-air. Flames fizzled out.
"What? My fire just… burned out? There's no water—how?!" Azar thought, stunned.
Kaji flung him aside, but Taro leapt forward, using Azar's body to propel himself at Kaji.
"Sorry, bro!"
The ground rumbled. Roots shot up, entangling Kaji's legs.
"Thanks, bro," Taro said, landing the punch with his gorilla arm.
"Take this!"
But Kaji caught the punch effortlessly.
"What?!"
"That was nothing," Kaji said coolly.
"Nice distraction, Taro," Rei thought.
"Pale Reach!" she cried, launching her dust arms at Kaji.
"I got you now!" Taro shouted.
"Oh really?" Kaji said calmly, hurling Taro into Rei's attack.
"Damn it, I have to redirect them!" Rei thought.
She curved the arms mid-flight to avoid hitting Taro.
"Phantom Chains," Kaien thought, launching chains as Kaji remained rooted in place.
"Verdant Cage Bloom!" Shun yelled, unleashing a barrage of thorned vines.
"Blaze."
Another eruption of crimson fire. The chains disintegrated, the vines burned to ash.
"Damn it!" Shun grit his teeth.
Kenshiro emerged again through a portal beneath Kaji, sword slashing upward.
"Singularity Slash!"
Kaji flipped backward, avoiding the blade, and kicked Kenshiro in the face mid-air. The impact hurled him into the dirt.
A faint ripple shimmered for a moment—space rift appear.
Kaji chuckled. "Oh, space, huh? You really might be the strongest after all. I could already tell from your spiritual force."
"Don't get cocky!" Jett barked.
He fired ten bullets. "Mini Rockets!"
Kaji casually opened a cigarette box and swatted the shots aside—redirecting them at Jett. An explosion followed.
Jett barely rolled away, coughing. "He used a cigarette box to deflect rockets?! What the hell?!"
"My cigarettes are toast…" Kaji muttered. "Ah well, I'm not that addicted."
"Wood Arms!" Shun unleashed a flurry, bursting them into a thousand sharp spikes.
"If you don't mind, I'll add some flavor," Zanden smirked.
"My pleasure," Shun replied.
Sand spikes joined the storm. The two of them waved their arms down like generals commanding artillery.
Kaji stood in the center of it all.
"Should I just teleport out? Nah… let's have fun. I'll just dodge them."
He weaved between every strike like a blur.
"No way," Zanden whispered. "He's dodging all of them?!"
"NOW!" Rei shouted.
Her dust arms shot toward him again.
"Nice trick," Kaji smirked. "But…"
"Blaze."
Everything turned to ash.
"God damn it!" Kenshiro roared. "He keeps using that dumb move!"
"But it's working," Kaji shrugged.
They all rushed again—Kenshiro slashed, Kaien sent his chains, but Kaji grabbed Kaien's chain and hurled him into Taro.
Azar flew in with a blazing punch from above.
Kaji extinguished the flame with a touch and elbowed him down.
"He… he burned my fire again?!" Azar thought.
Rei tried to tap Kaji from behind, but he swept her legs and kicked her straight into the recovering Taro.
"Again!?" Taro yelled.
From above, Azar and Zanden formed glowing arrows.
"Fire and sand," Azar said.
They fired together. Goro and Shun closed in.
But Kaji caught the arrows mid-air and hurled them back, exploding at Goro's and Shun's feet.
"Form!" Jett shouted, panting. "One more of these and I'm tapped out."
Fifteen bullets rotated and merged into one rocket.
"Interesting…" Kaji watched it fly.
He ducked as it passed—Kaien caught it with his chains and swung the rocket toward Kaji.
Kaji yanked the chain.
"Nice try."
He pushed the missile into Kaien's chest and threw him across the field with the rocket.
A massive explosion followed.
"Bro!" Jett yelled.
"This guy's insane," Azar said.
"Tell me about it," Kenshiro muttered.
Kaien groaned on the ground. "Yep… definitely insane."
Kaji stood tall, arms relaxed at his sides, a playful grin on his face.
"There we go. Keep me on my toes, you weaklings."