The morning after Shinkū's ominous words, a heavy silence fell upon the training grounds. The disciples, still recovering from the previous day's intense training, gathered in a circle around their master. Mei, Gorou, and Kaito exchanged uncertain glances as they waited for Shinkū to speak. They knew better than to question him, but there was something in the air that made their usual confidence falter.
Shinkū stood at the edge of the training field, staring out at the cliffs that framed the horizon. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes remained locked on something far beyond their reach, something none of them could see. His presence was an unyielding force, calm yet terrifying.
"This is the calm before the storm," Shinkū's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "The Jūshin will come. And when they do, they will test everything you know. There will be no time for hesitation, no room for doubt."
Mei stepped forward, her expression resolute despite the uncertainty swirling within her. "Master," she began, her voice steady, "What is it you expect of us when they arrive? How do we prepare for something like them?"
Shinkū's gaze softened for a fraction of a second before he turned to face her, his piercing eyes locking with hers. "You prepare by embracing what lies beyond the surface. The Jūshin are not mere beasts. They are born of something deeper—something older. The only way to defeat them is to transcend what you have learned, to face the Abyss and become part of it."
The disciples absorbed his words, but there was an air of unease among them. Even though they trusted Shinkū's judgment, the idea of embracing the Abyss—of tapping into the unknown—was unsettling.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the air, followed by a distant rumble. The ground beneath them trembled, and the sky darkened as an ominous energy flooded the area. The Jūshin were close.
"Get ready," Shinkū ordered, his tone colder than it had ever been. "They are here."
Without another word, Shinkū stepped forward, his footsteps confident and steady. Mei, Gorou, and Kaito quickly followed, their bodies tense and alert. The air seemed to thicken as they moved toward the edge of the training grounds, where the first signs of the Jūshin's presence were beginning to emerge.
A massive shadow loomed in the distance, growing larger with each passing second. It was unlike anything they had ever seen—a monstrous form that seemed to stretch beyond the limits of the earth. A towering creature, dark and formless, its presence alone was enough to make the very air feel suffocating.
Mei's heart pounded in her chest as she surveyed the creature. It was unlike any foe they had faced in their training. Its body was a mass of writhing tendrils, each one dripping with an unnatural black substance that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Its eyes, if they could even be called eyes, glowed with a malevolent red light, and its mouth stretched unnaturally wide, revealing rows of jagged, impossibly sharp teeth.
"It's a Double Rank A Jūshin," Gorou muttered, his voice low and tense. "No… this one feels different. Stronger."
Shinkū's eyes narrowed as he examined the creature. He could feel its power—the raw energy that emanated from it. It was unlike any other Jūshin he had faced before, a force of destruction that seemed to transcend the limits of nature itself.
"This one is different," Shinkū said quietly, almost to himself. "But it will fall just like the rest."
Before Mei could ask what he meant, Shinkū was already moving. He stepped forward, his body flowing like water as he closed the distance between himself and the monstrous Jūshin. The disciples followed suit, but they were slower, their steps hesitant as the sheer magnitude of the beast loomed over them.
Shinkū was the first to engage. With a swift motion, he unleashed a series of rapid strikes, each one cutting through the air with a crackling intensity. His movements were almost too fast to follow, his body moving in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the fight. The tendrils of the Jūshin lashed out, but Shinkū dodged them with an agility that seemed impossible for someone of his size.
The creature let out a deafening roar as it swung its massive arms at Shinkū, but he was already gone, reappearing behind the beast with a flick of his wrist. He struck once, twice, then a third time, each blow landing with the force of a thunderclap. The Jūshin's body trembled with each impact, but it was far from defeated.
Mei, Gorou, and Kaito were in motion, their attacks flowing together as they worked to assist their master. Mei's swift movements were a blur, her strikes like wind cutting through the air. Gorou's sheer power smashed through the creature's defenses, each of his blows leaving craters in the earth. Kaito's fluid technique danced around the Jūshin's strikes, his every movement precise and calculated.
But despite their combined efforts, the Jūshin was relentless. Its tendrils whipped through the air with terrifying speed, each one trying to ensnare one of them. It was clear that this creature was not like the others—they were not simply fighting a beast, but a force of nature itself.
Shinkū's expression grew grim as he faced the beast. He knew that defeating it would require more than just strength. It would require something much deeper. He closed his eyes, reaching inward to the dark power he had learned to harness—the power of the Abyss. The void within him stirred, resonating with the creature's presence.
With a single motion, Shinkū stretched out his hand, and the very air around him seemed to distort. He summoned the Abyssblust, a technique that allowed him to bend the very fabric of reality. Time itself seemed to slow as he focused, and in that moment, he could feel the power of the void coursing through him.
The Jūshin, sensing the shift, roared in fury. It lashed out, but Shinkū was already there, his form blurring as he moved with unnatural speed. With a single, decisive strike, he cut through the Jūshin's mass, his blade slicing through its tendrils like a hot knife through butter.
The creature let out a final, pained scream before it collapsed into a heap of writhing darkness. The air around them stilled as the last remnants of the Jūshin's power dissipated.
Shinkū stood over the creature's fallen form, his breath steady but heavy. The disciples gathered around him, their faces a mixture of awe and fear. They had seen Shinkū fight before, but this battle… this battle had been something else entirely.
Shinkū turned to them, his expression cold but resolute.
"Do not mistake this victory for an end," he said, his voice calm and unwavering. "This was only the beginning. The Jūshin will come again, and next time, there will be more."
Mei, Gorou, and Kaito exchanged looks, their expressions somber. They knew that this battle was far from over. The Jūshin were not just monsters—they were harbingers of destruction. And it would be up to them to stop them.