"Okay, I'm ready, bro," Ryju said, bouncing on his heels.
"Say less," Renji replied, a sharp grin on his face.
He dashed forward, sword raised for a clean slash. Ryju leapt over him, barely dodging the blade.
"That was too close," Ryju muttered as he landed.
"Not bad," Renji said, stepping to the side. "Spirit Server: Spirit Slash!"
In a blink, he vanished and reappeared behind Ryju.
"What?!" Ryju gasped. "No matter. Spiritual Drain!"
Ryju reached out and touched Renji—but nothing happened. He stood there, stunned.
"What... I can't feel my spiritual force!"
Renji smirked. "Just give it a good ten seconds. You'll get it back, promise."
Before Ryju could react, Renji struck him with the flat of his sword, then kicked him hard into a tree. Ryju hit the ground, groaning.
"Damn it," he hissed.
Renji rushed in again. "Null Fang!"
He scanned Ryju's body mid-charge. "No weak spot? Doesn't matter. Still got him."
Just as he swung, Ryju rolled away.
"Too close," Ryju thought. "I don't even know how to use my power yet. I need to focus on hand-to-hand."
He rushed forward and launched a kick—Renji grabbed his leg and slammed him into the dirt.
"Spirit Server: Soul Divider!"
Renji began phasing, vanishing and reappearing all around the clearing.
"What the hell? He keeps disappearing!" Ryju said, whipping his head around.
Renji appeared behind him. "Got him."
Ryju turned at the last second and absorbed the energy.
"What?!" Renji exclaimed.
"I absorbed it," Ryju replied, grinning.
"Don't get too excited," Renji growled.
He swept Ryju off his feet and went in for a kick—but Ryju landed cleanly and stood up. Renji was already there, sword ready.
"Spirit Server: Spirit Slash!"
Ryju ducked just in time, trying to counter with a punch. Renji blocked with his sword planted in the ground, then kicked the hilt, launching the blade into the air. As it fell, he kicked it—blade-first—toward Ryju, slicing his cheek.
"What the hell... oh, but his sword..."
Ryju grabbed the falling weapon.
"You better know how to use a sword," Renji warned.
"I got a little training from Grandpa."
Renji smirked and charged in. Ryju swung the sword, Renji dodged, slipped behind him and went for a kick. Ryju blocked with the blade. Fists and blades clashed—punches, knees, counters. The fight grew more intense, until Renji knocked the sword from Ryju's grip.
It soared into the air.
Ryju threw two punches—blocked. Renji kicked—Ryju grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground. Renji rolled and landed on his feet.
As Renji dashed in, the sword flew back into his hand mid-sprint. He swung viciously—Ryju barely dodged.
A horizontal slash came, and Ryju flipped sideways over it, punching Renji in the chest and sending him stumbling back.
"Not bad," Renji said.
"Thanks," Ryju replied.
They charged.
Renji aimed for Ryju's neck—Ryju leaned back. Then a slash to the gut—Ryju caught the blade.
He yanked it from Renji's grip and slashed back. Renji barely dodged, but not before the blade grazed his cheek.
Renji threw a punch—Ryju jumped on his arm, ran up it, and leapt behind him. Ryju swung again and again—Renji dodged, slowly backing up.
Suddenly, a clone grabbed Renji's legs.
"What?!"
The clone launched Renji into the air—where a second clone was waiting. A powerful punch sent Renji rocketing toward the ground.
Ryju stood below, sword ready. As Renji fell, Ryju raised the blade for a finishing strike.
But—they switched places.
Ryju hit the ground hard, dazed.
Renji stood above him, sword to his neck.
"It's over."
Ryju groaned. "Dang it. I thought I had you."
Renji chuckled. "No way you thought you were gonna be an S-rank ninja."
The two sat under a tree, catching their breath.
"How did you switch places with me? What was that?" Ryju asked.
"That's the eye ability," Renji said. "You're able to switch places with any object or person."
"So cool."
"But you can only use it every five seconds."
"Still amazing."
Renji smirked.
"What's your ability?"
"Spirit Server."
"What's that?"
"Spirit Server is rare. It lets me cut not just flesh, but spiritual force itself."
"Give me an example."
Renji sighed. "When you couldn't use your spiritual energy—"
"Yeah?"
"It's because I grazed your chest. I aimed for your heart and clipped your spirit."
"So it only lasted ten seconds?"
"I only used a little. At full power, you'd lose access for ten minutes. All you'd have is raw strength. Only the Spiritual King or the Justice can fight like that."
"What's 'The Justice'?"
"I'll explain later. Right now, you need to focus on unlocking your eye ability."
"What do I have to do?"
Renji stood, arms crossed.
"You have to learn how to channel your spiritual force through your eyes—and control it."
Ryju frowned. "If it's through my eyes, it should be easy, right? Just look and swap."
Renji narrowed his eyes. "It's not easy."
"How is it not? I just need to focus and think about switching."
Renji stepped forward. "You're not just looking at them. You're connecting to their spirit. If you mess up, you might switch with the wrong person—or worse, end up stuck in a wall."
Ryju blinked. "...A wall?"
Renji nodded. "Yeah. If you switch carelessly, you could teleport inside a solid object. That's why you need focus—not just on the target, but what's around them too."
Ryju looked at his hands, then back at Renji.
"So... it's not about the eyes. It's about the spirit behind them."
Renji smirked. "Exactly."
Ten Minutes Earlier
Rei: "Shun, you ready?"
Shun: "I swear, if I lose again—"
To be continued...