I was directly above him.
This was my chance.
"Second Form: Lightning Strike!"
I shot downward like a bolt of lightning and slammed my katana toward Senjuro.
BOOM!
The ground cracked.
But Senjuro wasn't there.
My eyes widened.
Again?
I looked up.
He was standing on top of my katana.
On.
Top.
Of.
My.
Katana.
"How?!" I shouted.
"Too slow," he replied.
I gritted my teeth.
"Third Form: Volcanic Eruption!"
I yanked my blade upward with all my strength.
The attack was fast enough to cut through stone.
Senjuro simply stepped aside.
The slash missed him completely.
"Nope."
I immediately followed up.
"Sixth Form: Nature Wheel!"
Green energy spiraled around my blade as I spun forward.
The attack covered every angle.
Or at least, I thought it did.
Senjuro dodged every strike.
Left.
Right.
Back.
Forward.
It was like he already knew where my sword would go.
"You're too slow," he said.
"Speed up!"
I growled.
"Seventh Form: Stone Shield!"
I swung my katana in every direction.
The attacks came faster and faster.
The air screamed.
Grass was torn apart.
The ground cracked.
But none of them hit him.
Not.
A.
Single.
One.
Senjuro landed a few feet away.
"Power up," he said.
Power up?
I was already using everything I had.
Then I remembered.
My family.
My village.
The people I wanted to protect.
Marie.
Tobisa.
Their stories.
Their losses.
The pain they carried.
The demons responsible.
A burning feeling grew inside my chest.
I looked up.
For a moment...
I didn't see Senjuro anymore.
I imagined Lord Katsuo standing in front of me.
The King of Demons.
The monster responsible for so much suffering.
My hands tightened around the katana.
I could feel my heart pounding.
"You're gonna pay," I whispered.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A massive wave of power exploded from my body.
The entire field shook.
The grass bent outward.
The sky itself seemed to tremble.
Senjuro's smile vanished.
For the first time, he looked surprised.
I dropped to one knee.
Pain shot through my body.
But it wasn't ordinary pain.
It felt like something inside me had awakened.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
A strange heat spread across my face.
Senjuro stared at me.
Then he smiled.
"There it is."
I looked down.
A red square-shaped mark had appeared on my left cheek.
The exact same mark Senjuro had.
My eyes widened.
"What...?"
Slowly, I looked back at him.
Then I realized something.
The red hair.
The mark.
The eyes.
The expression.
It was as if I was looking into a mirror.
For the first time since meeting him...
Me and Senjuro looked almost identical.
And that terrified me.