Azar's eyes burned with determination. "Oh, the party's just beginning? Then it's time I end it."
He dashed forward, fists blazing with fire. His punch barely missed as Vel Draven leapt over him, a bone spike launching from his back. Azar spun midair and shattered the bone with a fiery kick.
That was close, Azar thought.
"Not bad," Vel Draven muttered.
The broken spike regrew instantly, and Vel Draven sent a barrage of bones flying toward Azar. Azar backpedaled, narrowly dodging each one.
Damn these bones! he cursed mentally.
Jumping back to create distance, Azar spewed a stream of fire from his mouth. Vel Draven conjured a double-edged bone spear and sliced through the flames with ease.
He vanished, then reappeared behind Azar, slamming his spear downward. Azar rolled to the side, igniting his leg and countering with a blazing kick.
"You stupid brat!" Vel Draven growled, swinging his spear rapidly.
Azar ducked and dodged, but Vel Draven suddenly used the spear to launch himself into a spin kick—one laced with a hidden bone spike. Azar barely avoided it, though a sharp cut marked his cheek.
Vel Draven landed a kick to Azar's gut, sending him flying. Azar recovered mid-air and landed, but Vel Draven was already upon him, fist packed with jagged bone.
Azar ducked and landed a flaming punch. Vel Draven took the hit with a grunt, then kneed Azar in the face, grabbed his hair, and stabbed him in the stomach.
"Come on," Vel Draven said coldly. "Wasn't this supposed to be a challenge?"
Behind him, Azar's voice rang out.
"Fire Burst."
A palm of fire erupted, blasting Vel Draven through the hole Misa's pillar had created in the theater. Azar panted, sweat rolling down his cheek.
"Man… why did I think this would be easy?"
He leapt into the ruined theater, finding Vel Draven groaning in the rubble.
Dad… I'm sorry, Vel Draven thought. This auction… our tradition… it's all gone.
"Get up," Azar said firmly. "This is where I put you to rest."
Rei was dancing between sword slashes.
Too many of them, she thought. Still, her two spiritual arms made of dust retaliated each time, disintegrating enemies with precise strikes.
Kenshiro was calm, barely moving.
"Man, I'd rather be in bed right now."
Each red ninja who got close vanished into black holes.
"Keep it coming," he said.
Shun grinned, his wooden-covered fists hammering foes away.
"Even though there's a lot… this is fun!"
Goro was sweating.
One in front… one behind… two on the side!
He blasted heat balls at all directions, but didn't notice the one above. Just in time, he dodged and kicked the attacker.
Ryju fought barehanded. Disarming one enemy, he delivered an uppercut, then absorbed spiritual energy from another's weapon before kneeing him in the face.
They have no abilities, he realized. Vel Draven thought we'd die to this? He underestimated us.
Zanden stabbed enemies with sand spikes.
"These guys are weak."
Jett moved fast, shooting mini-rockets and turning enemies into explosions.
"Let's go!"
He vaulted off one ninja and shot the others mid-air, smiling with satisfaction.
Taro, fueled by rage, transformed his limbs into cheetah-like forms and clawed through the opposition.
We need to get Misa home, he thought.
Kaien was silent. He teleported between his chains, wrapping silver links powered by spiritual force around foes, crushing them instantly.
"Give it a break," he thought.
Misa's anger flared.
"Let me go home!"
Stone spikes rained from the ground and sky, impaling red ninjas. Her eyes blazed.
Azar, you better beat that evil man.
Back in the theater's ruins…
Vel Draven stood, shaking with rage.
"Look what you did."
Azar stepped forward. "I'm proud of it."
"This was my father's tradition! He entrusted it to me before he died! You all deserve to die!"
"Oh, your father's dead? Good. I should've killed him in front of you. Then you."
Vel Draven's eyes flared. "You said what?!"
"You heard me."
"Take it back!"
"Nah."
Vel Draven vanished—
Azar gasped. "Wha—?!"
—and reappeared behind him, punching Azar through a wall into the destroyed golden room.
Azar stood up. "Damn, that was qui—"
A bone spike slashed his face.
"What the hell?!"
Vel Draven barreled through, landing another punch that sent Azar flying onto a broken slot machine.
Did he get faster?
Vel Draven attacked again, spikes emerging from the floor. Azar jumped just in time, caught a thrown bone spear, and landed. He shattered a ground spike, charged forward, and ignited the spear into flames.
Vel Draven summoned his own spear. The two clashed—blades sparking, dodging, countering. Azar caught a kick, threw Vel Draven, and then faced a new wave of bone spikes.
He weaved through them, delivering a fiery slash. Vel Draven dodged, leapt into the air, and clashed again. Azar was knocked to the ground.
I need to find a weak spot, Azar thought.
"You can't win! It's inevitable!" Vel Draven roared.
"Really? Who told you that—your father?"
"You stupid brat!"
Vel Draven hurled his spear. Azar dodged, attacked, but Vel Draven vaulted over, elbowed Azar, and disarmed him.
Azar lunged, grabbing Vel Draven from behind. His arms ignited, burning his enemy.
"This damn hurts!"
Azar slammed him down, launched a fireball, and detonated a fiery explosion.
"That should do it… right?"
He picked up his spear—
—but Vel Draven appeared before him.
"What?!"
One punch sent Azar flying back into the theater.
"You thought that'd stop me?"
Azar groaned. "He doesn't even look hurt."
Vel Draven followed, grabbed Azar by the leg, and slammed him twice. Azar stabbed upward, piercing Vel Draven's face with his spear.
Vel Draven dropped him, shrieking.
"Like that?" Azar smirked.
Azar charged, his spear slashing through the air like a blazing comet. Vel Draven twisted out of the way with effortless precision, his movements fluid and cold. Azar didn't hesitate—he struck again, faster, harder, aiming to overwhelm him.
But Vel Draven responded with something Azar didn't expect.
He stepped onto the shaft of Azar's spear mid-swing, using the momentum to vault into the air. Rising above his opponent in a flash of motion, Vel Draven's eyes narrowed.
Still suspended midair, he extended his hand—and summon his bone spear
With no warning, he hurled it down.
Azar spun around just in time. His spear rose to meet the incoming weapon. The bone spear crashed into it with a sharp crack, the force enough to push Azar back—but not before its edge scraped across his arm, tearing a shallow, bloody line.
Before Vel Draven could even finish his descent, Azar retaliated.
Fueled by instinct and raw resolve, he lunged forward and drove his own spear upward—piercing straight through Vel Draven's stomach in a single, clean thrust.
"What?!"
Azar grinned. "Yes! You're dead!"
But a voice behind him—
"Really now?"
Another Vel Draven stabbed Azar through the back.
"A clone?!"
"Yep. You actually thought you could kill me."
Vel Draven drove the spear deeper. Azar spat blood.
"Waste of my time," Vel Draven spat, dropping him.
Outside the theater…
Vel Draven landed.
Ryju shouted, "Vel Draven!"
"Where's Azar?!" Misa cried.
Vel Draven smirked. "Wow you all defeated my ninjas…"
"Where's Azar?!" Zanden barked.
"He's dead."
Silence. Everyone stared.
"No, it can't be!" Misa gasped.
"You're lying!" Taro roared.
Jett fired at Vel Draven—he dodged.
"He's dead," Ryju whispered.
"No way," Goro said.
"He has to be lying," Rei insisted.
"I thought he could beat him," Shun muttered.
"Me too," Kenshiro said.
Misa pointed. "Surround him!"
They circled Vel Draven.
"You'll be damned if you think you're leaving alive," Misa snarled.
"You're dying here," Zanden said.
"You bet that," Ryju added.
Back in the theater, Azar lay in the rubble.
He whispered, "No..."
To Be Continued...