Ali rose from the splintered wreckage, the broken wooden beams and clouds of dust swirling around him like phantoms caught in the aftermath of a storm. He stood tall despite the state of his body, blood dripping from his mouth in thick, dark streams as he cast a calm glance down at his side.
His left arm hung grotesquely out of place, the limp, mangled limb twitching slightly as if protesting the pain. His entire left flank was an open field of devastation—purple bruising bloomed across his skin like dying stars, and deep within, he could feel the jagged ribs embedded in the soft tissue of his organs.
Ali reached over with his functioning right hand, grabbed the broken arm by the elbow, and snapped it back into place. There was a sickening crunch as the bone aligned—faster this way, he thought—and simultaneously, he activated his Telekinesis, sending his red-bladed lightsaber spiralling through the air toward Toji.
The legendary sorcerer killer was already on the move.
Toji met the blade head-on, the Inverted Spear of Heaven dancing in his grip with impossibly precise flourishes as he deflected each incoming strike, the chain hissing through the air like a serpent in heat. The hum of the lightsaber screamed through the wooden halls, carving streaks of heat through the temple walls, but Ali's control was masterful—he directed every angle, every inch of its arc, ensuring it stayed out of Toji's reach.
Meanwhile, Ali's internal damage raged beneath the surface.
'My left ribcage is completely shattered… pieces are stuck in my organs… I can feel them tearing every time I move.'
He spat blood again—dark, thick, and clotted—as it poured from his lips. It hit the floor like ink, soaking the ruined wood below him.
And yet, his expression remained unchanged.
Focused.
Unshaken.
'I shouldn't drag this any longer…' Ali thought as he flexed his fingers, electricity beginning to arc between them—red sparks snapping across his knuckles. 'He's already adapting. Going for kill shots. That's exactly what I need to do now… it's time to use my Spirit.'
Twenty seconds passed like a countdown in his mind.
Ali raised his fully regenerated arm, the skin flawless, unmarred—as if it had never been destroyed. The muscles flexed smoothly, and in a single moment, the lightsaber flew back into his hand, landing with a sharp hum. He glanced down at his now fully healed flank—no bruising, no tear, not even a scar. His body had returned to its terrifying perfection.
"You like the taste of the Inverted Spear of Heaven?" Toji called out, his deep, unshaken voice cutting through the air like a knife. He raised the blade to his face, covering half of it, and Ali could see the wolfish grin curling at the corner of his mouth.
Ali didn't reply. Instead, he simply raised his hand and gestured—beckoning him with a single motion.
Come.
Toji didn't hesitate.
His black hair flared backward from sheer acceleration as he blasted forward like a human cannonball, his feet tearing the wooden floor apart with every step. Ali's eyes narrowed, and in that same heartbeat, he reached inward, tapping into his Telekinetic strength, then pushed downward.
BOOOOOOOM
The ground exploded beneath him as he rocketed into the sky, shattering through the layered architecture of the temple and launching toward the high ceiling. Beneath him, Toji's blade carved through the space Ali had just occupied, slicing the entire chamber in half, floor and all.
But Toji didn't pause.
He launched after him, muscles bulging with every exertion. The chain attached to the spear sang through the air in lethal spirals, the metal blurring as it wrapped around Toji's arm mid-flight. In one fluid motion, he hurled the spear toward the ceiling.
BANG
The spear embedded itself deep into the concrete, holding firm as Toji swung himself forward using the chain's momentum, chasing after Ali with a level of acrobatic mastery few men alive could match.
Ali turned mid-air, floating under the control of his Telekinesis, and raised his hand.
'Now you're off the ground… your speed is meaningless to me.'
His black-veined arm reached out.
Toji's instincts screamed as he suddenly felt a terrifying weight around him. The chain, which had moments ago been an extension of his will, betrayed him—its perfect arc twisting unnaturally as the full length coiled around his body like a serpent.
'WHAT?! His Telekinesis… he can control cursed tools! But then why didn't he—'
Toji's thoughts cut off as Ali clenched his fist.
CRACK—BOOM
The air cracked like thunder as Toji's bound form smashed violently into the concrete ceiling, his back hitting the stone with such force that the structure groaned under the impact. Blood erupted from the sorcerer killer's abdomen where his shirt was tied around a hole in his body, dripping through the air like ruby rain.
Ali floated there, eyes narrowed and unmoving.
Toji remained airborne, the chain constricting him mid-air. His body was being held in Ali's power, not like a man restrained, but like prey caught in the fist of a god.
Ali lowered his fist—slow, deliberate.
Toji's body followed, sinking with the weight of Ali's will, his muscles straining as he twisted violently to escape the invisible grip.
But Ali saw it in his eyes.
Determination.
Toji's black pupils locked onto Ali—and then, a spark of rage.
Ali reacted first—his hand whipped upward again.
BANG
Toji's body was hurled skyward once more, slamming into the ceiling in a brutal second impact that fractured the stone overhead. More blood spilled from his wound, his shirt soaked through and trailing behind him like a flag of war.
There was now a jagged crater carved into the ceiling of the temple, a brutal wound in the stonework, forged solely by Toji's muscular body being used like a wrecking ball—slammed repeatedly into the concrete by Ali's unrelenting Force control. Dust and debris drifted in the air like ash from an eruption, a visual testament to the overwhelming power on display.
But Toji Fushiguro, the Sorcerer Killer, was far from finished.
Unfortunately for him, Ali wasn't either.
Ali's arm moved again—this time with the sharp intent of a third and final crushing swing—and even Toji, hardened by years of bloodshed and unflinching will, felt something flicker within him. 'If I take another hit like that… a bone or two might finally break,' Toji thought grimly.
But the moment just before Ali's Force grip could complete its arc, the curse around Toji's neck shrank instantly, almost like a muscle twitching in pain. It slithered down, smaller and more agile, and with blinding speed, snapped open its grotesque maw and devoured the other end of the long metal chain that Toji had kept hidden—clutched tightly in his fist behind his back the entire time.
With one swift, desperate action, the entire length of chain whipped backward, slicing the air with a sonic boom before disappearing into the mouth of the curse in a flash.
Ali's black eyes locked onto it instantly, and with a pulse of deadly intent, he willed the Force to crush the creature into nothingness before it could disappear—but Toji had already predicted that.
Toji used his superhuman speed snatched up the curse with one hand and shoved it down his throat, swallowing the thing whole before Ali's attack could reach it, removing the cursed tool from Ali's influence entirely.
Then Toji moved again.
He twisted the Inverted Spear in his arm, flipping it into a reverse grip before jamming it into the cratered ceiling, using it like a grappling hook as his inhuman strength allowed him to pull his full bodyweight up with just one arm.
Muscles rippled across his entire frame—thighs flexing like coiled steel cables, and his vein-lined forearms bulging with raw, unfiltered power. His back arched slightly as he balanced himself against the ceiling like a predatory beast preparing to pounce.
His gaze was locked on Ali—unblinking, brutal, burning.
Ali hovered midair, suspended by Telekinesis….
CRACK
The crater around the embedded spear deepened—hairline fractures spreading like a spider's web.
BOOOOOOOM
Toji detonated out of the ceiling, the stone exploding behind him as his body became a missile—
Ali didn't flinch.
He raised his humming red lightsaber, preparing to intercept. The air shimmered between them as their weapons collided in a flash of molten light—
SPARK
A blinding burst of red erupted from the violent clash, and Ali was instantly driven backward, forced to react midair as Toji's insane momentum pressed forward like a shockwave of destruction. Toji didn't relent—he reached out with his free hand and clamped down on Ali's right forearm with a vice-like grip that made bone creak.
Ali's dark eyes narrowed. Then he smirked.
'He wants a pirate's challenge…'
The old game played in the lawless oceans of Earth in ancient times flashed through his mind—two pirates, locked arm-in-arm, duelling to the death with weapons in one hand. It was a deadly sport.
He tightened his own grip around Toji's forearm, locking them together in the deadly embrace. Now both stood suspended in the sky—death in one hand, and the other bound by force and pride.
Toji struck first.
He drove his spear forward, aimed directly for Ali's skull.
SPARK
Ali's lightsaber roared as it deflected the spear, red and silver energy colliding with shrieking intensity. Then came the next strike. And the next.
SPARK—SPARK—SPARK—SPARK—SPARK
They clashed in midair, blow after blow, trading strikes while plummeting back toward the earth, locked in a dizzying spin of pure instinct and lethal precision.
Toji struck again—but this time, Ali baited him.
The spear lunged, and Ali brought his lightsaber up at an angle, catching the blade against the cross-guard. The trap snapped shut. He forced the burning beam forward, pressing the hilt back against Toji's hand, threatening to singe his skin and disarm him completely.
Toji grimaced.
Then Ali let go.
The lightsaber dropped, spinning wildly through the air like a falling comet.
Toji's eyes snapped down—immediately reacting, lowering his spear to follow the lightsaber, expecting a telekinetic ambush.
Exactly as planned.
Ali smirked, his left arm flexing, black veins writhing as he formed a clenched fist—
BANG
A punch straight to Toji's face.
CRACK
The full force of Ali's monstrous strength drove straight into Toji's nose. The bone exploded inward, cartilage crushed into pulp as blood burst outward. Toji's brain rattled violently inside his skull from the sheer concussive force of the hit.
Ali used the recoil.
He spun with his entire body, using the angular momentum to hurl Toji upward, the Sorcerer Killer briefly stunned and defenceless. In a flash, Ali's eyes tracked his lightsaber as it fell—and with a swift movement of his fingers, caught it mid-air using the Force.
He exploded upward, chasing after Toji like a red meteor…
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