Hinata's movements became sharper, faster, his strikes carrying monstrous power. Every swing tore through the air like a storm.

Raito realized it immediately, this was Hinata's true strength. The strength of an S Rank Hunter.

Last time, Hinata had underestimated him. He'd been toying with him.

But now, that limit was gone.

The two of them clashed continuously, steel screaming against steel. Every strike, every parry, sent shockwaves through the chamber. Hinata had gone fully on the defensive, his dagger flashing faster than the eye could track, blocking Raito's relentless attacks.

But Hinata was fast. Too fast.

He lunged, his hands transforming into sharp, jagged blades aimed at Raito's neck. Raito twisted, raising his dagger just in time to block. He countered, slashing toward Hinata's stomach, but Hinata was already gone, dodging with a speed that made the air hiss.

Raito blinked. His cheek caught a shallow slice, a warning, but he pushed forward. Hinata backflipped into the air, hovering for a brief moment before landing gracefully, unscathed.

What… how is he faster? Raito thought, eyes narrowing. Stronger. His blades, his arms, they're sharp, dense… his strength is unreal. What kind of experiment did they do on him?

Even so, Raito felt the weight of his own dagger. Mine is stronger… I can't lose.

Hinata surged forward again, a blur. "You're thinking too much," he spat, his voice sharp as steel. "When you fight someone like me, every second you hesitate is your life."

Raito shifted to dodge, but it was too late. Hinata vanished from sight, moving faster than Raito could track. In an instant, he reappeared where Raito had planned to step, wrapping his arms around Raito's waist in a crushing grip.

Pain exploded in Raito's body, but he fought back with precision, striking Hinata fifty times in three seconds, each blow packed with every ounce of strength he had. Hinata didn't flinch. He absorbed every hit, standing firm like a wall of steel.

On the fifth strike, Raito felt a sudden recoil, the air itself seemed to push back. Hinata twisted, spinning his blades, and slammed one directly into Raito's stomach, driving him backward. Another strike pierced his shoulder.

Raito hit the ground hard, dust and debris scattering. Pain shot through every nerve.

He hit the ground face first. Blood spilled from his mouth, pooling beneath him. The chamber smelled of iron and smoke. Hinata stood over him, motionless, eyes cold, calculating.

"You can bleed until you die," Hinata said. "Humans die from this. But you… you're not human anymore. Wait for me, I'll finish the other one first, Kira."

A system prompt blinked in front of Raito.

[Healing, 8,000 LP required.]

Raito's hand hovered over the prompt. Tap. Green light flooded his body. Flesh knit. Pain burned away. Wounds disappeared as if they'd never existed. He pushed to one knee, then rose, spine straight, eyes blazing.

Hinata paused mid step, glancing over his shoulder. "Impossible… how can you,"

Raito's Cursed Attire materialized. Shadowy purple, flowing coat trailing like liquid night, ghostly white fur lining the collar and cuffs. A buttoned tunic beneath, dark pants tucked into worn leather boots, bound by shadow wrapped belts. His gloved hands gripped dual swords crackling with ominous purple energy. The aura twisted the outfit into something almost alive, writhing with malice.

[Material: Core Essence, Forged into Cursed Attire. Passive effect: reduces LP drain from Cursed Blade.]

Hinata's grin faltered. "What… what is that?"

Raito's voice was calm. "This ends now."

Hinata's hands morphed into jagged blades, black as obsidian, each strike faster than thought. Steel screamed, sparks filled the chamber. Hinata pressed his advantage, over and over. But the armor held. The Cursed Blade drank the force of each blow, glowing faintly, feeding from Raito's vitality.

"I can regenerate!" Hinata roared. "You can only bleed!"

Raito narrowed his eyes. Footwork. Parry. Counter. Each move a calculation. A flicker of shadow. A phantom afterimage. He flowed like water. Blades met. Sparks erupted.

A single strike across Hinata's forearm, a slash that would've ended any ordinary hunter, barely slowed him. His blood shimmered as regeneration kicked in, but pain still screamed through his body. Another strike. Another. Each hit precise, brutal, unrelenting.

The system blinked:

[LP Critical, 3,200 remaining.]

Raito's breathing was ragged. Purple armor held, Cursed Blade pulsing, every nerve screaming. Hinata's eyes burned with hatred and awe.

"We'll finish this," he hissed. "I'll tear you apart."

Raito's short, humorless laugh echoed through the chamber. "Try."

Every movement crackled with energy. Every strike shook the room. Status effects, healing, passive buffs, raw combat instinct, it was all Raito now.

Raito kept striking at Hinata with his Cursed Blade, dark energy crackling violently with each swing. Hinata's hands, shaped like twin blades, met every strike with brutal force. But something was changing.

The Cursed Attire wrapped around Raito's body pulsed with a sinister glow. The shadowy purple coat fluttered unnaturally, white fur catching the flicker of mana. Every movement felt lighter, sharper. Raito's speed had doubled, maybe more.

What's going on? Hinata thought, his eyes widening. He's faster. He's stronger. That outfit, when did it appear? I was watching him, and it just… manifested.

A faint tremor of fear rippled through him.

Raito vanished from sight. Hinata barely saw the blur before pain exploded, his arm was gone, severed cleanly. He staggered back, half smiling through the shock. "Heh… you really think this will stop me? It'll regenerate,"

But it didn't.

The black mist eating away at his wound spread like acid. The severed arm dissolved into shadowy dust.

"What… what is this?! I'm not regenerating!" Hinata screamed, panic finally breaking his composure.

Raito raised his second Cursed Blade. Its purple edge howled with power. One clean strike Hinata's second arm fell. Before the S-Rank Hunter could react, Raito spun, his heel connecting with Hinata's face.

Boom!

The impact sent him crashing across the floor, shattering stone as he landed.

Raito stood above him, blades dripping with dark energy.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said coldly. "But I'll make sure you remember this. You'll live — broken. Even if you reattach your arms, or replace them with artificial ones… they'll never work again."

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