Chat group, become my wings!

"Again!"

Kevin Cross felt his fighting spirit surge. He had already sparred with Esdeath's replica numerous times.

From being instantly defeated in the first round due to a lack of preparation, to progressing through purely defensive battles, Kevin had now reached the point where he could go toe-to-toe with her replica. While his defense still outweighed his offense, he had begun launching calculated attacks.

This also meant that his combat experience had significantly improved even if most of it was centered around dealing with Esdeath. Regardless, his overall fighting ability had grown immensely.

Just as Kevin was about to begin another round, someone tagged him in the chat.

"@Group Leader, come to the virtual battle arena. Let's have a match."

It was Esdeath.

The moment she discovered the chat group had added new features after the upgrade especially the Virtual Battle Arena she was thrilled. Combat was her favorite thing, after all.

Originally, Esdeath had intended to challenge Kevin right away. After all, he was the group leader, and by joining the group, she had technically joined his harem. That alone put her on edge.

Esdeath had no interest in weak men. And now she was expected to share one with other women? That was practically a personal insult.

So she had to fight him. If Kevin defeated her, then fine he would have earned her submission, and she would accept her place as one of his women. But if he lost? Then he shouldn't even dream of touching her. In fact, if the group weren't already bound to him, she might have tried to take it from him herself.

Of course, Esdeath was well aware that Kevin would one day surpass her. That was inevitable. He had the chat group, after all. But that was the future. In the present, she would continue to grow stronger herself. When the time came, maybe she wouldn't lose by much.

That was why the moment she saw the new battle arena feature, she wanted to fight Kevin immediately. The fact that it was virtual meant no real harm would come to anyone, so she could go all out.

But before she could make her challenge, Izumi Uchiha stepped in first issuing a formal challenge to Esdeath.

Naturally, Esdeath didn't refuse.

If Izumi hadn't challenged her, Esdeath would've done it herself after finishing her fight with Kevin.

The two women were formidable in their own ways. Esdeath wielded the power of the Teigu Demon's Manifestation: Essence of the Demon, and her strength stood at the very summit of her world. Izumi, while not yet at her world's peak, possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and abilities far beyond ordinary ninja.

As soon as the battle began, the rest of the group eagerly tuned in to watch.

What followed was a jaw-dropping clash between two superhuman titans.

Esdeath's mastery over her Teigu was absolute. It had become more than a weapon it was an extension of herself. Her manipulation of ice was fluid, effortless, and terrifyingly precise.

Izumi was equally fearsome. Her ninjutsu was elite, her taijutsu sharp and controlled, and her speed and technique matched Esdeath blow for blow. When she activated her Susanoo, she transformed into a towering warrior, engaging Esdeath in a ferocious exchange.

The fight was earth-shaking in scope, but things took a dramatic turn when Izumi activated Tsukuyomi, pulling Esdeath into her illusion world.

Within the Moonlit World, Esdeath found herself bound to a cross, the surroundings bathed in black and white.

Izumi stood before her, calm and composed.

"You've lost. In this space, everything is under my control. And here, you'll remain for three days and three nights, enduring this pain again and again..."

A smug edge colored Izumi's voice. So what if Esdeath could freeze time? So what if her Teigu was powerful? In the end, none of that mattered against the Eternal Mangekyō.

The suffering Esdeath experienced wasn't physical it was far worse. Mental torment. In this illusion world, Izumi's blade pierced her over and over again, leaving no visible wound, but causing agonizing spiritual pain.

"Give up, Esdeath."

"Give up? You think I would give up?" Esdeath's face twisted in pain, but her voice suddenly steadied.

"You really think you can resist this? Or that you can endure three days of this torment? Don't forget, you're someone who enjoys hearing others scream under torture..." Izumi sneered.

"You think I'll surrender?!"

With a roar, Esdeath's energy flared. From within her, a tremendous force erupted. A pale blue glint shimmered in the monochrome world of Tsukuyomi.

"Not even the madness of Demon's Manifestation could shatter my mind. Do you think a bit of pain is enough to break me? I am Esdeath!"

Frost began spreading across her body, forming a shell of ice that pulsed with power. The blue of her will began to infect the black-and-white illusion world.

Izumi's eyes widened. She hadn't expected this. Esdeath wasn't just enduring the illusion she was actively pushing back, her willpower strong enough to manifest her Teigu within the Tsukuyomi space.

Izumi gritted her teeth, intensifying her ocular power to hold the illusion together.

The black-and-white Tsukuyomi realm clashed with Esdeath's spreading frost. The illusion space began to destabilize.

Both of their faces twisted with strain. Neither woman would yield. Neither would admit defeat.

Then-

Crack!

The Tsukuyomi space shattered.

Izumi's vision darkened, her mind recoiling violently as the illusion collapsed. The feedback from the destruction of her own technique struck her hard, sending shockwaves through her consciousness.

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