The storm had not yet settled when Ash sensed them—silent figures lurking beyond the veils of lightning. The air still crackled with the raw charge of his battle against the Thunderbeast, the earth scarred from its fury. Ash''s breath came slow, controlled, though fatigue gnawed at his muscles. The fight had drained him.


    But the hunt was not over.


    Raijū''s Dance - Stalk


    A sharp whistle cut through the howling winds.


    Ash shifted instinctively—just as a bolt of compressed plasma tore through the mist. The shot skimmed past his shoulder, searing through the darkness. Another followed. Then another. He twisted mid-step, each movement a calculated evasion, the projectiles slicing the air within inches of his body.


    Then they emerged.


    The Raijū Hunters moved as one—figures clad in storm-colored armor, weapons humming with deadly energy. Six in total, fanning into a loose formation, their movements precise. Coordinated.


    Ash tightened his grip on his blade. They weren''t attacking blindly.


    They were testing him.


    One lunged first—too fast for the human eye. Ash barely managed to parry, their blades clashing in a burst of sparks. He countered with Kage Nu Jutsu—Fourth veil, dissolving into shadow just as two more struck from his flanks. Their weapons sliced through mist where he had stood a moment before.


    He reappeared behind them, his blade flashing in a ruthless arc. One hunter reacted in time, blocking, but the other staggered as Ash''s strike carved through their side. Not a fatal blow. Not yet.


    They wouldn''t fall that easily.


    Thunder''s Cage - Cornering the prey


    A static charge rippled through the air as the hunters adjusted. They adapted swiftly—fanning out, their movements synchronized. A siege strategy.


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    Rin''s voice flickered in his earpiece. "They''re assessing your stamina. Prolonging the fight until you wear down."


    Ash exhaled. He could feel the exhaustion creeping in, the remnants of the Thunderbeast''s battle weighing on his limbs. If they dragged this out, they would win.


    Then I won''t let them.


    He surged forward, disrupting their pattern. A sharp feint drew one off balance—Ash capitalized instantly, driving his blade into their midsection. The impact sent them crashing backward, their armor sparking from the force.


    Another hunter struck from the right. Ash caught the motion, pivoting just in time to deflect the blow. He spun low, slashing at their legs. Metal screeched, and a second fell.


    Lightning split the sky, illuminating the battlefield in stark, violent light. Three remained. Their stances shifted.


    The hunt was entering its final phase.


    The Storm''s Reckoning - Attack


    The remaining hunters no longer held back. Their aura crackled, energy coiling around them like living currents. The storm itself seemed to answer their call, arcs of lightning forming into tangible spears.


    Ash braced himself. He had seen this technique before. Raijū Surge. A synchronized strike designed to eliminate any target in a single, overwhelming assault.


    They hurled the spears—three simultaneous attacks, each precise, each lethal.


    But Ash was ready.


    He drew upon the depths of his power—the fragment of the Oni-Wraith''s essence that had begun to acknowledge him. Shadows thickened around his frame, his movements blurring with unnatural speed. He weaved between the lightning strikes, the energy searing past him as he closed the distance.


    Then he struck.


    A flash of steel. A burst of shadow.


    The first hunter barely had time to react before Ash''s blade carved through their defenses. They crumpled, their weapon clattering to the storm-swept ground.


    The second lunged—Ash twisted, using their momentum against them. A precise counter, a brutal strike. They collapsed, their energy flickering out.


    The final hunter hesitated. Just for a second.


    Ash seized the opening. A single, decisive blow ended it.


    Silence fell over the battlefield.


    One by one, the Raijū Hunters lay motionless, their weapons still humming faintly before dimming to nothing. The storm above began to wane, its fury spent.


    Ash exhaled. His body ached, his breath ragged. The battle was won—but he knew it was only the beginning.


    The Void—Oni-Wraith


    Deep within the abyss, something stirred.


    The echoes of battle rippled through the void, and the Oni-Wraith observed. The chains that bound its power trembled, loosening ever so slightly.


    Partial synchronization increased: 70% → 78%.


    It watched him. It waited.


    The Shogun had survived the hunt.


    But the true storm was yet to come.