Ash moved—and so did the Oni-Wraith.


    They fought as one, a seamless flow of man and specter. Ash''s blade carved arcs of silver through the maelstrom, and where his strikes fell short, the Oni-Wraith''s talons followed, warping space itself to reach their prey. It did not believe in honor. It did not recognize restraint. It struck where it pleased, and its pleasure was suffering.


    Raijin''s form flickered out of existence, reappearing above Ash in a crackling burst of violet lightning. He brought his storm-forged blade down like divine judgment. Ash barely had time to react, his own sword rising in defiance. Their clash ignited the air, sending shockwaves rippling outward, shattering the ground beneath them.


    The Oni-Wraith had no need for parries.


    It slithered beyond the rules of combat, stepping through the veil of reality like a mirage. Its massive void-forged blade materialized mid-strike, an executioner''s scythe aimed at Raijin''s exposed flank. The storm-god twisted, his lightning-wreathed gauntlet snapping up to intercept. A barrier of crackling energy formed in an instant, barely absorbing the blow before the force sent him careening backward, skidding across the battlefield in a streak of violet sparks.


    Ash exhaled sharply. The synchronization was climbing.


    Sync Rate: 85%.


    The world around him pulsed. Time stretched and folded, his vision sharpening beyond human limits. The Oni-Wraith was not just an ally—it was inside him, flooding his senses with ancient instinct, whispering the rhythms of battle before they even unfolded. It showed him paths of attack no mortal mind could comprehend, filling the gaps of his own skill with something darker, something older.


    Raijin landed in a crouch, arcs of lightning dancing across his body. His mask, ever-expressionless, regarded Ash with something new.


    Acknowledgment.


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    Then he raised his hand.


    The sky ignited.


    A dozen spears of condensed lightning coalesced above him, humming with destructive force. They hovered for an instant, each charged with annihilation, before streaking downward like judgment made manifest.


    Ash moved—not alone.


    The Oni-Wraith enveloped him, its shifting form merging with his own, reinforcing his body, guiding his limbs before thought could register. Together, they wove through the deluge of death, slipping between bolts of searing light, their combined presence warping the battlefield into a surreal dance of spectral chaos and raw elemental fury.


    One bolt came too close—too fast.


    Ash twisted mid-air, his blade flashing, but it was the Oni-Wraith that truly reacted. Its clawed arm stretched, dissolving into shadows before reforming, gripping the lightning spear itself. With a monstrous snarl, it threw the divine weapon back at its creator.


    Raijin deflected it at the last moment, but the momentary lapse was enough.


    Ash lunged.


    Their blades met in a flurry of strikes that shattered the sound barrier, shockwaves tearing apart the battlefield. Sparks rained like a meteor storm, the force of their clash splitting the air with every brutal exchange. Ash''s blade was an extension of his will, but the Oni-Wraith made it something more—something unnatural. It twisted at impossible angles, striking from directions that should have been unreachable.


    Raijin countered, his own form flickering in and out of existence, teleporting in bursts of violet lightning. He struck faster, harder, the weight of storms behind every swing.


    The Oni-Wraith howled in laughter, its form writhing in delight. It was no mere companion; it was hunger given form, delighting in the escalation, in the carnage, in the battle that could split the heavens.


    The storm intensified. Lightning turned the battlefield into a shifting deathtrap. The air itself became a conduit of destruction, electric arcs lashing out unpredictably. And still, they fought.


    The Oni-Wraith had awakened. And it had been unleashed.


    The battle had pushed the synchronization further.


    Sync Rate: 90%.


    A mere 10% remained, but even now, the Oni-Wraith''s power surged beyond comprehension. The boundary between Ash and the entity blurred, their fates entwining deeper. His body burned with spectral energy, his veins pulsing with the power of something ancient and wrathful. He could feel it—true unity.


    Raijin raised his blade, and for the first time, Ash saw it—a flicker of something beneath the god''s mask.


    Doubt.


    Ash smiled.


    The next strike would decide everything.


    And the battle raged on.