CHAPTER 10: Fierce Fangs

  —"Alright, rookies! Don't stop!" Mugen shouted, arms crossed and brow furrowed as usual.

  Two weeks had passed since Nao's arrival. At first, after coming to the temple, she felt out of place, reacting with skepticism to the idea of being an "exorcist" and questioning why Yumi—whom she called "the runt in the giant jacket"—was so powerful in dreams but an "ice cube" in reality. However, her aggressive attitude and her "will that bites" soon found their place in the training.

  In the temple courtyard, Nao moved with a speed that Haru no longer just watched; he managed to anticipate it. —"Come on, 'kiddo'!" she yelled at him, throwing a slash into the air with the palm of her hand. —"If you don't move, I'm going to leave marks that not even Master Ren will be able to remove with his blessed jars!"

  Haru dodged the movement with a fluid pirouette, landing firmly on the wood. He was no longer panting out of pure panic; now his breathing was rhythmic, controlled.

  —"You'll have to be faster than that, Nao," Haru replied with a defiant smile.

  —"Your spirit is still soft, but at least you don't look like a soaked noodle anymore!" Mugen insulted from the porch, though deep down he was satisfied to see that Haru no longer closed his eyes when receiving a blow. —"Look at the new girl, she isn't afraid of her own teeth! Learn from that ferocity!"

  —"But!" Mugen whispered with one of those smiles that put everyone on guard. —"Today we will do something special!" he shouted, stopping them both.

  Mugen walked down the temple steps, and although in reality there were no flames or giant axes, his mere physical presence imposed a weight that made the air feel dense. His muscles were tense, the result of years of extreme physical discipline.

  —"Nao, you've been barking a lot about how strong Yumi is. Haru, you already feel comfortable with the basic training." Mugen positioned himself in the center of the courtyard in an impeccable combat stance.

  Then Kumiho and Yumi stood beside Mugen—Kumiho with his serious face and Yumi with total indifference.

  —"Tonight, you will fight the two of them as a team!" Mugen's smile widened even further.

  —So, I finally get to face them, —Haru thought with a challenging smile.

  —"What!? Me with the crybaby!? No way!" Nao hissed, showing her teeth while looking away.

  —"And I have no interest in carrying a savage who doesn't know how to follow orders!" Haru replied, surprising everyone with his firm tone.

  Nao turned quickly, her golden eyes shining with a spark of fury and curiosity. She didn't expect the "kiddo" to have the guts to talk back to her like that.

  —"Ha! At least you have a tongue, noodle," Nao said, getting into a fighting stance in front of the two veterans. —"Fine, but if they defeat us, it will be because your 'little lights' didn't shine bright enough."

  —"Ha!" Mugen let out a dry laugh. —"Fine, you have the rest of the day to prepare," Mugen said, withdrawing along with Yumi and Kumiho.

  Nao clenched her fist, and her smile grew, more enthusiastic than ever. —"We'll win," she whispered.

  —"We'll win," Nao whispered again, with an intensity that seemed to make the air vibrate around her.

  Haru nodded, though inside his nerves were racing. He knew that in reality they didn't have the advantage of spiritual weapons; there would be no green shields or silver fangs to protect them. It would be a clash of pure endurance, technique, and above all, how capable they were of acting as one.

  They spent the rest of the afternoon in a secluded corner of the courtyard. Nao, true to her impulsive style, wanted to draw up a plan based on total offense.

  —"Listen, noodle," she said, tracing invisible lines on the ground with her finger. —"Yumi is fast; he moves as if he knows where you're going to be before you do. But Kumiho is the real problem. He's like a stone wall that analyzes your vital points. If you distract the 'machine,' I'll take care of taking down the 'ice cube.'"

  Haru shook his head, recalling the precision of Kumiho's shots and his skill with the sanchaku.

  —"It won't work like that," Haru said, crossing his arms with a seriousness Nao hadn't seen in him. —"Kumiho doesn't let himself be distracted; he reads the rhythm of the fight. If you try to lung alone at Yumi, Kumiho will intercept you before you take your second step. Remember, he always covers the others' backs."

  Nao clicked her tongue, annoyed because the "noodle" was right. She had seen Kumiho on missions; his coldness wasn't just a lack of emotion—it was constant tactical analysis.

  —"Then what do you suggest, genius?" Nao snapped, though her eyes showed she was actually listening.

  —"In the real world we don't have our weapons, but we have the weight of our bodies," Haru explained, remembering how Mugen used to throw him through the air. —"Yumi is light and dodges by instinct. If I manage to close off his escape angle using my physical strength, you have to go in with everything. Don't look for a clean hit; look to bring him down. If one falls, the other will lose their team balance."

  Nao looked him up and down and let out a laugh that showed her fangs. —"For a crybaby, you have a hunting instinct. Fine, I'll be the strength and you be the wall. But you better not blink, because Kumiho hits where it hurts most."

  The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind of coordinated movements. Haru and Nao practiced silent signals and weight shifts. They no longer felt like two strangers forced to coexist, but like two pieces starting to fit together.

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  As night fell, the temple courtyard felt different. The stone lanterns were lit, and Master Ren watched from the porch, eating an apple with total tranquility.

  —"Alright, let's go!" Ren shouted, moving out.

  —"Go? Go where, Master?" Haru asked in surprise.

  —"Eh? Isn't it obvious? To the dream world, or rather, into a dream," Ren replied calmly.

  —"What?... WHAT!?" Haru and Nao shouted at the same time.

  —"Wah-hah-hah-hah! What great lungs you have!" Ren laughed, taking a bite of his apple as he walked toward the center of the courtyard.

  —"But Master!" Haru exclaimed, waving his hands nervously. —"Mugen said we would train in reality! He said this is where the mind is forged!"

  —"And he's right," Mugen intervened, appearing behind them with a blessed wooden dummy. —"In reality, you forge the body, but to fight as a team against Yumi and Kumiho, you need to see how your wills clash. If you fight here, you'll end up with broken bones before the sand falls. In the dream, you can go all out. Besides, the Master is coming too."

  —"That's why I asked a temple assistant if I could sleep here; we'll use her dream as the stage," Ren said, walking in front of the room where the girl was sleeping.

  Ren raised a hand. —"Dream, open before me," he whispered.

  At that moment, a door began to materialize, but its color was yellow with butterflies.

  —"Yellow?" Nao and Haru asked, confused.

  —"This isn't a Gate to a nightmare, children; it's the gate to a happy dream," Ren replied with a more serious voice.

  —"But don't get overconfident," Ren continued, his silhouette outlined by the soft golden glow emanating from the door. —"Even if the setting is peaceful, the training will be ruthless. In a happy dream, energy flows constantly; there is no corrosive static of a nightmare to weaken you, which means Yumi and Kumiho will be able to use their abilities to the fullest without restrictions."

  Nao clenched her fists, and for the first time all afternoon, her smile wasn't one of mockery. A silver glint, almost imperceptible in the real world, crossed her golden pupils. —"So, I can finally use my fangs against the ice cube without fear of breaking the courtyard..." —she whispered with savage anticipation.

  —"Exactly," Ren nodded, gesturing for them to move forward.

  Then everyone entered. On the other side was a fighting arena, and it was the girl who was fighting with a teddy bear.

  —"Oh! It seems she did dream what I told her," Ren blurted out, looking at the place. —"Wah-hah-hah! A little reverse psychology never fails!" Ren laughed, observing the giant toy coliseum that stretched before them.

  The floor was made of a soft but firm fabric, like a play mat, and the stands were filled with stuffed animals cheering in absolute silence. In the center, the temple assistant—in a child version of herself—was throwing a teddy bear into the air, which fell with the heaviness of an anvil.

  —"Listen well," Mugen said, standing beside Ren. In this world, his red force didn't burn, but it shone with a metallic intensity. —"I will be the judge of the battle. Everything goes, except death," Mugen said with a smirk.

  Kumiho and Yumi stepped forward toward the center of the arena. As they walked, the little girl turned to look at them.

  —"Are you coming to play?" the girl asked innocently.

  —"Runa! Come here, the boys are going to play!" Ren shouted to the girl.

  —"Master Ren!" The girl's eyes lit up wide, and she ran toward him.

  Haru and Nao began to walk toward Kumiho and Yumi.

  —"Ready? START!" Mugen shouted, dropping his arm.

  Kumiho's sanchaku and revolver materialized, along with Yumi's shield. Haru had materialized his sword.

  —Come on, partner, —Haru thought, tossing the small wooden horse, which sprang to life.

  —"Alright! It's time to bite!" Nao shouted.

  She raised her arms in an X; two bracelets began to materialize on her wrists, and her spiritual force became visible in shades of green and purple. Upon clenching her fists, her bracelets expelled a stream of ink, which turned into curved blades with a strange shape—they looked like shark teeth.

  Nao's blades vibrated, emitting a metallic and savage sound that fit her gaze perfectly. Haru, mounted on his wooden horse—which now galloped with renewed spiritual strength—adjusted his grip on his sword. In this plush world, their wills felt more tangible than ever.

  —"Take cover!" Haru roared.

  Kumiho was the first to advance along with Nao, but as they faced each other, they kept going their separate ways.

  —"What are you doing??" Haru asked, seeing Nao ignore Kumiho and head straight for Yumi.

  —"You handle him; I'll deal with this runt!" Nao shouted, running toward Yumi, who didn't move an inch.

  Yumi remained impassive, his blue eyes fixed on the purple and green trail Nao left as she ran. Just as she launched her first downward slash with her "shark tooth" blades, Yumi raised his shield. The roar of metal clashing against the solid energy of the shield resonated throughout the plush coliseum, kicking up clouds of cotton and colored dust.

  —"I told you I was going to bite you!" Nao shouted, unleashing a flurry of frenzied attacks. Even though her strikes were strong and intense, Yumi didn't move a single centimeter.

  Haru dismounted from his horse and began to face Kumiho, who attacked him with surgical precision using his sanchaku. Haru managed to avoid the blows, with some luck. Haru's horse turned and kicked Kumiho.

  —Why didn't he shoot? —Haru thought before counterattacking Kumiho with a massive, energy-infused thrust.

  Kumiho used his sanchaku to block the attack, but his body was sent flying back by the force. Kumiho landed on his feet several meters away, sliding his boots across the plush floor. There was no trace of pain on his face, only an analytical observation.

  —"I see," Kumiho said, adjusting his grip on his sanchaku. —"Your will is no longer just defensive. You are projecting your 'partner's' weight into your own attacks."

  Haru was panting slightly, but he didn't lower his guard. —"I had a good master," he exclaimed, while the wooden horse neighed beside him, kicking the air with hooves of green energy.

  On the other side of the arena, the situation was different. Nao was a whirlwind of silver, green, and purple fury. Her shark-tooth blades struck rhythmically against Yumi's blue shield. Each impact released ink sparks that dissolved in the air, but Yumi's shield seemed like an extension of reality itself: immovable.

  —"What's the matter, little guy? Not so tough anymore?" Nao said confidently.

  Yumi raised his shield, forcing Nao's arms open; she thought Yumi was going to hit her with the shield. But it didn't happen. Yumi left the shield embedded in the ground to the side. His posture didn't change: arms down, indifferent as always.

  —"Are you mocking m—" Nao tried to scream.

  A blow to Nao’s stomach sent her flying until she crashed into a wall right next to Ren.

  —"One down," Ren said ironically.

  Nao collapsed against the plush wall, letting out a groan of pain as the air left her lungs. Yumi’s strike had been so fast.

  —"NAO!" Haru shouted, losing his concentration for an instant.

  That second was all Kumiho needed. Without a word, the veteran spun his sanchaku with renewed speed. The chain stretched out like a snake and wrapped around the back legs of the wooden horse still galloping near Haru. With a sharp, precise jerk, Kumiho dismantled the mount's energy, turning the small horse back into a simple toy that rolled across the fabric.

  —"Your mistake, Haru," Kumiho said, aiming his revolver at the boy's head as he tried to stand up, "is believing that combat is divided into individual duels. We are a team."

  Beside Kumiho, Yumi’s figure appeared, delivering a blow to Haru’s stomach as well, sending him crashing next to Nao. Both were unconscious.

  —"Two down," Ren commented ironically, eyes closed with an awkward smile.

  The next morning, both of them were doing push-ups, very slowly and painfully.

  —"You made me look like a clown, rookies!" Mugen shouted, furious.

  Nao and Haru were holding their breath, trying not to pass out from the pain of the previous day.

  —"What do you think, Kumiho?" Mugen asked Kumiho, who was leaning against one of the temple’s pillars.

  —"Their efficiency is... good," Kumiho answered calmly.

  Kumiho’s words lit up Haru’s eyes; those words told him something—that he was already making progress, even if only a little. —He said it was good... I'm actually getting somewhere.