Hngh!
Ryu Ishigori raised a hand to block Yuta Okkotsu's blade. At the same time, the pompadour atop his head fired at full power, violently blasting Rika away.
The cursed-energy-laden blade nearly severed half of Ryu Ishigori's wrist. The instant pain struck, he aimed his pompadour at Yuta.
A brilliant blue blast erupted. Yuta immediately released his longsword and ducked beneath it. As he dropped low, Rika's heavy fist smashed into Ryu Ishigori's body.
Ugh!
The blow sent Ryu Ishigori flying backward. Yuta, held in Rika's hand, immediately clapped.
Clap!
Ryu Ishigori, who had been flying through the air, was instantly swapped into Rika's grasp. She squeezed hard, slammed him into the ground, and hurled him toward the building across the street like a curling stone.
Boom—
As the explosion rang out, Yuta's body descended from midair—Ryu Ishigori immediately fired several blue cursed-energy blasts, but Yuta cut every one of them apart with his sword.
Once he realized short-range, low-charge attacks were useless, Ryu Ishigori immediately changed tactics.
"Yuta Okkotsu!!!"
Yuta said nothing. Watching Ryu Ishigori shout, he felt an inexplicable flicker of irritation.
Bang! Bang!
Ryu Ishigori lunged forward, swinging his left arm at Yuta. Yuta raised an arm to block, swiftly shifting his feet to close in on Ryu Ishigori before driving an Iron Mountain Lean into his chest.
So hard?!
Even after taking the Iron Mountain Lean head-on, Ryu Ishigori only staggered back a few steps, though obvious pain showed on his face—effective, but not effective enough.
Seeing that the Iron Mountain Lean had not done much, Yuta flicked his hair. The blade formed from his hair swept across Ryu Ishigori's chest, buying him time to retreat. Ryu Ishigori's punch struck the tip of Yuta's hair, and the blade-like long ponytail immediately lost its cohesion.
"...This is..."