Bang!
Satori struck Stone again. Stone had lost count of how many times he had been hit. Even with his body covered in steel, taking blow after blow was more than he could bear.
The impact churned his insides. Stone staggered back several steps, and just as Satori moved to attack again, a dark figure shot out from behind him. "Gale Slash!"
Before the words had faded, Kuro's left Cat Claws flashed across Satori's body. Satori had no time to dodge. A cold glint cut through the air, and blood sprayed from his chest.
Furious, Satori raised his Impact Dial at Kuro. But Kuro had already landed his strike and had no intention of staying to fight. He leaped away.
Satori gave chase. Stone had only just regained his footing when Kuro ducked behind him again. Unable to stop, Satori slammed his palm into Stone once more.
Stone went flying. At the same instant, a flash of steel sent one of Satori's gloves spinning into the sky.
As soon as Stone hit the ground, several cloud balls drifted toward Kuro. Kuro darted aside, weaving left and right with the footwork of Shakushi to slip between them.
Once clear, Kuro stood atop a tree and looked down at Satori with a smile. "So a God's Priest can be a liar too. What were you hiding in that glove? An Impact Dial?"
"Huh?"
Caught out, Satori flushed bright red. He stammered, unable to find an answer. The commanding air he had worn moments ago vanished.
"Stone, can you hold on? I need your strength," Kuro called, dropping from the tree.
Stone looked aggrieved. "I'm the one who's been taking every hit from that Impact Dial! Don't you have any sympathy? I'm your crewmate. You could at least show a little concern."
But