Chapter 25: Predator or Prey?

As soon as Light passed through the school gate, he was enveloped by an uncomfortable sensation, a primitive warning of danger. He cast a furtive glance at the sky, catching an elusive shadow that seemed to float beyond the clouds.

'Huh,' he muttered softly to himself, 'It must be an Ayakashi, but what's the point of watching me?'

His thoughts flowed like the water of a flowing river, analyzing the situation with strategic precision. He understood that, for the time being, the enigmatic entity was doing nothing more than watching him, probably waiting for the perfect moment to reveal itself.

Although prudence advised him to remain calm and conceal any signs of alarm, Light knew that the road home was out of the question without knowing the intention of the one watching him.

With this silent determination, he headed for the subway, boarding the next train that rumbled in anticipation of departure. The carriages moved at a monotonous pace, lulled by the metallic sound of iron against iron, while Light immersed himself in his own thoughts.

Soon, the conductor's voice echoed through the sound system, announcing the approach of the next station.

Light got up and disembarked as soon as the doors opened. Stepping onto the platform, he couldn't help the thought that ran like a cold breeze down his neck: 'He's still on my tail...'

Looking subtly at the gray sky, he perceived only the vastness of the firmament, without being able to discern any concrete form.

"If it's a winged creature, then it makes sense that it has chosen the sky as its field of observation," reflected Light, feeling a mixture of caution and curiosity.

As he advanced along the meandering trail that wound its way into the mountains, the world around him became more and more a haven of stillness and solitude.

Although he moved with the cunning of a predator, he couldn't ignore the irony of being the prey in that game of hunted and hunter.

Upon reaching a plateau surrounded by mountains, Light paused, his gaze sweeping the skies, now tinged with the blue and white hues of the clouds.

"I know you're following me, you can leave!" Light said loudly, his voice resounding with authority across the deserted valley, while his eyes remained fixed on the clouds above.

In his hand rested a card, small and seemingly harmless, but loaded with the promise of escape. It was a teleport card, a joker he would play if the stranger proved to be a threat beyond his ability to confront.

"As expected, you noticed me," hummed a voice that descended from the heights, ethereal and enveloping like the breeze that danced among the leaves. The sound was less a speech and more a melody, designed to dull the vigilance of whoever heard it.

However, Light's spirit remained unshaken. Summoning his ability, known as 'Light Ferry', a luminous white aura appeared around his body, forming a glowing shield that purified the atmosphere around him and protected him from outside influences.

The hidden presence expressed its displeasure with a disdainful hiss, a "Tsk~" that broke the silence of the mountains.

Then the entity that had followed him began to take shape in front of Light.

Light, positioned in front of the nocturnal manifestation that had followed him, gazed at the being with an appraising eye.

The creature before him was an amalgam of opposing forces: the gracefulness of a predatory bird of prey intertwined with the savagery of a demon. Its skin, a rough carpet of tiny scales, caught the moonlight and refracted it in a fickle way, creating an illusory spectacle of light and shadow.

The entity's eyes burned with a crimson glow. The majesty of its wings could not be underestimated; they were vast and imperious, embroidered with feathers that seemed to be woven from darkness itself, giving off a phosphorescent powder with each beat, whispering with an almost mystical sound.

The creature's claws, sharp and merciless, promised a lethal dexterity capable of cutting through the toughest of materials, while its serpentine tail displayed feathers that changed color in a luminescent spectacle that fluctuated from green to blue.

Immune to intimidation, Light challenged the being: "Why are you following me?" His voice was a balance of curiosity and defense, tinged with suspicion about the creature's hidden intentions.

"You are a descendant of the Amakawa Clan and possess the Light Ferry," replied the ayakashi in a voice that seemed to dance in the breeze, melodious but laden with veiled intentions.

'I knew it...' Light thought as he slipped the escape card into his trouser pocket.

"So what?" Light challenged, summoning a spectacle of his own.

Wings materialized from his back, radiant and majestic, stretching out with the promise of golden storms. A four-meter wingspan pulsed with energy, vibrating with the power of lightning and light, forged from the essence of the Golden Lightning of Judgement and the light conferred by the Pika Pika no Mi.

The creature blinked against Light's glare, its scarlet irises struggling to stay open in the presence of the dazzling light.

Rising, Light reached the same height as the entity, his eyes conveying an icy calm. "What if I'm a descendant of the Amakawa Clan, what if I'm not?" he asked, challenging it not just with his words, but with his very presence.

"You are!" The creature insisted, its voice still melodious, although the tension was evident as its eyelids fought against the blinding light. The red eyes, now almost closed, reflected a mixture of recognition and resignation: "My name is Tsubasa-Kage, know the name of the ayakashi who will kill you!"

"Oh really?"

A golden medallion appeared in Light's hand, spinning rapidly and emitting a piercing hiss before shattering into a glow that fused with his costume.

Swallowed up by a wave of intense white light, Light emerged in noble attire: a deep blue tunic with golden details, collar and shoulder pads highlighted in red, sleeves structured with adorned bracelets and a belt highlighted by the buckle of the faded medallion. His fitted pants ended in shiny boots.

Light's new figure radiated an air of authority and grandeur, transforming him from an 'ordinary student' into someone who exuded power and dignity.

Light locked his gaze on the winged figure suspended in front of him, whose dignity bordered on intimidating.

With a wry smile and eyes that shone with a cutting intensity, Light declared: "My name is Light Yagami, record it well, believe me, you'll want to know the name of the human who killed you..."

The creature's rhetoric unfolded in fury, not through words, but through a growing aura of rage. Its eyes, now a deeper red, radiated a dark foreboding that saturated the air.

In the face of the unleashed fury, Light remained unperturbed. His hands clapped with a loud, precise sound, and from this action, a cable of light was created in his right hand. With a fluid gesture, he pulled from his left palm a sword of golden light, the guard of which was adorned with a glowing X pattern, and the blade emerged from the center of the X.

[Hum!]

The moment the sword of light was fully revealed, Light didn't hesitate. He launched himself to meet Tsubasa-Kage's ferocious attack, which came at him with claws ready to tear him apart.

When Light signaled a vertical slash, his wings beat hard at the same time to pull him back.

"BENG!!!"

The impact resounded powerfully; the clash between sword and claws produced a resounding sound, a symphony of colliding forces that sent shockwaves through the environment, deflecting the wind and causing the surrounding trees to shake violently, raising a curtain of dust.

"Kiiiiiiii!!!"

Emitting a high-pitched sound, Tsubasa-Kage lunged backwards, then curved into an attack position with his claws and advanced towards Light.

Light reacted quickly, making his wings glide and attacking towards the sharp claws while holding the handle of the sword with both hands, slashing vertically, horizontally, etc., trying to find any possible gap.

"Bang!!"

"Bang!!"

"Bang!!!"

Consecutive sounds of the clash between the sword of light and the sharp claws rang out. Light took his distance on the tenth clash and exclaimed in a deep tone as he slashed horizontally through the air with his sword: "Getsuga... Tenshou!!!"

"Whoosh!!!"

The sharp whistle of the crescent-shaped blade slicing through the air echoed as it headed at high speed towards Tsubasa-Kage.

"Humph!" Snorting, Tsubasa-Kage leaned his long neck forward and opened his bird mouth wide. Fire and wind were created in an intertwined fashion, one propelling the other, creating a powerful attack that went in the direction of Light's attack.

The two attacks traveled through the sky in an imminent confrontation.

"BOOOOM!"

A storm was produced by the shockwaves, which even forced Light to take his distance like a sailboat in a storm of strong winds.

Light had to admit that this Ayakashi was very powerful, to the point where his attack was neutralized.

Tsubasa-Kage was in no better condition than Light, being thrown a distance until his huge body crashed into a mountain. Until then, he shouldn't have thought that Light would be this strong.

"Booom!"

Light, who had regained his balance with his wings spread wide, then retracted his wings so that he wouldn't be thrown further by the shockwave that hadn't finished yet.

Seconds later, Light observed the trees that were now on fire.

The flames created by Tsubasa-Kage's attack were spreading very quickly.

If it continued like this, things could escalate to a point of no return, with a large part of the mountainous forest being burnt down.

Seeing this, Light felt he couldn't let it happen. He took advantage of the moment when Tsubasa-Kage was still on the ground and used his 'Light Ferry' power.

From Light's hands came a light similar to the white vapor of fire extinguishers.

Soon, the forest that had been surrounded by flames and now by the power of Light's light, looked like a misty swamp.

However, this didn't continue for long.

Drawing the light back to himself, Light realized that he hadn't been able to recover much of the energy he had used to put out the forest fire, even though he was drawing the pure light back into his body.

Meanwhile, a good number of the trees around there had met a tragic end.

Even the ground that was revealed when the flames were extinguished was now somewhat charred.

However, that wasn't Light's biggest problem at the moment, he had more to worry about...

'I won't be able to keep fighting for long; I need to finish this now...' Light thought, feeling a growing urgency.

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