P.S= #8: Magic Drive

"WAAAAAHH! WAAAHH!"

Kiyomizu crouched down, her gentle touch wiping away the tears that streamed down the young boy's face.

"Come on, don't cry," she reassured, her voice soft but resolute. "I promise I'm going to find your mommy."

With a comforting nod, Kiyomizu motioned for the boy to hop onto her back. She carried his small frame, a promise made to someone named Cory echoing in her words.

Across the tumultuous scene, the formidable figure of Spike Ayakashi emerged.

"So, you're from that clan," he sneered, the air thickening with tension.

Suddenly, a swift THUD filled the air as Cory lunged towards Ayakashi with incredible speed.

"Tiger sword style: twin loin slash," Cory declared, his swords cutting through the air horizontally. Ayakashi managed to block the attack, but Cory, in a surprising move, faded away. In mid-air, he executed a flawless backflip, coating his swords in Sage 2 Haku. The Ayakashi, Coats his right arm in Stage 2 Haku his Haku was the color green.

ZHRANG!!!!!

The clash of their Haku produced a dazzling spectacle.

KA-BOOM!

SKERRCH!!!!

The Impact of their Haku collided An explosive shockwave reverberated, pushes them away from each other not just them it also destroys couple buildings luckily no one was there.

Amidst the aftermath, Ayakashi's malicious laughter echoed. KAKAHAHAHA "Now, this is a battle," he declared with a wicked grin.

THUMP!

The two adversaries converged once more, engaging in a dynamic dance of combat.

Cory's blades sought Ayakashi's chest, but the agile foe deftly dodged. Seizing an opening, Ayakashi struck back with a punch. Cory countered with a flurry of multidirectional strikes, severing Ayakashi's hand. However, the foe's regenerative powers swiftly began to mend the wound.

Cory grimaced, recognizing the need to escalate his attacks.

"His regeneration is fast. I guess I have to speed up my attacks," he muttered.

Focusing his energy, Cory declared, "Tiger sword style: impact strike."

The forceful blow connected, but Ayakashi scoffed at the pain.

"When will you learn that you can't beat me?" Ayakashi taunted.

Cory's mind raced, recalling a crucial lesson from his grandfather.

[Flashback]

ZKHREEEN!

Raphael's voice resonated, "SHADOW DRIVE: SHADOW WORLD!"

Cory, wide-eyed, questioned, "Wow, Grandpa, how did you do that without a sword? What type of move was that?"

Raphael chuckled, "Hahaha, no, Cory, this is something far more powerful than Stands and Haku."

Cory furrowed his brow, curiosity etched across his face.

"Huh, what is it, Grandpa?" he inquired.

Raphael, with a faint smile, responded, "This is called Magic Drive, Drive for short."

"M- Magic Drive? What does it do, and how does it work?" Cory pressed on, eager for an explanation.

Raphael, the repository of esoteric knowledge, began to enlighten him, "Every human is born with a drive, but only a few have the potential to unlock and harness its power. When it does unlock, the user employs Haku to shape it as they see fit."

Cory absorbed this revelation, mulling over the implications.

"I see. Does that mean I'm going to have a Shadow Magic Drive just like you, Grandpa?" Cory wondered aloud.

Raphael's gaze turned contemplative, a solemnity underlying his words. "No, two people can't have the same drive. The only way for you to have my drive is for me to be dead, and you don't want me dead, right?"

A somber pause hung in the air as Cory hesitated before responding, "No, I don't. But why can't two people have the same Magic Drive?"

Raphael, with a slight shake of his head, directed his gaze upward, as if seeking answers from the heavens.

"That's just how the pathway system works," he explained cryptically.

"What is the pathway system?" Cory inquired, his thirst for knowledge undeterred.

Amused, Raphael chuckled, "Hahaha, you like to ask questions, don't you, Cory?"

A sincere nod followed. "Yes," Cory admitted.

"Well, that's a question for another day," Raphael declared, casting a teasing glance toward the horizon.

"Ok," Cory acquiesced, albeit with a lingering curiosity in his eyes.

[Back to the present]

"The only way to beat you is to use my drive." said Cory

[Somewhere in the city]

The distant echoes of clashing swords reverberated through the city, a haunting reminder of a battle that Ava yearned to join. Her internal conflict wrestled with the duty she felt towards her unconscious companion, Naima, and the compelling need to aid Cory.

Ava muttered to herself, caught in the tension of her predicament. "I should be helping Cory, but instead, I'm here with her."

Naima stirred from her slumber, the slow emergence from unconsciousness evident in her dazed mumbles.

"Hmm?" Naima's eyes blinked open, taking in the surroundings with a mix of confusion and concern.

Ava, a mix of urgency and relief in her voice, greeted her, "Finally, you're awake."

"Huh, where's the Ayakashi?" Naima's eyes widened, the realization of the ongoing conflict dawning on her.

"Cory's fighting him," Ava responded, her words tinged with the weight of a lone struggle.

"Alone?" Naima's voice carried the incredulity of someone grappling with the severity of the situation.

Ava nodded solemnly. "Yes, alone."

"But he's a B class Ayakashi, not an E or D class. He can't be fighting him alone," Naima protested, her concern deepening.

Ava sighed, the mantle of being a trinity evident in her response. "You think I don't know that? I'm a Trinity,"

"We should go help him," Naima urged, the urgency in her tone mirroring the escalating conflict.

Ava agreed with a nod, her eyes reflecting the determination that now held sway. "I agree."

The battleground, a chaotic dance of swords and sorcery, set the stage for the fierce confrontation between Cory and the formidable Ayakashi.

SHING!

The metallic clash echoed as Cory retracted his second sword, the seamless transition into a dragon stance a prelude to the unfolding spectacle.

"Shadow Magic Drive, Dragon Sword Style: Hell Blade!" Cory's incantation resonated in the air, a declaration charged with the promise of unrestrained power.

"So you're using your drive again. Good, because this fight was getting boring," remarked the Spike Ayakashi with a sinister smirk.

A sly grin graced Cory's lips. "I agree."

In a calculated move, Cory tossed his sword into the air, a tactical brilliance that momentarily deceived his opponent.

"What, you want me to look up? Fine, then," responded the Ayakashi, falling victim to Cory's clever feint.

"You know, throwing your weapon is a cheap old trick," remarked the Spike Ayakashi, attempting to undermine Cory's strategy.

Undeterred, Cory retorted with confidence, "I made you look, didn't I?"

With seamless grace, Cory leaped into the air, leaving behind an ethereal trail. The sequence unfolded with precision—a swift grab at the Ayakashi's neck, a knee delivered with lightning speed to his face, a triumphant step on his chest, and a dazzling backflip culminating with Cory drawing his sword mid-air.

The weight of necessity pressed upon Cory's thoughts. "I can't keep this up. I have to use that move, even if it's incomplete."

ZKHREEEN! TOOWISH!! WISPNEEEN!!

The activation of Cory's drive transformed the haku-coated sword, its blade undergoing a mesmerizing metamorphosis in color.

"Shadow Magic Drive: Phoenix Sword Style—Ocean Wave!" Cory declared, unleashing a symphony of strikes upon the Ayakashi.

FWSH!

Abruptly, Cory materialized behind his foe.

"Nice try, kid," the Spike Ayakashi taunted.

Seizing Cory by the face, the Ayakashi hurled him to the ground, impaling him with spikes.

"AAGHH!!!" Cory's agonized cry echoed through the battlefield.

The Ayakashi reveled in the torment, his sadistic laughter punctuating the chaotic symphony. "Kakakahahakaha. I love the sound of screaming humans. Let's see what I can break first. How about your legs? Did you know if I smash your knee, you won't be able to walk?"

Gritting his teeth, Cory raised his right leg, a spike affixed to the sole of his foot, driving it into his right knee.

Crack!

The sickening sound of breaking bone filled the air.

"AGHHHH!!!" Cory's anguished cry intensified.

"Suhh, that was just one knee. Don't want you not to scream when I'm breaking the next one. Now, shall I break the next one?" The Ayakashi's sadistic laughter resonated, a haunting crescendo in the eerie symphony of chaos that enveloped the tumultuous battlefield.