BAKU • CLASH

**The Lone Lion** 

*Subchapter 8.1: Hunger for Destruction* 

The air was heavy and dense around Renjir. He could feel the dark energy accumulating in the atmosphere, as if the world itself was on the brink of collapse. Kashimo, with his predatory smile, remained unfazed, observing Renjir's every move with eyes that gleamed like sharp blades. The tense atmosphere seemed to stifle any hope of victory, but Renjir knew he couldn't back down. 

Igneflare, standing beside him, held a firm posture, its flames crackling with intensity—a warning that its strength was far from exhausted. However, Kashimo's Steelion was a monumental presence. Its heavy paws left deep marks in the ground, and the electricity radiating from its body crackled in the air, ready to be unleashed in a deadly strike. 

"You think you can stop me with those embers?" Kashimo mocked, crossing his arms. "Steelion's power knows no bounds. It will destroy anything in its path. I unleashed it for one mission: to consume everything. And believe me, Renjir, you're not off the list." 

A chill ran down Renjir's spine. It wasn't just Kashimo's power or his Steelion that concerned him. Something was deeply wrong with Kashimo. His hunger for destruction didn't seem natural. It was as if he were driven by a dark force that fed on devastation itself. 

"You talk as if you've already won," Renjir responded, trying to maintain his composure. "But we're still standing. And as long as we are, you'll never get what you want." 

Kashimo tilted his head slightly, his smile widening. 

"I already have. Don't you see, Renjir? It's not victory I seek. It's chaos. It's destruction." He opened his arms, as if embracing the environment around him. "I am the hunger for destruction, and it will never be satisfied!" 

Before Renjir could react, Kashimo snapped his fingers again. The ground beneath Renjir's feet trembled violently, as if the earth itself was about to split apart. Steelion charged forward, roaring with a fury that shook the skies. Lightning tore through the air, striking the surrounding trees and reducing them to ash. It was as if the world itself was at the mercy of the colossal bakuster's power. 

"Igneflare, Infernal Shield!" Renjir shouted, and his bakuster responded instantly, raising a barrier of dark flames. 

Steelion's attack collided with Igneflare's defense, creating an explosion of electricity and fire that illuminated the battlefield. 

Renjir was thrown back by the shockwave, feeling the heat of the flames mixed with the static of the lightning. For a moment, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears and the distant sound of his own breathing. 

"Renjir!" Minoru's voice, until now distant from the line of attack, echoed through the clearing. He ran to his friend, helping him to his feet. "We can't keep this up. Steelion is too powerful!" 

"I know..." Renjir gasped, wiping sweat from his brow. "But we can't give up. Not yet. Igneflare still has strength, and I... I have something left to show as well." 

Kashimo, watching the scene, laughed mockingly. 

"Pathetic. You really think you can beat me with those tricks?" He shook his head. "All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. Destruction will come, whether you want it or not." 

Renjir looked directly into Kashimo's eyes. He saw something beyond mere arrogance. There was a deep anger, a hidden pain that drove him. But more than that, there was an insatiable hunger. A hunger for destruction that seemed older and more powerful than anything Renjir had ever faced. 

"This isn't just about us, is it?" Renjir murmured, more to himself than to Kashimo. "There's something more... something you're hiding." 

Kashimo frowned, his smile fading for a moment. But before he could respond, Steelion roared again, impatient to continue the battle. 

"Enough words!" Kashimo shouted, his voice filled with fury. "Steelion, destroy everything with Disintegrating Thunder!" 

The ground erupted in light as Steelion unleashed all its accumulated energy. Lightning ripped through the sky, descending in spirals of pure destruction. Renjir knew this was his last chance. 

"Igneflare, Final Conflagration!" 

Igneflare, with a deafening roar, unleashed a torrent of flames that engulfed the battlefield. The flames clashed with the lightning, and the shock of the energies created an explosion so powerful it made the ground tremble. The sound was deafening, and the blinding light swallowed everything around. 

For an instant, the world seemed to stop. 

When the dust finally settled, Renjir stood, exhausted but determined. Igneflare was by his side, its flames still flickering, though weaker. On the other side, Kashimo watched, his wicked grin gone. Steelion was still standing, but even its majestic elemental lion figure looked shaken. 

"This... isn't over," Kashimo muttered, though his voice no longer carried the same confidence as before. 

Renjir smiled, despite his exhaustion. 

"No, Kashimo. It's not over yet. But let's see who falls first." 

--- 

**Subchapter 8.2: My Past Life's Shadow** 

The silence that followed the intense clash was profound. The clearing, now devastated by the impact of the attacks, resembled a wasteland. The once-thriving vegetation had been reduced to ash and craters, indelible marks of the fierce battle between Renjir and Kashimo. Igneflare's embers still glowed faintly, and Steelion's fierce gaze showed it was far from giving up. But despite everything, the fight seemed to have reached a stalemate. 

Kashimo breathed heavily, his usual smug smile erased, replaced by a somber expression. Renjir's eyes remained fixed on him, but there was something different in his opponent's gaze now—a weight deeply rooted within Kashimo. The warrior, known for his brutality and insatiable hunger for destruction, seemed, for a moment... broken. 

Renjir, still trying to catch his breath, took a step forward, his muscles protesting. 

"Why, Kashimo?" Renjir asked, his voice low but firm. "What drives you to fight like this? This desire to destroy everything around you... It's not just ambition or power. There's something more. Something you're trying to bury." 

For a moment, Kashimo didn't respond. He just stared at Renjir with a vacant look, as if gazing at something beyond him. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes, his posture relaxing slightly. 

"You want to know why?" Kashimo murmured, his voice barely audible. "Why someone like me gives in to chaos? Why I seek destruction instead of power?"