Gamer, fixing the fates of fictional characters

As soon as they lunged, Kaitou reacted instinctively. His body moved on its own, muscle memory and battle experience taking over. He sidestepped the armored figure's crushing downward swing, the blade carving deep into the molten ground where he had just stood. At the same time, he raised his own sword to intercept the robed one's lightning-fast thrust. Their blades met with a sharp clang, sparks flying from the impact. 

The pressure behind the strike was significant, but Kaitou held firm. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he deflected the robed figure's blade to the side and retaliated with a counter-slash. The spirit barely managed to lean away, the edge of Kaitou's sword grazing the fabric of his ember-colored robes. 

The armored one wasted no time, ripping his massive blade free from the ground and swinging in a wide arc. Kaitou ducked, feeling the heat of the air displaced by the attack pass over him. Using the momentum, he kicked off the ground and surged forward, closing the gap between them in an instant. His blade flashed, aiming straight for the armored one's exposed midsection. 

CLANG! 

At the last second, the spirit raised his weapon, blocking the attack with sheer brute force. The impact sent a deep tremor through the battlefield, molten cracks spiderwebbing beneath them. Kaitou gritted his teeth, pushing against the resistance. 

The robed one appeared behind him in an instant. "Not bad!" he laughed, stabbing toward Kaitou's blind spot. 

Kaitou twisted, angling his blade just enough to deflect the incoming strike while maintaining pressure on the armored one. He spun into a low sweeping slash, forcing both spirits to step back or risk getting cut. He followed up immediately, not giving them a chance to recover. 

His blade became a blur as he attacked, pressing forward with relentless precision. He struck high, feinted low, shifted his grip mid-motion to chain unpredictable combos. His movements were smooth, calculated, yet utterly aggressive. 

And for the first time, the two spirits were on the defensive. 

The armored one blocked a crushing downward strike but was forced back a step. The robed one tried to parry a rapid flurry of slashes but couldn't find an opening to counter. 

Kaitou smirked. 'I can do this.'

He pivoted and lashed out with a powerful strike aimed straight for the armored one's shoulder - only for his sword to suddenly meet nothing but air. 

The spirit had disengaged. 

The sudden absence of resistance threw off Kaitou's momentum for half a second - just enough for the robed one to step in. 

A blindingly fast thrust shot forward, forcing Kaitou to twist and narrowly dodge. But the moment he moved, the armored one returned, his massive blade crashing down like a meteor. 

Kaitou raised his sword in defense. BOOM! The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet carving trenches into the scorched ground. He steadied himself quickly, eyes darting between both spirits as they now stood side by side once more. 

The robed one let out a low whistle. "Alright, alright. You're better than I expected." 

The armored one nodded, his burning gaze filled with approval. "You fight with precision and instinct. You do not hesitate, nor do you waste movement." He planted his massive blade into the ground, resting his gauntleted hands on the hilt. "That is why it's time we stop holding back." 

Kaitou tensed, gripping his sword tighter. He had felt it - throughout the fight, they had been testing him, gauging his skill level. But now… now they were about to get serious. 

The armored one lifted his sword once more. "I will show you Reversal of Weight." 

The robed one grinned. "And I'll demonstrate Divergence Strikes." 

Without another word, they moved. 

This time, Kaitou felt the difference. 

The armored one's attack came first, a straightforward, crushing downward strike. Kaitou prepared to counter, but- something was off. His instincts screamed at him. The blade should have been heavy, but instead, it moved faster than before, as if it weighed nothing at all. 

Kaitou barely managed to twist out of the way, but before he could react- BOOM! The impact behind him shattered the ground, molten rock exploding upward. 

His eyes widened. 'What the hell?' 

That attack had been delayed. The strike had already landed, but the force had been held back for a brief second before suddenly releasing. 

The robed one laughed. "Caught on already? You dodged the blade, but not the shockwave. Those are Divergence Strikes for you!" 

Kaitou had no time to respond. The armored one's sword was already swinging again - this time, it felt slow, as if it had regained its overwhelming weight. But now Kaitou hesitated. Was it actually heavy? Or was he being tricked? 

That moment of doubt cost him. 

The robed one struck from behind, his blade slicing toward Kaitou's ribs. Kaitou barely managed to parry, but the force sent him stumbling. 

The armored one took advantage. He shifted his sword mid-swing. In an instant, what was *supposed* to be a slow, heavy attack became impossibly fast. 

CLANG! Kaitou blocked, but the sheer speed and force behind the strike sent him sliding backward again. 

They weren't just attacking randomly. They were manipulating his expectations. 

'I see now…'

It wasn't about reacting to what he thought was happening. It was about reading the truth behind their strikes. 

He steadied his breath, forcing his mind to adjust. 'Focus on the flow. Ignore what you expect. Read what is actually happening.' 

The spirits attacked again, but this time, Kaitou was ready. 

When the armored one swung with what seemed like a slow, crushing weight - Kaitou didn't brace for impact. Instead, he watched carefully, catching the moment the blade suddenly became light. 

He moved first. 

Sidestepping at the exact right moment, he redirected the momentum of the sword, sending it crashing into the ground. 

The robed one lunged forward with a delayed shockwave strike - but Kaitou had already closed the distance, striking before the technique could take full effect. 

A single slash across the chest sent the robed figure skidding backward. 

Silence. 

Then, laughter. 

The robed one touched his chest, where Kaitou had cut him. He smirked. "Well damn." 

The armored one exhaled, placing his sword over his shoulder. "You've adapted quickly." 

Kaitou steadied his stance, breathing heavily but still composed. "So? Do I pass?" 

The two spirits exchanged a glance. Then, in unison, they nodded. 

The armored one's voice rumbled with satisfaction. "You are worthy, Kaitou." 

The robed one grinned. "You can wield Daishō Gōka." 

Kaitou felt something shift - something click into place inside him. The bond was complete. 

And with it, a smirk spread across his face. 

"Good."

Kaitou took a deep breath, feeling the lingering heat of his inner world fade. He was back in reality, but something within him had changed - strengthened. 

Before him, his students kneeled, gazing up at him with slightly disturbed expressions. 

"What? Do you need something?" Kaitou asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

The two quickly shook their heads and waved their hands frantically. "No! No, it's just that we tried calling out to you, but you didn't respond, so we opted to wait until you were finished." 

Kaitou blinked. Had he really been that deep in his inner world? He dismissed the thought and instead focused on them. Their chakra signatures felt different - unstable, but undeniably changed. 

"Show me," he ordered. 

Both nodded and, without hesitation, activated their newfound kekkei genkai. Though still weak, their elements fused rather than just coexisting. Kaitou analyzed the effects, watching closely as their chakra struggled to maintain stability before finally settling into a weak but functional state. 

After a moment, he nodded in approval. "Good. You've done well." 

The students stiffened, then quickly bowed. It was the first time he had officially acknowledged them. 

"Now," Kaitou continued, "I have something to take care of. In the meantime, your next task is simple - hit Hoopa." 

Their faces instantly paled. They've gotten to know Hoopa, while Kaitou was inside his inner world.

"H-Hoopa?! Sir, that's impossible!" one of them protested. 

Kaitou smirked, waving them off as he sat back down into a meditative pose. "Not my problem. Figure it out." 

Hoopa, who had been lazily floating nearby, cackled mischievously, already vanishing and reappearing just to mess with them. Their suffering would be long and painful. 

Meanwhile, Kaitou shut his eyes, focusing on the summoning contract system. 

He remembered a name - one he had heard whispered among the orphans at the orphanage. Rajang. He had never heard more than the name itself, but it had come up often enough that it must be strong. 

"Let's see what you are," Kaitou muttered as he selected it. 

The world around him shifted, darkness swallowing him whole. 

---

The moment he materialized in the summoning space, Kaitou felt something was wrong.

A suffocating pressure filled the air, heavier than anything he had felt before. The ground beneath him was scorched and cracked, as if the earth itself had been torn apart by sheer rage. 

And then he heard it. 

A guttural snarl, low and menacing, vibrating through the air like distant thunder. 

Slowly, Kaitou turned his head. 

There it was. 

A massive, hulking, golden-furred monkey-like beast. Muscles bulging unnaturally, its arms thick like tree trunks, its red, furious eyes locked onto him. Electric arcs flickered across its body, a warning of what was coming. 

Rajang. 

Kaitou had no time to react. 

BOOM! 

A fist crashed into his side, faster than he could even process. The impact ripped the air apart, sending Kaitou flying like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, skidding across the cracked terrain. 

Before he could even groan in pain- 

*BOOM!* 

Another hit. Then another. 

Rajang didn't stop. It was relentless, tearing through Kaitou's defenses like they didn't even exist. Every impact sent shockwaves through his body, each strike blurring the line between pain and oblivion. 

"TCH-!"* Kaitou tried to move, but- 

Rajang grabbed him. 

The beast lifted him like he weighed nothing, snarling as it swung him around- 

-and then hurled him into a cliffside. 

CRACK!

The rock shattered upon impact, dust and debris filling the air. Kaitou coughed violently, barely able to push himself up- 

BOOM! 

Rajang was already there. 

A golden, lightning-charged fist slammed into Kaitou's gut, driving him further into the rock. He felt his ribs creak under the force. 

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!" 

His mind screamed at him, but there was no time to think. Rajang's rage was endless. The monster's muscles bulged further, its body glowing with raw fury. 

It wasn't going to stop. 

It was going to keep going until Kaitou couldn't stand up anymore. 

And, then, it would keep going. 

As the next attack came- the realization hit him.

"Oh." 

"I messed up."