Ren drew back while the Phantom God approached him with her scythe. But most of his body parts had gone numb from the earlier feast on him. And the worst case was that the fatal injuries would take longer to heal.
So, Ren couldn't move faster than he was moving.
He believed this was the death of him. But for some reason, he still thought he could fight. Even though he couldn't afford the strength to pick up his sword.
Moboroshi-gami mocked.
"Who's the coward now?!"
In a flash, she raced towards Ren.
Ren breathed out sharply as her shadow loomed over him. The scythe descended to him at an…
PANG!
The reverberating sound of metals hitting against each other struck Ren in his ears. The next thing he realised was the Kaidan rolling sideways, to his left. When he looked to the other side, he saw Captain Riku.
A soft, pleased chuckle escaped his lips.
"You're here… Captain."
Riku, on the other hand, was covered in whole blood. He could barely stand on his own without his sword. Subsequently, Ren noticed a bite on the side of his neck. A deep, blood-covered one.
He swallowed.
'It can't be…'
Riku gasped nonstop. He kept his gaze on the Kaidan.
"Tell me your name. And I'll make sure history remembers you, too."
Moboroshi-gami smirked.
"You just-"
Ren cut in.
"Moboroshi-gami. That's her name."
"Now, kill her, captain! There's still a lot of time left."
For seconds, Riku hesitated and just stared down at the Phantom God. He suddenly looked at Ren and instructed,
"Well, then. I'll come back to you when I'm done. You have been up to something over here, and I must bring you back to the capital myself to explain to the daimyo."
In a sudden burst of speed, Riku engaged Moboroshi-gami in a dance of sword and magic.
Watching the two fight, Ren straightened his back and smirked.
'Talking about taking me back when this is where it ends for you?"
***
"Turn to the Light! Moboroshi-gami!"
Riku roared, turning a rectangular block sigil directly at the Kaidan's face. A golden light shot from the sigil and cast all over the ghost, who started screaming in agony.
From the tone, Ren could decipher pain.
Riku himself was no longer stable, staggering here and there, and doing his best not to fall. Sweat rained down his whole body.
But he still kept the sigil facing the Kaidan.
Moboroshi-gami's cloudy form started to dissipate by the seconds, her scythe gone as quickly as the wind. Ren flinched a little when her glowing eyes turned to him.
She mocked.
"HAHAHA! You win! I lost the whole bet. But we're just the same. Bound between life and death. You can only be set free from the darkness if you can destroy the root. Let me give you a hand if you're smart enough to complete the whole puzzle."
Ren held a close stare, his lips parting, patiently waiting for the Kaidan to speak. He hardly took a breath.
Moboroshi-gami continued.
"The seal is…"
Ren whispered to himself.
"Yes? Come on, the seal!"
"It is…"
…
SWISH!
Riku suddenly jumped in the middle. He reactivated the golden light on the stone and chanted aloud.
"Turn towards the Light and repent for your sins…"
Ren took a step forward, fists clenched.
"Riku! What are you doing?"
But the man didn't stop. He finished the chant anyway.
"... Verily, the Sun Goddess is all-forgiving."
"Wait!"
Before Ren could catch up in time, Moborosi-gami's entire body had blown off with the wind. She was no longer there, no longer existing in any dimension.
Ren always knew Riku had a hidden agenda compared to any normal samurai behind the Great Wall. But he was never able to prove it.
That the captain was a war psychopath.
Ren chuckled bitterly.
"You always enjoyed the disaster, didn't you? Slaying Kaidans, bathing in blood every single day, and being looked up to like you were god… it all drives you insane, no?"
In the distance, Riku fell to his knees. Meanwhile, his sigil fell right by his side. He said in a weak, beaten tone.
"If you already know the answer, why ask?"
A brimming sound suddenly resounded out loud. Ren looked towards the source and saw the air near the tree tear open. Inside, it was pure white.
Riku advised him.
"The fake realm vanishes five minutes after the escape portal appears. If you don't leave now, you'll be trapped in nothingness forever."
A cold breath ran down Ren's throat.
Footsteps echoed behind him. He turned and saw one of the female knights approaching, aiding Aiko in moving. When they got near, Ren reassured them and told them to go ahead. That he and the captain had to handle something behind.
So, they left through the portal.
Each additional second Ren spends here makes his heart pound faintly. He walked a bit closer to the captain and stared down at the bite on his neck.
It was what Ren suspected it to be - a Kaidan's bite. Dark veins had spread all over the captain's neck.
"You've not much left. The features are falling in place."
Riku chuckled bitterly.
"Oh, you noticed? Tch, cheeky bastard. I was wondering what you meant earlier by 'there's still a lot of time left. '"
"You're just as horrible. Because you're dying soon, you killed the Kaidan before she could complete her statement. If the seal gets restored, Kaidans can be cleared off again, and the world would be at peace. That's what you're afraid of! Whether alive or dead, you want the rampage to continue! We're no different from each other, sucker."
The man smirked a couple of times.
"Because I am dying soon? I can just choose to let the features develop and transform me."
Ren stepped closer with a confident smirk.
"And you think I will let you?"
The captain smiled and nodded his head. He handed his sword over to Ren. Before closing his eyes, he said:
"Go on. Cut my head and end this. This is what you're made for, anyway. Destruction. You can never escape this cycle, kid. Happiness and peace of mind are far from you."
Ren tightened his grip around the sword with his left hand, which was still intact. As the man straightened his neck forward, Ren raised the sword high in the air.
"Wait on me in Hell."
Riku nodded.
"I will."
… SLASH-SPLATTER!
***
After Ren beheaded Captain Riku, the familiar bone fragments appeared again.
[Second Revelation has been unlocked.]
[Revelation Type: Faded Humanity.]
[...]
Ren's heart raced with excitement. A smile tugged at the corner of his lip.
"After nine summers? Finally!"