Seoki charged forward as Kurayami stomped her foot, lifting the concrete road beneath him into the air.
"You fools! I control this world! You think two of you can stand against me?!"
Yurei unleashed an army of dark spirits. Shadowy figures swooped down, engulfing Seoki and Kurayami and tearing them away from the forming street.
Silence slowly fell— leaving only Yurei's breathing behind.
He broke into a wide grin, his heart finally feeling lighter—as if a bone stuck in his throat had at last been pulled free. "It's finally… over—"
Suddenly! A chorus of shrill screams erupted from the spirits, growing louder by the second. Their bodies came flying back in droves, hurled violently in the opposite direction. Blackened limbs tore loose and scattered through the air, forcing Yurei to gasp in disbelief.
"T-That's impossible!"[1]
"Wooo!" Seoki swung Kurayami up into the air. She flipped gracefully and kicked one of the floating minions clean apart midair.
"Haha! Looks like it's free-kick festival time, baby monsters~!" The shrine-maiden girl ducked beneath an incoming attack. "I'm naming this move—Jizō Hand!"
A gigantic, pure-white digital hand materialized and swept the spirits away, smashing them into skyscrapers. At the same time, Seoki clenched his fists and unleashed shockwaves that tore through the remaining minions in neat lines.
"Hey, Seoki-chan! You don't have a move name or something? You're like an anime protagonist!" Kurayami teased.
"If I shout it out first, they'll dodge it!" he shot back.
They stood back-to-back, the feeling uncannily like being on stage together again.
"Haha… this feeling's back," Kurayami said. "Rhythm of the Night, don't miss the beat."
"How could I? I'm your teacher," Seoki replied with a grin.
He clasped his hands together—clap!—then pulled them apart, revealing an electric guitar forged from the energy of the prayer beads on both wrists.
"Ready?" he asked.
Kurayami floated slightly off the ground. "Haha, bring it on. Loud—like the Cross D8 concert."
They closed their eyes, remembering the sound of Seto tapping out the beat on the drumsticks—
Knock. Knock. Knock. Zaaaa~!
From Yurei's vantage point near the black moon, she felt a massive gust of wind slam into her face. Smoke exploded outward from where the two had released their combined sonic power.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She heard two pairs of footsteps walking forward as the shattered streets began forming into a staircase. Her heart trembled. Time seemed to slow.
Then—through the smoke—they emerged side by side, completely unscathed.
Seoki clenched his fists, shaking off the fatigue. Kurayami brushed dust from her red skirt, smiling with pure joy at fighting alongside her family once more.
It struck Yurei right at her weakest point.
"Grrr—!" she shrieked. "In an imaginary world, we can do anything! Go anywhere! Everyone can have freedom—love they've always wanted! A family they never had! A world without money, without limits! Don't you see the future I've dreamed of?!"
"You really do talk a lot," Kurayami shot back. "Know how you're different from me, Yurei? Your thinking is still stuck—like a bitter little kid."
She floated upward, leading her brother toward the black moon.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Yurei screamed. "I'm your perfect other half! I'm everything you can never be!"
Hovering near the moon, Yurei used her godlike control over the digital world, hurling debris—collapsed buildings, uprooted trees—at them.
"When this is over, I'll make sure those damn glasses are erased for good. I'll wipe you out completely, you stupid little girl!"
Seoki threw a double punch, smashing through a building wall and carving a tunnel for them to run through.
Enraged, the remaining evil spirit unleashed her finishing move.
"Game Over!" The curse tore a rift in the air as Yurei lunged straight at them.
"A kill command?!" Kurayami cried. "That's way too evil—I deleted that command myself!"
Seeing this, Seoki leapt in front of her, yanking her collar and pulling her behind him.
Thud!
"Seoki-chan!" Kurayami shouted as he stood frozen after taking the fatal command head-on—
Then— The white-haired man raised both hands, unharmed.
"That was just a volleyball command?" he said casually.
Kurayami felt her confidence surge back."Ohhh~ Then brace yourself, evil sis!"
"Grr~!" Yurei, furious beyond reason, shot forward and grabbed Seoki by the throat.
He caught her wrist. A violent blue flame erupted from the contact.
"Gyaaaa—!" Yurei released him, sending his body plummeting into the endless abyss below.
"Jizō Hand!" Kurayami shouted, grabbing him back with the giant digital hand.
"Got y—agh!"
Crunch!
Yurei seized Kurayami by the throat while she was pulling her brother back up. Seoki clenched both fists, desperately searching for a way to help her.
"This time, I'll destroy you," Yurei hissed, tightening her grip. "And my era will finally begin—an age where Yurei exists in every corner of the world!"
Kurayami choked, barely able to maintain her power.
"Kgh—ack—!"
But suddenly—Yurei's grip weakened.
Seoki's voice rang out. "The world that revolves around us isn't as perfect as you imagine. We don't live because we're chosen or forced—we live because we choose to face whatever comes our way. Not by deciding what should come to us."
He continued, his blue light intensifying.
"That fake happiness of yours—one day you'll realize it never truly existed. People have to move past grief, hatred, and pain. That's why we're alive today—because those things shape us into someone stronger."
Yurei finally realized it—the blue light was the reason her power in her own world was fading.
"H—Huh?!"Her eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place.
She leaned forward, staring down at the radiant blue light below.
"So that's what it is…"
She looked back—only to see Kurayami grinning with fierce satisfaction.
"The name 'Yurei'—I'll let you keep it," Kurayami said. "A farewell gift."
Whooom!
Seoki launched himself upward in a burst of blue energy, grabbed Yurei, and slammed her straight into the black moon. Kurayami rose and pinned her there with Jizō Hand.
"Now, Seoki-chan!" she shouted.
She stomped the concrete, sending him flying upward.
"Go!"
"This is for my little sister, bitch!" Seoki spun like a drill, becoming a blue meteor that pierced straight through the black moon—taking Yurei with it.
"Eeeee—yaaaah!!"
Kurayami's miko spirit watched her brother with a warm, radiant smile.
"Fly free."
As her words faded, her body dissolved into flames that rose and gathered—forming a blazing sun that replaced the black moon, bathing the world in light.
A symbol of new hope was born.
[1] Top Down OST : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W-AikVcrg