The heavens roared.
The vortex above Elarion Forest no longer looked like a natural disaster. It had become something far worse—a colossal sphere of compressed wind spinning faster than the eye could follow. Lightning flashed within its depths, and every rotation produced a deafening sound that shook the mountains. Across the country, people looked toward the horizon with fear. Some prayed. Others embraced their families. None of them knew what was happening, but everyone could feel that something terrifying was about to descend.
At the center of the battlefield, Goro slowly lowered his raised hand.
The atmosphere trembled.
"Once this falls..." he said quietly, "everything below it will disappear."
Shougo's sharp eyes never left him.
"You've already won this battle."
Goro remained silent.
Shougo continued.
"So why keep going?"
For the first time since they met, Goro didn't answer immediately.
His gaze wandered over the destroyed village. Burned homes. Broken trees. Empty streets. The wind carried the cries of people searching for their loved ones.
"...Because when everything disappears..." Goro finally murmured, "...there's no one left to leave."
His words carried no hatred.
Only loneliness.
Kairo heard those words and clenched his fists.
"...He's not fighting because he enjoys destruction."
Yura slowly stood, supporting herself against a shattered boulder. Blood ran down her forehead, but her eyes remained fierce.
"He's trying to erase the silence inside himself."
Kimimaru tightened his grip on the Zweihander.
"...And he's willing to destroy everyone to do it."
Goro's expression remained unchanged.
"If the world fears me..."
"If it remembers me..."
"Then maybe..."
"...I won't disappear alone."
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Even Shougo couldn't find an answer.
The wind screamed once more.
The gigantic sphere above began descending.
Slowly.
But with every meter it fell, the pressure multiplied.
The ground collapsed beneath everyone's feet. Entire sections of the forest were crushed flat before the attack had even landed. Rivers burst from their banks, and the mountains surrounding Elarion cracked as though the earth itself was reaching its limit.
Shougo took a deep breath.
"Kairo."
Kairo looked at him.
"Gather everyone."
Without hesitation, Kairo nodded.
Yura appeared beside him despite her injuries.
"I'm still fighting."
Kimimaru rested the Zweihander on his shoulder.
"So am I."
Tyouro forced himself back onto his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Hah... you guys aren't leaving me behind."
Shougo allowed himself a faint smile.
"Good."
The five of them stood side by side once again.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Barely able to stand.
Yet none of them stepped back.
Goro watched them quietly.
"...Even now..."
"...you still refuse to run."
Kairo pointed the Black Spartan toward him.
"If we run..."
"...who protects everyone behind us?"
Those words echoed across the battlefield.
For a brief moment...
Goro remembered someone asking him the same question many years ago.
The memory vanished before he could grasp it.
He slowly closed his eyes.
"...I see."
Then...
He thrust both hands downward.
The compressed storm began falling at terrifying speed.
"NOW!" Shougo shouted.
Yami exploded from his left arm while Hikari blazed from his right, the two energies twisting together as he fired them straight into the descending vortex. The collision shook the sky itself, but the storm only slowed for a single heartbeat before pushing through.
Kimimaru roared as he swung the Zweihander with everything he had. A massive soul-infused slash carved into the vortex, creating a crack across its outer layer, yet the crack quickly sealed as violent winds swallowed the attack.
Tyouro unleashed wave after wave of energy until his arms trembled from exhaustion. Explosions lit up the heavens, but each blast was consumed by the endless rotation.
Yura vanished, racing around the storm faster than sound itself. She struck it dozens of times from every direction, trying to destabilize its rotation. Tiny fractures appeared before being erased by the overwhelming pressure.
Kairo stared upward.
The storm...
Was still falling.
His breathing became heavier.
"...It isn't enough."
The vortex descended lower.
The shockwaves alone uprooted another section of the forest.
Shougo gritted his teeth.
"Everyone!"
"Fall back!"
But no one moved.
Because retreat no longer existed.
If they stepped back...
The country behind them would vanish.
Goro watched in silence.
For the first time...
His expression wasn't calm.
It was conflicted.
The heroes continued resisting despite knowing they were losing.
"...Why?" he whispered.
"Why won't you give up?"
Kairo looked directly into Goro's eyes.
"...Because someone protected us."
"...Now it's our turn to protect everyone else."
Those words struck Goro harder than any attack.
His hand trembled...
Only slightly.
The descending storm hesitated for the briefest instant.
Shougo noticed it immediately.
His eyes widened.
"...His concentration..."
"...wavered."
A tiny opening had finally appeared.