"The threads that hold this world together are fated to be unraveled by those with the will to bring change. From that unraveling, a new truth will take root as the world is born anew."
This strange voice echoed within her—the only thing she could hear amidst the unbearable silence that had swallowed everything else.
Something warm dripped down her hands and soaked into her sleeves. The sensation pulled her back to reality.
Her grip on her sword, firm for as long as she had held it, finally began to give way.
Something slid down her cheek. A tear… or a bead of sweat. Whatever it was, it didn't matter.
She looked at the shadow cast over her by his towering back. The scars and burns told a story of their own, but even that meant nothing now as she felt his body quiver through the blade lodged deep within it—his form shielding her from the harsh midday sun.
He mumbled incomprehensible words, arms twitching as he tried to reach her, but the effort was in vain.
Moments later, she pulled her weapon free.
He collapsed.
Blood spread beneath him in a widening pool.
The stillness that followed said everything.
Kenji Shiga had fallen—his source energy fading, extinguished like a solitary ember on a winter night.
She stood over him, her shadow stretching behind her. It couldn't shield him from the harsh sun.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Izumi lay before her, his expression hinting at a mix of emotions, but despite that, he used whatever strength he had left to crawl toward her, grunting with each attempt.
"Yuriko," he said, capturing her attention, "the villagers, Takae, and Miyuki—"
His words faltered.
"There's someone else there… another enemy," he continued as he crawled forward. "We have to get there. They're in trouble."
"Sure," she replied, wobbling, unable to maintain her posture. "Just give me a second—"
She couldn't finish.
Her stoic stance gave way to a graceless fall.
Her head rested just out of Izumi's reach.
He strained himself to reach her, but his grunts soon gave way to silence as he too came to a standstill.
---
"Am I sensing this right?" Takae thought.
She looked to Miyuki, and from her reaction, she could tell she was right. But when she looked at Takeru, he stood silent, expressionless.
"Yuriko and Izumi won," Miyuki thought. "The presence of the enemy they were fighting has vanished completely…"
Her grip on her sword tightened, veins rising along the back of her hand.
"…but their own presence is so weak it's barely even there."
She glanced back at the barrier holding the villagers. A crack began to form along one of the vines.
"Damn it… Takae's losing her focus," she thought, her expression tightening. "She can't keep the spell up for much longer—and there's no way I can reinforce it now, not with him here."
She eased into a stance.
"There's no other choice. I have to hold him back so she can reinforce the spell."
Her body trembled slightly, unable to fully steady itself.
"It's easier said than done… with the kind of ability he has."
Takae gritted her teeth as she tightened the cloth around her wrist, but even then, the foul black substance continued to push forward—slowly, almost patiently, as if waiting for the moment the binding gave way.
With a sigh, Takeru raised his head to the sky.
A solitary tear rolled down his eye, clear for all to see.
"Not you too, Kenji," he thought. "Why now of all times? Who's going to scold me now when I make stupid decisions like I always do?"
"It's too soon to abandon us, brother."
He remained like that for a moment before exhaling and lowering his gaze. Wiping the tear from his cheek, he faced the two before him once more.
"Something on your mind?" Takae asked, her lips drawn into a thin line, her thumb rubbing a raw patch of skin along her knuckle.
"It's nothing," he replied calmly. "Nothing at all."
He gripped his rods and pointed them at the two again.
"Now… let's pick up where we left off."
They had no time to respond.
He shot straight toward Miyuki, his intent clear and unclouded.
His attack came in strong—the impact of his rods against her sword forcing her back.
He struck again, his movements less coordinated but faster than before.
A flurry of blows followed. She did her best to dodge and counter, hesitant to attack lest she be struck by one of the rods in the process.
Her hesitation was clear to him, and he used it—aiming for her legs and any exposed skin to push her further back.
But his momentum didn't last long.
It was cut short by Takae, who came in with an aerial strike.
Her sword gave off a faint yellow glow as she brought it down, shouting, "Earth Style: Crashing Cleaver!"
He tried to move out of the way, but she still managed to graze his right arm before the blade slammed into the ground, forming a crater and sending dust flying upward.
The dust clouded his vision for a moment.
When it cleared, Miyuki stood before him, her palm outstretched as a septa-circle formed in front of it.
"Vanguard Series Number Two: Shimmering Blaze!"
A blaze of red light shot forward, piercing through his shoulder.
He lost his balance and was about to fall, but he quickly flipped himself back, regaining stability.
He immediately charged, but before he could reach Miyuki, a sudden spike in Takae's source energy output caught his attention.
He turned to see her holding her sword above her head, intending to swing—though he was nowhere near enough to be grazed by her slash.
Even still, she drew a calm breath and swung, calling out, "Wind style: Wailing Dread."
A blast of wind shot from her swing, wild and uncontrolled, breaking through the ground in its path.
Takeru crossed his now-clotted arms in defense. The blast didn't wound him as it might have, but it still hurled him into the air.
He repositioned himself to land on his feet, but just as he touched the ground, a large septa-circle appeared beneath him.
From it, a mass of black sand rose, forming chains that wrapped around him—but he didn't stay trapped for long.
With brute force he hadn't displayed until then, he tore through the chains and shot back at the caster.
The grains of sand reformed into chains again, tailing him relentlessly.
Miyuki stood before him, her left-hand index and middle fingers pointed at him. Sweat streamed down her face as she muttered, "Come on… just a little further."
Her hope was dashed as the chains lost their form and fell back to the ground just as they were about to capture him.
She had no time to retreat, so she gripped her sword and braced for the attack.
His cold eyes betrayed no emotion as he struck both rods at her simultaneously.
She steadied herself.
What followed was a loud clang that reverberated, followed by a stream of blood pouring to the ground.