Shizuma closed the distance in a single burst, his step slamming into the ground with a dull thud as he drove forward. His blade cut through the air in a clean, decisive arc, aimed straight for Kusogami's neck. The strike was fast, precise, fueled by something far beyond technique.
It missed.
Kusogami shifted just enough to avoid it, his body moving like he had already seen the attack before it happened. No wasted motion. No panic. Just a quiet step back and a slight tilt of his head.
Shizuma didn't stop. He turned immediately, his second strike coming faster, lower, aiming to cut through the boy's side.
Again, nothing.
Kusogami slipped past it like water around stone.
Arai stepped in without hesitation, her blade flashing toward him with sharp intent. "Don't give him space!" Her strike came from the flank, clean and controlled, meant to limit movement.
He wasn't there when it landed.
Jenres followed next, pushing through the strain in her body. Her movements weren't as fluid as before, but her eyes were sharp, locked on Kusogami. She angled her attack from behind, forcing a crossfire.
He stepped out of it.
Not fast.
Just right.
Kaito moved forward, his expression darker than usual. His mind worked through every step, every angle. "…He's reading us," he muttered, adjusting his position to block Kusogami's escape routes.
But Kusogami didn't move how he should.
Every time Kaito tried to predict, Kusogami broke the pattern.
There was no rhythm to catch.
No habit to exploit.
Just reaction.
Perfect reaction.
Corajudo stood behind them, breathing unevenly, eyes darting everywhere at once. "This is bad… this is really bad… he's not even trying and we can't touch him… this is how people die, this is exactly how it happens…"
No one responded.
Because he wasn't entirely wrong.
Shizuma attacked again, faster this time, his strikes chaining together in quick succession, forcing Kusogami back step by step.
For a moment, it looked like pressure was building.
Arai saw it too. "Now!"
They moved together.
Jenres from the side, Kaito closing the gap, Arai cutting off the exit.
All angles covered.
All paths sealed.
They lunged.
At the same time.
For a split second—
It should have worked.
But Kusogami wasn't there.
He shifted out at the last possible moment, slipping through the smallest opening, like the attack had never surrounded him at all.
The three strikes passed through empty space.
Shizuma stopped abruptly, his grip tightening.
"…No opening," Kaito said quietly.
Corajudo shook his head, panic rising again. "We can't hit him… we actually can't hit him… this is bad… this is very bad…"
Shizuma didn't listen.
He moved again.
Faster.
Harder.
Each step heavier than before, each strike sharper, driven by something deeper now. His blade cut through the air again and again, forcing Kusogami to move, to step back, to avoid.
But never to struggle.
Never to fail.
Kusogami's expression didn't change.
Not even once.
It stayed calm.
Empty.
Watching.
That calmness started to feel suffocating.
Arai's breathing tightened slightly. Jenres pushed herself harder despite the pain. Kaito adjusted again and again, trying to break the pattern that didn't exist.
And Corajudo—
Corajudo was losing it.
"This isn't working… this isn't working… we're all going to die… I knew it… I knew it the moment we entered this cursed place…"
He backed away, scanning for somewhere to hide, somewhere to disappear.
But there was nowhere.
Just open ground.
Just silence.
Then—
In the middle of another lunge, something slipped.
A small piece of paper fell from Shizuma's pocket.
It hit the ground quietly.
Corajudo's eyes caught it instantly.
For a moment, everything else faded.
"…That's…" he whispered.
His mind clicked.
Not fully.
But enough.
Without thinking, he moved.
He rushed toward it, his steps uneven but desperate, his focus locked onto that small, fallen sheet.
At the exact same moment—
Kusogami moved.
Not away.
Toward it.
Their paths collided.
They slammed into each other hard, the impact knocking Corajudo off balance as he fell back onto the ground.
"Oof—!" he gasped, scrambling instinctively.
Kusogami stood over him now, looking down.
For the first time—
There was irritation in his expression.
"I don't have time for you," Kusogami said, his voice calm but edged. "This is your—"
He didn't finish.
Shizuma was already there.
His blade came down fast, cutting straight toward Kusogami's position.
The strike split the air cleanly.
But Kusogami was gone.
Again.
The blade hit nothing.
Shizuma's eyes narrowed sharply.
Corajudo stayed on the ground for a second, breathing fast, his heart pounding violently in his chest. "…I'm alive… I'm still alive…"
He didn't waste the chance.
His hand moved quickly, grabbing the fallen paper and stuffing it into his pocket before scrambling back and retreating to the nearest spot he could find to crouch behind.
"I am not fighting that thing head-on," he muttered under his breath. "No chance. Absolutely no chance. I choose life."
Around him, the others reset their positions, still focused on Kusogami, still trying to find an answer.
Corajudo leaned against the wall, trying to steady his breathing.
"…Think… think… think…" he whispered, pressing his hand against his head. "There has to be something… there has to be a way…"
His fingers brushed against the paper in his pocket.
He paused.
"…Wait…"
Slowly, carefully, he pulled it out.
Unfolded it.
His eyes scanned the contents.
Then widened.
"…No way…"
Written across the sheet—
Names.
But not their real ones.
Nicknames.
Code names.
Each one clearly assigned.
Each one different.
Corajudo blinked.
"…We… forgot these?"
His breathing slowed slightly.
"…We actually forgot these…"
A small, shaky grin formed on his face.
"…Never thought these would actually be useful…"
He looked back toward the fight.
Shizuma clashing again.
Arai adjusting.
Jenres pushing through pain.
Kaito calculating.
Kusogami still untouchable.
Corajudo clenched the paper slightly.
"…Wait till they hear this…"
And for the first time since the fight began—
He had something.
Something that might actually change everything.