Void lunged forward again—
Then stopped mid-motion, clutching his chest, staggering slightly.
Saito raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you didn't feel pain."
Void straightened slowly, breathing a touch heavier now.
"You want to know the truth?"
"I don't feel anything."
"Not mad. Not happy. Not sad. Not pain."
He glanced down at the blood soaking through his coat.
"But that doesn't mean my body can handle it."
Saito's expression shifted, understanding dawning.
"So you're tired..."
"Losing blood."
"Maybe."
Void straightened fully despite the visible strain.
"But I won't stop."
Saito lowered his sword slightly, studying him.
"We can stop this."
"I know you're a comrade to Kaito."
He glanced briefly toward Kaito, still standing at the edge of the clearing.
"I don't want to hurt you in front of him."
Void tilted his head, voice quiet but resolute.
"Too late for that, Blue Scarf."
He raised his fists once more, stance steady despite the wound.
"Let's finish what we started."
Void lunged forward, delivering a sharp kick straight into Saito's back.
Saito crashed to the ground, grunting from the impact.
Void reached down, setting his hat on the earth beside him.
He raised it slowly.
Inside, several bunnies sat perfectly arranged, fluffy and still.
"Time to let the bunnies go."
He gestured toward them.
"There's your meal."
Saito propped himself up, staring at the small creatures.
"Aww..."
"Cute bunny."
The bunnies blinked innocently, tilting their heads.
For a moment, they almost looked harmless.
Then their mouths opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
Saito's eyes went wide.
"Wait—what—"
Before he could react, the bunnies lunged at him all at once, fast and vicious.
"Gah—!"
One latched onto his sleeve, teeth sinking into the fabric.
Saito yanked his arm back, glaring down at the tiny creature.
"Bad bunny!"
He shook his arm hard, trying to fling it off, while the others circled around him, snapping at his legs.
Void watched calmly from a few steps away, arms crossed.
"They're trained well."
Saito grimaced, gritting his teeth.
"So annoying—"
His eyes flared open.
A sudden shift washed over him — Seraph activating, his pupils transforming into brilliant yellow, marked with the symbol of a spear crossed with wings.
Behind him, a faint stream of light unfurled, forming the outline of wings across his back.
He raised his hand.
"Repel."
A wave of energy pulsed outward.
The bunnies dissolved instantly into scattering dust, vanishing into the night air.
Void stared for a moment, motionless.
"A God Eye wielder..."
"Huh."
He tilted his head slightly, studying Saito with renewed interest.
"Never thought I'd be fighting one of those."
His masked gaze lingered.
"Looks like you're not just a brat after all, kiddo."
Saito rose fully to his feet, wings of light flickering faintly behind him, eyes glowing steady and sharp.
"Let's stop talking..."
He raised his fists, stance shifting into readiness.
"...and start fighting."
Saito lunged forward, fast and sharp.
Void mirrored him, closing the distance, drawing a knife from within his hat.
He thrust it forward, aiming straight for Saito's chest.
"Repel!"
A burst of force erupted outward, slamming into Void and knocking him back several feet.
He hit the ground hard, but rose almost instantly, undeterred.
He lunged again.
"Repel!"
Saito activated the skill once more.
This time, Void anticipated it, twisting his body at the last second, dodging the wave of force entirely.
He closed the gap and drove a kick straight into Saito's side.
Saito rolled across the ground from the impact, quickly regaining his footing.
He rose, gripping his sword tightly, and swung hard toward Void.
Void reacted instantly, catching the blade with his bare hand.
Blood seeped between his fingers as the edge bit into his palm, but his grip held firm, unwavering despite the wound.
Saito's eyes narrowed.
"You caught it..."
"With your hand?"
Void tightened his grip around the blade, blood dripping down his wrist.
"Told you..."
"I don't feel pain."
Saito kicked hard, forcing Void to release the blade.
He stepped back, gripping his sword, and channeled his aura through it.
The blade shimmered, glowing bright yellow with Seraph's energy.
He lunged forward, swinging with full force.
A wave of golden energy tore through the air toward Void.
Void twisted aside at the last second, narrowly dodging the attack, the ground behind him scorched from the impact.
He retaliated instantly, flicking several cards from his sleeve.
Saito reacted fast, slicing through each one mid-air before they could detonate.
Sparks scattered harmlessly around him.
Void reached into his coat, pulling out a black cloak, draping it swiftly over his arm.
He snapped it open—
A sudden swarm of pigeons burst free, flying straight toward Saito in a chaotic mass of feathers and wings.
Saito's senses sharpened instantly, catching the danger before it closed in.
He twisted low, rolling beneath the first wave, then leapt sideways as the birds shifted direction, chasing his movement.
BOOM!
The swarm detonated behind him in a burst of smoke and feathers.
Saito kept moving, weaving through the chaos, dodging each explosive burst before it could catch him.
He skidded to a stop several feet away, breathing hard, glaring at Void through the settling smoke.
Void appeared suddenly from behind, blade already swinging.
Saito twisted just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Void stepped back, raising his hand.
"Trap Box."
A large box plummeted from above, slamming down around Saito, sealing him inside completely.
Darkness swallowed him.
Then—
Metal glinted through tiny slits in the box's surface.
Void produced a series of swords from thin air, positioning them around the trap.
He thrust them forward, one after another, piercing through each side of the box in rapid succession.
Inside, Saito's senses flared, tracking every incoming blade through sound and instinct alone.
He twisted, ducked, and shifted, narrowly dodging each thrust as the swords pierced through the space around him, missing by inches every time.
Sparks and splinters scattered with each strike.
Then, in one swift motion, Saito raised his own blade, glowing faintly with residual aura.
He swung hard.
The box split cleanly in half, wood clattering to the ground.
Saito stepped out through the wreckage, breathing steady, eyes locked on Void.
"Nice trick."
"But not good enough."
Void's expression stayed calm.
"How about this?"
He flicked his sleeves, and chains shot out rapidly, wrapping around Saito before he could react.
"Oh, crap—"
Saito struggled, pulling against the restraints, but the chains held firm, tightening with every movement.
Void watched, unfazed.
"Now..."
"You can't escape."
He raised his hand, flicking a fresh set of cards toward him.
Saito's eyes widened.
He barely managed a sharp breath before—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The cards detonated all around him in rapid succession, smoke and fire engulfing his restrained form.
"Saito!!!"
Kaito's voice tore through the clearing, panic evident.
When the smoke cleared, Saito remained standing, chains still wrapped tightly around him.
Blood trickled down from a gash on his head.
His body was littered with burns and cuts, breathing shallow.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't break free.
Void stepped closer, studying him in silence, the treaty still tucked safely against his side.
Void stepped closer, his masked gaze fixed on Saito.
"Now..."
He held out his hand.
"Hand me the treaty."
Saito's breath came ragged, blood dripping down the side of his face.
He glared up at Void, chains biting into his skin, refusing to break eye contact despite the pain.
"...Make me."
Void tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"Stubborn."
"Even now."
He took another step forward, patience thinning.
"Last chance, Blue Scarf."
"The treaty."
Behind him, Kaito struggled against his own injuries, forcing himself upright.
"Saito—hang on—!"
But he was still too far, too weak to close the distance in time.
Saito's grip on consciousness wavered, but his eyes stayed locked on Void, defiant.
"...Never."