Ayanokouji regained his stance.
Kamukura waited until he had finished adjusting his posture before launching another attack.
The instant he formed his hand into a palm-heel strike, he kicked off the ground and closed in on Ayanokouji.
His movement during the advance was as if time had been sliced out only for that moment.
It was a unique motion never taught inside the White Room.
"…"
Yet Kiyotaka Ayanokouji was a monster too.
He blocked the incoming fist, then backstepped to secure distance and shut down any follow-up.
Keeping that fixed gap, he maintained his defensive posture.
(His footwork is exactly like an assassin's.)
Once seen, most things could be countered.
That held true even for attacks fueled by Izuru Kamukura's talent.
The ability to analyze what he saw, reproduce it, and elevate it into something of his own was unmatched among the students born from the White Room.
That was why he continued observing every single motion Izuru Kamukura made, from start to finish.
(…A distinctive footwork, misdirection, and body movement that skips connecting steps to an extreme degree.)
Ayanokouji arrived at the perfect answer.
The talent Izuru Kamukura was using was that of the Ultimate Assassin.
A talent that let him walk without sound and vanish from sight in an instant.
By layering talents related to physical ability on top of it, he had elevated the quality of his body movement to the absolute limit.
On top of that, the talent of the Ultimate Magician.
He was weaving in the misdirection techniques commonly used in magic tricks and sports.
Tensing his hand right before moving or turning his neck to guide the opponent's gaze, diverting attention away from his footwork.
"…Once you understand it, countermeasures become possible."
Ayanokouji shifted his strategy to center on counters.
Trading blows head-on would put him at a disadvantage.
There was no need to play along.
"…!"
When Izuru Kamukura kicked off the ground once more, Ayanokouji's eyes widened.
This time the movement was linear—no disappearing act like before.
It was a full-power charge relying purely on physical ability.
In the blink of an eye, a silent knife-hand strike came slicing toward his neck from the side.
At the last possible moment, Ayanokouji arched his upper body backward to evade the blow.
(…Bad.)
The collapsing posture proved he was at his limit. He didn't have enough time to reset before the next attack.
Ayanokouji crossed his arms, poured strength into his muscles, and focused every nerve on defense.
The fighting distance was point-blank.
Izuru Kamukura's step was so heavy it felt as if the ground itself had shattered beneath his slightly raised foot.
The instant his body rotated ninety degrees—
——A charge centered on his right shoulder crashed down on Ayanokouji from above his guard.
The Kao Strike.
One of the techniques of Bajiquan, a Chinese martial art.
A blow that maximized destructive power through its unique body mechanics shattered the defense with ease and created an opening.
Then, riding the full momentum of his body on the pivoting leg, he drove a knee strike straight into Ayanokouji's abdomen.
"Kiyotaka!!"
Karuizawa screamed with a tragic expression, but it only twisted further.
Izuru Kamukura pulled back the sunken foot and slammed his right forearm down on Ayanokouji's back while he floated slightly in the air.
With his guard already broken, Ayanokouji had no way to dodge. The tomahawk-like swing landed cleanly.
Yet Ayanokouji planted both feet firmly and somehow kept his balance.
From there he twisted his torso and unleashed an uppercut from a blind angle.
"…"
Izuru Kamukura backstepped to avoid it.
It wasn't evasion born from future-predicting analysis, but pure reflex.
The attack hadn't even grazed him, but Ayanokouji had forced him to use a defensive method for the first time.
"…Moving according to negative emotions. This is another first for me."
Izuru Kamukura brushed his hair, fluttering in the winter wind, behind his shoulder.
He clenched and unclenched both fists twice, checking his own condition while he waited for Ayanokouji to reset his stance.
The damage from the combo still lingered in Ayanokouji.
Yet when he finished adjusting his posture, no pain showed on his face.
"Where did you learn that disappearing footwork?"
"I didn't learn it. I could already do it.
In the action of closing distance, I simply use it as one of the most efficient stepping methods."
Ayanokouji's brow twitched at the answer.
"…You're saying you acquired that movement without any training? Impossible."
Ayanokouji continued rapidly, showing clear displeasure.
"There is no reason for me to lie."
"No, it's impossible.
Performing that movement without training is out of the question.
Judging from the precision of the footwork, it can't be explained without countless repetitions of practice."
Ayanokouji glared at the monster before him.
Even with the vast knowledge crammed into his brain, if he concluded something was impossible, it almost never proved wrong.
The only things that could shake that conclusion were entirely new processes or actions that defied logic.
"——What exactly are you, Izuru Kamukura?
The word 'talent' alone cannot explain it. Your existence is far too unreal."
Spitting the words out, Ayanokouji reset his stance.
"I am simply the unknown to you."
With those words as the signal, the fight resumed.
Izuru Kamukura attacked once more using the combined footwork of the Ultimate Assassin and Ultimate Magician.
He readied a knife-hand strike aimed at the neck, seeking to reap it away.
But Ayanokouji had already finished analyzing the motion.
With room to spare he pulled his neck back and fired a counter punch straight at the face.
"Naive."
Izuru Kamukura simply shifted his face aside to dodge.
"Who's the naive one?"
Ayanokouji kept his extended fist out and grabbed a fistful of Izuru Kamukura's hair.
He gripped it tightly and yanked him forward.
Those long black strands were Izuru Kamukura's trademark.
But in combat they became a weakness.
Not just any weakness—a tiny opening that only a handful of combat professionals could exploit.
And Ayanokouji, who met every condition, would never miss it.
"…"
Pulled with tremendous force, the long black hair stretched taut like a bowstring.
Without changing expression, Izuru Kamukura brought his knife-hand down on the tensed section.
A large amount of hair fluttered down in pieces. The partial cut had ruined the balance considerably.
"…I cut too much at once. I'll have to fix this later."
"Where are you looking?"
The knife-hand swing had left Izuru Kamukura a step behind.
Ayanokouji seized the gap and threw a left straight, but the back of a hand deflected the punch's path.
Even so, Ayanokouji refused to let the chance slip.
He continued attacking, aiming for the hair again.
"I'll give you credit for relentlessly targeting the hair."
If the distance closed like before, even a successful dodge would let the hair be grabbed.
Izuru Kamukura was not foolish enough to ignore something so obvious.
He extended his evasion range compared to earlier, continuously dodging Ayanokouji's pursuit.
"However, at this rate you'll never catch me no matter how long it takes."
"Is that so? Keep going and you might get caught eventually."
"I see. Then be careful when you close in. I also possess the talents of the Ultimate Wrestler, Ultimate Judoka, and Ultimate Aikido practitioner."
Extending the evasion distance meant more time spent on preparatory movements and loading power into the legs.
But even that opening was neutralized by combining super analysis with the Ultimate Assassin talent.
The problem was the heavy stamina consumption.
(…It's not just reflexes and analysis. Those steps… kickboxing footwork?
Mixing in the previous steps turns the movement into something hard to predict. The feints… are difficult to distinguish.)
Keeping up the intricate stepping, Ayanokouji repeatedly reached for the swaying long hair.
Yet he still couldn't catch it.
He lowered his hips to increase speed, maintained a distance that prevented counterattacks, and charged again and again, but the result showed no sign of changing.
(…His top speed is faster than mine. And above all, that acceleration… The change from zero to one hundred, one hundred to zero is abnormal.)
With that unique footwork alone Ayanokouji could have coped, but the combination of feints, speed, and the counter when he got too close was the issue.
If he charged at full sprint without thinking ahead, he might be able to touch him.
But then Ayanokouji, who was inferior in speed, would have no way to avoid Izuru Kamukura's attack.
(Still, there is a path to victory. If this state continues, the one who tires first will be him.)
The round trip to the special building had already depleted Izuru Kamukura's stamina.
Therefore, Ayanokouji reasoned, the one performing the more stamina-intensive movement—Izuru Kamukura—would obviously reach his limit sooner.
And in fact, even Izuru Kamukura could not keep using continuous evasion forever; his stamina limit would draw nearer and nearer, and eventually he would fall into the devil's hand.
But—
"…How is this possible?"
That would only be true if Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's stamina had not already surpassed the exhausted Izuru Kamukura's stamina.
In the end, the one who slowed first was Ayanokouji.
Izuru Kamukura was sweating and regulating his breathing too, yet the visible fatigue was clearly greater on Ayanokouji, who clutched his knees and breathed with his shoulders.
The cause was simple: Ayanokouji's own miscalculation.
He had known his body had declined since his time in the White Room.
But keeping up with Izuru Kamukura's movements consumed far more stamina than he had anticipated.
That margin of error had led to a mistake uncharacteristic of Ayanokouji.
"It's the difference in talent. My body can utilize every possible talent.
My stamina and my stamina recovery speed are both far beyond those of an ordinary person."
Izuru Kamukura was a human with a body and brain capable of handling every talent.
He could freely allocate the physical stamina required for short, middle, and long distances—talents tied to athletes such as sprinters, middle-distance runners, and marathoners.
"…I see. That'll be a good 'lesson.'"
Having finished steadying his breath, Ayanokouji kicked hard off the ground.
His high kick sliced through the wind, surging toward Kamukura with tremendous force.
Kamukura skillfully lowered his upper body to evade, but the attack continued.
Ayanokouji's left leg stopped in mid-air, then swung back toward the neck as if playing in reverse.
Even that was avoided as Kamukura arched his upper body backward.
Kamukura immediately backstepped once again to secure distance.
"——Now."
Feigning that his attack had ended, Ayanokouji kicked off the ground once more to close the distance.
Kamukura's eyes widened for a split second at the action.
It was an unusually fearless counter from Ayanokouji, and the footwork used to close the gap felt familiar.
That footwork——had absolutely no preparatory movement, as if time itself had been skipped.
In other words, it was the same movement Kamukura had used earlier.
"Kamukura-san!"
Ishizaki cried out involuntarily.
A left straight punch had landed directly on the solar plexus of Kamukura, the one he trusted absolutely.
Unable to believe it, he stared in shock.
But,
"…Thirty points. Still far too crude."
The attack that appeared to have landed in the solar plexus had been caught perfectly in Kamukura's right palm.
This time, it was Karuizawa—who believed in Ayanokouji—who stared in disbelief.
"That creativity is excellent. Among all the strategies you executed to exceed my predictions, that was the best.
However, it still wasn't enough——"
——in talent.
A left fist slammed into Ayanokouji's abdomen.
That fist carried the combined power of the Ultimate Martial Artist and the Ultimate Soldier.
The sheer impact nearly knocked Ayanokouji unconscious.
But the monster's onslaught was far from over.
In quick succession came a right palm-heel strike, then a finishing back kick to the staggering body.
He spun his torso and unleashed a powerful kick into the torso with the leg opposite his pivot foot, sending Ayanokouji flying.
After slamming his back against the ground and rolling once, Ayanokouji ended up face down.
"Kiyotaka!!"
Karuizawa screamed.
She stood up and rushed to Ayanokouji's side at full speed despite her staggering steps.
The desperate way she kept calling his name revealed her single-minded determination to help him.
"…I may have overdone it a little. Are you still conscious?"
Kamukura walked slowly toward Ayanokouji in a light, almost friendly tone.
Noticing this, Karuizawa turned around, spread her arms wide, and stood defiantly in front of him to block his path.
"Interesting. Even after tasting the flavor of Ultimate Despair, you still stand before me."
"Enough… the fight is over! If you keep going, I'll report everything that happened today to the school!!"
"That would be problematic."
There was clear resolve in Karuizawa's words.
A resolve that said she would end the situation here even if it meant sacrificing herself.
"Very well. The fight ends here."
Kamukura, who had intended to let Ayanokouji claim victory this time, accepted her determination.
Karuizawa's knees buckled weakly and gave out.
This time, she had truly reached her limit.
Kamukura offered deep, sincere respect from the bottom of his heart to that strong and beautiful will.
"——As expected, I can still 'learn' a lot."
Just when everyone present thought the battle on the rooftop had finally come to an end—
Something stirred behind Karuizawa.
Unsteadily, slowly, that something began to crawl back up.
"Kiyotaka!? Are you okay!?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokouji had risen to his feet once again on his own power.
He wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and stared straight at Kamukura.
"Stop it already, Kiyotaka!! He said he'd stop too!!"
Karuizawa called out desperately, but Ayanokouji took another step forward.
His eyes, which had shown no emotion at all, were now burning with passion toward his target.
"You really shouldn't ignore her hope."
Kamukura spoke as if gently admonishing him, but Ayanokouji paid no attention and walked straight past Karuizawa.
——Then, without any warning, he kicked off the ground.
With absolutely no preparatory movement, moving as if time had been skipped, he closed in on Kamukura.
"…I see. Your learning ability is truly remarkable."
The thrust aimed at the throat was caught and enveloped by Kamukura's left hand.
It was the highest and fastest attack Ayanokouji could currently produce.
It had reached within mere tens of centimeters of Kamukura's throat.
If the quality of this footwork had matched Kamukura's, the result would have been different.
But the current footwork was only about eighty percent complete at best.
That would not reach the Ultimate Hope.
"As expected, you could one day become my enemy."
Kamukura released his grip.
He scattered his long hair, fluttering in the winter wind, to either side to broaden his field of vision.
"Shall we continue?"
Kamukura's dominating presence grew even stronger.
The overwhelming aura, as if hope and despair had mixed and sublimated into something greater, caused cold sweat to run involuntarily down Ayanokouji's back.
Yet at the same time, curiosity was awakening within him.
Overwhelming talent. The possibility of seeing what lay beyond the unexpected was spurring Ayanokouji's desire.
Kamukura bent his knees and assumed a stance with both arms.
The unique posture that contained the talents of every martial art was so beautiful it further fueled Ayanokouji's interest.
"…Yeah. If it's you——"
A premonition of defeat crossed his mind.
Fear welled up inside him again as an internal warning signal.
Even so, Ayanokouji refused to back down from the situation.
He wanted to see it. He wanted to know.
His curiosity far surpassed his fear.
"——That's enough."
Suddenly, the door to the rooftop opened.
Both Kamukura and Ayanokouji turned their gazes at the same time toward the person who appeared from the door.
There stood Manabu Horikita, the former student council president, looking at them with sharp, severe eyes.
... ...
"Don't anyone move. I don't know what you were doing here, but according to certain information, you have all become important persons of interest. Both sides, please step back."
His piercing gaze shot through every person present one by one.
The appearance of the former student council president was more than enough to quiet the atmosphere on the rooftop.
"…What is this certain information?"
Kamukura asked, completely unconcerned by the heavy atmosphere.
"Just now, Mio Ibuki from Class 1-C was found collapsed in the special building by a student from Class 1-A.
I remained at school for certain reasons and witnessed students from Class C entering the rooftop, so considering the possibility that you are the cause, I rushed here immediately."
The student council president had appeared at an extremely convenient time.
Everyone except the flustered Ishizaki immediately understood that this intervention was intentional.
"…Kukuku, looks like time's up."
With a distinctive chuckle, one person muttered.
"R-Ryuuen-san!! Are you okay!?"
The one who spoke was Ryuuen.
He had been lying spread-eagled but had now regained consciousness.
Slowly raising his upper body, he immediately faced the student council president.
"What were you doing here, Ryuuen?"
"Just a little game. I'll explain about Ibuki later. My body hurts right now."
Even seeing his battered face, Manabu Horikita said nothing.
He too understood the situation—in other words, this entire verification process was fabricated.
Ryuuen understood that as well, which was why he had asked to delay the report.
"Understood. Send me an email with the report by 18:00 today.
Tomorrow morning, we'll discuss today's events together with Sakagami-sensei and Chabashira-sensei."
After saying only that, Horikita left the rooftop.
"So you really could have crushed my plan from the very beginning but chose not to."
Ryuuen glared at Ayanokouji as he spoke.
From Horikita's response, he had already realized that Ayanokouji was the one pulling the strings.
"Because if I don't hit you at least once, you won't stop attacking."
"You think I'll just accept this defeat?"
"At the very least, that's what I believe."
"…I see."
After glaring at Ayanokouji with tired, narrow eyes, Ryuuen thought for a moment.
"Horikita's preparing evidence to give it credibility. If I continue relentlessly targeting you from now on, he'd be ready to expose your identity and discard Karuizawa just to corner all of us."
"It's a move I'd like to avoid if possible. But if that situation arises, I'd have no other choice."
"In that case, not only me, but Ishizaki, Albert, and Kamukura who were here would all get dragged down too. So this time, everything really was in the palm of your hand."
Ryuuen's methods always carried high risk within the school. Since surveillance cameras existed, it wasn't that difficult to prepare countermeasures.
"So, what are you planning to do, Ayanokouji? Are you going to keep me on a leash and restrict Class C's movements from now on?"
"If you don't push us any further than this, I have no intention of using today's events as a weapon."
"I'm not naïve enough to believe a verbal promise like that. If Class C ever corners you into a tight spot, you'll report what happened today to the school. Am I wrong?"
"Maybe so."
"Then it's a deal."
Ryuuen forced his battered body to stand.
He staggered unsteadily as he walked toward Ayanokouji.
"You sent me that unattractive photo of Ibuki.
I'll stop you from submitting it to the school. Even if it was sent from a throwaway account, having even one piece of evidence still poses a risk to you."
As long as that photo remained, it was a point both Ayanokouji and Ryuuen could exploit. The fact that they were involved in Ibuki's incident would inevitably remain.
"Understood. Shall we put it in writing later?"
"In Kamukura's name. There's no need for me to bother with something that tedious anymore."
Once this contract was made, the possibility of what happened here spreading would vanish. As long as none of them spoke about it, the matter would remain buried—or so it seemed.
"——Don't underestimate me, Ayanokouji."
Ryuuen declared boldly.
However, he still carried an air of resignation, and there was no power left in his gaze. His usual domineering presence showed no signs of returning.
"We made a deal so neither side can publicize today's events… but it's still not equal, is it, Ayanokouji? The matter with Ibuki isn't only connected to the former student council president, right?"
Ryuuen spoke as if he was certain.
"The former student council president said the person who found Ibuki was from Class A. Even though today is the closing ceremony, it's impossible for Class A students to just happen to appear in the empty special building. It was your arrangement, wasn't it?"
Ayanokouji neither confirmed nor denied it, simply remaining silent. He looked down at Ryuuen with provocative eyes, as if challenging him to see how much he could figure out.
"Most likely Sakayanagi is involved, but I never imagined you were connected to her. Still, that doesn't matter right now. What's important is that having Class A students as witnesses allows us to manipulate the situation."
Just as Ryuuen suspected, Ayanokouji had planned for exactly that. Even if the photo of Ibuki was submitted, he was prepared to set up Hashimoto as the alternative culprit. While a detailed check of the transfer data could expose him, if a culprit was presented immediately, the investigation would end quickly. He had manipulated the situation for that purpose and used Sakayanagi and the others as suitable tools.
"Even if that photo is submitted, it won't be decisive evidence to corner you, right? That's why Class D still holds an overwhelming advantage in this incident."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"Shut up. This is still in the palm of your hand too, isn't it?"
Vitality briefly returned to his eyes, but Ryuuen quickly turned his battered back to Ayanokouji and walked toward the door.
"Ryuuen-san! Where are you going!?"
Ishizaki and Albert hurriedly rushed over in a panic.
The two moved to block his path.
"Move. Your king has lost.
You're not stupid enough to follow a defeated tyrant, are you?"
"W-What are you saying…"
Ishizaki looked flustered.
Ryuuen continued walking without stopping, attempting to pass between them. But Ishizaki closed the gap to stop him.
"W-Wait a minute! What are you really saying!? Hey, stop! …Kamukura-san! Please tell Ryuuen-san to stop!!"
When Ryuuen still showed no sign of stopping, Ishizaki sent a desperate look toward Kamukura.
Only then did Ryuuen's feet finally stop.
He turned around, took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and threw it underhand toward Kamukura.
Kamukura caught it firmly and stared at Ryuuen.
"…I'll take all the responsibility. Transfer the points."
Ryuuen smiled thinly.
Ishizaki understood everything at that moment.
The responsibility he spoke of meant—
"Ayanokouji, I was the one behind everything today. It's fine if only I get expelled."
Ryuuen would shoulder all the blame and accept expulsion.
It was the final measure he had prepared to cancel out Class D's advantage.
From Karuizawa's perspective, the person who had tormented her would disappear. From Ayanokouji's perspective, he would no longer be relentlessly hounded. And from Class C's perspective, the perpetrator would take full responsibility and vanish, preventing Class D from pursuing the matter any further. Meanwhile, Class C's main members would remain intact.
It was a far-sighted move.
"I see. Well, if that's what you've decided, I have no intention of interfering."
"…Kuku, is it such a boring choice?"
"Yes. However, I also believe that judgment is the move that resolves everything.
Moreover, since you made this decision after correctly understanding the meaning and reason behind today's defeat, I have no intention of changing the outcome."
"K-Kamukura-san!! What are you saying!!"
Ishizaki interrupted.
There was no way he could accept the decision made by his two superiors.
Having said everything he wanted, Ryuuen grabbed Ishizaki's shoulder and smiled again.
"Do as you please from here on out."
With those words, Ryuuen turned to leave the rooftop.
However—
"Just so you know, neither I nor the former student council president have any intention of spreading what happened here.
That's the deal we made. Meaning, nothing that warrants expulsion occurred on this rooftop."
Ayanokouji's words stopped Ryuuen in his tracks.
"What do you gain from that? As long as I'm around, you'll always have a bomb waiting to go off."
"That bomb won't explode unless you talk about today. And if that bomb's target points toward the other classes, it'll be advantageous for Class D.
Another benefit would be the contract I formed with Katsuragi. If you continue with that, you can keep inflicting continuous damage on Class A."
In other words, it was purely a calculated move, Ayanokouji added.
This time, Kamukura took the lead in the conversation.
"In short, it would be a meaningless expulsion. What will you do, Ryuuen-kun?"
"You bastard… you knew this flow was coming from the very beginning…"
Kamukura wore his usual blank expression, not even laughing through his nose.
Even so, Ryuuen felt as though he was enjoying the situation.
It irritated him, and a bit of vitality returned through his annoyance.
"…Don't fuck with me. So this was in the palm of your hand too?"
"Not at all. In my case, I simply predicted this incident, and only the conclusion happened to match.
I'm essentially just a bystander."
"For a bystander, you sure went wild."
After complaining with clear displeasure, Ryuuen thought for a moment again.
"…Well, fine. Either way, I no longer have the qualifications to be leader.
A tyrant is only tolerated while his power still holds meaning. After losing this badly, no one will follow me anymore."
All of his previous tyrannical behavior and actions had been tolerated only because they produced results.
The X search that involved other classes had created that many ripples.
After forcibly mobilizing his own class members and still suffering defeat, the outcome—while it might not spread school-wide—would inevitably reach Class C students.
If that happened, Ryuuen's position would collapse.
Moreover, having lost despite going all out, Ryuuen had realized he no longer qualified as Class C's leader.
"You're quite dutiful."
At Ayanokouji's words, Ryuuen clicked his tongue while looking at Kamukura, who was observing the situation.
"You two are so damn annoying. Both of you have that look like you already know how this ends.
…My decision hasn't changed."
"Who knows.
According to Manabu Horikita, the discussion that will decide the outcome is tomorrow morning, right?
You still have time to think about it slowly until then. There's no need to rush to a conclusion."
Ryuuen ignored him and walked toward the rooftop door.
Ishizaki didn't try to stop him.
After hearing the conversation, even someone as slow as him understood that Ryuuen needed time to think for himself.
"Let's withdraw as well. Albert, please collect all the evidence left at the scene."
At Kamukura's instruction, Albert immediately began moving.
Ishizaki also positioned himself beside Kamukura to follow.
"Let's save the continuation of this for the next special exam."
Kamukura said, looking at Ayanokouji.
"…Sorry, but I have no intention of taking any more actions that stand out than necessary.
Today will be the last time I play with you."
"Unfortunately, that's not possible."
There was already no hostility left.
His emotions had only temporarily fluctuated due to what was done to Mio Ibuki, and Kamukura's mind had returned to its usual state.
However, within Izuru Kamukura, the perception of Kiyotaka Ayanokouji had shifted strongly—from an interesting observation target to an enemy worth rolling around and playing with.
"Let's meet again."
Kamukura left the rooftop, taking Ishizaki and Albert with him.
With this, the only people remaining on the rooftop were finally Ayanokouji and Karuizawa.
"…Sorry for making you wait so long, Karuizawa."
Ayanokouji approached Karuizawa.
As he drew closer, Karuizawa suddenly leaned forward as if about to collapse, so he quickly pulled her into his arms.
The fear that had been assaulting her finally vanished, and the thread of tension snapped.
"It was really… scary… I was so scared…!"
She pressed her body deeply against Ayanokouji's chest as if seeking warmth and cried into it.
The mental strength Kei Karuizawa had shown by willingly standing up to both Ryuuen and Kamukura had finally reached its limit.
Ayanokouji held her tightly in response and comforted her.
In doing so, pain shot through his body.
The accumulated damage from Kamukura's strikes now caused his bones to creak.
However, thanks to Ayanokouji's plan, the situation had been brought to a conclusion that was convenient for him.
That fact remained unchanged.
No matter the process, the victor was him.
That nature of his, which never changed, was completely warped.
With a faint smirk in his heart at having secured the final victory, he began the last bit of cleanup.
***
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