Takuma's body jolted with each new cable that forced itself into the mechanism embedded in his back. His muscles convulsed as Reiji seemed determined not to give him up while breathing.
In the meantime, Ren pushed himself up from where he had been kneeling. Just a few minutes ago, those same conduits had lashed toward him, and Takuma had been the one to cut them back and protect him from them. He didn't understand why or what was going through his mind, but that act of choice from Takuma lingered heavily on him. He knew he couldn't just stand by.
The Pact Blade was nearly depleted at that point, with the Pact Glyph barely infusing any energy into it at all. However, a faint spark still remained, flickering like a dying ember refusing to disappear. Ren clenched it tighter, ignoring the trembling in his hands, and stepped forward.
