Chapter 32 — The Heart of the Castle
Yuzurei walked deeper into the mist-choked avenues of the Blue Realm, four katanas glinting like a revolving halo. The high-tech towers breathed cold light; the air smelled of metal and ozone.
Yuzurei: "This place is boring…"
His voice held the easy arrogance of someone who lived for the fight.
Musukoni glanced at him, sensing something in the silence.
Musukoni: "Wait a bit. Enemies usually reveal themselves soon."
A subtle shift in the air told him to move — he peeled off and headed in another direction without fanfare.
Yuzurei: "Bye-bye."
He tossed the word over his shoulder like a challenge and continued alone into a darker core of the realm.
Unseen by Yuzurei, he was walking straight into the center of the Blue Knights' fortress — the last stronghold where only one remained.
In the heart of the castle stood Eisuke Ichiro, the First Blue Knight. Tall and cold, he wore an unbuttoned white suit over a black shirt; his long silver hair fell to his shoulders, and his sky-blue eyes were razor-sharp. On his back, two pairs of chained blades hung like a promise: four deadly edges, synchronized and patient.
Eisuke's voice came low, cutting through the hum.
Eisuke: "Why did you fail me? Tetsuya… Kaizen… I thought you would remain loyal to Shinjukuna-sama. Pathetic. Weaklings."
The words were ice. Anger flickered in his tone — not the wild rage of Kaizen, nor the thunder of Tetsuya, but a precise, unforgiving fury.
In a blink, Eisuke moved. He was a blur of silver and white as he unsheathed his chained blades and sliced through the stone pillars surrounding him. Columns collapsed into showers of dust and steel; the castle's center fractured under the speed of his strikes.
Eisuke: "Then I will end them myself."
His blade dance carved the air into razor wind.
Far down one of the ruined corridors, Yuzurei paused. He felt the change — a pressure like calm before a storm. The bored smile on his lips widened into a grin that was all teeth and hunger.
Yuzurei: "Finally. Someone worth my time."
He tightened his grip on his katanas and strode into the shattered heart of the castle, where sky-blue eyes waited and four blades hung like a storm.