The crimson beam tore through the forest like a falling star.
Everything in its path disappeared.
Trees.
Rocks.
The ground itself.
The overwhelming force of the attack created a massive shockwave that pushed everyone backward.
"KAIRO!"
Tyouro's voice echoed through the battlefield.
For a moment...
There was nothing but dust and silence.
The giant Evil Spirit stared at the destruction it had caused.
It believed the battle was over.
Then...
A black flash appeared within the smoke.
Kairo stepped out.
His clothes were damaged, his breathing heavier than before, but his eyes remained focused.
Black Spartan rested against his shoulder.
"I'm still here."
Everyone froze.
Yura's eyes widened slightly.
"...He avoided that?"
Kimimaru stared silently.
"...No."
"...He didn't avoid it."
Everyone looked at him.
"He predicted where the attack would spread."
Kairo slowly lowered his sword.
"The beam wasn't random."
"It gathered energy before firing."
"The pressure around its mouth changed..."
"...So I knew where it would aim."
Tyouro laughed loudly.
"THAT'S INSANE!"
"You calculated a giant laser beam?!"
Kairo smiled awkwardly.
"Honestly..."
"I was scared."
The others became quiet.
"But..."
"I remembered something."
He looked at Black Spartan.
"Being scared doesn't mean I should stop."
"It means I need to think harder."
The giant Evil Spirit roared in anger.
It couldn't understand.
The small human in front of it wasn't stronger.
Wasn't bigger.
Wasn't more powerful.
Yet...
He continued standing.
The monster charged.
Each step shook the entire battlefield.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Kairo lowered his stance.
His eyes moved constantly.
The world around him seemed slower.
Every movement.
Every sound.
Every shift of energy.
His mind processed everything.
"The right arm."
"Three seconds."
"The left leg follows."
"The core is exposed after the attack."
The Evil Spirit swung.
Kairo moved.
A fist large enough to crush a building passed beside him.
He disappeared beneath the monster's arm and slashed upward.
SLASH!
Another wound appeared.
The creature screamed.
But before Kairo could retreat...
A second arm appeared from behind.
The monster had predicted him.
BOOOOM!!
Kairo was sent flying across the battlefield.
He crashed through several trees before stopping.
"Kairo!"
Yura immediately moved forward.
But Shougo raised his hand.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"Watch."
Kairo slowly pushed himself up.
His hands trembled slightly.
His body was exhausted.
But his expression remained calm.
"...It learned from me."
Shougo smiled.
"Exactly."
"The enemy is adapting."
"And so are you."
Kairo wiped the blood from his mouth.
Then he laughed.
"Hehe..."
"That's actually pretty scary."
The giant Evil Spirit roared again.
This time...
It moved differently.
Its attacks became faster.
More precise.
It had started copying Kairo's fighting style.
Tyouro's smile disappeared.
"Wait..."
"Is that thing learning too?"
Kimimaru nodded.
"...It observes."
"...Then improves."
Yura looked at Kairo.
"Then what will you do?"
Kairo stared at the monster.
The same monster that had once terrified him.
The same monster that could destroy everything around him.
Then...
He closed his eyes.
Everyone became confused.
"Kairo?"
For a few seconds...
He didn't move.
He didn't calculate.
He didn't predict.
He simply listened.
The wind.
The ground.
The monster's breathing.
Its heartbeat.
Its movement.
And then...
He understood.
"...I don't need to calculate everything."
The giant raised its fist.
Kairo opened his eyes.
"I've been trying to predict the future."
"But..."
"Fighting isn't always about knowing what happens next."
"It's about trusting yourself."
A strange feeling spread through his body.
Not Hikari.
Not Yami.
Something different.
Something deeper.
His movements became natural.
No hesitation.
No overthinking.
His body moved before his mind finished deciding.
The giant attacked.
Kairo dodged.
Another attack.
He dodged again.
Every movement became smoother.
Almost impossible to read.
Shougo's eyes narrowed.
"...Interesting."
Yura noticed it too.
"He stopped thinking..."
Kimimaru quietly spoke.
"...No."
"He reached a state where thinking is unnecessary."
Tyouro looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
Shougo smiled.
"It means..."
"Kairo has awakened another part of his combat instinct."
The giant continued attacking.
But this time...
It couldn't hit him.
Not because Kairo became faster.
Not because he became stronger.
Because his body already knew what to do.
The giant finally stopped.
For the first time...
It looked uncertain.
Kairo stood in front of it.
Black Spartan in his hand.
His eyes calm.
"I understand now."
"I don't need to become someone else."
"I just need to become myself."
The sword began releasing a dark and white glow at the same time.
The battlefield went silent.
Even the Evil Spirit felt it.
Something inside Kairo had changed.
And Shougo quietly watched.
"...So this is your next step."
The battle was far from over.
But everyone watching understood one thing.
Kairo Kurosawa...
Was no longer the same person who entered this mission.