The colossal Evil Spirit's smile sent a chill through the entire forest.
It wasn't the smile of a beast driven by instinct.
It was the smile of something intelligent.
Something that understood exactly who it was looking at.
The smaller Evil Spirits immediately backed away, creating a massive circle around the battlefield. Even the leader that had been fighting Kairo lowered its head in submission, as though acknowledging the arrival of its king.
The wind suddenly stopped.
The birds fell silent.
Only the heavy breathing of the monsters remained.
Kairo slowly tightened his grip on Black Spartan.
"...It's looking at me."
Shougo's calm voice came from behind him.
"Don't lose your focus."
"It isn't stronger because it's bigger."
"...It's stronger because it can think."
The giant Evil Spirit took one step forward.
BOOM!
The ground caved beneath its foot.
Another step.
BOOM!
Each movement shook the forest.
The injured man stumbled backward, unable to keep his balance.
"W-What... is that thing...?"
"I've never seen an Evil Spirit like this..."
Yura narrowed her eyes.
"...Its aura..."
"...It's suppressing the others."
Kimimaru silently observed the creature.
"...Not just suppression."
"...Leadership."
Tyouro scratched the back of his head, forcing a grin.
"So... we're fighting the boss now?"
Shougo shook his head.
"No."
"...Kairo is."
Kairo blinked.
"...Again?"
Shougo looked at him without changing his expression.
"Your greatest enemy isn't this monster."
"It's your hesitation."
"If I interfere every time something stronger appears..."
"...You'll never surpass me."
Kairo lowered his gaze.
His heartbeat echoed inside his chest.
For a brief moment...
He remembered his old self.
The weak boy who always doubted himself.
The boy who believed he couldn't protect anyone.
Then...
He remembered Oko.
Every punch.
Every defeat.
Every lesson.
Slowly...
He smiled.
"...I understand."
He stepped forward alone.
The giant Evil Spirit let out a low growl before swinging its enormous fist downward.
BOOOOM!!
Kairo vanished.
The punch smashed into the ground, creating a crater nearly twenty meters wide.
Dust exploded into the sky.
Before the monster could react—
SLASH!
Black Spartan carved across its forearm.
Sparks burst from the creature's hardened scales.
"...It barely cut."
Kairo landed lightly before immediately disappearing again.
His movements became impossible for ordinary eyes to follow.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Behind.
Each slash struck a different angle, searching for an opening.
The giant roared in frustration and unleashed a barrage of massive punches, each one carrying enough force to flatten the surrounding trees.
Kairo weaved between them with incredible precision.
He wasn't faster.
He was reading the attacks.
"...Its shoulders move first."
"...Its left foot shifts before every swing."
"...Its balance changes whenever it raises its right arm."
His eyes darted across every movement.
Calculating.
Predicting.
Adapting.
From the edge of the battlefield, Griffin's words suddenly echoed in Shougo's memory.
"Kairo doesn't win because he's gifted."
"He wins because he learns while fighting."
Shougo smiled faintly.
"...Exactly."
The giant Evil Spirit suddenly slammed both hands into the ground.
CRAAASH!!
Countless stone spikes erupted upward like a forest of spears.
Kairo twisted through the narrow gaps, barely avoiding each spike before leaping high into the air.
He raised Black Spartan above his head.
"Hikari..."
A brilliant white light flowed into the blade.
"...Flow."
The sword shone brilliantly as he descended.
SLAAASH!!
The strike landed directly across the giant's chest.
This time...
Blood burst from the wound.
The giant staggered backward.
The surrounding Evil Spirits cried out in panic.
Yura's eyes widened slightly.
"...He actually injured it."
Tyouro pumped both fists into the air.
"LET'S GO, KAIRO!"
Kimimaru remained expressionless.
"...Not over."
As if responding to those words...
The giant slowly looked down at the wound on its chest.
Then...
It laughed.
A deep, rumbling laugh that echoed across the valley.
The bleeding suddenly stopped.
Dark crimson energy gathered around its body, wrapping it like burning armor.
The wound began closing before everyone's eyes.
The pressure surrounding the monster doubled.
Trees bent beneath the overwhelming aura.
Even the weaker Evil Spirits trembled.
Kairo landed quietly, his breathing becoming heavier.
"...It regenerated..."
The giant slowly opened its mouth.
A deep crimson light gathered inside its throat.
The air itself began vibrating.
Shougo's eyes narrowed for the first time.
"...Kairo."
"Dodge."
The monster fired.
A gigantic crimson beam tore through the forest, erasing everything in its path as it raced straight toward Kairo.