The air was silent.
Too silent.
As they passed through the broken gates, not even the wind dared to speak.
The buildings stood still—like witnesses frozen in time. Their shadows stretched long across the ground, distorted by the stains of blood smeared across the walls.
Not splashes.
Not accidents.
Painted.
Deliberate.
The remains of Nent's massacre.
Yamato walked ahead of the group, his steps steady. The malicious grin that once rested on his face slowly faded, replaced by something colder—focused.
Behind him, Ozaki moved with quiet control, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade. His eyes didn't stay still for long. Every corner, every shadow, every broken structure—
He was watching.
Waiting.
Chella followed.
But not fully.
Her body moved forward, yet her mind lagged behind, trapped somewhere in what she had seen. Her arms were stiff, her fingers trembling slightly against her sleeves. Fear lingered in her eyes—raw, unfiltered.
She had grown stronger over the years.
But this…
This wasn't something strength alone could handle.
Yamato's earlier expression still echoed in her thoughts, freezing her senses, reducing her to something less than herself.
Beside her, Lumei supported Sora, her weight resting lightly on his shoulder.
Sora wasn't paralyzed by fear—but she was uneasy. Her eyes shifted constantly, scanning their surroundings, her body tense.
Lumei, however—
His face had gone cold.
Not fear.
Anger.
A quiet, controlled anger that pressed against the air around him.
Ozaki felt it.
He slowed his steps slightly.
"Lumei," he called, without turning. "How are Sora and Chella doing?"
The question cut through Lumei's thoughts.
He blinked once, his focus snapping back.
"Sora's fine," he said, adjusting his hold slightly.
Then his gaze shifted.
Chella.
Still frozen.
"…Chella," he called.
No response.
He frowned.
"Hey."
Nothing.
Ozaki stopped walking and turned back.
Lumei exhaled sharply.
"…Right. I hate doing this."
He steadied his breathing.
At his feet, his shadow trembled—then stretched outward, crawling across the ground toward Chella's shadow.
His eyes sharpened.
She's in shock… Negative emotions have overwhelmed her senses.
Then I'll force balance.
His shadow slid over hers.
For a moment—nothing.
Then—
A thin, faint white thread emerged from Chella's shadow.
Fragile.
Barely visible.
Only Lumei could see it.
Ozaki couldn't see it—but he felt something shift. A subtle disturbance, like a ripple beneath still water.
Lumei focused.
His shadow struck the thread.
A soft pulse moved through the air.
The thread trembled—but did not break.
Chella's body jerked.
Her breath hitched.
"…hah—!"
Her eyes snapped back into focus.
Not fully.
But enough.
Her fear remained. The memory remained.
But she was present again.
She stepped closer to Lumei, her voice low.
"…What kind of monstrosity is he?"
Lumei smirked faintly.
"He's not a monster," he said. "Just someone with secrets."
Sora groaned softly against his shoulder. "Can we… keep moving…"
Ozaki let out a quiet chuckle.
"Good. Then let's move."
---
Yamato had already moved ahead.
Then—
He stopped.
Completely.
Ozaki's eyes sharpened. "Something's wrong."
They rushed toward him.
Sora spoke first. "What is it?"
Yamato didn't answer immediately.
His gaze was fixed ahead.
Then—
"…We're going down."
Ozaki reacted instantly.
His foot slammed into the ground.
The earth beneath them gave way.
Everything collapsed.
They dropped—
CRASH!
They landed hard inside a massive underground tunnel. Dust and sand fell around them as dim light filtered through the opening above.
Tall, dark stone walls surrounded them.
Then—
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
Footsteps.
Fast.
Approaching.
"Guys!"
They turned.
Ichiha ran toward them, breathing heavily.
"I escaped," he said, bending slightly. "Barely made it out… She knows you're coming."
A pause.
"Oh—don't mind me."
His eyes shifted briefly toward Chella before he moved closer to Ozaki.
"What's wrong with her, Master Ozaki?"
Silence.
Yamato's gaze hardened.
"…You escaped?" he asked slowly.
His voice lowered.
"From someone who caught you off guard… from the front."
A step forward.
"Explain."
Ichiha exhaled lightly.
"…Let's talk about that later."
Lumei didn't question it.
Sora and Chella didn't notice.
But Yamato and Ozaki did.
Something wasn't right.
Not with him.
---
They moved deeper into the tunnel.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Yamato's body reacted first.
A faint tingle ran across his skin.
His instincts sharpened.
Something's wrong.
His lips parted—
"I—"
"Don't move!" Ichiha suddenly shouted.
"The ground—!"
The tunnel shook violently.
The floor beneath them shifted.
Stone plates slid apart.
Walls shot upward, splitting the group instantly.
A massive wall rose between Yamato and Lumei.
Another sealed Sora and Chella away.
Beneath Ozaki—
The ground separated into a moving platform.
It shot forward.
"Ozaki!" Yamato lunged—
But the ground twisted beneath him, throwing off his footing.
By the time he recovered—
Ozaki was already gone.
---
The platform came to a sudden stop.
Ozaki stepped forward slowly.
Silence.
A vast circular arena stretched before him. Red symbols covered the walls, glowing faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
At the center—
A figure stood.
Nent.
But something was wrong.
Her posture.
Her aura.
Her eyes.
They didn't belong to her anymore.
Then—
She spoke.
And the voice was not hers.
It was deeper.
Heavier.
Familiar.
Kaku.
"Ozaki…"
A pause.
"You made it."
A smile twisted across her face.
"I'm sure you don't expect those children to follow you here."
A low chuckle.
"They're… occupied."
Ozaki's grip tightened around his blade.
His body reacted instantly.
Heavy.
Weakened.
Kaku laughed.
"Do you remember?" he continued. "I told you I would return."
His eyes narrowed.
"I wasn't lying."
A step forward.
"And now… I'm reclaiming myself."
A pause.
"You thought it would take years, didn't you?"
A grin spread wider.
"When you sealed me… I made sure it wouldn't."
Ozaki's eyes widened slightly.
"I divided myself," Kaku continued. "Shared my power across four fragments… scattered across the continent."
His voice dropped.
"Six days was all it took."
A pause.
"…Though one piece is still missing."
---
Flashback – The Beginning
Six days ago.
At the edge of a mountain.
The sky stretched wide and bright above them.
Ozaki stood still.
Across from him—
Kaku.
His body radiated power.
Not just strength.
Something deeper.
Something unnatural.
THOOM!
A wave of force exploded from Kaku's body.
Dust surged outward.
The mountains cracked.
Not from impact—
From presence alone.
Ozaki's body twitched.
Not fear.
Rejection.
His mind flooded—
Not with his own thoughts.
Another's.
Kowichi.
God of Weapons.
---
Inside the inner realm—
"Ozaki… we can't fight him."
Ozaki frowned. "Explain."
Kowichi's voice carried something unfamiliar.
Fear.
"We are stronger than him," Kowichi said. "Far stronger."
"Then we fight."
"No."
A pause.
"I do not fear him… but I fear the power he is using."
Ozaki's eyes narrowed.
"…That power isn't his?"
Silence.
Then—
"It comes from my creator."
Ozaki's expression shifted.
Understanding.
"So you can't go against it."
"Yes." Kowichi replied.
"Unless… the will is strong enough."
A pause.
"…Yes."
Kowichi exhaled slowly.
"If it were my student…"
He stopped.
Ozaki smirked slightly.
"…So you have secrets too."
---
Back to reality.
Silver energy erupted from Ozaki's body.
The ground shattered beneath each step he took.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Then I'll handle this myself."
His blade formed—
Then split.
Twin blades.
Kaku cracked his neck.
"Still calm?" he said. "You're a fool."
He vanished.
Then—
CLANG!
Steel met force.
The battle erupted.
Kaku moved with overwhelming power. Every strike carried destruction—each blow shaking the land itself.
Ozaki responded with precision. His movements were sharp, calculated—every step, every strike measured.
A slash.
A parry.
A counter.
Kaku blocked some. Took others. Then answered with raw force.
A single punch—
Connected.
Ozaki was sent crashing into the mountainside.
BOOM!
Rocks collapsed around him.
Dust filled the air.
He stood again.
Blood ran down his face.
"…This is why I hate using SILVER," he muttered. "The backlash is worse than the damage."
Kaku charged again.
They clashed midair.
Blades against fists.
Skill against power.
The sky trembled.
Kaku raised his hand.
Dark, ink-like energy gathered—forming a massive spear above him.
He threw it.
Ozaki roared—
Leapt—
Spun—
And struck.
CRASH!
The spear shattered.
But the shockwave drove him into the ground.
His blades cracked.
His hands trembled.
"Four minutes…" he whispered. "Just four…"
Kaku descended slowly.
"Still alive?" he said. "Then die."
He charged.
This time—
Ozaki didn't move back.
He stood firm.
Closed his eyes.
Took one breath.
Then—
The clash resumed.
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Mountains split.
Rivers trembled.
The sky itself fractured under the pressure of their battle.
Ozaki adapted.
Every strike calculated.
Every movement precise.
Blood ran down his arms—but his eyes burned.
Kaku roared—
And slammed his fist into the ground.
A shockwave erupted.
Everything shook.
Villages trembled miles away.
Ozaki planted his blades into the earth—
And screamed—
"KOWICHI: SEALING ART!"
---
Present
Ozaki stood still.
The memory hit him like a wave.
His fists trembled.
Kaku laughed.
"Go on," he said.
A pause.
"Make your move."
A grin spread across Nent's face.
"Every choice you make…"
"…is already part of my solution."
Silence.
Ozaki clenched his jaw.
His blade trembled—
Then steadied.
"…Then I'll stop you again."
His stance lowered.
His aura sharpened.
"And this time…"
His eyes locked forward.
"I'll end it."
The battle wasn't over.