The remains of Kurourushi faded into nothing.
Silence settled—
brief.
Temporary.
Yuta lowered his blade slightly.
"…Stay sharp. That wasn't the only one."
Takeru nodded.
"…Multiple high-level signatures still present."
Then—
the sky shifted.
Not clouds.
Not weather.
The sky itself warped.
A figure stood above them—
walking on nothing.
Takako Uro.
Her eyes locked onto them immediately.
"…Fujiwara."
Yuta frowned.
"…What?"
But Uro wasn't looking at him.
She was staring directly at Takeru.
"…That presence…"
"…That pressure…"
Her expression twisted slightly.
"…You reek of that era."
Takeru remained still.
"…Clarification required."
Uro ignored him.
"…The Heian Era…"
"…monsters walking as humans…"
A pause.
"…You're one of them."
Yuta stepped slightly forward.
"…We're not—"
Then—
he stopped.
Because something clicked.
His eyes shifted—
just slightly—
"…Wait…"
Hana wasn't here.
Megumi wasn't here.
No one else had noticed yet.
But now—
it was obvious.
Uro wasn't wearing anything.
At all.
Yet—
she wasn't exposed.
The sky itself warped around her—
covering—
bending—
concealing everything.
Takeru observed.
"…Spatial distortion used as visual obstruction."
Yuta exhaled.
"…Yeah… that's one way to put it."
Uro tilted her head slightly.
"…Don't look away."
Yuta immediately looked away.
"…I wasn't—"
Takeru didn't react.
"…Irrelevant to combat."
Uro's gaze sharpened.
"…You really are one of them."
Then—
the air shifted again.
A pressure.
Heavy.
Dense.
Yuta's eyes widened slightly.
"…Move—"
BOOOOOOM—
A massive blue blast tore through the space where they had just been—
exploding the ground—
shattering everything in its path.
Takeru had already moved.
Frame shift.
Yuta leapt back—
landing hard—
Smoke filled the area.
Then—
a voice.
"…Man…"
Calm.
Satisfied.
"…That didn't hit?"
The smoke cleared—
revealing a man standing casually amidst the destruction.
Ryu Ishigori.
Grinning.
"…Guess I gotta try harder."
He looked directly at them.
Eyes sharp.
"…You two…"
A pause.
"…you look like dessert."
Yuta frowned.
"…Dessert?"
Ryu grinned wider.
"…Yeah."
"…After all that bland fighting…"
He cracked his neck slightly.
"…I want something sweet."
Takeru stepped forward.
"…Hostile intent confirmed."
Uro hovered above—
watching both sides now.
"…This era…"
She muttered.
"…never changes."
Three forces.
One battlefield.
And now—
it wasn't just survival.
It was a clash of monsters.