Houki feels a tight knot of dread settle in his stomach. "We have to get rid of that dome."
"I have an idea but it's risky… someone's gonna have to distract him," Houki explains, glancing at Shiku hoping he'll take the hint.
"I've got it!" Shiku exclaims, a spark of determination igniting in his eyes. With a burst of energy, he charges forward, vanishing into the darkness.
Using his flames to light the area around him he sees a small glimpse of Asmoth.
Suddenly Asmoth smirks before disappearing into the darkness.
Anticipating the impending attack, Shiku made a split-second decision. With a surge of power, he ignites flames from his feet, propelling himself forward with extraordinary speed. In a fluid motion, he executes a backflip just as Asmoth reappears behind him, ready to strike. Shiku's quick reflexes allow him to narrowly evade Asmoth's punch, showcasing his agility and keen sense of timing.
Shiku grins the fire in his eyes flaring hotter. "Not so scary when I can see you coming."He launches a fire-filled punch toward Asmoth.
But Asmoth dodges with ease, vanishing once more into the shadows.
"Tch—he's still toying with me." Shiku realizes.
Back outside the dome, Kasumi focuses hard, her hands glowing green as she scans the edge of the veil. "I can sense the thinnest point—it's flickering… but we need something big to pierce it."
Houki narrows his gaze. "Then let's make it big."
He spreads his arms wide, void energy wrapping around him in spiraling rings. The air warps, crackling with pressure. "If Shiku can keep him busy, maybe I can open a rupture through the core of the veil—maybe even disrupt the spell binding it."
Kasumi's eyes dart to the dome. "That'll take more than just your energy."
"I'm not using just mine," Houki replies, planting his feet. "Lend me yours."
She nods, stepping behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. Their energies synchronize, merging into a steady hum.
Inside the veil, Shiku dodges and weaves, his body a blur of fiery arcs. "How long are they gonna take?!" he mutters through gritted teeth.
He ducks under another swipe from Asmoth—this one almost landing—and counters with a blast of fire to the chest. It explodes on impact, forcing Asmoth back a step.
Only a step.
Asmoth's mask tilts slightly, and though his expression is hidden, Shiku feels the sneer in his voice. "Is this your limit?"
"No," Shiku growls, tightening his fists. "I'm just getting started."
Then, beyond the veil, Houki roars:
"Void Rend: Gate Collapse!"
A massive spiral of void energy erupts from the thinning spot of the Black Veil. Tearing a massive hole in the top of the outer wall.
The dome quakes violently.
Shiku sees the light. A rip in the darkness—shining, wild, real.
Kasumi's voice pierces the air. "Now, Shiku! Get out of there!"
But Shiku doesn't move.
Not yet.
"I'm not running," he says, locking eyes with Asmoth. "Not without leaving a mark."
He dashes forward, pouring everything into one final blazing strike—
"Ignition Strike."
Fire erupts around his body in a spiraling vortex as he aims straight for the mask.
Asmoth swiftly intercepts Shiku's punch, seizing his hand in a firm grip. As their powers collide, a radiant flash erupts around them, illuminating the darkened surroundings.
With Shiku's fist held firmly in front of his face, Asmoth can't help but let out a snicker, his gaze locking deep into Shiku's eyes, the tension between them palpable.
With a sneer, Asmoth challenges, "Is that all you humans can muster?"
He kicks Shiku away sending him flying then before Shiku can fall he disappeares into the darkness then reappears behind him punching him back the other way.
Almost knocking Shiku unconscious.
On the outside of the dome, Houki finds himself in a frantic battle against time. He struggles to keep the hole in the dome open, his determination tested as the pressure mounts. As he pushes with all his might, his legs begin to shake uncontrollably, a physical manifestation of his exhaustion and the immense effort he is exerting. Sweat pours down his face, stinging his eyes and blurring his vision, but he knows he cannot afford to let the hole close.
With every passing moment, the gap he is fighting to maintain narrows, intensifying his urgency and resolve.
As Houki wrestles with his inner turmoil, Kasumi rushes forward, gripping his arm tightly. "Houki, please! You have to stop! There must be another way!" Her voice trembles with urgency, each word dripping with desperation as she searches his eyes for understanding.
Houki's jaw clenches. His body trembles under the immense strain, but he doesn't turn to her. He can't.
"If I stop now," he growls through gritted teeth, "Shiku dies in there."
The spiraling void energy around his body flickers—unstable, violent—responding to the turmoil boiling inside him.
"But you'll die too!" Kasumi shouts, stepping in front of him now, her hands still glowing with healing magic. "You're burning through your core—Houki, this could kill you!"
He meets her gaze finally. Eyes shadowed, fierce, but soft in that moment.
"I'd rather die helping him… than watch him die because I didn't try hard enough."
Kasumi's breath catches. Her hands tremble, unsure whether to stop him or help him. But in his eyes, she sees the resolve of someone who has already made peace with pain. Already chosen the fire.
A single tear slides down her cheek. Then, she nods—and presses both hands against his back.
"Then I'm with you."
A pulse of green energy flows into Houki's body, stabilizing the chaos—barely. It's just enough.
Inside the veil, Asmoth stalks toward the crumpled form of Shiku, whose flames now flicker weakly.
"You put up quite the show," Asmoth muses, voice like blades in the dark. "But it ends here."
His hand begins to glow with a deep, pitch-black aura—pure death magic. It extends outward, sharp and jagged, like the edge of a scythe.
Shiku struggles to stand, but his limbs refuse to obey. Everything hurts. His vision blurs.
But then—he sees it.
The light.
The hole Houki fought so hard to hold open.
And more than that, he feels it.
Kasumi's healing mana… Houki's void energy… wrapping around him like a tether. A lifeline.
Shiku's fists tremble, but they clench again—tighter than ever.
Not yet.
Not like this.
With a roar that tears from his core, fire explodes from his body like a second sun. The ground beneath him scorches black as a pillar of flame erupts, forcing Asmoth to leap back.
From the fire, Shiku rises—his body ablaze, his eyes lit like a star gone supernova.
"One more try…" he pants. "One last shot."
He leaps.
Asmoth meets him.
Outside, Houki screams through the pain. "Come on Shiku."
And with everything left in him, Shiku unleashes it all—
"Ignition Strike!"
Their collision detonates like a meteor strike.
Flames erupt from the center of the veil—followed by a shockwave of pure void energy. The dome shatters into shards of darkness, scattering into the wind like ash.
Silence follows.
Then—
A body falls from the sky, surrounded by flickering embers.
Kasumi sprints forward, catching Shiku just before he hits the ground, cushioning him with a burst of mana.
Houki collapses to his knees.
The Black Veil… is gone.
But the battle… is far from over.
❧
Kasumi holds Shiku's scorched body in her arms, his breathing shallow but steady. His clothes are torn and burned, skin singed and bruised, but there's a flicker of life in his half-lidded eyes. A crooked grin forms on his cracked lips.
"Hah… told you… I'd leave a mark…"
Kasumi chokes on a relieved laugh, tears stinging her eyes. "Idiot… you nearly killed yourself…"
Houki stumbles toward them, void energy dissipating in wisps from his arms. His knees almost give out, but he braces himself, eyes darting to the sky where the veil once loomed. "It's gone… but…"
A tremor rumbles through the earth.
The ashes of the shattered veil twist unnaturally in the air… then swirl downward, reassembling like black smoke drawn into a funnel. The sky dims again—unnaturally.
"No…" Houki breathes. "It's not over."
A black figure floats down from the vortex of darkness—still masked, still shrouded in his tattered cloak—but his aura has shifted.
He lands silently.
Asmoth.
Untouched.
Not a scratch mars his body.
But his mask…
A crack.
A thin, diagonal fracture stretches from his forehead down to the left cheek of the bone-white mask, glowing faintly red.
Shiku's strike hadn't destroyed him—but it did something.
Asmoth runs his fingers along the crack in eerie silence.
Then speaks, for the first time without mockery:
"…That… was unexpected."
His voice carries an edge now. Not amused—angered.
"You insects… have wasted enough of my time."
Suddenly, the air shifts.
With a wave of his hand, Asmoth summons dozens of spears floating above the battlefield.
"Obsidian Rain."
Dozens of black spears hovered in the sky, humming with lethal intent. Their tips shine with black mana, poised to rain down and annihilate everything below.
Houki tries to summon energy, but his legs buckles. "I… can't stop them."
Kasumi throws herself over Shiku's body, arms spread protectively. "No—!"
Then—
A flash of silver.
One by one, the spears are struck down mid-air by something too fast to see. Sparks and bursts of wind exploded with each impact. The final spear, inches from Kasumi's head, shattered against wolf-like claws.
Time seems to freeze.
A lone figure now stands between them and the falling storm. Back to the trio, his white fur surrounded by a massive yellow aura shines in the sunlight.
Kasumi gasps as recognition floods her face. Her voice trembles. "I know that stance…"
The man turns slightly, eyes glowing a bright blue beneath thick, silver-white fur. He gives a single, familiar thumbs up.
Kasumi's breath catches. Her voice falls to a whisper:
"…Dad?"
The air crackles.
Nobori steps forward, his voice steady as stone.
"You've touched my students… and threatened my daughter."
Without warning, Asmoth vanishes—and reappears in front of Nobori, fist reared back.
But Nobori's already there.
The impact of fist against claw sends a shockwave ripping through the ground, splitting trees and lifting soil into the air. Neither one budges an inch.
Asmoth's voice is tight with surprise. "You blocked it?"
Nobori grins. "I caught it."
He yanks Asmoth in and delivers a brutal knee to the gut, followed by a spinning backhand that sends him flying into a tree—cracking it clean in half.
"This is your only warning," he says calmly. "You want them…?"
He points a claw behind him—toward Houki, Kasumi, and Shiku.
"…You'll have to go through me."
And for the first time—
Asmoth hesitates.
❧