Darkness.
That was the first thing Klaus became aware of.
No sound, no ground beneath his feet, no air in his lungs. Just a vast void of nothingness stretching endlessly.
He blinked, confused, his first thought snapping toward Sofie and Ryouma. Where were they? Was Sofie safe? Desperately, he turned his head, scanning the abyss for any way out.
Then everything turned red.
The void bled into scarlet flame, and before him, a shadowy figure began to take form.
Its body was smoke and fire, twisting into a humanoid silhouette with glowing eyes that pierced through the haze.
The longer it stared, the more Klaus's skin crawled.
The figure spoke its voice like molten stone grinding against itself.
"At last… you are able to wield the Fushigiri."
Klaus stiffened.
The word struck something deep within his memory, his dragon heritage, the Divine Dragon, the Dragon Tears.
He didn't know how those tears had reached him… but in his heart, he knew. It had to be Sofie.
A grin spread across his face."Well, I'm here now. I'm worthy of this blade. Now give me the power."
The shadow chuckled and then it laughed. A booming, ancient laugh that shook the very red sky."Hah… I have not met such a bold host in centuries."
Its voice slithered closer."But tell me… the one outside, fighting your woman… do you think she will last much longer? That man , Ryouma he will kill her."
Klaus's jaw tightened. He already knew that.
That was why he couldn't waste a single moment here.
"Before I send you back," the figure continued, "you should know my name. I am Ashborn, one of the ArchDevils, ruler of a layer of Hell itself. With my power, Klaus… you shall cut down your foes."
The shadows coiled around him like chains of fire.
"The Fushigiri possesses five spiritual transformations. Master them, and you can cut anything and anyone."
Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Tell me."
Ashborn grinned, his voice deepening into ritualistic thunder.
Ungo the spirit of protection.
Ako the spirit of wrath and aggression.
Gokan the spirit of unyielding posture.
Gachiin the spirit of stealth and concealment.
Yashariku the most dangerous, granting overwhelming power at the cost of halving your vitality.
Klaus didn't flinch didn't hesitate. He only smirked."I don't care if it costs me everything… as long as I can slay my enemies."
For the first time, Ashborn looked taken aback. Then his hollow laughter erupted again, echoing like a god mocking creation.
"Ahh… I see now. You and I, Klaus… we are going to have so much fun together."
Klaus tilted his head. "Alright, Ashborn the ArchDevil."
"Just call me Ash," the shadow replied smoothly.
"Fine then, Ash. How do I get out of here?"
Ashborn stretched out his hand, fingers clawed.
His voice cracked the air."Kill them all."
Heat surged through Klaus's chest. Fire spread through his veins, filling his body with unbearable intensity.
His eyes flew open and before him… a Phoenix spread its blazing wings.
"You are not yet healed," the Phoenix's voice whispered. "She still works to mend you."
But Klaus ignored it. He forced himself to his feet, hand already gripping the hilt of the Fushigiri.
He unsheathed the blade and power erupted like a storm.
The raw aura gushed from his body, darkness rimmed with crimson fire, his silhouette drowning in otherworldly might.
"Spiritual Form Yashariku."
The transformation struck the battlefield like a thunderclap.
Both Ryouma and Sofie froze mid-clash.
The weight of Klaus's aura crushed the air itself.
Sofie's eyes widened, tears glimmering as she whispered.
"Welcome back… my love."
Klaus didn't reply.
He only felt the true overwhelming might flowing through his limbs.
The cost meant nothing. His life, his vitality, even his soul none of it mattered.
As long as he could kill Ryouma once and for all.
The air trembled.
Klaus stood with the Fushigiri unsheathed, crimson aura spilling from his body like a storm of flame and shadows.
His hair whipped violently in the heat, his eyes burning with madness and resolve.
The Spiritual Form of Yashariku wrapped him in a suffocating pressure that bent the very world.
Ryouma froze mid-step. His grin twitched, unease flashing in his eyes.
"This… aura what the hell is this?"
The Phoenix within her gasped, its voice trembling with awe.
"That is no mortal strength… A Devil has marked him."
Klaus lifted his blade, feeling Ashborn's presence coil around him like a second shadow.
"Good," Ashborn's voice rumbled within Klaus's skull, like the voice of the abyss itself. "Now listen well, boy. To kill a monster like this, you must strike not with fury… but with precision."
Ashborn's hand materialized in Klaus's mind, dragging burning sigils across a void.
A crimson sword manifested before Klaus's inner eye.
"This technique… Empowered Mortal Draw. Focus your mind. Pour your will into the sheathed blade. When you draw, the power will extend, becoming a slash that reaches beyond flesh and steel. One cut to end all."
Klaus gripped the hilt tighter. His lips curled into a vicious grin.
"So I can end it all with one strike…"
"Yes," Ashborn purred. "One strike… to carve his fate."
Klaus lowered his stance, sheathing the Fushigiri once more.
His aura coiled tighter, condensing, flames folding into his body. The battlefield grew silent.
Even the crimson domain seemed to hold its breath.
Ryouma's eyes widened. He recognized the danger instinctively.
His domain began to rumble, spires of blood and steel shooting upward.
"You think some flashy move will—"
KLAK!
The sound of Klaus's hand gripping the hilt cut through his words.
In a blink
He drew.
The Mortal Draw exploded forth, a titanic arc of crimson energy surging outward like a tidal wave.
The slash tore through the crimson graveyard, obliterating every spire, splitting the very ground in two.
Ryouma screamed, panic flashing across his face. He tried to retreat, body flickering with his domain's arts.
"No NO! This is MY world—!"
But Sofie thrust her spear into the ground, flames chaining across the battlefield.
The Phoenix's wings flared wide, igniting the skies.
"You're not running."
The chains of flame snapped shut, binding Ryouma in place.
The Mortal Draw reached him.
Ryouma's eyes bulged with primal terror. His last scream was guttural, inhuman.
"WAAAAAIT—!"
Then the slash hit.
The impact was cataclysmic. His body split apart in a spray of gore, cleaved from shoulder to hip.
Blood and shadow scattered like ash in a storm, the sheer force tearing his soul from the world.
The crimson domain cracked. Shattered.
Collapsed into nothingness.
When the light faded, Ryouma was gone.
Nothing left but smoking fragments of his cursed world, dissolving into silence.
Klaus stood in the ruins, Fushigiri humming in his hand.
His chest rose and fell heavily, his vitality burned in half by Yashariku's toll. And yet—he didn't falter.
Ashborn's laughter echoed faintly in his mind, low and amused.
"Not bad, boy. Not bad at all."
Sofie stumbled forward, her spear trembling in her grip.
She looked at Klaus at the man who had returned from death itself and smiled through her tears.
"You did it… you really did it."
The Phoenix's voice was hushed, almost reverent.
"He did more than that. He changed fate."
Klaus lowered his blade, exhaling a long, ragged breath. His eyes remained locked on the fading remnants of Ryouma's corpse.