The battlefield shook.
The rift split open, crimson cracks tearing the earth apart as the Demon of Hatred roared, flames spiraling into the sky like a volcano erupting.
Isshin Arashi stepped forward, his face calm, his sword already sliding into the sheath.
"Dragon Flash."
A glint shimmered on his hilt. For a moment, silence fell. Then—
SHIIING!
A blinding arc of light tore forward as Isshin struck downward.
A wave of force burst through the ground, carving it open.
A second wave followed instantly, jagged and sharper, crashing against the Demon's burning frame.
The monster screamed, its body split and charred by the slashes of pure force.
Chunks of molten flesh scattered, sizzling on the ground.
But Isshin wasn't done. His hand returned to the hilt, his stance low and steady.
"Arashi Cross."
He stepped forward once then two impossibly quick slashes ripped into the beast's torso, so fast they seemed to appear before the swing even finished.
Blood and fire spewed out, painting the battlefield red.
The Demon of Hatred retaliated instantly.
Its stomps split the ground like earthquakes, each one nearly throwing Isshin off balance.
Its charge dash barreled forward like a flaming juggernaut, forcing Isshin to leap aside.
A body slam shook the ruins, throwing rubble everywhere.
Then came the fireballs, hurling from its maw like meteors, exploding on impact.
And finally its Fire Floor Slam.
The beast slammed its massive fist into the ground.
A wave of fire burst outward, igniting everything in sight.
Trees, stones, even the air itself burned.
Isshin gritted his teeth. His body screamed, but his spirit did not falter.
He waited, stance ready.
The Demon charged in for the kill.
"Arashi Cross…Countervail."
As the Demon closed in, Isshin smacked the beast's arm aside with his blade, canceling its strike, and in the same breath delivered a perilous sweeping slash that nearly severed its leg clean off.
Blood and molten flesh splattered as the monster howled in rage.
---
At the orphanage…
Tatsuki suddenly froze. A shiver ran down her spine as two Ryōki signatures clashed in the distance.
One was familiar, her grandfather.
The other… was pure malice.
Her heart stopped. "Grandpa…"
Without hesitation, she ran. The children called out after her, but Tatsuki was gone.
When she reached the edge of the battlefield, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Her eyes widened in horror.
The sky was black, painted with fire and ash.
Buildings lay in ruin, people screamed in the distance.
The apocalypse itself had descended.
And at the heart of it all her grandfather Isshin, locked in brutal combat with a demon.
"G-Grandpa…?" Tatsuki whispered, her voice trembling.
She saw Isshin take a hit, his body thrown across the battlefield. "NOOO!" she screamed.
The Demon's eyes locked onto her.
It turned. And began walking toward her.
"Run!" Isshin shouted, coughing blood.
"Tatsuki—RUN!"
But she couldn't move. Her body shook as the flames came closer.
Her fear twisted into resolve.
Her aura erupted.
The ground cracked beneath her feet, scarlet energy tearing upward, splitting the air as her Ryōki manifested like a storm.
The sky above darkened, winds whipping violently around her.
Tatsuki's hand gripped her blade.
Time slowed.
She whispered "Dimensional Slash."
In a single motion, her sword cleaved the very air itself.
A blinding cut of pure dimensional force shot forward unstoppable, perfect and divine.
SHRRRIPPP!
The Demon of Hatred was sliced clean in two, its body splitting apart violently, flames sputtering out.
"Grandpa!" Tatsuki dropped her blade and ran, kneeling at Isshin's side.
"…Are you okay?" she sobbed, clutching him.
Isshin didn't answer right away. His eyes opened slowly, and instead of panic, there was only a calm smirk.
"Ready your stance, Tatsuki… Remember your lessons."
She blinked, confused. "What… what do you mean?"
Then she looked up making her heart stop.
The Demon she had just cut in two… was already re-forming, its molten flesh pulling itself together as if nothing had happened.
Her eyes widened. "What the hell…"
Isshin's voice was grim. "It's immortal."
"…Immortal?" she repeated in horror.
Isshin nodded. "There's one way to end it. But it'll take me along with it."
Tears welled in her eyes. "NO! Don't say that! I'm here now we'll find a way together!"
Isshin looked at his granddaughter. Then, despite the carnage, he smiled warmly.
He reached out, patting her head gently.
"You've grown strong… Take care of the family. Especially Kuro."
"Grandpa…" Her tears fell freely, dripping onto his hand. She shook her head. "Don't say such things, please…"
Then the battlefield shook again.
Two figures descended from the sky one wreathed in black spirit flames, the other shining with golden-red fire.
Klaus landed first, his aura the embodiment of Yashariku itself, the Fushigiri drawn and radiating a crushing, spirit-slaying power.
His eyes locked on the regenerating demon.
Beside him, Sofie descended in her Phoenix armor, her body glowing with the Deathless Flame. The air itself seemed to bend around her presence.
Isshin chuckled, despite the blood dripping from his mouth. "So… you did it, huh." His eyes fell on Klaus's blade. "The Fushigiri… finally drawn."
Klaus only nodded, his gaze fixed on the enemy.
Tatsuki looked at Sofie and gasped. The girl beside her wasn't the same anymore.
She was reborn in fire, a warrior goddess,fire ready to burn everything in her way.
Isshin struggled to his feet, smirking. "Alright then… Let's finish this in style, shall we?"
Klaus slid into his stance, the Fushigiri humming with deadly anticipation.
Sofie's deathless flame burned, ready to pierce the beast's core.
Tatsuki's Ryōki surged again, reaching the skies in a scarlet pillar of rage.
Isshin stood tall, smirk carved into his weathered face, sword steady in his hand.
The Demon of Hatred roared, its immortal body fully restored.
But this time it faced all of them.
---
The ground shook violently as the Demon of Hatred let out a roar that split the heavens.
Its burning frame pulsed with infernal energy, molten cracks running down its body like veins of hellfire.
Klaus stepped forward, the Fushigiri humming, every swing whispering death to immortals.
His aura burned dark and cold, the spirit storm raging around him.
Beside him, Sofie's Phoenix armor flared, her body engulfed in golden-red flames, the Deathless Flame spear blazing as if the sun itself had descended.
Tatsuki wiped her tears and spotted her katana lying in the rubble where she dropped it.
She ran and grabbed it, Ryōki bursting outward once again, her crimson aura tearing cracks into the very sky.
The blade trembled in her hands but also sang, resonating with her power.
And Isshin… his body battered, blood running down his arms, yet he stood tall.
Reluctant or not, the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed.
The four warriors faced the towering demon together.
Inside Klaus's mind, Ashborn's voice echoed.
"Focus. The Fushigiri is no ordinary blade—it is the ender of eternity. Wait for the right moment, then sever its immortality."
Klaus gritted his teeth and nodded.
At the same time, the Phoenix whispered into Sofie's heart.
"Child of fire, your body strains under my power. But if you time your strike well, your flame can cauterize even an immortal wound."
Sofie's grip tightened on her spear. "Then I'll burn it until there's nothing left to heal."
The Demon struck first.
Its colossal arm swung down like a mountain falling.
"Move!" Isshin barked.
They scattered in perfect unison, rubble exploding where the fist landed.
Sofie leapt high, her wings of flame spreading wide, thrusting her spear down into the monster's shoulder.
The Deathless Flame seared flesh, and for the first time, the Demon howled in pain.
Klaus charged low, slashing across its legs with the Fushigiri.
The cursed blade tore straight through the molten flesh a wound that didn't heal immediately.
Ashborn's voice resonated in triumph.
"Good. It feels the sting of true death. Press harder."
Tatsuki followed, her Ryōki flaring so brightly it painted the battlefield scarlet.
She stepped into stance her katana hummed and unleashed a barrage of blindingly fast strikes.
Each one carved deep across the Demon's burning hide, sparks flying as her dimensional edge cut through its massive limbs.
Isshin came in last, his steps heavy but sure.
His blade sang as he crossed the battlefield.
"Dragon Flash!"
Twin arcs of force slammed into the beast's torso, staggering it backward.
The Demon roared, erupting into chaos.
It stomped, sending shockwaves that threw the four fighters into the air.
It slammed its body forward, trying to crush Klaus.
Fireballs rained from above, scorching the earth.
And then again the Fire Floor Slam.
A wall of fire surged outward, ready to consume them all.
Tatsuki clenched her teeth, Ryōki exploding out like a protective dome around her and the others, shielding them from the inferno.
The strain nearly tore her body apart, but she held it.
"Go!" she screamed.
Klaus dashed forward, every step an afterimage.
Sofie followed, flames dancing wildly around her form.
Isshin appeared beside them, his blade ready.
Sofie pierced into the beast's arm with her spear, pinning it down with flames that refused to be extinguished.
Klaus dashed in under her cover, slicing into its exposed ribs with the Fushigiri.
The immortal body hesitated to regenerate.
Ashborn roared in his mind.
"NOW! AGAIN! STRIKE IT UNTIL IT BREAKS!"
Klaus screamed and hacked again, dark spirit energy bursting with every swing.
Tatsuki darted in, her blade flashing.
She shouted "Dimensional Slash!".
A crimson arc cut across the Demon's midsection, splitting it apart in a storm of blood and fire.
Isshin finished the sequence.
"Arashi Cross!"
Two impossibly fast slashes struck through the monster's chest, cutting it into four massive chunks.
The battlefield went silent.
The Demon of Hatred collapsed, torn apart, burning, its body spasming as black blood spilled across the ruins.
But then…
The chunks began to writhe.
The flames flared.
It started to stitch itself back together.
Sofie snarled, her flames blazing higher.
"Damn it, it's still not enough!"
Isshin lowered his blade, sweat and blood dripping. "It's immortal. No matter how we cut it down, it'll keep coming back."
Klaus raised the Fushigiri, his aura dark and terrible, Ashborn's voice still thundering inside him.
"Not forever. The blade you carry is its end. You just need… the moment."
Sofie looked at him, her Phoenix whispering in her soul "I will hold it down. Use the blade. End this together."
Tatsuki gripped her katana, Ryōki blazing like a star. "Then let's make that moment happen."
Isshin smirked through bloodied lips.
"Hmph… damn brats. Fine. Let's go to hell together."
They turned as one.