Kaito raised his wakizashi.
"So you're one of those who claim to protect justice?" he said, his voice cutting like a blade.
"Don't mock me. You accused me without a shred of evidence… and you didn't even hesitate to desecrate the dead."
Behind him, among the rubble, a few corpses had remained untouched.
During the fight, Kaito had protected them.
"I know well they were despicable people…" he went on. "But their families bear no guilt."
His gaze burned with rage.
Once again, the red eyes, the dark expression—he looked like a demon.
"I'll wipe you out, member of the Reikeitai. I don't care who you are or what you say. I must not—no, I cannot lose."
Akizame halted his advance. He stared straight into Kaito's eyes.
"I don't know if you really belong to the Mugentamashii, but one thing's certain: you're a public danger."
He cast a glance around.
"Think whatever you want. But I can't allow someone like you to roam free."
He clenched his fists.
"Those blades… they aren't yours. I don't know how you got them, but I will get an answer."
Ash began to whirl around him.
"I won't tell you a damn thing!" Kaito snarled.
"Those blades are mine. Only mine. I won't hand them over to anyone… not even the Reikeitai!"
Kaito closed the distance in an instant and unleashed a vertical slash, but his strike hit only air.
Akizame had already stepped back.
"Let's see how you handle this," he said coldly.
Using the ash as propulsion, he launched himself forward and crashed into Kaito. The two were lifted off the ground, until Akizame hurled him violently into the rubble.
Kaito, wasting no time, pushed off with his legs. Spinning in midair, he hurled himself back at his opponent.
Akizame was struck full-on and thrown to the ground, smashing through part of a collapsed ceiling that split apart.
As soon as he stood, Kaito tried to pierce his chest with both blades.
The strike missed, but Akizame's uniform now bore two long gashes.
(I didn't hit him… but I'm getting closer.)
What he didn't yet realize was that, though inferior, he was slowly adapting to his enemy's speed.
A flurry of attacks followed.
Akizame shaped clusters of ash into long, razor-sharp blades.
Kaito fought desperately to find an opening, to close the gap.
The turning point came when the boy lunged suddenly… and left himself exposed.
A mass of ash struck him head-on, engulfing him completely.
The technique was as fast as a bullet.
Kaito didn't even have time to react.
He was blown out of the subway with brutal force, tumbling across the asphalt on the outskirts.
He hit the ground with a dull thud, while the ash dispersed into the air, light yet lethal.
"Damn it… Get up. Get up!"
He muttered through clenched teeth, fists tightening in his desperate attempt to rise.
When he finally managed, he looked around.
"The outskirts… not destroyed yet."
He pressed a hand against his aching side.
He raised his gaze.
From the subway, another figure was emerging: Akizame.
"That means I have to end this now…"
He swallowed hard.
"If another of the Reikeitai showed up… I wouldn't stand a chance."
His blades began to glow.
"I've absorbed enough energy. I can't use the normal version anymore… only the other one remains."
He drew in a breath.
His eyes locked on his enemy.
"Spirit Slayer: Pressure Mode."
The light that usually extended into a slash now coiled around the blades, as if charging them with pure spiritual energy.
(This technique isn't perfected yet…)
(But after the fight with Shirogane, it became clear: if I don't evolve, I'll never win.)
(All the energy of the Spirit Slayer is compressed onto a smaller surface, multiplying its power.)
(But… only if I can control it.)
"It's time to finish this, kid," said Akizame.
His entire arm was wrapped in ash, ready to strike.
"What's your name?" he asked, voice like ice.
Kaito didn't hesitate. "Kaito."
A moment of silence.
"Kaito… now you'll lose."
Time itself seemed to slow.
The two opponents dashed toward one another, blades and ash poised to clash.
A single blow. Sharp. Devastating.
Then silence.
Both remained standing, motionless, as if nothing had happened.
For an instant, they looked like statues carved in combat.
Kaito lowered his gaze.
"All right…"
His voice was faint.
"I admit it… I…"
A red stain began to spread across his shirt, growing slowly.
"…I've lost."
His body gave way all at once.
Kaito collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"He fought well, don't you think?"
A familiar voice—Enzo's—echoed beside him.
"Yeah…" murmured Akizame, still staring at the boy on the ground.
"What's wrong? You don't look satisfied. Having second thoughts, maybe?" the spirit teased.
Akizame didn't answer right away.
Then, in a low voice:
"Those blades…"
He paused.
"If he really has no spirit… he couldn't have taken them by force."
He turned toward the horizon, fists clenched.
"It means they were given to him."
"What are you planning, Akizame?" Enzo asked tensely.
The boy remained silent for a moment, then turned back toward the ruins.
"The explosion, the destruction of the subway…" he muttered.
"…were caused by pre-existing structural damage."
Enzo stared at him, shocked.
"You can't be—"
But he understood.
Akizame was going to cover everything up.
"Are you insane?! He was at the crime scene, he knew the exact location… and he attacked you!" Enzo pressed.
"If he had been the one to kill them, he wouldn't have tried to protect their bodies. And he never showed true murderous intent toward me."
Akizame lowered his gaze to Kaito, then turned back to his companion.
"That guy… had plenty of flaws. But he could judge people. If he gave him those blades, there must be a reason."
He approached the unconscious boy and crouched beside him.
"I don't know if you can hear me, kid… but listen closely."
His eyes were icy.
"I never want to see you again.
If I do—even once…
I'll arrest you."
Suddenly, a violent kick struck toward Akizame.
He dodged swiftly, stepping back half a pace.
"I'm guessing you're his companion," he said to the girl who had just arrived.
There was no doubt: it was Yume.
"You bastard! What did you do to him?!" she shouted, her face marked by rage and fear.
Akizame kept calm.
"Take him away. Soon more Reikeitai members will arrive… along with the Shinkase police."
"What are you talking about?!"
"You don't have time for questions. Disappear, before I change my mind."
He paused briefly.
"You'll have him explain everything… once he wakes up."
Yume stared at him for a moment longer.
But when her eyes fell on Kaito, she didn't hesitate.
She lifted him gently, pulling his arm over her shoulder.
"You're with the Reikeitai, aren't you?" she asked, turning back.
Akizame said nothing.
"K-Kaito…?" he whispered faintly, regaining consciousness for just a moment.
"Kaito! Don't strain yourself, I'll get you out of here… you're safe, it's all right."
"Wait… where's… Akizame…?"
His words broke off in his throat. He fainted again.
Yume turned to look for the mysterious warrior.
But he was gone.a