Shiro's eyes widened. And his rage began to shift into something deeper. Yitchi's laughter echoed through the alley—but suddenly, it stopped.
His eyes widened in disbelief. Before him, Shiro was changing not into a gruesome, twisted creature, but into something pure.
His fur turned white. His body grew majestic, powerful… natural. A true Yenaldóoshi is born not from bloodlust, but from choice.
Shiro stood tall, his form glowing faintly under the moonlight. For the first time, he felt it—not the hunger, not the rage, but clarity. Purpose. Strength like he had never known before.
Yitchi snarled and lunged forward, claws slashing through the air with vicious speed.
But Shiro was faster. Their claws collided, sparks flying from the impact. Yitchi staggered back, surprised by the raw force behind Shiro's strike.
With a roar, Yitchi tried to leap over him and strike from above, but Shiro twisted mid-air, slammed him to the ground with his massive paw, and clawed across Yitchi's chest.
Yitchi yelped in pain, rolling away, but Shiro didn't let up.
He dashed forward, fangs bared, and clashed again. Claws scraped against flesh. Teeth snapped. Dust exploded around them as they crashed into a wall, shaking the alley.
This time, it was Yitchi who coughed up blood.
Shiro pinned him with a paw, eyes glowing with fierce resolve. Yitchi thrashed, trying to break free, but Shiro's strength was overwhelming. There was no hesitation now, no fear—only justice.
Yitchi launched first, fast and brutal. His claws slashed across Shiro's chest before he could fully brace, sending white fur and blood flying.
Shiro staggered back, growling, but Yitchi didn't stop.
He darted forward, spun low, and slammed his elbow-like limb into Shiro's ribs, cracking bone. Shiro gasped, the pain shooting through him like lightning.
Still, he stood. Shiro retaliated with a powerful swipe, catching Yitchi across the jaw. The beast stumbled, but not for long.
Yitchi grinned, blood on his fangs. "You're glowing, but you're still weak."
He pounced again, pinning Shiro and digging claws into his shoulder, twisting. Shiro let out a strained howl.
But his eyes burned, never looked away, and even wounded, his spirit didn't crack.
Breathing heavily, blood dripping from his wounds, Shiro planted his feet firmly into the ground.
As Yitchi lunged again with a savage grin, Shiro twisted his body, ducked under the blow, and launched a crushing upper strike with his claws straight into Yitchi's jaw: "CRACK."
Yitchi's head snapped back, and before he could recover, Shiro rammed into him with full force, sending him crashing into the wall.
Shiro didn't pause. With a burst of speed, he slammed Yitchi down with both paws and struck him across the face.
Yitchi grunted, blood spraying from his mouth, and hit the ground hard.
As Yitchi lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised, Shiro stepped forward, his voice shaking with rage. "Why are you doing this?!" he shouted. "Answer me!"
Yitchi slowly pushed himself up, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes burned not with pain, but with jealousy.
"You want an answer?" He smirked. "Then listen."
He stood tall, glaring at Shiro. "Why you? Why do you get a second chance… like you're some chosen one? You sacrificed only one person, and now you're on the path to redemption?"
His voice cracked, trembling with resentment. "I killed my father… my mother… and my little sister. All of them! I gave everything to the darkness. We have the same abilities, the same curse, but you were always weak. And still… You were given hope."
Shiro clenched his fists, trembling. "He was the only family I had," he said, voice thick with pain. "And I killed him… because you manipulated me when I was just a child."
Yitchi growled, eyes narrowing. "I don't care."
His voice rose, desperate and bitter.
"Still, why didn't I get a second chance? Why you?!"
Shiro clenched his teeth, eyes blazing. "Chance isn't given, Yitchi. It's meant to be taken."
He took a step forward, his voice sharp with truth and fury.
"Even Yéi may have given you a chance to redeem your sins. Maybe your reincarnated family… was right in front of you. Maybe that little girl Lola and her family… maybe they were your family, reborn."
Yitchi's expression faltered, but Shiro didn't stop. "But you killed them. In a rage. As a monster."
His voice softened just enough to cut deeper. "Did your inner human feel anything when you were slaughtering them? Did your heart ache? Or were you too far gone to even hear it whisper?"
Yitchi's chest rose and fell unevenly, his heart… It was aching.
He recalled something, a strange, fleeting feeling when Lola had gently petted him. A warmth he didn't understand at the time. And when he was slaughtering her… something had trembled deep inside him.
And Lola's mother's smile resembled his own mother's. The realization hit like a whisper through a storm.
Unknowingly, tears began to drip down Yitchi's cheeks, but it was too late.
The beast within him roared and craved blood, furious. That flicker of humanity, that fragile light, was being drowned.
The darkness tightened its grip, clouding his heart and strangling his voice. His inner human screamed, but it was faint at the time. The monster was taken over.
Yitchi snapped out of the moment, his tears vanishing behind a mask of rage and denial. His eyes grew cold again, empty.
"It's over now," he said, voice low and final. "Let's settle this." He took a slow step forward, claws flexing.
"We committed the same sins, Shiro. So we should have the same fate; let's settle it once and for all."
Yitchi fought hard, landing blow after blow.
Shiro staggered but didn't fall.
Spotting a rod beside the road, Shiro grabbed it and, with a fierce roar, drove it straight into Yitchi's chest. Yitchi froze.
His voice fell silent. His body collapsed. His chest… stopped moving.
Yitchi fell to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. But even in defeat, he smirked. "If you want to save him…" he whispered, "you'll have to transfer all your life force to him."
He coughed, eyes dimming, "In the process… you'll die too."