Hakari's eyes snapped open. His breath came in ragged bursts.
"Were we… unconscious? For how long?" He clutched his head, fragments of memory slipping away. "I don't remember. But… someone—I remember that woman. She chained us here."
Kage sat up, sweat dripping down his forehead. His voice cracked.
"The fuck… where are we?"
Hakari's gaze froze on the towering silhouette before them.
"The Tree of Blessing."
Kage frowned. "What?"
Hakari's voice lowered, as if saying the name itself might summon something.
"This… is called the Tree of Blessing. As tall as a mountain. But… this isn't real."
Kage barked a laugh, half disbelief, half terror. "Not real? We're chained to the damn thing, Hakari! Some blessing this is!"
Hakari's face hardened. "I mean this is a replica. A trick. The real one… it isn't even here in Koha. According to the old stories, it's far north, hidden in the mountains of Yur."
Kage stared, confused and angry. "And how do you know that? You've never seen it yourself."
Hakari's silence was heavy. Finally, he admitted, "I haven't. And maybe I'm wrong. But the stories all say the same thing… the true Blessing Tree isn't anywhere near here."
Kage swallowed, eyes darting. "Then what the hell do we do now?"
Hakari paused, his voice hesitant. "I… might have a plan. But for that—"
---
Meanwhile, in the depths of Hell—
Yushi and Weller stumbled through a blistering path of fire. Coals burned their feet raw, the skin peeling with every step. Then came the sudden bite of frost—ice so cold it froze their lungs, numbed their bones, and clawed at their minds. Yet they kept moving, driven by desperation.
They finally collapsed into a narrow black tunnel. The air stank of rot and rusted iron. Its walls seemed to breathe around them.
Then—
A hand shot out from the darkness and wrapped around Weller's leg.
"Y-Yushi!" Weller screamed, thrashing. "Something's got me!"
Yushi's blood ran cold. "No… no, don't tell me… he followed us here."
The creature emerged. Its face was nothing—just smooth flesh. Long hair trailed like seaweed in black water. Seven arms clawed forward, each grotesquely long. Its chest bulged fat while its spine jutted sharp through its back. On its left hand—nine blinking eyes glared at them.
Weller kicked, terrified, but the grip only tightened. His fingers bent and cracked as he tried prying it off. Bones snapped like twigs.
"Yushi!" he cried.
Yushi's heart pounded. He trembled, sweat soaking his skin. "Damn it… I swore I'd never use this again." His voice broke into a roar. "But if I don't—he'll die!"
He raised his hand. "Lion Code—First Command: Man Eater!"
Light erupted, clawed and feral. It tore through the dark, striking the abomination. Its head burst, its hands shredded into ash.
Weller's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… you used your Command… Why? Why now?"
"Shut up," Yushi snapped, panting. "We need to move before this whole damn place collapses."
---
They crawled further, chasing a faint light. Weller stopped, breathless.
"Y-Yushi… what now? Is this it? Hakari… are we too late?"
Before Yushi could answer, his eyes caught something. His voice cracked.
"Wait. Do you see it? There—light leaking through a crack. A way out."
Weller froze. His uncle's words clawed back into his memory.
"…Cave heaven, cave hell. Illusion all. Illusion all…"
His eyes widened. "This cave—it shows everything. Your dreams, your fears, your darkest truths. All illusions. And that's why… it drives men insane."
Yushi clenched his fists. "Then that crack—it's the loophole. The truth beneath the lies."
"Yes." Weller nodded, eyes wet. "We've found it."
But then his voice broke. "Yushi… what about them? Hakari. Kage."
"They chose their path," Yushi said coldly. "If we try to drag them out, we'll lose ourselves too."
Weller's voice rose, trembling. "Have you forgotten? Our promise to big brother? That we'd help those in need, no matter what? By all Codes and the Creator—Yushi, we swore it!"
Yushi shut his eyes. For a moment, silence. Then a bitter laugh slipped out. "Damn it… you're right." He turned, determination in his eyes. "Fine. We'll save them. Or we'll die trying."
---
Back at the tree—
Hakari and Kage froze. A shadow loomed closer.
"W-who… who are you?" Hakari stammered. "You monster…"
The creature drew its blade and with one merciless strike—both their heads rolled.
Darkness.
Then—
Their eyes opened again.
Kage gasped. "What—where are we?"
Hakari's lips parted in horror. "…The Tree of Blessing."
Kage whispered, terrified. "…What?"
The shadow appeared once more. The blade fell.
Again, their world reset.
And again.
And again.
Until there was nothing left but the endless loop—
death, rebirth, and the curse of the Tree.
Yushi and Weller pressed deeper into the darkness, searching for Hakari and Kage. But no matter how far they went, the two were nowhere to be found.
What they did find… were monsters.
Again. And again.
Their blades cut, their powers clashed, yet each time, the creatures returned. Twisting, crawling out of nowhere, as if reality itself refused to let them rest.
Yushi gritted his teeth. "What the hell is going on?! We kill them, over and over, but they keep popping up out of thin air—"
He froze mid-sentence. His eyes widened.
"Weller… do you understand what this means?"
Weller blinked, panting. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me—"
Yushi's voice dropped, cold and sharp.
"We're trapped. This isn't a fight anymore… it's a loop."
The air grew heavy. The monsters snarled. The cycle had begun.
What will they do now? Will Yushi and Weller be able to break free—or will they be devoured, again and again?
The loop had only just begun.
A shadowy silhouette emerged, long hair swaying, lips curled into a twisted smile. His voice echoed through the hollow cave—half laughter, half venom.
"Ahhh… this is fun. Truly fun." His words slithered like poison.
He stepped deeper into the shadows, laughter growing louder, crueler.
"One… is the son of Rui Yamazaki." His grin widened, as if savoring the name.
"The other… the son of Yami Shinzowa."
The cave trembled faintly with his voice, as though the mountain itself listened.
"But those two…" he paused, eyes narrowing in amusement, "I sense something strange. A Code of the Lion… and that other boy—he knows the art of illusions."
He licked his lips, grinning in the dark.
"This is fun. This is really… really fun."
The air grew heavier. The loop had begun, and their fates were no longer their own.
What will they do now? Can Yushi and Weller break the chains of madness and pull Hakari from the jaws of illusion? Or will they too be devoured by the curse?
The loop has begun.