The rooftop quakes like a living creature as Kairos' blade carves through air, its serrated edge thirsty for blood. Behind him, Yua's eyes are on fire—her fingers curled in white-knuckled fists.
But it's Ryo whose eyes gleam with something… cold and fierce. He looks at Kairos the way a wolf looks at prey, body tense as the first drops of storm-rain fall—and then he speaks:
"If you're going to make me choose... I'm choosing Yua!"
Kairos stops short, stunned.
He'd expected fear. Desperation. Maybe even anger. But the quiet conviction in Ryo's voice—like a blade of steel—has him reeling from an invisible blow.
"What did you say?"
Ryo steps forward, every muscle taut like a panther about to spring—eyes never leaving Kairos'. Even the rain seems to pause, waiting for his next word.
"I said: I'm. Choosing. Yua."
(Kairos' blade trembles—just for a second—before he sneers.)
"Then you'll die like the fool you are."
He lunges—blurring forward with the speed of a hunter who has nothing to lose. Ryo barely dodges, feeling the wind of that serrated edge slice past his ribs. The rooftop tiles crack under their feet as they trade blows:
- Ryo ducks, elbow slamming into Kairos' gut. (Too slow—he barely twists away from the retaliatory slash.)
- Kairos feints left, then drives his knee up toward Ryo's chin. (Teeth rattle as blood fills his mouth.)
But every time Ryo staggers, he forces himself back up, vision tunneling on one thing: Protect Yua.
Yua watches, torn between fury and something darker—seeing in real-time what happens when someone fights not for duty… but because they choose to.
(And it terrifies her more than any blade ever could.)
"Enough!"
Kairos finally snarls, frustration and bloodlust sharpening every movement. He moves like a hurricane—a whirling blade of steel that leaves sparks in its wake. But every blow is parried, blocked or evaded—like water slipping through iron hands.
Ryo is breathing hard, sweat streaming down his face… yet his eyes burn with a determination that borders on madness. He won't give in. He can't.
And so:
He fights back.
(And something… changes.)
Kairos realizes it first, seeing the difference in every strike, every dodge. It's not just skill; there's an edge—an intensity—that wasn't there before.
Ryo moves faster, hits harder… like something inside him has shifted into place, making him stronger than he should be even for a human. And slowly, slowly…
He pushes Kairos back.
The battle rages through the city like a storm.
Every building, rooftop and alley is their arena—the pouring rain making every surface slick and dangerous. Both fighters are moving too quickly for even the sharpest eye to keep track of, exchanging blows and dodges in sparks of steel and rain.
People below look up in shock: What is happening on the rooftops?
Ryo's foot skids across a rain-slick rooftop, barely catching himself before Kairos' blade cleaves the space where his head had been. The impact sends shards of tile exploding upward like glass—each fragment glinting in the storm-light as Ryo pivots, driving his elbow toward Kairos' ribs.
(Clang—!)
Kairos blocks with his forearm, teeth bared in a grin that's more snarl than smile. "You move better when you're angry," he taunts, twisting to slam a knee into Ryo's gut. "But anger isn't enough."
Ryo staggers back—blood on his lips—but doesn't fall. Instead… he laughs. A rough, breathless sound that makes Kairos freeze mid-step.
"...Who said I was angry?" Ryo wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes blazing with something sharper than rage: Conviction. "I'm fighting because it's right. Not because I hate you."
Kairos falters—just for a heartbeat—his blade lowering the smallest fraction.
That's all Ryo needs.
With a surge of motion, he moves—faster than before, Seishu energy igniting like fire through his limbs. The rooftop shudders as his foot slams down, propelling him forward in a blur of raw force. His fist connects with Kairos' jaw in a crack that echoes across the storm-lit skyline.
The hunter stumbles back, tasting copper on his tongue as shock ripples through him—not just from pain... but from the realization:
"...You've been holding back?"
Ryo doesn't answer; he presses the attack like an unleashed tide, every strike laced with purpose now:
- A feint left followed by an elbow to Kairos' ribs (bone groans under pressure)
- A spinning kick aimed at destabilizing (the rooftop cracks beneath their weight)
- Finally, both fighters skid apart to catch their breath… but Ryo's stance is different now—deliberate. A warrior who has found his rhythm mid-battle and refuses to lose it again.
Across from him, Kairos wipes blood from his split lip… and for once in this fight... smirks. Not mockingly this time—but something almost resembling respect (if grudging).
"Fine." He flips his grip on the blade into reverse position; fingers tightening until knuckles bleach white against steel hilt…
…And Kairos fights back with a vengeance.
He moves like the hunter he is: precise, ruthless, and utterly without mercy. But so does Ryo. His speed makes him a blur with Seishu energy driving him forward, every strike backed by that same unshakable determination.
The rooftop shudders as blows connect hard—Ryo's knuckles split and bloodied with every impact, but his eyes stay fixed on Kairos'. Every attack, every counter, is a step in this deadly dance. He isn't fighting to survive anymore… he's fighting to win.
…But a warrior who is determined is a dangerous one.
The battle shifts. Kairos is forced off balance. Every move he makes, Ryo's there to meet it—like he can see what's coming next before it even happens. The hunter's confidence wavers as the tide begins to turn, his breathing ragged and labored.
"Enough." he growls, fury edging his voice. "Stop playing with me."
The air screams as both warriors erupt forward—Seishu energy flaring like twin suns colliding. Their fists meet in a detonation of force that shatters the rooftop beneath them, sending debris hurtling into the storm.
(What follows is violence in its purest form.)
- Kairos' blade whips out, carving through rain and wind—but Ryo weaves under it, elbow smashing upward into his ribs with a crack.
- Ryo ducks a return slash, only for Kairos' knee to slam into his gut—blood sprays from his mouth, but he grabs the leg and hurls him sideways.
- They trade blows faster than lightning: fists, knees, elbows—every impact sending shockwaves through their battered bodies. Neither yields. Neither can.
Yua watches, knuckles white where she grips the rooftop ledge—because this isn't just battle anymore... it's ideology given form.
And then—
(Something changes.)
Ryo's Seishu energy burns hotter. Not just in his fists now… but surging down his legs as he kicks off—blurring straight through Kairos' guard with impossible speed. His palm slams square into the hunter's chest—and for once… Kairos is sent flying back.
The impact echoes through the street—a crater of shattered concrete where Kairos lands.
Ryo stands, breathing ragged but unbroken, Seishu energy flickering around him like a dying ember. His knuckles are split, his clothes torn and bloodied… yet his eyes remain locked forward.
Yua can't tear her gaze away. Every bruise, every wound—he took them for her. Not because he was ordered to. Not because it was duty.
Because he chose to.
A realization hits her with the force of a blade: This is what true strength looks like. Not power… but resolve that refuses to bend even when broken.
Across the wreckage, Kairos slowly rises from the rubble—his face twisted in disbelief and something dangerously close to fury as fresh blood drips from his lip…
"...You...?" He coughs once before snarling—"Fine." His fingers twitch toward something hidden beneath his sleeve—
(The fight isn't over yet.)
Seishu energy explodes around the hunter like lightning.
Kairos moves so fast the air itself warps in his wake—a whirlwind of steel and wrath that slams into Ryo before he can move. The impact is like a meteor hitting the earth, sending him hurtling across the skyline.
Yua cries out.
Ryo staggers against a wall—vision spinning with pain as the force of that blow vibrates through every bone. His knees tremble—and a part of him wonders: Can I keep going?
Ryo's head snaps toward the sound—a child's screams as a building comes crashing down.
For a heartbeat, everything else fades.
The battle. The pain. Even Kairos charging at him again—blade hungry for blood—none of it matters.
Someone needs help.
And so, with what little strength remains in his battered body… he moves. Seishu energy ignites in his legs as he leaps past Kairos mid-swing and hurtles toward the collapsing building like a comet descending from heaven itself. His arms stretch forward, fingers reaching as though he could somehow stop time itself—because if there is one thing Ryo refuses to let happen today… it's losing another life while standing idly by watching destruction unfold before him... (again.)
(Yua sees this—and something inside her fractures.)
"RYO!" Her scream tears through storm and steel alike as she watches him vanish into dust and rubble without hesitation... just like always.
(...Kairos stands frozen where Ryo had been moments ago... sword still raised high but now shaking slightly under realization dawning upon him:)
What kind of warrior throws away victory to save someone else?
A true warrior.
The realization hits Kairos like a freight train. No hunter—no matter how experienced or skilled—would abandon a fight to save a stranger. That wasn't bravery; it was lunacy.
...And yet. Something about the resolve in those eyes just before he vanished was so unbreakably defiant, it left Kairos feeling like a child throwing a tantrum.
"...Damn you, kid." The words come out under his breath, half a curse, half a sigh—because somewhere during this fight... something in him had changed, too.
When the dust settles, Yua finds Ryo shielding the child with his body.
The building lies in ruin around them. Dust hangs like fog, thick and choking, but the girl is unharmed and staring up at Ryo in wide-eyed wonder.
He's broken and bleeding in six places, face pale with strain as he lowers his shaking arms from around her. His clothes are tattered, and there's blood on his lips. But his eyes...
Those steel gray eyes are like stars. Bright and unbowed.
A moment passes in silence.
The girl's wide eyes scan over his injuries—the blood, the bruises, the pain written all over his face—before she finally manages to find her voice again.
"You…." There's nothing but awe in it, like she's staring at a hero straight out of legend. "...saved me."
The realization strikes Yua like lightning.
That same unbreakable will. That refusal to let innocents fall—no matter the cost.
"Ryo..." Her whisper is barely audible, but inside her chest, something long dormant roars back to life. Because Gentoki—the legendary captain she idolized above all else—wasn't just strong... he was selfless. And now here stands Ryo: battered, bleeding… and every bit the warrior she once thought only existed in stories.
Across the rubble-strewn street, Kairos watches silently—his blade lowering an inch without meaning to as his gaze flickers between them. His usual sneer has vanished under something heavier... something almost conflicted as he mutters under his breath:
"...Idiots." (But for once… it lacks venom.)
Time stops.
Ryo's smile flickers—then falters completely as his eyes widen in shock. A sharp pain erupts from his abdomen, cold and searing all at once. He looks down... and sees the tip of a blade protruding from both him and the girl.
Kairos stands behind them both, sword gripped tight—his face unreadable.
Yua's scream is lost to the wind as Ryo's legs buckle under him… but before he hits the ground, Kairos yanks his blade free—letting blood splash across broken concrete like rain hitting pavement during a storm.
(Then silence.)
The girl collapses first—small, fragile, her breath already fading. Ryo reaches for her instinctively… but his own vision blurs as crimson pools beneath him. His fingers brush hers—too weak to grasp.
Kairos watches them both from the shadows, his blade dripping with their shared blood. His expression is impossible to read behind the storm and smoke… but for just a second—his grip on the sword trembles.
Yua's voice shatters the silence like glass:
"RYO—!"
🌀 End Of Chapter Nineteen