The sky was heavy, starless; the moon was swallowed by storm clouds. Thunder bellowed across the land of Sakura. Rose, freed from Eva's grasp, slid down the wet slope onto the soaked wooden pier. He looped the chain around his blade and flicked the blood from its edge.
"Nothing binds me anymore. Xu Wen used me as a pawn for his own gain. both of you took everything from me. Countless lives have been taken. I shall cut you down by the blade, and that man will pay for what he has done." His voice was cold, final.
"But we are family, Don't you remember? Feng and Bao gave themselves so we could move on. I knew them well, and they wanted to restore Yueguang!" Eva's voice cracked with grief as she wiped blood from her face. "If you kill me now… who will you have left?"
"Then answer me, was Yueguang a part of your plan? Or is it all a lie? Even if I don't defeat you, Eva… I will never go back to what I was." Rose raised his sword high, bracing for the strike.
"I've walked this world since before ARCI and TAOS. I've studied blood and genocide, selfishness and reason. Do you know why you're strong? Because of me. I am your maker MEEEE~!~!~" Eva stood tall, smiling with pride. "We're destined to mend this shit hole, we called earth." she coaxed one last time.
"You talk too much," Rose muttered, tilting his head.
"Then i'll take back what's mine." From her hand, a black blade slid forth, half the length of her arm.
In the shadows, Eva looked like a demon, hungering for the treasure inside Rose's mind. Electricity danced across the jagged edge of her weapon. "Let's finish this, Rose."
Rose's foot scraped against the wet planks. "I never wanted to hurt you, but you left me no choice."
Rose fell silent, centering himself. The final duel loomed, machine against the woman who claimed him as her son. Eight meters apart, they waited for the first move. Rain dripped its last drops, and then the clouds parted. A blue moonlight spilled across the pier, illuminating their faces one final time.
Boom!
A thunderclap split the sky, the signal for the final clash. Eva advanced with unnerving calm, blood dripping from the wound on her arm. Rose lunged like a predator, blade sweeping for her throat, but her black weapon intercepted it, sparks flying as she countered with a crushing punch. Rose absorbed the blow without flinching, then drove a kick into her thigh and looped the chain around her neck. Eva clawed at the hook, choking, yet still managed to speak.
"You're nothing but property of that greedy pig. Laws mean nothing to him. Xu Wen has enough money to silence every cop in the city. And with money comes power. Do you really think a men's soul worth keeping?"
"Balance exists because good and evil weigh the same. But when evil prospers, chaos follows. That's why Feng never left her home, she was the light in a ruined city."
"She deluded you," Eva sneered, slicing the chain free. Rain splashed against their blades as they struck with equal force, sparks scattering.
Rose drove his fist into her stomach, then carved a wound across her face. Eva seized him, rolling them both into the grass, but Rose detached his arm mid‑motion, spinning to slash her back. She bit down hard, silent through the pain, as he reattached the limb.
She rose, stomping forward, blade crashing against his. Their swords locked, faces inches apart. Rose's eyes glowed red with fury; Eva's shimmered red and pink, rage and love entwined.
"You said we'd be together, Rose," she whispered, choking him with one hand. He clawed her face, leaving a deep gash. She retaliated with a desperate thrust toward his eye, but Rose shattered her grip with a knee strike, breaking her arm in two. Eva twisted it back into place, grimacing.
Eva sweeping his legs and hammering his face with a brutal punch. His mask cracked. He shoved her away, sending her tumbling down the slope to the pier. Bottles littered the ground. Rose slashed them apart, soaking his blade in flammable liquor. When their swords clashed again, sparks ignited the steel. His weapon blazed with fire.
She froze, mesmerized by the golden flame. The blade tore into her shoulder, yet she breathed steadily, refusing to fall.
"This fight ended the moment you struck me, Rose. That pendant around your neck, it curses you, makes you a mere human. Something i never~" She lunged, black blade aimed at his heart.
Rose twisted, deflecting, rolling to slice her ankle, then raised his sword to her throat. She dropped to her knees, but before he could finish it, a voice echoed in his mind—words of the dead.
"An Angel… or demon." Feng Muling said,
Rose faltered. His glow dimmed to green, his fury subsiding. Eva seized the moment, dragging his blade to her own neck.
"I am neither angel nor demon," Rose whispered.
Eva laughed weakly. "I told you… this fight was over from the first strike. If I were like you, Rose, I could have done more. Humanity, spirit… it matters to you that much?" Her eyes met his one last time. She knew the end had come since her wrist was first torn open. Rose tried to pull the blade back, but it was too late.
"One day you'll suffer more than I ever did. Even if you feel joy, anger, or sorrow, your face will remain stone. No one will ever understand you. Because in the end… you're me."
Slash!
Her lifeless body slipped into the black sea beneath the moonlight. Rose knelt alone, staring at the pale glow breaking through the heavy clouds. The flames of vengeance that had clung to his blade were quenched by the crimson tide. He turned to the sword, still stained with Eva's blood.
"Forgive me," he whispered to the moon above.
Far in the distance, a lone ship drifted across the water. Rose's eyes lingered on his weapon, its steel refusing to cleanse itself of her memory.
A neon sign flickered, kanji letters hidden beneath leaves until the wind tore them away, revealing hangul instead. Rose blinked, and suddenly he was atop the tallest tower in Seoul. Snowflakes clung to his black coat. The reflection in his blade showed a fractured face, a loneliness etched deep. His green eyes flickered, fading in and out, until a voice called from behind.
"Hey! You there!"
He turned to see a girl with peach hair, a jetpack slung across her shoulders.
"Strange time for a walk, Miss," Rose replied, his voice cold.
"So you don't remember me, huh? I come up here often; it wasn't hard to find you. But you looks… terrible." She pointed at his twisted arm.
"It'll heal… eventually." Crack! Plastic shards fell from his left arm. "Eventually."
"Thanks for saving me. I'm Yoona. Nice to meet you." Her eyes widened as she spotted the sword in his hand.
"Is… is that a samurai? I mean, a katana?"
"This sword means nothing to me anymore." He slid it into its sheath, locking it against his spine.
"Why'd you save me?" she asked. Rose ignored her, rising to walk away. But suddenly his body faltered, forcing him to lean against the wall. Yoona reached out, but he pushed her back.
"I-I-I'm f-f-fine," he stammered, his voice glitching as his face and eyes flickered. Yoona gasped when she noticed the cable protruding from his cracked chest, where Eva's fist had struck.
"Your energy core… don't tell me...."
"I cut the cable to heal your wound. My reserves… are almost gone."
"You mean… you'll die?" she whispered, stepping closer.
"Entering sleep mode… unless… P-P-Preparing to shut d-d-d-down…" His green eyes dimmed, and he collapsed, motionless.
"Hey! Wait! We're not done yet…" Her voice was the last sound he heard, fading into silence.
"Crap!"