As Kirashi prepared for retaliation against the Seele, he pushed himself up from the rubble, every muscle aching with the weight of vengeance.
The screams of those he'd failed to save echoed in his mind—their deaths etched into his soul by the mercyless hands of the Seele. He could no longer stay down. Not now.
But as he stood, a chilling presence descended upon him—a force that made the very air around him tremble.
Someone else was here. Someone who wielded the same power as he did. The ground seemed to hum beneath their weight, and a cold shiver ran down Kirashi's spine.
He turned slowly, his breath caught in his throat. This wasn't just another enemy. It was Roger.
Kara quickly noticed the sudden hesitation in Kirashi, just ahead of her. His body had gone rigid, his shoulders tense, as if struck by an unseen force.
"Kira-san...?"
She called out softly, her voice laced with concern.
He didn't respond.
Kara looked behind, drawn by a flicker of movement—something tugging at the edge of her awareness. Her eyes scanned the road behind them, and then they widened.
There, standing in the distance, were two figures. One, unmistakable even from afar—her brother, Itoshi. The sight of him sent a jolt through her chest.
Beside him stood someone else. A man who her allies considered a threat. No... an enemy.
Roger.
"Who the hell is that man?.. What kind of strength does he possess?.."
Kirashi muttered.
[Itoshi and Roger's Conversation]
"So?.. I'll just have to clean these one's then you come with me right?... No, I clean these one's so then I can kill Ryujin, then you come with me.
Roger turned to Itoshi, his voice steady, laced with confidence, and asked the question that needed no answer
Itoshi simply nodded.
"Hoh?.. Peace of cake."
Roger thought.
Roger took a deep breath, slow and deliberate, as if drawing in the weight of the world itself. He raised both hands, calm in his stance yet crackling with intent.
In the blink of a moment, his form blurred—vanishing into what seemed like wind incarnate.
But it wasn't wind. It was speed. Pure, unrelenting velocity masked as illusion.
He reappeared at the shore, where the Seele forces surged in waves, trying to break the field men's defensive line. And then, with a voice that tore through the storm, he unleashed a single
word,
"Pressure"
The air bent around him. In that instant, every Seele caught in his sightline vanished, their forms erased, their presence dissolved.
The sheer force of the blast drove the rain backward, carving a moment of dry silence into the storm, as if even nature bowed in awe.
Kara and Kirashi watched in stunned silence, their eyes wide as the aftermath settled. The sheer force of Roger's strike had shaken the battlefield—and not just the enemy.
Field men caught within the fringes of the blast now lay scattered, some groaning, others motionless, their forms broken by the very wind meant to protect. The line had held, but at a cost.
Above it all, Itoshi stood at the edge of the road, unmoving. His gaze was cast downward, shadow draping over his figure like a veil, as if the darkness itself had chosen him.
He said nothing. He didn't need to. The weight of what had just unfolded hung heavy in the air, and his silence spoke louder than any war cry.
Roger walked back to Itoshi with the calm confidence of a man untouched by chaos, cracking his hands with a casual rhythm. His voice cut through the heavy silence as he asked,
"Let's Go?"
To which Itoshi answered simply,
"Mhm."
Kara's heart slammed against her ribs as the truth hit her—her big brother was being taken away. Summoning every ounce of strength left in her, she rushed up the road, desperate to catch him.
But fate was cruel; she tripped and fell hard to her knees. When she looked up, the sight seared into her mind: Itoshi walking away, his eyes burning with a fierce, silent scream that seemed to shout nothing but one word: death.
Kirashi checked on Kara, his voice urgent as he asked if she was okay and what the hell was wrong with Itoshi.
He stood, ready to chase after them, but Kara grabbed his hand, stopping him.
Kirashi looked back, shouting
"What are you-" but stopped mid-sentence.
Before him, Kara's tears fell freely, and all she could whisper was a single, desperate word:
"Don't"
Itoshi and Roger walked back toward Ryujin and Ayro. To Roger's surprise, the two sat calmly under a tree, their demeanor relaxed and almost casual—as if Roger wasn't a dangerous foe at all. The ease in their posture was a quiet challenge, a stark contrast to the tension still crackling in the air.
"Hoh?.. Sorry everyone. I took a bit longer to take care of the nuisance.. Anyways shall we continue?"
Roger chukled.
Ryujin stretched his fingers as he replied.
"Nah.. You're just right on time.."
"With the long ass time I gave you. I'm pretty sure you two already devised a plan to take me down."
Roger mocked.
"Nah.. Our plans didn't change."
"Ah... I see."
Itoshi and Roger walked up the road, passing the two boys chilling under the tree in the pouring rain.
The moment they reached the park's gates, Roger muttered,
"Itoshi-kun?.. Can you wait here by the truck?"
To which Itoshi gave another single nod.
Meanwhile, the outside observer—a girl—watched with keen interest. She muttered under her breath,
"Hoh?.. He betrayed his colleagues."
As Roger walked closer to Ryujin, he cried out
"Oi! Ryujin let's-"
His words were cut short as Ryujin suddenly dashed toward Roger, water sloshing in his hands.
Roger narrowly dodged the lethal spear Ryujin wielded, a sharp smile cutting across his face as he shouted,
"PLAYING DIRTY AGAIN ARE WE?! RYUJIN?!"
Roger quickly snatched his sword from behind him and swayed it toward Ryujin, the strike amplified by his wind powers.
The final round of their battle had begun—forces of wind and water clashing violently, spiraling around them in a fierce, elemental storm.
[Meanwhile, Kara and Kirashi]
As Kara stood up, supported by Kirashi, her eyes began to glow red once more. Kirashi's voice rose with awe and urgency,
"There they are!!! The red eyes!!"
~~~To be Continued~~~