Ryujin's eyes widened as Itoshi's tense, exhausted voice echoed down the hall.
Time seemed to slow again. In his purple irises, the clear crimson of Ryo's flame burned bright.
Its glow scattered across the corridor, painting the white walls, floor, and ceiling in flickering red. Ryujin's jaw clenched — and in that instant, he glanced back toward Ryo.
Kirashi stood there with a faint smile, as if casually greeting Itoshi, blissfully unaware of the consequences his hard head might bring.
Ayro was expressionless, yet the faint tightening of his features betrayed his unease.
Beside him, Ryo crouched low, body firm and steady, a crimson flame javelin blooming in his grip.
His left hand coiled, ready to hurl it straight at Itoshi.
"Damn it!"
Ryujin barked, shattering the moment.
Ryujin stood between Ryo and Itoshi — the latter further back down the hall. But in Ryo's eyes, Ryujin saw only one thing: the intent to end the crow.
Ryujin dropped into motion, a pressurized sphere of water swirling to life in his right palm, aimed squarely at Ryo.
"I'm water... I can delay him," he thought.
Outside, the crowd had begun to drift away from what had once been a burning hospital. The air was heavy but quiet — until a violent surge of wind burst from the front doors.
Smoke and dust billowed out, veiling the entrance in a choking haze.
Bystanders flinched, startled by the sudden blast.
"Wahh!" a woman cried out.
"Another explosion!" a man shouted in panic.
"Everyone, get further away! It's not safe!" an officer barked over the commotion.
Inside the van, Mr. Bjorne jolted as his grip slackened on the steering wheel.
"Wha—?!"
The dust swirled at the hospital's entrance, slowly thinning.
Some in the crowd bolted farther away in panic, but most stayed, curiosity anchoring their feet.
Eyes scanned the haze, hungry for any glimpse of what had happened.
"What was that?!"
"What happened?!"
Their chatter filled the air until a sudden, awkward silence fell. All waited for the dust to settle—
—and when it did, it broke into a chorus of gasps.
"!!!"
"Ryo!.. Ryujin!"
One man shouted.
Through the fading haze, the two stood far apart, locked in a silent standoff.
Ryo was down on one knee, the rubble crunching under him. His face was blackened with soot, cyan eyes glowing faintly in the sunlight. His hair and clothes dripped with water.
Ryujin stood ahead, calm as stone. His purple eyes bore into Ryo, his right arm raised to cover his mouth. In his left hand, his spear gleamed faintly, held steady and unshaken.
Ryo snickered as he slowly rose to his feet, a smile etching its way back onto his face.
"Hoh?.." he muttered under his breath.
"You're mean... Ryujin-san..." he said aloud, brushing soot from his cheek.
"What's happening?.. Are they fighting?.."
The crowd's murmurs rippled through the air.
Ryujin gave no answer. His breathing slowed, deliberate — as though preparing for an unavoidable battle. His spear spun in his left hand, the motion fluid yet weighted.
Ryo's smile lingered as he spoke again.
"You really assumed I was gonna take him down on sight?.. That's so not right, Ryujin-san... That's not me at all."
But Ryujin's eyes stayed locked on him, his thoughts running in the background.
"So... he was willing to kill Itoshi, huh?.."
The moments inside the hospital replayed in his mind.
"If Itoshi hadn't called my name... Ryo might've raced me for the kill."
"I was able to kill his flame before he threw it out..."
—
Back inside.
The hiss of water meeting crimson flame had echoed down the hall as Ryujin's attack quenched Ryo's javelin.
"Kirashi! Get us out of here!"
Ryujin barked, already sprinting toward Ryo, who was momentarily stunned by the sudden deluge.
Kirashi, still processing what had just flared between the two, took a heartbeat to react — but he obeyed.
Ryo, blinking water from his eyes, opened them just in time to see Ryujin lunging. A gasp escaped him — and then a massive surge of wind swept them all out through the hospital doors.
Back outside, Ryujin's grip on his spear tightened, knuckles pale against the shaft. His stance sank lower — every muscle poised for the clash to come.
Ryo, in contrast, drew in a slow, deep breath. His eyes slid shut.
A faint crack echoed as he tilted his head, loosening the stiffness in his neck. Then, with deliberate precision, he raised his right arm — level with his shoulder, bent at a sharp ninety degrees.
A crimson aura began to seep from his skin, heat shimmering in the air around him. From his hand, a colossal great-sword of pure flame took shape — its size dwarfing him, its tip buried deep in the rubble beneath his feet.
Still, his eyes remained closed. His expression was calm, almost serene... yet his focus was absolute.
Ryo slowly opened his eyes — cyan irises mirroring the clear blue sky.
"So?.. you wanted a taste of the Calamity?.. Ryujin-san?.."
Ryujin's breath hitched, his stance tightening.
"Calamity?.."
In that instant, the great-sword solidified — a massive blade forged from a material Ryujin couldn't place. It shimmered like metal yet breathed like flame, its form defying reason.
"What... what the hell is that?.."
With all his knowledge, what he witnessed felt wrong.
"My spear is hidden by bending water around it to scatter sunlight... it's compacted so small I can grip it entirely in my palm..."
Indeed, Ryujin's weapon was always concealed — compressed into his left hand, masked from sight through the refraction of light in water.
"But Ryo... great-sword's that size aren't something you can just hide..."
Ryo smirked, tilting the enormous blade until it rested casually against his neck — as if the threat of it shearing his head from his shoulders was nothing at all.
Ryujin's form held steady, purple eyes locked forward. His body was coiled, ready.
The tension stretched between them—slow, deliberate. Both waited, eyes locked in a silent, deadly stare.
As the last of the dust settled, a sharp voice cut through the silence.
"So... are you two just gonna stand there?"
Ryujin and Ryo stiffened instantly. A sudden, crushing pressure pressed against their minds like a vice.
Kirashi, Ayro, and Itoshi burst outside, drawn by the scene.
Ayro's eyes scanned the area, the same oppressive weight squeezing him tight.
Suddenly, he dropped to one knee. Kirashi and Itoshi exchanged confused glances, muttering, "Huh?.." in unison as they looked at Ayro, then each other.
Meanwhile, Ryo and Ryujin remained frozen, their hands trembling involuntarily.
Then, without warning, both moved — not to attack, but to retreat. They pulled back their weapons, which faded into nothingness, and knelt side by side, heads bowed.
"Pardon our rudeness... Sire!"
Ryujin called out sharply.
"What seems to have interested you here, Sire?"
Ryo followed.
Before them sat a fat man in a black suit and red cape, perched casually atop the roof of the UWDS van Bjorne had driven. He sipped tea, eyes coldly observing Ryo and Ryujin.
"It's been a while since I last saw you two together..."
The man muttered.
His head was bald, but strange spikes seemed to jut from beneath his skin, framing chubby cheeks.
Ryo and Ryujin held their silence as the man spoke.
Bjorne stepped out of the vehicle and bowed respectfully.
The bald man's lips curled into a small smile as he regarded Bjorne's bow, though his eyes remained flat, unreadable. Then he turned back toward Ryo and Ryujin.
"It's a nice afternoon, isn't it?" He said casually.
Suddenly, Ryo and Ryujin rose to their feet, snapping a sharp salute in unison.
"Truly a nice afternoon, Sire! Good afternoon, Bao-Shi Sire!"
By the front door, Ayro continued to kneel.
Kirashi and Itoshi looked at Bao-Shi.
"Psst! Psst!! Bow down!"
Ayro ordered.
Kirashi quickly bowed down, but Itoshi missed the order.
Bao-Shi then noticed Itoshi not showing respect towards him.
As Itoshi turned his head back to the bald man, suddenly the man was in front of him, towering at seven feet.
Itoshi was startled and took a step back.
Suddenly, Itoshi was grabbed by his cheeks by Bao-Shi.
Kirashi was also startled. He flinched but stayed quiet.
Bao-Shi tilted Itoshi's head side to side, seemingly observing his facial features as he muttered,
"So... you are the child with the rhythm..."
Itoshi trembled in fear for the first time. His eyes widened and scared. His heart knew he couldn't do anything against the man standing before him. His palms were sweaty as they shook. Kirashi felt the same.
Bao-Shi's brown eyes then locked onto Itoshi's crimson ones.
"Ah... you also have the eye of a griffin..."
"Marvelous!"
Bao-Shi added in amusement.
"You really are the one!"
Bao-Shi added.
Ryo suddenly flinched, his grip on his hand tightened. Ryujin noticed it and quickly glanced at Ryo's fist but said nothing.
Bao-Shi loosened his grip on Itoshi's face.
Itoshi fell to the ground and tried to catch his breath.
His cheeks were red, marked by Bao-Shi's massive fingers as he held them.
Bao-Shi turned toward Ryujin and Ryo once more. His shadow loomed over Itoshi as he tried to catch his breath low on the ground.
"Next time... learn to show respect."
Bao-Shi muttered without looking back, his voice low and firm.
Then, after a short silence, he walked forward.
"Ryo..."
Itoshi's eyes were still wide open, both in shock and fear as he tried to process what just happened.
"W-what the hell!"
He thought to himself.
"Who was that?! He's... He's strong. And he's fucking huge! He's strong even without using his... Damn gift... I couldn't do shit!"
He thought more.
Then Ayro beside him suddenly spoke.
"That was Master Bao-Shi... Itoshi."
Itoshi turned his head toward Ayro. His heart dropped.
"A... a skull?" he thought to himself.
"Are you alright?"
Ayro then asked.
There was a pause.
"Y-yeah..." Itoshi replied.
"Ok... that's good... now bow down properly."
Ayro suggested.
Without hesitation, Itoshi followed his orders, cheeks still marked red by Bao-Shi's fingers, but his grip on his fists was still tight.
"Kara..." he thought to himself.
Bao-Shi then stood behind Ryo and Ryujin, filling the gap between them.
He then held Ryo by the right shoulder as he spoke softly.
"Hero-san... Can you come with me?"
"With pleasure! Bao-Shi-sama!"
Ryo shouted deliberately.
Then Bao-Shi held Ryujin by his left shoulder.
"Then you, Ryujin-san... can you regroup your members?"
"Copy, sire!"
Ryujin quickly followed the towering seven-foot fat man's order.
Ryujin then quickly raised his right hand and tapped his ears as he spoke through the comms.
"All members of Squad 663... follow my signal."
Silence followed. And nobody came.
There was silence. Bao-Shi's eyes were locked onto Ryujin's.
"Who is that?"
A man in the crowd muttered.
Another man shrugged at him.
"That's Bao-Shi! A skull!" a child shouted.
The crowd turned as they looked at the unfolding scene.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Bao-Shi clicked his tongue.
"Ryujin-san... your squad members are not following the leader's orders... you better discipline them."
Bao-Shi then placed pressure on Ryujin's left shoulder, making him stiff, but he didn't falter. He did not drop to the floor.
"My apologies, sir! That's on me for being an irresponsible leader!"
Ryujin shouted.
Bao-Shi stopped putting pressure on Ryujin's shoulders. He closed his eyes as he lifted his left hand.
"I'll let this pass. Your efforts in the cleansing are truly remarkable. Thank you for your contributions."
"Thank you for your kindness! Sire!"
Ryujin replied.
"Ryo-san..."
Bao-Shi then walked ahead of Ryujin and Ryo.
He then looked back to Ryo as he ordered,
"Let's go."
Ryo followed silently as a convoy of ten vehicles appeared one by one ahead of Bao-Shi.
They boarded swiftly, and the convoy rolled forward, disappearing into the distance.
But Ryujin remained standing, firm and unyielding. Bjorne stayed bowed low.
Ayro, Kirashi, and Itoshi mirrored the same solemn stillness.
All members of Squad 663 held their ground, silent and respectful before the Skull, as the convoy faded down the highway.
~~~To be Continued~~~