Within the blink of an eye, a sickening sound echoed through the valley of Linka.
Shlick.
A red mist exploded behind Xzavier as he froze mid-step. A heartbeat later, his gaze snapped back—and his soul shattered.
Levine stood wide-eyed, blood dripping from his lips, with Yagumi's obsidian-forged arm piercing clean through his chest. The young warrior's Shadow blade clattered to the dirt. He didn't scream. His mouth simply trembled… then hung open, lifeless.
Thud.
His body fell with a quiet finality.
Xzavier's breath caught in his throat. The air was suddenly too thick. He stared at the still body of his brother for what felt like centuries. Time slowed. The weight of memory pressed on his shoulders—laughs shared under the moonlight, sparring in the forest, their promise to protect each other always.
Now... dust.
"…You bastard," Xzavier muttered.
His hand trembled as he gripped the Shadow Blade, its black glow pulsing in sync with his rage. He reached for his waist and unsheathed his Flame Blade, the crimson steel sparking to life. His Sacred Eye ignited—gold, flickering with fury.
He raised both swords and bellowed:
"THAT WAS MY KILL! Legendary Art: TOTAL FLAME CRESCENT!!"
A wave of burning crescent-shaped fire erupted from his sword, roaring like a wildfire storm. The sheer heat melted trees and cracked the earth beneath.
But Yagumi was already gone.
He reappeared beside the blast, hovering calmly, eyes half-lidded, as if disappointed.
"You think you had the right to end his life?" Yagumi said, brushing soot off his shoulder. "That was mercy, boy. He would've died slower if he had to witness your failure."
Xzavier's face twisted into wrath. Behind him, Shoei and Kaze were frozen. Terror paralyzed them. Shoei's knees shook uncontrollably, and Kaze's wind aura flickered violently.
"I'll kill you," Xzavier growled, his voice guttural.
Suddenly, two more void arms extended from Yagumi's back—unnatural, twisting tendrils of shadow-flesh that solidified into skeletal limbs. With graceful menace, he drew the Galaxy Blade in one, and Thunder Blade in the other.
Four blades. Four arms. One god.
At that moment, Yagumi was the strongest being on Earth.
Xzavier's Sacred Eye widened with awe and dread. But he didn't falter. His aura flared, shadows and flames coiling together in spirals of blinding power.
They clashed.
BOOM!
The world cracked beneath them. Their blades screamed as they collided—shadow versus galaxy, flame against thunder. Waves of energy rippled for miles. The sky split into crimson and violet lightning, and the ground below quaked like a living beast in agony.
Yagumi swung four blades simultaneously, each faster than light. Xzavier dodged one, parried two, and tanked the fourth, his body skidding across the ground in a trail of molten rock.
But he countered with vengeance.
"Shadow Flame Cross Fang!!" Xzavier screamed, slashing in an 'X' that exploded into a black-red nova.
Yagumi was swallowed by the blast.
But then… he emerged. His shirtless frame untouched. He moved through fire like a phantom.
In a flash, Yagumi knocked Xzavier into the air, and before he could breathe, kicked him toward the distant north. The world turned into a blur, and Xzavier crashed through mountains, finally crash-landing in the desecrated hall of Demon Tower—Gimori's domain.
The ancient obsidian throne chamber loomed. Torches lit with blue flame. Skulls adorned every pillar.
And at the far end of the hall stood two monsters:
Gimori, the Demon Overlord—his skeletal crown jagged like broken glass, his black robe trailing with smoke.
And Hageshi, the World Eater—bare-chested, his hulking figure covered in crimson runes, eyes soulless.
Yagumi walked through the shattered wall behind Xzavier, dragging his blades across the floor, sparks flying.
"Convenient," he grinned. "The reunion's all here."
Xzavier coughed blood, kneeling, but forced himself up.
"Where is she?" he barked.
Gimori smiled darkly. "The Princess? She's in the dungeon. I believe she's still breathing… barely. We decided food was a luxury she didn't need."
Xzavier's hands clenched until his knuckles cracked.
"She… hasn't done anything. She's innocent."
Gimori laughed. "Exactly why she's suffering."
Yagumi leaned beside him, chuckling. "You thought you'd storm the castle and win? You brought nothing with you, Xzavier. No army. No backup. No Raijin, no Gara, no brother. Just a half-burnt dream and a pair of dead eyes."
Xzavier spat blood. "Then I'll kill you all. Even if it kills me."
Hageshi stepped forward, cracking his neck. "Let's see if your shadow burns as brightly as you believe."
Xzavier stood, breathing heavily, both blades pulsing. The Shadow Blade wrapped around his arm like smoke. The Flame Blade roared. His Sacred Eye pulsed with visions of fate and fear.
And yet, he stood alone.
Shoei and Kaze remained back in Linka, still too shaken to move.
Levine was dead.
Raijin was dead.
Sensei Gara was dead.
The last flame of hope stood in the heart of hell.
And the storm was only just beginning.