The chamber pulsed with energy—blue veins of ancient magic glowing along the walls, casting eerie shadows on the marble floor. A faint humming echoed… the hum of power, danger, and finality.
Commander Varun stood at the center, his crimson cape billowing behind him. His blade, Zeraphis, crackled with black lightning—an ancient cursed sword only high commanders could wield.
Ash entered slowly, his boots crunching over shattered stone.
"I killed many of your kind," Varun said calmly. "Drax is just another name on a long list."
Ash's fingers twitched, flames flickering between them. "You won't add mine."
Varun charged first—fast, unnaturally fast.
Clang!
Their first clash sent a shockwave through the room. Ash blocked with a summoned flame blade, his arms shaking from the impact. Varun pressed hard, unleashing a flurry of precise, brutal strikes. Each swing of Zeraphis tore through magic like paper.
Ash ducked low, swept Varun's leg, spun around and landed a fiery punch to his gut—sending him back a few feet.
Varun slid, smiled. "Good."
Varun slammed his hand into the ground. Spikes of shadow burst from beneath Ash. He backflipped mid-air and countered with a firestorm, turning the air red-hot.
"Burn—!" Ash shouted.
But Varun conjured a Mirror Veil, reflecting the firestorm back at him.
Ash braced—flames struck, burned—but he absorbed it, letting the heat power him.
He twisted, redirected the fire into a compressed flame javelin, and hurled it—
Boom!
The explosion lit the entire chamber.
Smoke.
Silence.
Suddenly, Varun stepped out—armor cracked, cloak in flames, but still standing.
"You're a demon in human skin," he said. "But so am I."
Final form
Varun raised his sword. Dark magic surged, wrapping around him like tendrils. His eyes glowed purple.
Ash's body surged with flame and lightning. His—ancient seals—lit up. His hair flared upward, crackling with aura. The chamber itself trembled.
They rushed.
Punch. Parry. Elbow. Sword slash. Fire. Shadow. Kick. Lightning.
Blow after blow.
The chamber crumbled around them.
Ash shouted, "Drax died for this! You tortured people! You kill heroes like sport!"
"I kill liars pretending to be heroes!" Varun roared.
Their fists met—raw magic exploded.
Ash twisted mid-air, launched behind Varun, and screamed:
"Infernal Star: Final Seal—RAZOR HELLFIRE!!"
A massive sigil lit the ground. Hellfire exploded from beneath, consuming everything in red and black flame.
Varun screamed—his armor melted, his magic flickered—
Ash stood above him, bloodied, panting.
Varun fell to his knees.
"You… actually…" he tried to lift his sword—Ash shattered it with a stomp.
Ash whispered, "Drax says hello."
With a final strike of flame-coated fists, Ash ended it.
Commander Varun collapsed.
Ash dropped to one knee.
He had won.
But the fire in his chest was not victory.
It was rage. It was loss.
Drax looked up at him with a smile, weak but peaceful.
"I finally found something… worth dying for."
He coughed.
"Kaien… Luna… Misaki… Koharu… and you, Ash. You guys gave me something I never had before. A place to belong."
He struggled to stay upright, flames licking around him.
"Tell Kaien I believed in him… till the end. And Luna… don't cry too long, okay?"
His gaze fell on Ash one last time.
"Ash… live. Be the hero I couldn't."
A blinding light engulfed him.
And Drax… was gone.
Silence fell.
Ash dropped to his knees.
Tears hit the dirt.
The war wasn't over.
But a piece of them had just died forever.
Hotel Room
The room was quiet.
No one spoke. Only the distant hum of the city outside their hotel window filled the silence left behind by Drax's absence.
Ash sat on the edge of the bed, his head down, fists clenched.
"It's because of me…" he whispered, barely audible. "I went alone. If I hadn't… Drax wouldn't have died."
The words hit like a dagger. Everyone froze.
Naoto leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and said coldly, "Yes. It is your fault."
"Shut up, Naoto!" Luna snapped, rising from her chair. "You think blaming him helps?!"
Naoto didn't flinch. "I'm not here to help. I'm here to speak the truth."
"That's enough," Rei muttered. She turned to Ash. "You didn't do anything wrong, Ash. You tried to fight. You tried to protect us."
Ash didn't lift his head. His voice cracked. "But I failed. I went alone thinking I could handle it. I couldn't."
Koharu stepped forward, her tone more gentle. "And yet because of you… we managed to defeat one of the Hunter branches. Drax knew the risk. He chose to fight beside you."
Tears welled in Luna's eyes. "He smiled… even at the end. Like he had no regrets."
Rei nodded slowly. "He believed in you, Ash."
Ash finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot but burning. "Then I won't let it be for nothing. I'll carry that belief. I'll carry him… with me."
The room remained still. Grief lingered, but something else stirred too—
Resolve.
The Grave of a Comrade
The rain had stopped, but the sky remained gray.
Ash stood in front of a small grave nestled beneath a lone cherry blossom tree. The petals swayed gently with the wind, some falling and landing silently on the fresh soil.
The name carved into the stone read:
Drax Eizen
"He laughed in the face of danger… and smiled until the end."
Ash stood there for a long time. Silent. Unmoving. The others waited behind him, giving him space. A cold breeze passed, but he didn't flinch.
He slowly kneeled and placed a worn, cracked hero badge at the base of the grave.
"I hated how loud you were," Ash whispered, a weak smile flickering across his face. "How you always barged into rooms, messed up card games, acted like you were invincible."
His hands trembled slightly.
"But you weren't. And I wasn't strong enough to protect you."
His voice broke. "You were the one who always had my back. Even when I was reckless. Even when I was wrong."
He clenched his fist. "You shouldn't have died because of me."
Suddenly, he remembered Drax's last words—
"No regrets… I got your back, always."
Ash wiped his eyes. He stood slowly and looked at the grave.
"I'll finish what we started. I'll stop the Hunters. I'll protect everyone… just like you did."
Luna stepped forward, placing a single flower beside the badge.
"You were annoying, Drax," she said softly. "But… you were family."
The others joined her. Rei. Koharu. Even Naoto stood at the edge of the clearing, silent and unreadable.
Ash took one last look at the grave. Then turned away—stronger, colder, but not alone.
The wind carried the cherry blossoms into the sky, like Drax's laughter, fading but never forgotten.
Later that night, the team gathered in the same hotel room where Drax once laughed too loudly and broke two chairs just trying to open a soda bottle.
Silence.
Ash leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes half-shadowed.
"We can't stop," he said. "Drax didn't give his life for us to hesitate."
Rei clenched her fists. "What's the plan?"
Naoto stepped forward, unusually serious.
"We hit their next hideout. Hard. We don't give them time to regroup."
Luna sat on the bed, staring down. "Are we ready for that?"
"No," Ash said. "But we go anyway."
Naoto nodded. "They're guarding the southern docks. It's a trap—but I want them to know we're coming."
Koharu raised her head. "And if the leader's there?"
Ash's eyes lit with cold resolve. "Then I kill him myself."
Naoto met Ash's gaze. "Don't lose control."
Ash turned toward the window, staring at the city lights.
"I already did. Now I'm going to finish what Drax started."
Flashback
The wind was gentle that day. They had just completed a small mission—nothing special, just capturing a low-tier rogue mage. But to Drax, every mission was a reason to celebrate.
"Hey! First round's on me!" Drax roared, slamming his coin pouch on the bar.
"You have ten yen," Luna deadpanned.
"Exactly! I'll buy water for all!" he laughed, clapping Ash on the back hard enough to rattle his spine.
Everyone chuckled. Even Kaien cracked a small smile.
Later that night, in their shared hotel room…
Drax sat on the balcony, staring at the stars. Misaki found him there, legs dangling.
"You ever think about what we're doing?" Drax asked quietly.
"Every day."
He looked at her, uncharacteristically serious. "I'm not the smartest, or the strongest. But if I can take one hit that saves someone else, I'm good with that."
She hesitated. "That's not fair to you."
He smiled. "I know. But it's who I am."
Inside, Ash was watching. He didn't say a word.
That night, Drax sang a terribly off-key song about "hero juice" and did a ridiculous dance with Koharu. Everyone laughed until they couldn't breathe.
It was the last night they would all be whole.