The Limit of Body and Soul
The tension in the air was palpable as Akari and Yuzuki faced each other, each gripping their swords firmly. Moonlight bathed the battlefield, and the night wind hissed through the trees. The group gathered around felt the weight of the moment. Every strike was not only physical but emotional, and the outcome of this fight could change everything.
Gotier, Zeke, and Kaien watched with expressions ranging from worry to fascination.
"Is this really necessary?" murmured Gotier, crossing his arms uncomfortably. His eyes tracked every swift movement of Akari and Yuzuki. "It seems he's trying to break her."
Zeke, his gaze fixed on Akari, shook his head slightly. "It's more than that. There's something inside her—something he's trying to bring to light. I can feel… two presences, two auras. One is fierce, unstable. I don't know how this will end."
Kaien, claws lightly digging into the ground, looked uneasy. The young dragon observed each exchange of blows with bright, almost animalistic eyes. "She is… divided," Kaien said in a timid voice yet filled with a primal instinct. "As if she's fighting something she doesn't understand. I… feel it. It's frightening."
On the battlefield, Yuzuki advanced with deadly precision, his sword slicing the air toward Akari. She could barely keep up, parrying at the last moment, but each impact left her more worn down.
"Do you think you can go on like this, Akari?" Yuzuki shouted, his voice charged with determination. "If you want to discover what's inside you, you must do more than this! Show me your strength!"
Akari gasped, her arms trembling as she held her blade. Her turbulent memories and emotional pain weighed as heavily as Yuzuki's attacks.
"I… I don't know if I can…" she murmured, almost inaudible.
"If you don't fight with everything you have, you'll never know what you're capable of!" Yuzuki pressed again, his blade stopping inches from her face before veering sideways and gouging a deep mark in the ground. "Fight, Akari! Prove to yourself that you are more than the weight of your past!"
Gotier took a step forward, but Zeke stopped him with an outstretched arm. "He knows what he's doing, Gotier. Yuzuki wouldn't risk her life without reason." Still, Zeke clenched his fists. "But this fight… it's crossing the line."
"He believes it's the only way," said Kaien, still watching. "But can she hold on? There's something dangerous… very dangerous hidden within her. And I think it's growing stronger."
Yuzuki continued to press Akari, who gradually showed signs of change. Her strikes grew faster, more precise, but also more aggressive, almost feral. Her eyes, usually filled with determination, now glowed with something darker.
Zeke narrowed his eyes, focusing on the aura around Akari. "It's not just strength. It's as if… a part of her is taking control. Something that isn't entirely her own. This could end badly."
"Then stop this!" Gotier finally shouted, his patience exhausted. "Yuzuki, this is madness! You're playing with fire here!"
Yuzuki did not answer. He leapt back, wiping sweat from his brow, yet his stance remained as solid as a rock. "If you don't understand what's inside you, Akari, it will consume everything around you—including those you love. Is that what you want?"
Those words pierced Akari like a blade. She cried out, launching a swift strike that forced Yuzuki to block with all his might. The impact echoed through the forest, and Kaien recoiled instinctively, letting out a low growl.
"She's reaching her limit," Zeke said, now visibly tense. "But is it her limit… or something else's?"
Gotier watched in silence, his eyes filled with concern. He knew that, though Yuzuki was in control, Akari was approaching a point of no return. And if whatever was inside her took over completely?
Kaien looked to Zeke and Gotier, his voice hesitant yet firm: "He's right. Sometimes, the limit is the only path to truly understand who we are. But… I'm afraid of what this could mean for her—and for all of us."
The fight continued, each blow more intense than the last. Akari's fate—and perhaps the entire group's—hung by a slender thread between control and chaos.
The night felt even denser as the fight between Yuzuki and Akari intensified. The tension in the air was almost tangible, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. Akari could no longer hide the exhaustion in her body; cuts lined her arms, her breathing was heavy, yet the fire in her eyes still burned fiercely.
Zeke said, "There's… another presence here. An aura that doesn't belong to anyone we know."
Yuzuki, on the other hand, showed no mercy. He advanced with precise, brutal strikes, testing every limit of Akari. His goal was clear: to reveal what lay hidden inside her, even if it meant breaking her in the process.
After a particularly violent strike from Yuzuki, Akari fell to her knees, gasping. Her sword slipped from her hands and buried itself in the ground. The group watched in absolute silence, and Yuzuki hesitated for a brief moment, his expression hardened.
Akari, her voice ragged, asked, "Why… don't you stop? Is this what you want? To completely break me?"
Yuzuki lowered his sword slightly but did not lose his stance. "You don't understand yet, Akari. Sometimes you have to get lost to find your way."
(Yuzuki returned to the offensive, clearly reluctant but determined to continue.)
Gotier shouted, "Akari! That's enough!"
Zeke frowned, watching the auras around them. "My God…"
Kaien, uneasy, stepped forward. "We have to stop this! If it goes on, she's going to—" Kaien faltered, unable to finish the sentence, but the fear in his tone was evident.
Gotier placed his hand on his sword, hesitating. "Yuzuki! You're going to kill her like this!"
Akari, still on the ground, spat blood and looked at them with equal parts courage and despair. "Don't you dare! This is between me and him. No one interferes!"
Zeke's frustration was obvious as he answered, "Akari, you don't understand what's happening to you! This energy around you… it's not only yours. It's like a beast waiting to devour everything!"
Yuzuki, still holding his sword aloft, replied firmly, "They're right, Akari. You don't know what you carry. And I will find out, even if I have to break you to do it."
He lunged again, his sword slicing the air with a high-pitched whoosh. Akari blocked, but the impact sent her stumbling back, her legs giving way. The cold ground against her skin seemed to pull her into the depths of despair.
Kaien moved closer to the group, his dragon eyes shining fiercely. "This isn't a fight, it's torture! Yuzuki knows what he's doing, but he's going too far!"
Zeke nodded, his eyes still fixed on the auras. "It's as if the darkness inside her is… reacting. But to what? To him? Or to herself?"
Gotier, unable to contain his frustration, stepped forward with his sword drawn. "If you don't stop, Yuzuki, I will…!"
Before Gotier could finish his threat, a deep roar echoed through the forest. It was not a human sound. Everyone froze in place.
Akari, collapsed on the ground, felt the energy around her pulse violently, like a dark heart about to explode. She looked at Yuzuki, who now stared back at her with a mixture of anger, coldness, and something else—perhaps fear.
Just as he was about to deliver a strike that would have gravely wounded Akari, he thought:
"She's at her limit. If I push now, she may not rise again. But if I stop… she might never discover what controls her. I promised to help you, Akari. And as cruel as it seems, this is what I'm doing now."
Yuzuki raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow. Akari knew she had no strength left to defend herself. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact—yet it never came.
A metallic clang rang out, and when Akari opened her eyes, she saw an imposing figure between her and Yuzuki. Yuzuki's blade had been blocked by a gigantic weapon: the chainsaw-sword. Akari's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Zyon…" she whispered, her voice faltering.
Zyon said nothing. His eyes, as cold as crystal, fixed on Yuzuki. He easily shoved the blade back, forcing Yuzuki to stumble several steps.
Yuzuki pressed the hilt of his sword and demanded, "Who are you?"
Zyon tilted his head slightly, his presence commanding the space. "Someone who's already lost too much. I won't let you take anything else from me."
Gotier, Zeke, and Kaien watched in stunned silence. Finally, Zeke broke it: "That aura… he's… a Kugutsu?"
Kaien, eyes wide, added, "No wonder people are afraid of him. He's not just a warrior. He's a living legend… or a nightmare."
Zyon turned to Akari, his expression unreadable. "You're not ready for this, Akari. Not yet."
"I trained you to survive what was coming, but I never thought you'd face it so soon. Still, here I am… keeping the only promise that truly matters."
Akari wanted to respond, but words would not come. Tears streamed down her face as her body trembled.
The Truth About Zyon
Zyon advanced slowly, his presence overwhelming. The clearing fell into complete silence as everyone watched, trying to understand what was happening.
Yuzuki (still in fighting stance):
"You… you're not human, are you? What the hell is this, a Kugutsu in human form, even more so than Amok…"
Zyon (looking directly at him):
"No. I am the reflection of Akari's pain. Her fury, her resilience… and what remained of her humanity when everything was taken from her. I am her Kugutsu."
The revelation struck the group like lightning.
Zeke (terrified, whispering):
"A Kugutsu…? Does that mean he's… part of her?"
Gotier (narrowing his eyes):
"But he seems so… real."
Akari finally managed to stand, leaning on her sword. She looked at Zyon with a mixture of fear and understanding.
Akari:
"You… you were always with me? All this time?"
Zyon (nodding slowly):
"Since the moment you were abandoned. When no one else was there, I took form. You created me, Akari. And I protected you."
Conflict Between Zyon and Yuzuki
Yuzuki tightened his grip on his sword, still trying to process what he saw before him.
Yuzuki:
"So this is what's inside her? This power… it's you?"
Zyon (stepping forward):
"I am more than power. I am the reflection of everything she carried in silence."
Yuzuki did not back down.
Yuzuki:
"If you're part of her, then you know what I'm trying to do is help her. I won't stop now."
Zyon raised his chainsaw‑sword, his aura growing even more intense.
Zyon:
"Help? By hurting her to the limit? You don't understand what you're trying to awaken."
Yuzuki lunged again, his blade clashing with Zyon's. The collision sent a wave of energy that forced the group to shield their eyes.
Kaien (shielding his eyes from the light):
"They're going to destroy everything!"
Zeke (shouting):
"Akari, do something!"
Akari's Choice
Akari watched the fight with a heavy heart. Each blow between Yuzuki and Zyon seemed to reverberate within her. It was as if she were witnessing two parts of herself colliding.
Finally, she summoned the last of her strength and yelled:
Akari:
"Stop!"
Zyon and Yuzuki backed off, but their weapons remained raised. Akari stepped forward, positioning herself between them.
Akari (panting but determined):
"This… is not about you. It's about me."
She looked at Zyon, tears in her eyes.
Akari:
"You were always there. You always protected me. But now… I need to face this alone."
Zyon hesitated, his expression softening.
Zyon:
"If that is your choice, Akari… then I will respect it."
He took a step back, his form beginning to dissipate slowly.
Zyon (before vanishing):
"But remember: I will always be with you, even if you cannot see me."
When Zyon disappeared completely, the battlefield fell into silence once more. Yuzuki lowered his sword, looking at Akari with renewed respect.
Yuzuki (softly):
"You found your answer."
Akari nodded, gripping her sword tightly.
Akari:
"I found it. But this is only the beginning."
The group approached slowly, each reflecting on what they had witnessed. The clearing, now at peace, still seemed to carry Zyon's presence as a reminder of the strength Akari had discovered within herself.