Snow blanketed the clearing like a shroud, muffling every breath, every heartbeat. Above, the moon hovered—haloed and cold—casting the forest in silver sorrow.
Asaki stood still, the breath in her lungs frozen. Kiyoku gleamed faintly in her grip. Not cold. Not heavy. But aware. Alive.
Her body still trembled from the awakening. The blade's soul had touched hers—merged. Now her thoughts weren't alone. Kiyoku's voice drifted like a song at the edge of hearing.
Before her, Kabu rose from the earth, blood trailing from his chest like ink in water. His naginata hissed as he spun it once, prayer tags burned to ash, lips bloodied but smiling.
"Setsugekka…" he rasped. "A child's imitation of a master's dance."
He took one slow step forward. Then another.
"But even children with divine toys must break eventually."
Asaki's knees buckled slightly. Her vision swam. Kiyoku pulsed, trying to stabilize her spirit. She had drawn too much from their bond. Too soon.
"You are not ready," the white woman's voice whispered inside her again. "But if you stand, I will stand with you."
"Tachikirenai…" Asaki whispered. I can't fall yet.
She raised the blade again. Slowly.
Ishikawa's voice called out from behind her. "Fall back, Asaki. You've done enough."
"No." She didn't look back. "If I fall now… I won't rise again."
A wind howled between the trees.
Kabu's aura thickened — Sakki — murderous intent, the scent of death rising from his pores.
He slid forward, moving like a void given form. "Then die, Shōjo no Tsurugi…"
He struck.
His blade blurred into nine. A technique that broke form and sequence — "Kurikara Engetsudan" — Coiled Dragon Crescent Severance.
Asaki barely moved.
But Kiyoku did.
The blade guided her wrists, her feet, her breath.
She twisted once, her shoulder lowering—
"Mizukagami!"
Water Mirror!
Her blade curved like a wave, reflecting his first strike and disrupting the next. She didn't counterattack — not yet. She waited. Kiyoku whispered when to breathe.
Strike—dodge—parry—breathe.
Each motion was poetry.
But even with Kiyoku, she was mortal.
And Kabu was not.
His next attack shattered the earth beneath her.
"Jikoku Bonten!"
Hell-Born Brahma Palm!
His naginata slammed down with the weight of a mountain. The shockwave blasted snow into the trees. Asaki flew back, skidding across ice. Blood bloomed from her shoulder.
Ishikawa moved.
In a heartbeat, he was between them.
Kurayami in his right.
Kurasa in his left.
"Stay down," he growled. "This is now between wolves."
Kabu laughed softly. "Then come, Lone Fang of Kalari. Show me your fang."
Steel met void.
Their blades screamed, sparks clawing at the dark. Kabu's staff whirled like a wheel of death, each blow landing with spiritual force. Ishikawa countered with raw instinct and grit, using the "Sōryū Gekirin" — Twin Dragon's Reverse Scale Slash — a cross-slash from both blades that forced Kabu back, wind howling behind it.
But even Ishikawa bled.
Asaki watched, vision fading at the edges, her pulse weakening.
Inside her, Kiyoku cried.
"You are still here… Asaki. I can carry you. For one more moment. One final cut. Give me your soul… and I will give you silence."
Asaki nodded.
A whisper left her lips.
"Shikkiri no Ichijin: Seijō Ranbu…"
First Execution: Pure Bloom Dance.
The world stopped.
From her blade bloomed white lilies — spectral petals of snow and spirit — swirling around her like a storm of memory. Her feet left the ground.
She glided forward like a ghost.
The petals carved the air, circling Kabu, binding him.
He turned, eyes wide.
"No…"
She fell upon him in a spiraling dive, Kiyoku screaming with wind and purity.
"Ranka Setsuha!"
Falling Flower Snow-Blade!
Kiyoku struck true. The silver arc tore across Kabu's shoulder, searing his bone, driving him to his knees.
Then — the glow faded.
Asaki collapsed, unconscious before she even touched the ground.
Kiyoku fell beside her. Silent. Spent.
Kabu grunted, blood pouring freely. He dropped his naginata and rose slowly.
"I should kill her now," he said to Ishikawa, breathing hard.
Ishikawa raised his blade again. "Then come. Try."
Kabu stared at Asaki. Then at the blade.
"No… the blade wouldn't allow it. That sword…" His voice trembled. "It chose her. And I… I heard her voice too. In the silence." He stepped back. "The world will know her name, soon enough."
And with that, Kabu vanished into the woods, melting into shadow.
The snow returned.
Ishikawa knelt beside Asaki. He touched her cheek. "You reckless girl…"
Yoshinobu limped from the trees, holding his ribs. "She's alive?"
"Yes," Ishikawa whispered, lifting her gently. "But barely."
Kiyoku rested in the snow, quiet now.
The white-haired woman stood nearby, unseen to all but Asaki's dream.
"You will suffer," she whispered. "But I will never leave you."
And the snow began to fall again.
---
To be continued