Yume stood frozen, her face incredulous.
"What are you talking about?" she asked the man.
"What did you say her name was?!" the hooded figure snapped.
"I'll answer for you, Yume!" the girl interrupted, bringing her hands to the hood.
"I am Kagura Fuyumi."
Yume recognized that face immediately: it was the same girl who had helped them during their time in Shinkase.
"Kagura! What on earth are you doing? Why are you here?!" Her friend dashed forward and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Why are you letting them call you Fuyumi?!"
Kagura didn't reply. Her gaze slid instead to the goods behind Yume.
"You're always so sweet… even now you refuse to accept reality," she said with a faint smile.
"Kagura…?" Yume murmured, confused.
"I'll tell you only once: the Kagura you knew doesn't exist." She leaned toward her, bringing her lips to her friend's ear.
She placed a hand on Yume's chest. "Do me a favor: disappear."
Kagura pressed her hand, and in an instant Yume was hurled away. Her body struck several empty cages with a metallic crash. The sound of twisted bars rang out, while a cloud of dust rose around them.
"No!" shouted the man Yume had just saved, turning toward the dust cloud.
"Y-Yume, are you okay?..." he ran forward, trying to reach her.
"Don't move!" Kagura ordered, her voice cold and cutting.
The man stopped immediately: his body no longer obeyed.
"Back into the cage," Kagura said, appearing in front of him.
The prisoner recoiled, breathing hard, sweat streaking his face.
"Listen to her, Toma!" some of his companions still inside the cages yelled.
"I won't tell you twice," the girl replied, her gaze glacial.
Toma clenched his hands tight, his body trembling. "Rather than be sold like an animal… I'd rather you kill me."
"As you wish. You're not even a great lot," Kagura hissed.
Then she lunged forward, her fingers rigid and outstretched, wrapped in a glow of spiritual energy.
Toma shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the blow that would end his suffering.
Seconds passed, but nothing happened.
When he opened them again, he saw a female figure holding Kagura's hand back between them. A small spirit hovered in the air beside her.
"Kagura, I won't let you kill any of them," said the figure firmly.
Yume had recovered.
"I'd almost forgotten about your healing abilities," the opponent replied in a serious, slightly surprised tone.
Yume released the woman's hand as she stepped back a little.
"Toma, free the others," she told the man, her eyes still fixed on Kagura.
"Wait… you really want to fight her? Don't you get it? She's the daughter of Chizuro Fuyumi!" he hesitated.
"You can't beat her!" he added, his voice choked with anxiety.
"You may be right," Yume replied.
"But I know someone who would fight anyway… and I don't want to be outdone by my partner." She clenched her fists with resolve.
"Well said, Yume," Sylpha interjected, a flash of pride in her eyes.
The man said no more: he understood. The confrontation was inevitable. He ran off, searching for something to open the cages.
"Yume, I imagine you have questions for me… I'll answer them—before I kill you," Kagura began in a calm, almost friendly voice.
"When we met in that alley… did you already intend to kill us?" Yume asked without beating around the bush.
Kagura offered a faint smile at the question.
"No, not at all. I really wanted to repay you. It's true, I didn't need your help, and at that time I played the part of the naive girl… but otherwise I was sincere." she answered.
"When you and Kaito revealed your intentions, I realized you were a danger."
"Then why did you help us?!" Yume snapped, her voice cracking with anger.
"I only gave you trivial information. To be honest, it was the gang members who disappointed me… they were the ones who gave you the ticket and the auction location," she revealed coldly.
"So you killed them?" Yume pressed.
"No. It was someone else…but let's say I'm very involved," she answered vaguely.
"Anything else you want to ask?" Kagura asked.
Yume fell silent.
"Good… then we can begin." A halo of spiritual energy enveloped Kagura.
"Appear, Benibane."
From Kagura's shadow emerged a surprising figure.
Two large crimson wings unfurled like veils of flame, thin and vibrating. The body was sinuous, draped in a gown of interwoven leaves that hinted at its shape without revealing it. Its eyes were composed like a butterfly's, and its long hair reflected the same shades as the wings.
The air around them suddenly grew heavier, as if every breath became harder.
Yume stared, stunned, at the spirit that had just manifested.
"Sylpha… do you know it?" she whispered, unable to look away.
"I've never seen it. But… be careful, it emanates great spiritual power," the small creature replied.
A cruel smile spread across the enemy spirit's face. "Finally… we can fight. I've been waiting."
"You heard her, Yume?" Kagura asked with a sharp smile. "Finally… we can begin!"
With a swift motion of her arm, the air around her distorted. A gust of wind slammed forward.
The strike hit Yume squarely in the chest, lifting her off the ground.
—It's pushing me toward the ceiling!— she thought.
Despite sensing it, she couldn't stop the force.
The impact was devastating: an iron beam snapped cleanly, plummeting down and shattering the floor. The roar echoed through the hall like thunder.
Benibane narrowed its eyes, watching the wreckage. "Kagura… where did she go?"
The girl looked up toward the spot where the ceiling had collapsed. In that instant she saw her.
Yume had managed to grab onto a neighboring beam, still intact.
"Benibane, Wind Fire!"
A scorching wave shot from Kagura, ready to overwhelm her.
—Not this time!— Sylpha intervened, sensing the energy concentrating in the falling metal.
Yume wrapped the beam with her own spiritual power. The metal vibrated, warped, and within moments became a huge, crude, compact block.
With an ominous creak, the beam tore away from the ceiling. Then, slowly, it began to fall.
"What… what kind of ability is this?!" Kagura exclaimed, eyes wide.
—Are you sure about this, Yume?!— Sylpha warned, feeling the energy.
"Don't worry!" Yume shot back, clinging to one side of the slab so she could keep the enemy in sight.
A moment later, the block slammed into the ground with a tremendous crash, making the entire warehouse tremble. The walls shook, and a dense cloud of dust rose.