The crowd stood frozen before Chizuro Fuyumi's overwhelming power.
"It's… incredible…" one of the spectators whispered involuntarily.
The woman looked around.
"Look at the state of this hall…" she remarked calmly, observing the surrounding destruction.
She sighed softly.
"It doesn't matter. Now it's time to sell the special lot." Her gaze fell upon Kaito's body.
She turned toward the audience, still in disbelief.
"I hope you enjoyed the show," she said, giving an elegant bow.
"I know there are collectors of special abilities among you," she continued firmly.
"I'd say this boy has plenty to offer. Devoid of spirit, he still fought admirably."
Her eyes returned to the body on the ground.
"I understand if you feel intimidated by him… however, to reassure you, I'll offer some of my best soldiers to whoever buys him."
A murmur rose in the hall. The collectors' interest suddenly grew.
—Good, they're excited— she noted with a faint smile.
"The first bid is thirty million—"
A sharp sound cut off Chizuro's voice.
"What do you think you're doing…?" a hoarse, pain-wracked voice caught both her and the audience's attention.
Chizuro slowly turned toward the source.
"You again."
Kaito's entire body—head, torso, legs—was covered in deep wounds. The transmuted arm continued to spread gold along his flesh.
And yet, against all logic, the boy had stood up.
"What are you planning to do? You can't do anything else, not in that state," Chizuro asked calmly.
The boy didn't answer. Only his labored but steady breaths could be heard in the room.
Suddenly, a whisper escaped his lips.
"...Spirit…" he gasped, clutching his blades with desperate strength.
"Spirit Slayer!"
An abrupt slash tore through the air with violent force.
"Ōgon, barrier!"
Chizuro's spirit reappeared instantly, surrounding her in a golden dome.
The strike didn't even shake the shield.
—Is that all?— Chizuro showed a hint of perplexity.
With a flick of her hand, she dissolved the golden dome.
Kaito was still standing. His tired, wavering gaze wasn't directed at her… but at the audience.
—What is he looking at…?— Chizuro turned slightly, following his eyes.
Then, her expression suddenly changed.
"What have you done?!" she exploded, her icy calm shattering completely.
The slash had struck the spectators, killing several.
"Let's get out of here!!" shouted the survivors, as panic spread rapidly among the buyers.
Crowded together, they began fleeing from the White Place.
"Run, you scum…" Kaito muttered angrily.
"I'll come for you anyway!" he shouted, as the auction hall emptied completely.
Moments later, the room fell silent.
Only Kaito and his opponent remained inside.
"What have you done…" Chizuro's voice was low, her gaze hidden behind her hair.
Kaito didn't answer. The exhaustion was too great; his broken breathing gave him no voice.
"You have no idea what this will bring…" Chizuro's voice trembled, then broke completely.
A sob escaped her lips, followed by others, increasingly uncontrollable.
The boy stared at her, bewildered.
—She's… crying?—
"Kaito…" she called him with a trembling voice.
"Now…" she hesitated for a moment.
"I'll truly kill you."
Her gaze, now visible, showed makeup streaked by tears.
"Transference!"
The gold on Kaito's right arm began to spread again, advancing across his body.
"Aaargh!"
He fell to the ground, his vision fading as his mind was consumed by pain.
He raised his eyes with difficulty.
Around Chizuro, several golden tendrils rose, each several meters tall.
She stood upon one of them, ready to strike.
—I can't win like this…— the boy realized, still bent by agony.
—I have to do it… Yume, I hope you can fix me afterward…—
He reached out, grabbing with effort the blade still clutched in his transmuted hand. Every movement burned through his nerves.
He put the weapon's hilt between his teeth, clenching his jaw to stop himself from screaming.
"I have no choice!!" he growled.
With a desperate surge, he raised his golden arm and severed it cleanly with the other blade.
Chizuro froze, eyes wide at the boy's insane choice.
"I don't believe it… he's completely insane…" she murmured, stunned.
Slowly, Kaito stood again. He still held one blade between his teeth, while the other remained steady in his remaining hand.
He lifted his head toward her; his face, marked by exhaustion, nonetheless carried a defiant smile.
Not a single drop of blood flowed from the severed arm.
"You overestimated yourself…" he muttered, staggering slightly.
"By turning muscles, bones, and veins into gold… I didn't lose blood cutting it off."
Chizuro didn't avert her gaze; her eyes trembled with suppressed anger.
"You… you don't want to die…" she whispered, her voice low and filled with rage.
"It's your fault! Because of you, I'll never see him again!!" she screamed, consumed by fury.
From her back, four golden tendrils shot out, crashing down toward Kaito with blinding speed.
—Body… please, one more effort!—
The tendrils struck the ground with immense force.
"Stop! Stop resisting!" Chizuro's fury intensified.
At the moment of impact, Kaito managed to leap onto one of the golden tendrils, keeping his balance.
—Spirit Slayer: Pressure Mode—
He began running along its length, heading straight for his opponent.
—My vision…—
He wavered for a moment, nearly losing balance.
He took another step forward when a sudden shift in the air caught his attention.
—No!— a tendril was about to strike him from just a few meters away.
For Kaito, time seemed to slow down.
—I can't dodge from here…—
Suddenly, without warning, the enemy attack shattered in two.
Something had crashed violently into the now-empty stands.
The deafening explosion froze both Kaito and Chizuro, suspending the room in tense silence.
They both turned toward the source of the impact.
"How…?" the woman muttered in alarm.
As the dust settled, the cause of the chaos became clear.
"Kagura! Are you all right?!" Chizuro cried out.
—Kagura?! Who threw her there?— Kaito wondered, stunned to see her.
From the confusion, the sound of footsteps grew clearer.
Kaito looked toward the now-destroyed entrance of the warehouse.
From it emerged Yume.