"Akizame!! We're out of time, we have to get out!" Tetsuya shouted as the upper floor of the White Place split in two.
The sound of collapsing structures echoed throughout the tower.
"All right! Take the Fuyumi!" he ordered.
"I'll arrest them."
His gaze went to Kaito, still struggling to free himself from the ash.
—Damn it! I can't get it off!—
The boy's hands were completely immobilized by Akizame's power.
The member of the Reikeitai approached Yume first.
He fastened special handcuffs around her wrists, topped with a glowing crystal.
"Akizame! Don't touch her!" Kaito snapped.
With a simple gesture, the ash rose up, lifting Kaito into the air.
"I warned you… and you still did what you wanted."
Akizame pulled out another pair of handcuffs,
moving quickly toward the boy.
At that moment, Kaito threw his body forward: with a kick, he sent one of his blades flying upward.
He caught it between his teeth as he fell back down.
"Pressure Mode!"
A wave of energy burst from his body, blowing away the ash that had trapped him.
He landed immediately afterward, grabbed his other blade, and prepared to fight, breathing hard but with a fierce look in his eyes.
"I don't have time for this!" Akizame said, thrusting his hand forward.
Shards of ash shot out from his fingers.
—I can dodge them…—
Kaito tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.
—Tsk!!!—
The shards struck him full on, hurling him against one of the massive concrete slabs that had already fallen, pinning him against it.
Meanwhile, the upper part of the Tenshō Tower broke apart completely and collapsed backward.
Above them, the sky was now visible.
"Damn it!" Tetsuya exclaimed, watching the scene. He had already restrained Reiji, who was too shaken to react.
—I… can't move…!—
Kaito was still conscious, but barely.
—Is it because of the continuous use of Pressure Mode…?—
He tried to lift his gaze toward the Knight.
But he was gone.
—I'm out of Shirogane's energy too…!—
A chill ran down his spine.
—Wait… the voice!—
An idea came to his mind.
—Can you hear me?! I'm talking to you, voice!—
But no one answered.
At the same time, Akizame hoisted Yume onto his shoulder without hesitation.
—I… can't do anything anymore…—
Kaito understood. In his current condition, he had no chance of winning.
The concrete trapping him crumbled further.
The boy fell to the ground, drained of strength.
"Yume!!" he managed to call out in a weak voice.
"I promise you… I'll come and get you!"
The girl, barely conscious, looked at him with effort.
In a desperate move, Kaito threw one of his blades toward her.
Akizame stretched out his hand and caught it in midair.
At the same instant, the ceiling above the boy's body began to shatter.
—It's fine… what matters is that the blade is near her…—
The ceiling collapsed completely, burying Kaito.
A cloud of dust enveloped the area.
Akizame covered his face and waited.
When the dust cleared… the boy was nowhere to be seen.
—Could he be… dead?— he thought, scanning the rubble.
He glanced at Yume.
"She's unconscious again."
"Tetsuya! Let's go!"
Akizame ran toward him.
His partner had already secured the two remaining Fuyumi.
Another part of the tower exploded into fragments.
The two members of the Reikeitai dashed toward the exit of the White Place.
A few seconds later, they reached the long staircase that connected to the tower's main structure.
—At this rate, we won't make it…— Tetsuya thought, out of breath.
At that moment, what remained of the Tenshō Tower began to tilt forward, finally giving way.
The floor beneath their feet bent, slippery and inclined.
Akizame, Tetsuya, the two Fuyumi, and Yume lost their balance and were dragged toward the enormous glass windows.
Parts of the structure that had collapsed earlier began sliding toward them because of the slope.
"This is bad! Enzo—" Akizame didn't finish the sentence: blades of air struck the debris, shattering it and stopping it instantly.
"You?!" he turned sharply.
Reiji was there—and he had just helped them.
The two members of the Reikeitai quickly got back on their feet.
"Why did you help us?" Tetsuya asked.
"To get Kagura out…" Reiji replied coldly.
"And you?" Akizame pressed.
"I… will buy you some time."
Behind him appeared the spirit, still bound, its face contorted in pain.
"With my spiritual power I can hold the tower up for a few more seconds. You… go."
"You're a criminal. You should come with us," Tetsuya objected.
Reiji remained silent.
Akizame walked past him. "Let's go." He took Yume back onto his shoulder.
"Are you kidding me?!" Tetsuya snapped.
"You don't get it," Akizame replied without turning around.
"He knows he's going to die. And, given who he is… the higher-ups would execute him anyway. It makes no difference."
Tetsuya fell silent, processing his words. Then he lifted Kagura.
"Akizame, break the glass. Then create a bridge with the ash," he said, judging the distance to the neighboring building.
"Sounds like a great idea. Hold her too."
Akizame handed Yume to him; then, with his hands free, he summoned Enzo.
With a single slash, the glass wall exploded outward.
"Come on, Enzo!"
A long path of ash shot into the void, connecting to the adjacent building several meters away.
Tetsuya was the first to sprint across.
"Member of the Reikeitai!"
Reiji called Akizame one last time.
"What is it?" Akizame answered without turning.
"I know I don't have the right to ask for anything…" Reiji was breathing heavily, crushed by the effort of the spiritual energy he was using.
"Help Kagura… don't let her be executed. Please…" He clenched his teeth, trembling.
Akizame remained silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"I can't guarantee anything. But… I'll do my best."
With that, he ran across the ash bridge.
A bitter smile crossed Reiji's face.
"Good… mother, father… I'm about to join you."
One last tremor ran through the tower.
Then the Tenshō Tower collapsed completely.
The roar was powerful enough to shake the entire city.
"I can't believe it! The Fuyumi tower has collapsed!" a woman in the crowd cried out in shock.
The murmur spread everywhere, uncontrollable.
Akizame and Tetsuya had just reached the roof of the other skyscraper.
Both turned toward the enormous cloud of dust that darkened part of the sky.
"It's… over," Tetsuya murmured.
At the end of the battle that had involved Kaito, Yume, and the Fuyumi…
the only ones who had lost nothing were the members of the Reikeitai.
That evening, the newspapers spoke of nothing else. Images of the collapse filled every screen in the city.
In the shadowed alleys of the outskirts, a figure staggered, trying to move away from the disaster zone.
That figure was Kaito.