Just as Kenjaku's palm surged with cursed energy—moments away from ending Mei Mei's life once and for all—a piercing clang echoed through the broken hall.
CLANG!
A blade.
Sharp. Precise.
Held against Kenjaku's wrist.
He looked sideways.
Yuta Okkotsu stood before him, his sword pressed into Kenjaku's skin—drawing blood.
"…You've done enough," Yuta said coldly.
Kenjaku's eye narrowed. "So, the second sorcerer has arrived."
Behind them, Mei Mei lay motionless, her chest barely rising. Her blood formed a dark puddle around her broken body.
Just then, Ui Ui stumbled into the room, breathing heavily, a glowing cursed mark across his palm.
"I… I brought him," he gasped.
Yuta didn't look back. "You did well, Ui Ui. Now go."
"But… my sister—!"
"She still has a pulse," Yuta said, tightening his grip on his blade. "You have one teleport left. Take her. Go to Utahime and Shoko. They'll save her."
Ui Ui collapsed to his knees beside Mei Mei. His hands trembled as he touched her limp shoulders, whispering, "Onii-chan!… I'm sorry… I should have came earlier with Yuta-senpai…"
Tears streamed down his face as he activated the cursed seal.
A sudden flash of light enveloped them—
—and Ui Ui vanished, holding Mei Mei in his arms.
**
Elsewhere, in the recovery sector—
A blinding light flared open in Utahime and Shoko's medical quarters.
BAM!
Ui Ui fell forward, hitting the floor as Mei Mei tumbled from his arms onto the cot. Her body was mangled. Bones crushed. Her entire form barely held together by her raw willpower.
"Mei Mei…?!" Utahime gasped.
Shoko's cigarette fell from her lips. "No way… she's still breathing?"
Both women rushed to her. Shoko immediately activated her reversed cursed technique, her hands glowing.
"She's beyond broken… and yet she survived six hours against Kenjaku?!"
Ui Ui sat in the corner, holding his knees. His mouth quivered. "Please… save her…"
**
Back in the ruined battlefield—
Kenjaku stepped back slowly, examining Yuta.
"No Rika this time?" he mused, circling. "You're still alive… but how much power do you think you hold, boy?"
Yuta didn't blink. "Enough to kill you."
The floor beneath him cracked with cursed energy.
Kenjaku smirked. "Then come."
And Yuta did.
The air exploded as the two collided—sword and cursed manipulation clashing violently. Kenjaku's curses coiled from his sleeves like serpents, but Yuta cleaved them apart with brutal precision.
There was no hesitation.
No mercy.
Each strike from Yuta was filled with fury—not the wild rage of a beginner—but the cold, focused wrath of someone who had lost too much and suffered too deeply.
"FOR HER!" Yuta roared, slamming his blade downward, shattering Kenjaku's cursed barrier.
Kenjaku skidded back, coughing. "Hah… impressive…"
But Yuta wasn't done.
Not yet.
Not until Kenjaku fell—
Not until this war ended—
Not until every life Mei Mei bought was earned with victory.