The ground was broken by Shinji, who had crushed Akechi's head into the floor.
Blood flowing down his forehead.
Ryo's eyes widened. "Akechi!"
He lunged, sword raised.
His aura filled with desperation.
But before he could even swing at Shinji, Akechi forced his voice through breaths.
His shout was raw and urgent.
"Stop, Ryo!"
Ryo froze mid-step, his blade trembling in his grip.
Akechi's head tilted upward, sweat pouring down.
His eyes clouded with pain.
"He's… stealing it.
My ability—it's being ripped out of me."
His teeth clenched, the words sharp. "If you stay, you'll lose yours too. You have to leave."
Ryo's jaw tightened.
His instincts screamed to fight, but so did the memory of every hunter counting on him.
His fingers twitched on the hilt.
"I'll hold him in place, otherwise he'll take yours too!"
For a long heartbeat, only the wind moved between them.
Finally, Ryo's teeth ground together as he gave one short, painful nod. "Don't die on me, Akechi."
Akechi's lips turned into a faint grin, his face showing acceptance. "Is that what you tell a villain?"
Ryo's chest ached. He turned sharply, aura gathered beneath his feet as he jumped away.
As Ryo leaves, he looks at Akechi one last time.
He grins back at Ryo, as Shinji cuts through Akechi's throat.
Shinji stepped forward, his feet unhurried yet impossibly fast, and the ground shattered beneath them.
Ryo felt the weight of pursuit closing in.
He forced more power into his legs, his aura spaking.
Behind him, Shinji's footsteps echoed, patient and cruel.
"Your Blessing is interesting, I want it too," Shinji screamed.
Then, suddenly, he stopped.
Ryo risked a glance back, only to see Shinji standing still, watching him disappear into the distance. His expression didn't shift—only a quiet click of the tongue left his lips.
"Tsk. Wasting more time here will ruin everything." He turned his head toward the horizon. "I'll just get his Blessing when I have more time to spare."
The silence that followed pressed hard against Ryo's ears as he pushed further into the trees.
He stopped mid-step, looking towards the horizon.
For a second he felt like he lost something important, but he didn't stop until his body gave in.
Stumbling into a clearing, Ryo collapsed beside a tree, his breathing hard. His left sleeve was soaked in blood, the stub of his missing arm throbbing with every heartbeat.
He tore at his cloak, binding the wound as best he could. Every tug of the fabric sent spikes of pain through his nerves.
His vision blurred, as he sat there for some time.
"Why…" he rasped, head tilted back against the bark. "Why did he react like that… right after Ketsu won the Dungeon-Game?"
The thought appeared inside him, "Why did he stop?"
He replayed Shinji's calm expression, the unshakable authority in his voice.
"…Is he heading for Ketsu… to the Association?"
The idea rooted itself in his mind.
Ryo's hand shook as he reached into his coat, pulling out a single card—the Chariot.
Its surface glimmered faintly in the light. He pressed it flat against the tree trunk and closed his eyes.
"I can't replenish its energy this time, so this is the last use."
"Forgive me, Rintaro."
The space around Ryo folded, as the association's walls came into clear sight.
Suddenly Ryo stood before the Association.
"I only wasted an hour in the forest and we were hours of flight away from here."
"There should be enough time to prepare for a war."
Ryo's body slammed through the Association's main doors.
His cloak was shredded, his face pale, his breath still exhausted from the battle.
But the words on his tongue froze the moment his eyes adjusted.
Kouji lay broken on the floor, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his pale face.
Sora stood nearby, trembling, her hands stained from where she had tried—and failed—to stop anything.
Yuusuke nowhere to be sensed.
The air smelled of blood corspes everywhere.
And in the air, there was something else.
Fear.
Ryo's lips parted slowly.
"…What," his voice cracked, barely a whisper at first.
"…What happened here?"