Idoku was holding Kagami by the throat, high in the air.
His grip was tight, almost unescapable.
Her spear was already fractured, its steel edge corroded by his hands.
It fell out of her hand, down towards the ground.
"You hunters never learn," Idoku hissed, the glasses of his mask shining white. "That's why it's so fun, to play with you."
Kagami's vision blurred from the pressure on her throat, as Idoku tightened his hold.
She twisted her legs upward, her foot catching the broken shaft of her spear, that was falling.
With a snap, she kicked it forward—slamming the tip into Idoku's waist.
The light in the glasses, stopped shining for a moment, revealing his eyes widened behind his mask.
He grunted and dropped her, as blood leaked from the wound.
He pulled out the hilt, his wound bleeding even stronger.
For a moment, Kagami gasped, her knees hitting the ground as she could finally breath again.
Then right before her eyes, the grass and flowers around Idoku withered.
"This can't be," Kagami said, with a shocked expression.
And in seconds, his stomach was whole again.
He coughed once, then snarled, stepping toward her.
His fist hit her cheek, snapping her head sideways.
Pain shot through her jaw, she almost concussed, but she steadied herself, slipping beneath his next punch and striking his side with a clean kick.
It landed.
But it was like wind striking a mountain.
Her kick didn't even move him.
"I hate agile hunters like you," Idoku growled, reaching for her ankle mid-swing. "But it doesn't matter anymore, as soon as I catch you."
With terrifying strength, he flung her like a ragdoll back into the cobbled ground.
The ground shook with the impact.
Blood covered her face and a crack from her bones, as she struggled back onto her hands.
His shadow covered her whole, as he was standing right in front of her.
He bowed and reached out again.
His hand closed around her throat, lifting her high.
"Back where we left off," he said, lifting her higher, the world blurring around her.
Kagami kicked after his waist, but with no effect.
And suddenly—
The ground beneath him seemed to vanish.
His balance crumbled, as he had fallen into a pit with no bottom.
Staggered, Idoku released Kagami, staggering backward.
His eyes moved to the ground.
But there was no hole, just the flat ground.
"What—?"
A voice mockingly cut across the alley.
"No worries Kagami, I'll take on the Pesty?"
Kagami spun, coughing but alert, her eyes locking on the source.
A girl stood nearby.
Short brown hair, a black skirt and a simple black shirt, her posture casual, but her eyes were golden and sharp.
Kagami's heart skipped. The description Tohru gathered… the duo that hunted criminals…
Her lips parted in shock.
Idoku narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
The girl tilted her head, smiling faintly.
She stepped closer, as the dust started to disappear.
"Yumi."
The word fell like a stone in still water.
Kagami froze.
Yumi?! Is this girl really Yumi?
For a heartbeat, nobody moved.
Then Idoku shouted and lunged toward the girl.
But just as his foot struck forward, the same feeling hit him again.
A feeling of dizziness that turned his stomach, as if the whole ground vanished below him.
His stomach flipped, his knees buckled.
He staggered, losing balance.
"You little—what is this?!" Idoku growled, teeth bared behind his mask. "Is this a blessing?"
"Annoying."
Yumi smirked, her voice calm, almost playful. "No more fun playing around?"
A small pressure on his back, as his head snapped around—
—but too late.
A blade burst through his torso from behind, its edge covering in red.
Idoku's gasped as his limbs stiffened.
His eyes looked down onto the katana that came out of his chest, as the first drops of blood hit the ground.