Haruto's eyes widened as his weapons bent helplessly against each other. And before he could free them, Renzaki stepped directly before him.
Haruto roared, ripping his sword from its scabbard. Yet, just as the blade cleared halfway, it snagged. He glanced down—the edge of the steel had caught on a nearly invisible spider silk. For a second, his weapon refused to move.
"—kh…"
The thread snapped with a sharp tchhh! as Haruto tore free, but in that stolen heartbeat, Renzaki's katana blurred.
Shhhhnkk! Shhhht! Shhhhk!
Three clean strikes cut across Haruto's chest. Blood sprayed as he stumbled back.
Renzaki's form darted low, sliding around, his movements fluid. In the blink of an eye, he circled to Haruto's right, then to his back. His blade carved again, striking deep along Haruto's obliques and lower back.
Shnk!Tsshh!Krrkk!
Haruto choked, his body jerking with each cut.
Renzaki raised his katana again for another flurry, but Haruto twisted, his sword clashing desperately against the incoming strike, sparks scattering into the night. The deflection left his forearm quivering from the impact. The remaining slashes sliced across his wrist and sleeve, leaving shallow cuts that stung as blood welled up.
Haruto's teeth clenched. With a burst of rage, he pressed forward, his blade crashing toward Renzaki's right arm.
Renzaki snapped his katana up to intercept, but Haruto's strike pressed through, forcing the blade downward. Steel screeched as Haruto's sword carved deep into Renzaki's forearm.
"—Tsk!"
Blood splattered as a deep gash ripped open. Renzaki's eyes tightened in pain, his calm smile twisting briefly into a grimace. But even wounded, he lashed back with relentless precision.
Clang!Tsshh!Krrnnkk!
Three quick slashes hammered against Haruto's sword, one striking the upper edge, another scraping the lower guard, and a third slashing across his grip, drawing fresh blood.
"You really think defeating Kagezuru will be this easy?" Renzaki's voice carried calmly through the clash, his tone teasing, almost playful even as his eyes remained sharp. "The same Yamara you boast about—it took Shinjiro and Kagezuru together to seal his body forever. Do you believe Kagezuru is weaker than him?"
Haruto growled, his blade clashing with Renzaki's. "I don't want to fight you, Renzaki! Why are you doing all this? You only want to kill Kagezuru, and I only want to destroy Yamara's body. I can be your ally! My mother taught me to help others, to change those who have gone astray. I will fight Yamara to avenge her—and help you reach Kagezuru!"
Their swords rang as they slid apart, sparks scattering.
Renzaki tilted his head, eyes narrowing faintly. "Very well then. But first—survive this."
His stance lowered, a faint tension spreading through his frame. A sudden pulse of restrained fury flickered in his voice as he exhaled:
"Kazekami Style—Severing Tempest!"
In an instant, his form blurred. The katana howled through the air.
Shhhhnktktktktkt!
Three strikes ripped across Haruto's front—slashing thigh, stomach, and chest in a single sweeping flurry.
Before the blood could even hit the ground, three more tore across his back, faster than the eye could follow.
Shhhkkt! Shhhhnkt!
And three more came from his left side, cutting shallow and deep alike, forcing crimson across his body.
Haruto's breath hitched—he hadn't even managed to move. His body was being carved before his mind could register the blows.
But before Renzaki could unleash another set, the air thickened.
The faint mist over the lake suddenly blackened, twisting, swelling into heavy smoke. It coiled around them, swallowing the full moon's silver glow, devouring the battlefield into pitch-black void.
Renzaki halted, blade drawn, eyes narrowing. "Dark Magic…?" His lips curved faintly into a smirk. "You thought I'd be trapped so easily?"
With a surge of stone beneath his feet, he sprang backward, racing through the smoke. But a voice rang out from within the darkness:
"You wanted to test me, Renzaki? Then watch my real power!"
The black smoke dispersed instantly, vanishing like mist under flame.
Renzaki's eyes widened—Haruto stood ahead of him on solid ground, calm and unwavering. He himself was still mid-leap, the lake's surface just beneath his feet. The sudden shift left him blinking, a flicker of confusion tightening his jaw.
He gripped his katana with both hands, preparing to charge—
But Haruto's voice rang out.
"Flashbind!"
A sudden flash of light flared from Haruto's body, no longer than a heartbeat. The glare pierced Renzaki's eyes, forcing him to squint as his vision faltered. His stance wavered, his head snapping from side to side as he tried to recover.
The Flow Mark on Haruto's neck ignited with radiant glow. His arms spread as he chanted:
"Summoning Magic: Elementra's Left Arm—Drowning Grasp!"
The watery, seagrass-like tendrils writhed, converging together. They twisted, hardened, and fused into the shape of a vast, translucent arm—gleaming like a sculpted limb of flowing sapphire. Veins of liquid streams pulsed through it like glowing arteries.
The colossal hand lunged forward, seizing Renzaki in its crushing grip.
"Ghhhk—!"
Renzaki's chest and ribs compressed as the watery arm tightened. His breath wheezed, the sound raw and suffocating. Khhhhhkkk! The immense pressure pinned him, holding him helpless.
But as Haruto glared, sweat dripping down his temples, the arm began to falter. Its once-solid form trembled, droplets spilling off in sheets. The hand leaked water rapidly, its shape collapsing even as its crushing strength held steady.
Haruto's voice rang out, defiant. "Renzaki! Do you believe now that I'm not just some weak child?"
Renzaki's face twisted under the strain, his words forced through clenched teeth. "Nonsense! Having all these special powers is nothing but luck… your IQ isn't even at the level of my shoe size!" Despite his mocking words, a faint smile flickered at his lips.
"Luck—?" Haruto blinked in disbelief.
Suddenly, a cold hand pressed against his neck from behind—right over his Flow Element Mark.
Startled, Haruto whipped his blade back in a wild slash—but it met only air. Nothing stood there. His heart skipped. "Shadow Magic… again?"
For a fleeting instant, Haruto noticed the glow of his Flow Element Mark fade, dimming back to its ordinary state.
He turned quickly toward the lake. The watery hand that held Renzaki had dissolved completely, splashing into nothing. Renzaki's body toppled limply onto the water's surface—yet the stones beneath him rose instantly, forming a platform that held him afloat.
Haruto rushed forward, stepping over, his blade shaking in his grip. Standing above Renzaki's fallen form, he leveled his sword against the boy's chest. His breath came quick, his hands trembling—not with rage, but with panic.
"Haruto…" Renzaki lay still, arms sprawled out, his voice calm as ever. "You're a good person, aren't you? Then why is your blade pressed against me? Do you really intend to kill me?"
Haruto's voice cracked. "When you laughed at me… about Yamara… I thought you were mocking my mother. I can't forgive anyone who insults her. For that, I'd kill without hesitation."
Renzaki's eyes softened faintly. "Your mother… which clan was she from? And your father?"
"My mother was ShinKami clan," Haruto replied, his voice low. "My father… I never saw him. He was gone long ago."
Renzaki's brows furrowed as his hand tightened on his saya. "ShinKami? Don't lie. You're SeiKami. The ancient bloodline—before Shinjiro and Kagezuru. Before Light and Dark split, when only Grey Magic existed."
"Grey Magic?" Haruto's voice trembled with disbelief. He stumbled back a half-step, his grip loosening on his sword. "I've never even heard of it. I only use Light and Dark."
"That's impossible," Renzaki whispered. His gaze drifted briefly to the moon's reflection rippling across the lake. "Grey Magic was erased. Yamara slaughtered the SeiKami. A few Grey wielders somehow survived, but their numbers dwindled. When barely any remained, two children were born within the SeiKami—Shinjiro and Kagezuru. From them, Grey fractured into Light and Dark. And with that split, two clans were born: the ShinKami and the KazeKami."
His eyes sharpened again, locking on Haruto. "If a child was ever born between the two clans, they would always carry only Light—or only Dark. Never both. For two thousand years, no one has wielded them together. Not even Shinjiro or Kagezuru… But you, Haruto—" he paused, his voice low, almost reverent, "—you are different."
Haruto's throat tightened, his sword lowering slightly. "Renzaki… I misunderstood. I never wanted to kill you."
Renzaki gave a small, calm smile, straightening his stance. "Don't end the battle so soon. One last thing remains, my friend."
Haruto frowned, confusion flickering across his face. "What are you planning?"
Beneath him, Renzaki's body began to distort. His skin shimmered and split apart like scattering pixels, breaking into swarms of tiny, crawling shapes. Haruto's breath caught—the body beneath him wasn't flesh at all, but countless spiders bound tightly together.
"Kh—!"
He staggered back, trying to retreat, but the spiders swarmed up his legs, tangling around his ankles and slowing his movements. He twisted to turn away—
"Renz—"
Before he could finish, a hand pressed firmly against the back of his neck.
Chhhkkk! Two sharp stings pierced his skin. His body stiffened instantly, frozen where he stood. He gasped, his sword slipping slightly as his limbs refused to respond.
Renzaki's calm voice came from behind him. "This wound—you came to me to apologize for it? It was nothing. Reina's healing magic closed it in moments. And yet you put yourself through all of this… something you'll never forget for the rest of your life, Haruto."
Renzaki stepped forward, pulling the cloth bandage from his head as he spoke. With his other hand, he slid his katana smoothly back into its saya. Then, bringing both hands before him, he drew them apart. Between his palms, a shimmering orb of energy formed—unstable, translucent, more like gathered pressure in the air than a solid mass.
The sphere pulsed faintly as his hands rotated around it, shaping the energy, drawing it inward. Then, slowly, he pressed the glowing orb into the hollow at the base of his neck, just above the sternum—his jugular notch.
The orb sank into the mark etched into his skin, which now blazed to life. It was no ordinary mark: jagged lines like fractured stone spread outward, encircling a web-like pattern, and at its heart rested the dark silhouette of a cave spider. The entire design glowed with an earthen radiance, veins of stone-like texture spreading faintly across his collarbones.
Renzaki's fingers stayed pressed to the mark as his voice rang out, low and calm:
"Stone Element…"
The mark shone brighter, threads of light spilling between his fingers.
"Webstone Realm!"
The moment the words left his lips, the air behind him rippled.
With a sudden, resonant vrrmm! a vast circular sigil erupted into being, floating a short distance above the ground behind his back. It expanded from a single speck into a full, intricate symbol in the blink of an eye. Its surface glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat, radiating power.
The ground around them cracked violently. From the jagged fissures, spiders poured forth, their legs clicking, their shadows stretching in every direction. The cracks widened further, sending tremors across the lake's surface.
Haruto's eyes widened in shock as the battlefield itself began to shift.
Stone slabs tore free from the floor, rising into the air and hovering in place. The fractures expanded outward in a perfect circle, forming a ring around them. The broken pieces began to lift higher, slowly locking together, shaping the beginnings of a dome overhead.
The air pulsed again, heavy with pressure.
And then—
Zzzzzhhhhhhtk!
A surge of electricity ripped through the air, sparks crawling violently across Renzaki's hand.
"Renzaki!" a voice thundered, firm and commanding. A hand had seized his wrist. "I told you never to use this."
The current leapt across his arm, crackling fiercely. Renzaki grimaced, his body jolting from the shock. With a sharp cry, he yanked his hand free, stumbling backward.
The glowing Realm Heart shattered with a sound like breaking glass—Khhsshhhk!—and dissolved into nothing, leaving only silence, spiders scattering back into the dark.
The battlefield stilled beneath the full moon, as if the world itself had exhaled.