The wind roared across the cliff, tearing through the blue mist like claws.
Kento stood his ground, blade in hand, as the shadowed figure of Furi stepped forward—his footsteps light, but leaving dark ripples in the air with every step.
The smile on Furi's face was too perfect. Too still.
Only his eyes betrayed the truth: they were fractured… almost hollow.
"Kento…" the voice carried both warmth and something far more unsettling.
"Why did you come back? Didn't you realize it's already too late?"
Kento lifted his blade. "Even if the world says it's too late… I won't abandon my promise."
The shadow around Furi trembled—and cracks of darkness spread across his body.
Something inside him resisted Kento's words, as if fighting to stay hidden.
"Then show me," the shadow whispered.
"Show me that your promise is stronger than despair!"
A blast of dark energy erupted from Furi's body, launching toward Kento like a storm.
Kento raised his blade, the blue light flaring to life.
The two forces collided—light against darkness—sending a shockwave rippling across the cliff.
For a moment, time itself seemed to shatter.
Fragments of the past flashed through the air—Kento laughing with Furi, their hands raised to the sky, the wooden emblem shining in the sun.
Then everything fell silent.
Furi's shadowy form leapt forward, striking with terrifying speed.
Kento parried, sparks of blue and black clashing in the air.
Each strike carved lines in the ground, while the ocean below roared as if cheering for the battle.
But just as Kento began to push back—
—Furi raised his hand.
From the shadow behind him, dozens of twisted figures emerged.
Creatures made of broken memories, their bodies shifting and distorted, eyes filled with regret and sorrow.
Kento gritted his teeth.
"So this is… the weight of our promise?"
The creatures roared and surged forward.
Kento spun his blade, the blue light forming a protective arc around him as he cut through the first wave.
Fragments of light and darkness scattered like shattered glass.
But more kept coming.
The shadowy Furi watched silently for a moment… then stepped forward again.
As Furi raised his hand once more, the world around them began to distort.
The sky flickered. The sea warped and twisted.
In an instant, Kento realized—
They had been pulled into the Promise Realm.
A place where memories, hopes, and regrets fought for dominance.
The air itself was made of fragments of the past, swirling like restless spirits.
Furi appeared in front of him again, though his form now flickered between the friend Kento knew… and a dark silhouette with empty eyes.
"If you truly want to keep our promise…" the voice echoed all around him, "then prove it! Here, in the heart of the promise!"
Blue light blazed from Kento's emblem.
He tightened his grip on the blade and lifted it toward the distorted sky.
"I'll prove it—" he shouted, eyes unwavering.
"—even if I have to fight you, Furi!"
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he launched forward.
Blade met claw. Light clashed with shadow.
And in the center of it all, the sound of their hearts—two promises colliding like thunder—echoed through the torn sky.
(To be continued…)