The Cave of Confrontation
(The cave hums with tension—frost swirls protectively around Rumi as Ginjiro's poisoned sickle gleams in the dim light. Shiriyuki stands like a silent guardian between them, her fur radiating an otherworldly glow.)
Rinze (cracking his knuckles, impatient): "Quit wasting time."
(Ginjiro ignores him, eyes locked onto the spectral beast before him.)
Shiriyuki's True Form – The 10-Ringed Beast Revealed
(Shiriyuki exhales—her breath crystallizing the air into delicate ice fractals. Every movement she makes is eerily graceful.)
Design: Her fur shifts like living snowdrifts, patterns forming and dissolving as if painted by winter itself. Frost spirals around her paws with each step—each one leaving behind frozen blossoms that linger briefly before vanishing. Her eyes hold galaxies within them—ancient and knowing.
(Ginjiro finally speaks again after a long pause.)
Ginjiro (voice low): "… So you were real." (His grip tightens on his sickle.) "The White Moon Engetsuju."
Ginjiro (voice cold, eager): "A contest of ancient beasts… the Black Monkey vs the White Moon." (His words echo off the stone walls.) "What better way to test my skill?"
(Rinze grumbles in annoyance—wanting this done as fast as possible. Shiriyuki stands unmoving, unflinching, her moonlit gaze never leaving Ginjiro.)
(Ginjiro lunges—his sickle carving a trail of violet venom through the air as Shiriyuki moves Rumi's body with inhuman reflexes, parrying with claws wreathed in frost.)
(Rinze watches from the sidelines, arms crossed—his voice flat but carrying a trace of reluctant respect.)
Rinze: "Keikai: Kurozaru no Yari. That blade doesn't just cut flesh… it severs Seishu." (He spits to the side.) "Every strike poisons your energy reserves—leaving even Engetsuju crippled over time."
(Shiriyuki snarls as she deflects another swing—frost hardening into shields at each impact. But Ginjiro smirks behind his mask... he knows this fight is rigged in his favor.)
(Shiriyuki locks eyes with Ginjiro, defiant. Despite the odds, she holds her ground even as his venomous attacks chip away at her defenses.)
Shiriyuki: "You may have poisoned steel, hunter, but you lack patience." (Her voice is laced with frost.) "It will take more than a poisoned sickle to defeat the White Moon."
Shiriyuki's Loyalty – Defending Rumi's Wishes
(Shiriyuki parries another blow, frost crackling off her claws.)
Shiriyuki: "I am bound to the child... I follow her desires."
(Ginjiro snorts, still grinning beneath his mask.)
Ginjiro: "Loyalty… what a pitiful weakness."
(With a predatory grin, Ginjiro shifts his stance—the sickle humming with dark power.)
Ginjiro: "Time to tip the balance…"
(Shiriyuki tenses—instinctively preparing for whatever comes next.)
(Ginjiro smiles coldly as he reveals the trump card his blade holds.)
Ginjiro: "This technique is called Kurozaru no Gashaka—the Black Monkey's Banishment."
(Shiriyuki narrows her eyes at the name—she senses the dark weight it carries.)
Shiriyuki: "… What's different about this that makes you confident?"
(Ginjiro shifts the sickle in his grip—the blade glowing with insidious energy)
Ginjiro: "It temporarily removes the target's access… to their own Seishu."
(Shiriyuki stiffens at the implication. To be robbed of your Seishu would leave any Engetsu powerless and vulnerable.)
Shiriyuki (voice tight with concern): "… and if it lands?"
(Shiriyuki grits her teeth—knowing Ginjiro is right. Her duty to protect Rumi could also cost her the fight. She feels torn between two conflicting goals.)
Shiriyuki: "Damn it…"
(She glares at Ginjiro, her eyes full of hate.)
Shiriyuki (voice cold, furious): "You… you planned this perfectly."
Ginjiro (sincerely): "I promise to not harm her, as long as you two come quietly."
(Shiriyuki hesitates—torn between defiance and the safety of her ward. But something about his words strikes false, even to Rinze.)
Shiriyuki (voice dripping with mistrust): "And why should I believe in a hunter?"
(Ginjiro tilts his head—his sickle glinting like a poisoned fang in the dim light.)
Ginjiro: "Because you have no other choice."
(Shiriyuki eyes the hunter for a long while—her gut telling her his promise is hollow but the alternative is worse. Slowly, she lowers her guard.)
Shiriyuki (voice flat, resigned): "… I accept."
(Ginjiro grins—victory almost assured.)
(Rumi trembles as Shiriyuki's words echo in her mind.)
Shiriyuki (voice ethereal, reassuring): "Child… do not despair. I will not abandon you…"
(Despite herself, Rumi feels a flicker of hope at the White Moon's promise. She takes a deep breath, steadying her stance.)
(Rinze hoists Rumi up by the back of her kimono like a prize. She kicks weakly, but his grip is ironclad.)
Rinze (grinning beneath his mask): "Ayane will be pleased."
(Ginjiro hums in agreement—his sickle still humming faintly with venomous energy as they turn to leave the cave.)
(But neither notices—hidden deep within Rumi's shadow—a single strand of frost clinging stubbornly to her sleeve…)
(Ayane leans over Kujuro's unconscious form, her lips curling in disgust. She prods his cheek with the tip of her blade—displeased by how easily he fell.)
Ayane (voice dripping with disdain): "To think… I once idolized you." (Her nails dig into her palm as she recalls the man who trained her—now broken before her.)
(Nearby, Rinze tosses Rumi down like a sack of grain, grinning at Ayane's irritation.)
(Ayane straightens, her face cold and aloof.)
Ayane (blunt, no-nonsense): "Move. The boss doesn't like to be kept waiting."
(Rinze scoffs, grabbing Rumi again as the group sets off into the forest.)
(Tenjo and Sachi step aside as Ryo bursts into the cave, fury in his eyes.)
Ryo (eyes blazing, voice trembling with rage): "WHERE IS SHE?"
(Tenjo and Sachi exchange wary looks, sensing the sheer force of his anger.)
Sachi (voice careful, cautious): "… Ryo, calm down."
(Ryo feels the remnants of Shiriyuki's presence, piecing together what happened. He sinks to his knees, his eyes distant, haunted.)
Ryo (voice barely a whisper, pained, broken): "… Why? Why wasn't I here?"
(Ryo's sobs echo through the cave—a raw, primal sound. Sachi tries to comfort him, but he pushes away, consumed by grief and regret.)
Ryo (voice cracking, filled with selfblame): "… I'm supposed to protect everyone… and I failed. Again, and again, and again…"
(Ryo's fists clench, trembling against the stone floor—his knuckles white with frustration.)
Ryo (voice hollow, breaking): "What was all that training for? I couldn't stop Yua's capture... Kyou Ren's desertion… and now Rumi..."
(Tenjo watches in silence—knowing words won't reach him now. Only action will.)
(Ryo collapses completely—his body wracked with sobs, his face pressed into the cold stone. His cries are raw, guttural—the sound of a child lost in the dark.)
Ryo (voice shattered, desperate): "Dad... Mom... where are you..."
(Sachi reaches out—then pulls back. She knows no words will mend this wound. Tenjo stands like a silent sentinel beside them, jaw tight with unspoken frustration.)
(The cave seems to weep with him—echoing his despair as the last remnants of Rumi's Seishu fade away.)
(The cave trembles—not from force, but from the sheer weight of a boy's unraveling spirit. Here, in this moment, Ryo Kenzaki learns a truth carved into the bones of warriors before him:)
"No matter how strong you become… fate will always test you with loss."
(Silence engulfs the sobs of a human boy who is powerless against the situation.)
⛓️💥🌌🪖End Of Chapter Sixty Two