The Captain kept his stance locked on Bustin, every muscle tight, every breath sharp.
He didn't have time to waste — not with Yoki somewhere ahead.
Then—
A calm voice echoed behind him.
"Oh? It seems I'm late."
The Captain turned sharply.
A man stepped through the drifting smoke — tall, quiet, with long black hair falling over his eyes, hiding half his expression.
In his hand, he carried a katana, the blade still sheathed, but the pressure around him made the Captain's skin tighten.
Bustin lifted a hand lazily, smirking.
"Ah, finally. Took you long enough."
The black-haired man didn't look at Bustin.
His eyes — what little the Captain could see through the hair — were locked on the Captain.
"Fusin," he said simply.
Bustin nodded, stepping back.
"I'll leave this to you."
Fusin didn't blink.
"Don't worry. I'll join you all soon."
Bustin flashed a relaxed grin and turned away.
The Captain tightened his grip, trying to understand what was happening.
Two enemies?
Both this strong?
"I don't have time for any of this—!" the Captain snapped, and he surged forward at Bustin, refusing to let the man slip away.
But—
CLANG!
A flash of steel.
A movement too fast for the eye.
Fusin was suddenly in front of Bustin, katana drawn halfway from its sheath — just enough to stop the Captain's blade perfectly.
Bustin chuckled and stepped away casually.
"Good luck, Fusin."
With that, he vanished down the burning street.
Fusin slowly pushed the Captain's sword away, katana still barely unsheathed, his face calm.
The two stood alone now.
The Captain's heartbeat thudded in the tension.
So this man… is my opponent.
The moment Bustin disappeared, the air tightened.
Fusin didn't waste a heartbeat.
SHING—
His katana slid out in a smooth, fluid arc.
The Captain reacted instantly, steel clashing against steel—
CLAAAANG!
Sparks exploded between them.
Fusin stepped in with lightning-fast precision, katana slicing in narrow, lethal cuts meant to end the fight instantly.
The Captain met them all.
One block.
One parry.
One counter.
Neither man gained an inch.
Their blades flashed through the smoke like streaks of silver.
CLANG—CLANG—SHIIIING—
Their movements blurred—
Fusin's katana dancing with sharp elegance,
The Captain's broadsword carving heavy, powerful arcs.
The ground cracked beneath their feet from the impacts.
Fusin slid back, hair shifting enough to reveal a single cold eye.
"Why," he said calmly, stepping forward again,"are you not fighting me with your full strength?"
The Captain's breath hitched for a moment.
Full strength…?
He was fighting with everything he had.
Their blades clashed again, heavy enough to shake the walls—
CLAAANG!
While locked in place, Fusin's cold voice slipped into the Captain's ears.
It echoed inside his mind.
Not fighting with full strength…?
What does he mean—?
But the Captain crushed the thought.
He couldn't afford distraction.
He pushed forward, breaking the blade lock.
They both dashed.
Steel collided again, ringing like thunder.
Fusin's expression remained unreadable.
The Captain's jaw clenched with effort.
Another clash—another shockwave.
Fusin slid away with effortless balance, then spoke with a faint, disappointed exhale.
"Are you serious?"
The Captain tightened his grip.
Fusin lifted his katana with one hand, lowering his stance slightly.
His voice cut colder than steel.
"You're only this strong?"
A step.
A flash.
The Captain barely blocked the next strike—
the shock rattled his bones.
Fusin continued, tone bored, almost offended.
"And they still consider you a hurdle in their plan?"
He spun his blade, stopping just an inch from the Captain's shoulder.
"Pathetic."
The Captain exhaled sharply, fury burning under his composure.
They locked eyes.
And the next instant—
They both launched forward again.
Evenly matched.
Perfectly clashing forces.
Neither willing to step back.
Fusin exhaled softly, tilting his head as if already bored.
"I think I should just finish this," he muttered.
His tone was flat.
Unimpressed.
Done.
"I thought you'd be stronger… but this is just a waste of time."
Before the Captain could react—
Fusin vanished.
No sound.
No warning.
Just gone.
The Captain's eyes widened—
Then his instincts screamed.
Behind—
He spun and raised his sword—
CLAAAANG!
Fusin's katana crashed into his blade with such force that the Captain slid backward across the stone, boots dragging deep grooves into the ground.
The shock numbed his arms.
Fusin, expression unreadable, pressed forward with blinding speed.
He swung—
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Each strike sharper than the last.
The Captain blocked them all, barely keeping pace, each impact rattling his bones.
Another blow.
Another shattering clash.
Fusin's strength was overwhelming now—
calm, controlled, merciless.
He stepped forward again, blade whistling through the air.
CLANG—!!
The Captain's knee dipped.
He almost lost his footing.
Fusin paused briefly, watching him with a strange, subtle curiosity.
"I've never seen someone like you," he said softly.
"How are you still standing against me?"
His tone wasn't mocking this time.
It was genuine confusion.
The Captain gritted his teeth, raising his sword again despite the pain, despite the tremble in his arms.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, breath heavy.
"But I can't let you win."
Fusin watched him for a moment.
Then—
He sheathed his katana.
Click.
The Captain stiffened.
"Where are you going?"
Fusin didn't answer right away.
He simply glanced sideways, as if looking at something far away, something the Captain couldn't see.
Finally, he spoke, voice low and fading.
"I don't want to kill you."
And before the Captain could question it—
Fusin vanished.
No step.
No sound.
Just gone like a ghost in the smoke.
The Captain stood there, chest rising and falling, sweat dripping down his jaw.
His sword was still raised.
The street was silent.
"...What just happened?" he whispered to himself.
Only the wind answered.
On the other side…
Hinata stood before the White Leader, his expression unreadable beneath the drifting fog.
The silence was thin and sharp—too sharp.
Something was wrong.
His eyes slowly widened.
A heavy, dragging sound rippled through the air… the sound of metal carving into frozen earth.
From the shadows on the right side of the ruined area, Yoki emerged, his axe soaked in dark, dripping blood.
Each step he took made the ground tremble, as if announcing the arrival of a beast rather than a man.
Hinata's breath tightened.
Yoki and the White Leader… at the same time?
The thought raced through him as he measured the distance, the angles, the dangers.
Oxel can barely stand. If they both move at once, can I even hold them back?
Yoki stopped a few paces away, head tilting like a predator curious about its prey.
"At last I am here," he said, voice low and rumbling behind the black helm.
"Good. I've waited to see it myself—the strength of the world's third strongest."
Hinata didn't answer.
His mind turned cold, precise.
Every muscle readied for the first strike.
Before anything could move, a burst of wind sliced through the courtyard.
A silver blur shot forward.
Roxy appeared at Hinata's side, landing in a half-crouch, blades drawn.
Her breath shivered in the cold, but her eyes—those fierce, blue eyes—burned with a fire Hinata hadn't seen before.
"Hinata!" she said, voice firm despite the fear tightening her expression.
"I'll support you."
He turned his head slightly toward her.
Even in the thick of danger, he could see it—the willpower radiating off her like heat.
She was terrified, but not shattered by fear.
She knew this was dangerous, maybe even hopeless… yet she still stepped forward, ready to fight.
"Roxy," he said quietly, "fight the White Leader. Hold him back until I'm done with Yoki."
She froze for a moment, stunned by the order.
"Fight… the White Leader alone?" Her breath tightened, but her voice did not break.
"And you—you think you can defeat Yoki? You know how strong he is."
For the first time since the attack on the capital, Hinata smiled.
It was a small, razor-thin smile—cold and confident, like someone who had already calculated the outcome of the fight.
"I'll win," he said simply.
Then he stepped forward, placing himself between her and Yoki.
"Don't worry."
Roxy felt her fear shift into something steadier—a quiet, fierce trust.
She turned toward the White Leader.
Hinata faced Yoki.
Two enemies stood waiting.
Two battles began in the same heartbeat.
And the night held its breath as steel and destiny prepared to collide.