"Still have the strength to stand, do you? I'll play with you later."
The armor on his body hissed with steam before vanishing. Bulat paid Nyau no mind, moving toward Tatsumi to help him lie down.
"Big Bro..."
"Don't blame yourself. You did a great job."
Tatsumi gritted his teeth, refusing to accept it. Bulat was arguably just as badly injured as he was, even with the armor, yet he could still stand firm to fight and even offer comfort.
He was still far too weak!
"After taking so much damage, it seems your Teigu has been rendered unusable, Bulat. This is where it ends for us."
Bulat turned his head toward Liver and smirked.
"Stop pretending to be tough, Liver. Your ears are bleeding."
Liver flinched and touched his ear; it was indeed bleeding.
"After repeatedly using those techniques, your body has taken too much strain. You won't be able to use that Teigu anymore either."
"If it's out in the open, there's no need to hide it. I only wanted a slight advantage for the negotiation."
"Negotiation?"
As they faced each other, Liver began to speak.
"I'll be brief. Bulat, are you interested in joining Lady Esdeath's army? With your skills, the position of Vice-Commander would be easily yours."
He extended his hand, but Bulat brushed the offer aside.
"I have no interest in serving this rotten Empire any longer."
"Not the Empire, but Lady Esdeath specifically."
"Just as I was saved, you could do whatever you want and fear no one."
Liver gripped the emblem on his collar with a look of reverence. Suddenly, his tone shifted, and his face turned fierce.
"Even those filthy bureaucrats—those who spread their stinking philosophies—would have to bow before you!"
"Come with us. Lady Esdeath can erase all your sins, and you can have a completely new life! Think about it, Bulat! You and I could be just like old times, fighting side-by-side once again!"
"I refuse."
Liver was stunned. With a calm expression, Bulat pulled out a small folding comb and carefully brushed his damp, messy hair back into its original style.
"You can be as comfortable as you like in your current position, or hold whatever opinions you want about those politicians. But I am a protector of the people. If I joined Esdeath, someone who works for the Prime Minister, how could I ever face them again?"
Bulat closed the comb and pointed it at Liver with a smile. Liver responded with a look of disdain.
"A protector of the people? Hard to believe that's coming from an assassin."
"Well, I was trying to put it modestly, Liver."
Nyau gripped his flute. Though Liver was exhausted, they still had one final trump card to ensure victory.
"The old rule: when Teigu cannot decide the victor..."
"...use swords to settle the battle."
They spoke in unison. A syringe slid out of Liver's sleeve, and he immediately plunged it into his neck. The skin near the injection site began to crack. He tossed the syringe aside and settled into a combat stance.
"I must augment my strength because my opponent is you, Bulat!"
"I've prepared as well."
Bulat pressed a hidden button on his shoulder guard, and a sword hidden within his gear sprang out. He caught the blade, which had a chain attached to its hilt.
The two charged. Their blades collided, creating a shockwave that swept across the deck, nearly causing the newly-risen Tatsumi to lose his balance.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their blades clashed and ground against each other in a blur of motion. Tatsumi couldn't believe this was a fight between two men on the verge of collapse. It was even more terrifying than his earlier exchange with Nyau.
They fought until their strength was spent. Bulat roared, gripping his hilt so tightly his knuckles turned white. A cracking sound echoed, followed by Liver's sword snapping in half. Bulat landed a deep slash across Liver's chest, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Yes!"
Tatsumi cheered. Although he didn't understand why the small one wasn't intervening, he took it as a stroke of luck. With Liver down, he and Bulat could team up to kill the last remaining Beast.
However, the tide can always turn at the very last second. Liver's look of horror turned into one of grim resolve, and Bulat's pupils contracted.
"Hidden Art: Blood Blade..."
Liver whispered. The blood he had just spat out split into numerous small needles, flying toward Bulat. He had used the last of his strength—and his very life—to manipulate that blood into a final, lethal strike.
Bulat swung his sword frantically to deflect the blood needles, yet his body was still pierced in several places.
"Big Bro!"
Tatsumi ran over in a panic. Bulat drove his sword into the deck, laughing weakly.
"Luckily... none hit anything vital..."
Liver closed his eyes, seemingly accepting that his final, life-consuming strike had failed to kill Bulat. He fell backward onto the floor.
"If I had miscalculated by even a second, I would have lost. From the moment he spat blood, I felt something was off."
"Sharp as ever, Big Bro!"
Tatsumi supported Bulat, unable to hide his joy. Even though he knew he had been a burden, he couldn't believe they had both survived such powerful opponents.
"Bulat... one last thing..."
Liver's words caught their attention.
"The real reason... I joined Lady Esdeath's army..."
"I... I idolized her... that is... all..."
He gripped the emblem on his chest as a memory played in his mind: a beautiful woman with long blue hair and a military uniform walking into a damp, filthy cell, reaching out to a disheveled middle-aged man. She told him that as long as she was there, no one could threaten him again.
"Liver..."
"...so... as one who... exists... only to serve... Lady Esdeath... I will... kill you!"
Thud!!
"Big Bro!!"
Bulat coughed up blood. Tatsumi realized then that the syringe from earlier must have contained a deadly toxin, and the poison had been delivered into Bulat's body through those blood needles.
"The poison... will soak into your body... and there is no antidote... I'll wait for you on the other side... Bulat."
Liver drew his final breath and went completely still.
"Damn it! Poison... poison... that's it! Big Bro, swallow this, quickly!"
Tatsumi suddenly remembered the capsule Asahi had given him long ago. He didn't even know its specific effects, but right now, it was his only hope.
Bulat didn't expect much, but when he swallowed the capsule, it dissolved instantly. He was shocked; he could feel the poison in his body being suppressed.
"Tatsumi, this..."
"I'll explain later, Big Bro. We have to find help—"
"No, Tatsumi. The battle isn't over yet."
Rain began to fall. Both Tatsumi and Bulat turned to see Nyau stepping toward them, playing his flute as he walked.
"You thought the Blood Blade was our trump card? Wrong."
"I am the real trump card."
"Hidden Art: Demon Summons."