The crimson clouds drifted overhead.
Kairo's gaze lingered upon them for only a heartbeat before reality came crashing back.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
Drawing nearer.
His body tensed. Without another thought, he darted deeper into the abandoned shrine. Dust rose beneath his feet as ancient floorboards groaned beneath his weight.
The building was old... Too old.
Every pillar leaned beneath the weight of the sagging roof. Cracks ran through the timber like veins, and every movement coaxed another tired creak from the structure, no wonder this place had been abandoned.
Kairo swallowed.
If that man came inside...
This shrine wouldn't survive for long; his eyes searched desperately through the darkness.
"Think..."
"If you were here, Neyo... what would've you done?"
His fingers brushed against something stretched across the floor
A rope.
Kairo paused, his eyes traced its length for only a brief moment.
Then... Something flashed across his face.
An idea.
The shrine entrance groaned open, the man stepped inside, his jagged blade scraped lazily across the wooden floor, the harsh metallic rasp echoing through the empty hall.
Shrrrk...
He stopped.
Silence.
The boy's presence had vanished, his hidden gaze drifted through the darkness.
"....."
He continued forward, each step drew another weary groan from the aging shrine.
Creak...
Creak...
The old beams shuddered overhead, the man narrowed his eyes, something about this place felt... Wrong.
Then something brushed against his shoulder.
A rope.
It hung from the darkness above; his gaze slowly followed its length upward.
There.
Kairo.
Balanced high among the rafters.
One hand gripped the hanging rope while his feet rested upon the weathered beams overhead. He stared down without saying a word.
For several long moments, neither of them moved, then the man reached for the rope.
"Aaah... so there you are."
His fingers wrapped around it.
With one sharp pull, he yanked it downward,
The instant the rope tightened
Kairo let go.
Rather than falling, he sprang across the rafters, leaping from one beam to another before disappearing through the broken side of the shrine, the man turned calmly, expecting another chase.
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Then...
CRACK.
A deep fracture echoed above him.
His eyes lifted.
The rope... It wasn't supporting the boy.
It had been tied around one of the shrine's fractured support beams, the force of his own pull had ripped it free.
For the first time, the man stopped "...Well played."
CRAAAAASH!!
The ceiling gave way.
Massive beams snapped apart as the entire shrine collapsed inward. Pillars exploded into splinters, and centuries-old timber crashed toward the floor in a deafening avalanche of dust and debris.
Outside, Kairo burst from the shrine and landed on the thick branch of a nearby tree, breathing heavily, he looked back, the abandoned shrine disappeared beneath a cloud of crimson dust.
For the first time since entering this nightmare... He had managed to outwit the man.
The dust slowly settled over the ruins of the shrine.
Kairo remained perched on the thick branch, his chest rising and falling as he stared at the destruction below. A faint smile spread across his face "...Did that even bring him down?"
The smile faded almost instantly, something stirred beneath the mountain of shattered timber.
An oppressive pressure spread through the air.
Kairo's eyes widened.
Golden strands of spiritual light seeped through the debris like streams of liquid fire. They rose silently around the buried figure, flowing upward from his body like flames without heat—graceful, endless, unmistakable.
Seikon.
The rubble shifted.
One shattered beam slid aside.
Then another... A hand emerged.
With almost effortless strength, the cloaked man pushed the broken remains of the shrine away and slowly climbed to his feet. His head remained lowered, his face hidden beneath layers of cloth as fragments of timber fell from his shoulders, even from a distance, Kairo could feel the pressure weighing against his chest.
The man never looked at him.
He simply took one step.
Then...
Without warning, he lunged.
The earth shattered beneath his feet.
BOOOOM!!
In a single explosive step, he crossed the distance between them.
Before Kairo could even blink, a hand clamped over his face.
The impact hurled him from the tree like a ragdoll. His body crashed through several branches before slamming violently into the trunk of another tree.
Pain erupted through his entire body.
"...Gaaaaaah!"
He slid helplessly onto the ground,
His arms trembled as he struggled to rise.
Nothing responded, his body had reached its limit.
Slowly... A familiar sound echoed across the crimson forest.
Shrrrk...
Shrrrk...
Shrrrk..
Metal scraping against earth, the man approached at an unhurried pace, dragging his jagged sword behind him.
Each scrape carved another scar through the ground.
Each step felt heavier than the last. "...I'd stay down if I were you." his voice was calm.
Almost gentle, the sword stopped, his sword slowly rose, the air around its blade began to tremble, a violent vibration gathered along its edge.
Kairo's pupils shrank "I can't dodge this..." his fingers dug into the dirt, his legs refused to obey.
The sword descended, a deafening shockwave tore across the battlefield, the earth shattered beneath its path, Kairo instinctively raised both arms over his face.
The blade swung.
BOOOOM!!
The invisible force raced toward him.
Kairo instinctively raised both arms to shield his face.
This is the end..."
Then
.....
BOOOOOOM!!
A violent torrent of compressed air descended from the heavens, it struck the incoming shockwave head-on, the collision erupted into a monstrous explosion... Kairo remained frozen beneath his crossed arms.
"....."
The pressure disappeared, slowly... He lowered them.
A lone figure stood before him, his back faced Kairo.
His tattered cloak fluttered gently as countless scars stretched across his exposed back and shoulders, The dust continued to clear, the cloaked man smiled beneath his mask.
"...You finally arrived."
He slowly lifted his head.
"You took your time."
His voice remained as calm as ever.
"I was beginning to get bored playing with the kid."
"...ZAAAAI!!"
Zai didn't answer immediately.
His gaze never left the man before him.
His expression had become colder than Kairo had ever seen.
"...Tekka."
Silence settled between them.
Kairo stared at the two men, the atmosphere alone made it difficult to breathe.
Then Zai turned, he walked toward Kairo and knelt beside him "...Sorry." his voice softened.
"I should've arrived sooner." his eyes drifted over Kairo's battered body; Bruises, cuts, the damage was severe. Every injury suffered within Dreamhell would have its effect in the real world. Zai clenched his jaw, "I was too late."
Kairo forced a weak smile "...What... is going on?"
"I'll explain later." Zai helped him sit upright.
"Can you still walk?"
"...Yeah."
"Good." a faint smile crossed Zai's face.
"Then stay alive."
......
BOOOOM!!
Another shockwave erupted toward them.
Before Kairo could react, Zai grabbed Kairo by the shoulder and burst sideways with explosive speed, narrowly avoiding the blast as it carved a deep trench through the earth, the blasts obliterated the ground where they had been standing only an instant before.
Zai released him several meters away, "Take cover." Kairo stumbled behind the remains of a broken stone monument, only then did Zai step forward alone, his eyes never left Tekka.
"...You didn't have to involve the kid."
Tekka rested the jagged blade across his shoulder "He simply served his purpose."
Zai exhaled quietly "We both know fighting you inside Dreamhell is pointless."
Tekka smiled "Then let's not waste any more time."
Tekka slowly raised the jagged blade before his face, his fingertips glided along its twisted edge
with almost reverent care.
"...Afū."
The instant the name left his lips, the eye near the hilt slowly closed, its gaze fading into sleep, silence lingered for a heartbeat.
Then...
Another eye emerged from the center of the blade, it opened slowly.
its iris pulsed with a wavering, distorted aura, as though the very air around it had begun to bend.
The blade seemed to sharpen beneath its gaze.
The atmosphere changed
The battle began.