The Snow That Bleeds"
Back on the battlefield, the silence was broken by a single word.
"Let's begin…" Luna murmured, her eyes fixed on Akari.
The icy breeze that had been falling softly like a lament transformed. The snow melted into blades. The sky wept deadly ice.
"Rain of Daggers."
With a serene, almost maternal voice, Luna sealed the fate of that night. The sky opened, and thousands of shards of ice—long, sharp, merciless—plunged like the wrath of a vengeful god.
"Get behind me!" Zyon roared, positioning himself in front of Akari.
With steady movements, his chainsaw spun in fury. Each dagger that fell was cut, deflected, or shattered by the living blade. The shards ricocheted around, but none even touched Akari. Their eyes met amid the chaos—unwavering mutual trust. They smiled. It was the dance of war. And they were in perfect rhythm.
Then Akari went further.
Blood still streamed down her side, but she ignored it. Her muscles screamed, yet she only tightened her grip on the sword lying on the ground.
She lifted it, pointing toward the sky of daggers.
"Come to me, Luna!" her voice echoed like thunder cutting through the storm. "The fight is between you and me!"
Without hesitation, Akari activated her ability. A faint light formed beneath her feet.
"Swap!"
The chunk of frozen ground beneath Luna glowed. And in the blink of an eye, Akari appeared directly beneath her.
With a crisp strike, she delivered a kick with all her body's force straight to Luna's chin, sending her flying upward. In that instant, Akari leapt and, in midair, drove her sword into the enemy's chest, piercing flesh, muscle, and bone.
Luna spat blood into the sky.
"NOW, JADE!" she screamed in agony.
Jade reacted immediately, drawing circles of ice around Akari. The frozen rings began to close like manacles, attempting to bind her limbs.
But Zyon's response came with the fury of thunder:
"I'M HERE, AKARI!"
From afar, he leapt like a flaming lightning bolt and spun the chainsaw in midair.
"Technique: REND!"
The ground shook. The circles of ice exploded into thousands of pieces, freeing Akari. She wasted no time: she ripped the sword from Luna's chest and kicked it violently, striking her in the face. Luna collapsed to the ground, spitting blood and screaming in pain.
"Bitch…" she snarled, her eyes clouded with hatred.
But she was not finished.
With a swift movement, the three floating ice stakes that orbited around her fell like missiles onto Akari. A dry crack tore through the air. The stakes pierced Akari's abdomen, opening a grotesque hole.
"AAAAAARGH!" Akari screamed, her body folding in agony.
Zyon watched the blow with wide eyes. Her pain was his. He roared with primal fury:
"BONE CRUSHER!"
He drove the chainsaw into the frozen ground. The blade screamed. An explosion of rock, ice, and snow swept everything around. A massive crater opened on the battlefield. The mist spread, blinding all.
From the midst of dust and destruction, Zyon emerged like a demon forged in war, his eyes burning embers, the chainsaw roaring.
He appeared right behind Jade.
"You shouldn't have done that."
The blow struck her head dead-on. Jade flew through the air like a lifeless rag doll.
Zyon didn't stop. He ran in a straight line, like a runaway train, toward Luna.
She rose, staggering, and drew her crystal scythe.
"Then come!" she shouted, spitting blood. "COME, MONSTER!"
The blades clashed.
The ice scythe and the living chainsaw collided with the thunder of an avalanche. Sparks exploded on impact. Each strike between them cracked the ground, the winds howled, and the sky writhed.
And somewhere, beneath that storm of chaos and blood…
Yuzuki opened the book.
The Fusion of the Damned"
The blades were still colliding when Luna and Zyon came face to face. The fury of the crystal scythe vibrated against the rage of the chainsaw, spitting sparks and metallic screams that made the very earth tremble.
" You piece of shit…" Luna growled through clenched teeth. " What the hell are you? I've never seen a human Kugutsu!"
She thrust the scythe harder, the blade trembling with icy magic.
" I will kill Akari… and steal you from her." Her tone was venomous, sadistic. " You will serve me… knowing you slaughtered the one you loved most."
Zyon remained motionless. His gaze pierced Luna's soul—cold, silent, abyssal.
" You don't understand a thing…"
In an instant, black chains shot out from Luna's arms and legs, pinning her to the frozen ground with a metallic snap. Her eyes widened as her body struggled in vain against the seal.
" What is this?! NO!" she screamed, trying to break free. But there was nowhere to go.
A dark iron collar appeared at her neck, yanking her brutally until her face pressed against the ice.
" STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"
She glared at Zyon… and the world tore apart around them.
The sky bled red. Crows circled overhead, cawing as death's harbingers. All around, wooden crosses sprouted from the ground, nailing broken, naked bodies—still breathing, still bleeding. The earth was carpeted with unrecognizable corpses, laid out like cursed rugs.
Zyon said nothing. He merely watched her. Eyes fixed. Void.
Luna began to shake.
" Stop… stop this… get me out of here!"
She screamed like a child trapped in a nightmare. Real terror.
Then, a familiar voice.
" Luna…!"
Jade.
Luna blinked.
Everything vanished.
She was back on the battlefield. The cold. The mist. The blood. The pain. Jade held Zyon's chainsaw in both hands, enveloping it in icy energy. Her arms trembled, but her gaze was steady.
" I'm with you, Luna," Jade said. " No matter where. I will always be with you."
Luna panted, out of breath. Her hands still shook.
" Was… that a nightmare?"
She smiled briefly, but deep down she knew it wasn't mere delirium.
On the other side, Akari bled heavily. Her sword was lodged in the ground, her body bent. Her gaze was weary, but her voice came clear.
" Zyon… we have no choice."
He turned to her immediately.
" This fight… has gone out of control. We need to use it."
Zyon's eyes widened for a moment, then he nodded gravely.
" Yûgô."
The sacred word fell like thunder upon the battle. The air shifted. Time hesitated.
On the other side, Luna's eyes widened, and she stumbled back instinctively.
" My God… they know how to use Yûgô!" she whispered in terror. " Jade! We have to kill Akari. Now!"
Jade, still panting, shook her head. But before anything could happen…
The ground shone.
A golden light, pulsing like the heart of the Tree of Adam and Eve, began to well up from the soil. It was not just light. It was life. It was ancient power.
From afar, a roar tore through the skies.
" RAAAAAAAAAAAARGHH!!"
Kaien.
The dragon descended from the heavens like a falling star. It spiraled brutally, ripping through clouds in flames.
" YYUUUZZZUUKIIIII!!!"
Kaien struck the ground with such force that the ice shattered, stones exploded, and a colossal crater opened at the center of the battlefield. The air trembled, the golden light grew even more intense.
Kaien beat his wings violently. For the first time, he roared in black flames, unleashing a fiery jet that swept away the mist.
" MY MASTER IS BACK!!!"
The world stopped.
Luna recoiled, eyes wide.
Akari let out a bloody smile, a laugh almost insane.
Jade and Zyon turned their gazes toward the center of the crater.
From within the golden chasm, a head began to emerge. First the dark, wet strands of hair… then the eyes—eyes burning with living gold.
Yuzuki was returning.
" That's enough…" Akari murmured, her eyes shining.
" The true war begins now."