The battlefield was thick with tension as the winds howled, the snow swirling around like a veil of mystery. Raizen Kurai stood tall, his eyes focused on the remnants of Team Darkshade as Kael and his allies took their positions.
But just before the battle erupted, Azrael—the masked elite fighter, the one who had haunted Kael's every step—spoke.
"Kael."
Kael's eyes flicked toward him, and a strange, unsettling feeling washed over him. "What?"
Azrael's voice was cold, mocking, but there was something else beneath it. A trace of recognition.
"Oh, that's what you call me now? 'Azrael'? That's funny."
Kael narrowed his eyes, sensing the familiarity. "What are you talking about?"
Azrael's smile was thin, like a blade ready to strike. "You used to call me something different… back when you were just a kid. But I guess you don't remember."
Kael's heart skipped a beat. What was he talking about?
Azrael's words hit Kael like a punch to the gut. "Big brother."
The name echoed in Kael's mind like an ancient echo. He froze. Big brother? But that wasn't possible—Azrael couldn't be who he was implying.
Azrael's smile widened, but there was a darker edge to it now. He took a slow, deliberate step forward. "You don't remember me, do you?"
Kael shook his head, his mind racing. But before he could speak, Azrael made his move.
With a single motion, Azrael removed the head accessory he'd been wearing—something Kael had never seen him without.
And then it hit him.
Three familiar burn scars.
Scars from a long-forgotten accident. A memory that rushed back like a flood. Kael was ten years old, playing with his older brother in the kitchen. They were boiling water for tea—Kael had been distracted, and his brother had reached over to help, trying to save him from burning himself.
But it had been too late. The boiling water splashed, and both of them had been burned.
Kael's heart lurched. Kaito?
Azrael smirked as Kael's eyes widened in recognition. "Remember now?"
Kael's voice trembled, a mix of shock and disbelief. "Kaito? You—It's really you?"
Azrael chuckled darkly. "It's been a long time, little brother. You don't know how much I've changed since then."
And that was when Azrael's identity was fully revealed: Azrael was Kael's older brother, Kaito Renji, the one Kael had lost years ago to a corrupted Will.
The realization crushed Kael's chest. Kaito, his brother, was standing right in front of him. But he was no longer the boy Kael had known. His brother was now one of Kurojin's four elite fighters, twisted by power, by rage, by the Will.
"Kaito, why…?" Kael's voice was barely a whisper.
Kaito's expression twisted into a smirk. "Why? Because you—" He sneered at Raizen, who stood across from them. "Because of him. Because of you, Grandpa."
Raizen's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue, Kaito."
Kaito's grin only grew. "I'll speak as I please, old man."
Kael's heart hammered in his chest. His brother—his family—had been consumed by this twisted path.
Kaito's cold gaze locked onto Kael. "The Last Will chose you, didn't it? And now you stand here, thinking you can be a hero. Well, little brother… you're just like me. You're just too blind to see it."
Kael clenched his fists. "No. I'm nothing like you. I'm not letting the same thing happen to me."
Kaito's eyes darkened. "We'll see about that."
The battle was about to begin.
Veyron, Lilith, and Raven stood at the ready, their dark power crackling. Raizen, however, remained calm, his focus entirely on Kurojin and the elites.
Kael looked at his allies—Ryuu, Tetsu, Hana, and Kaede—and nodded.
"We finish this now. Together."
The moment stretched, hanging in the air like a suspended breath. Then, with a fierce shout from Kurojin, the battlefield erupted in chaos.