The Kage-Oni's presence was heavy—felt more than seen, like a storm hiding behind the sun.
Ryu crouched near the dying fire, his katana resting across his knees. His jaw was tight, breath steady, but his fingers wouldn't stop twitching. Taro's death still pulsed in his memory, Hana and Yumi's faces flashing behind his eyes. Every scar Kaze had helped him earn now felt like a question: Was he ready?
Kaze stood nearby, tightening his gauntlets, his battered armor catching the pale light. His katana hung at his hip like a final word. Goro checked the ridgeline, his nodachi strapped across his back. Soma sat sharpening his blade in slow, deliberate strokes, while Mira tested her bowstring, eyes narrowed. The remaining mercenaries—four in total, faces rough and silent—tightened straps, adjusted armor, shared no words. Tension held them together like rope.
Goro called them in. His voice, always gravelly, carried weight. "We've got one shot at this. Plan it right, we live. Get sloppy, and we're meat."
The group gathered around, cautious but attentive. Ryu stepped forward before doubt could stop him. "I have a strategy," he said. His voice didn't shake. That surprised him.
Soma raised an eyebrow. "The kid wants to lead now?"
Kaze didn't speak, just gave a small nod—barely visible, but enough.
Ryu went on. "The Lion-Hybrid's fast. Smarter than most yokai. And its roar hits your mind, not your body. We can't fight it head-on—it'll scatter us before blades cross."
He pointed toward the ravine behind them. "We use the land. Mira and the archers draw it out—aim from the ridge. Soma, you and the spears control the flanks, force it toward the edge. Kaze and I wait here. When it's trapped, we hit hard and drive it over. It loses ground advantage, we press with Aura."
Mira tilted her head, appraising him. "You're assuming it'll take the bait."
"It will," Ryu said. "Yokai like this hunt strength. We show ourselves, it'll come."
Soma snorted. "Brave or stupid—can't tell."
"Both," Mira said, cracking a half-smile. "But the plan's tight. I'll take the ridge."
Goro scratched the scar where his ear used to be. "Better than nothing. Let's move."
They split up fast, years of fighting making even panic look organized. Ryu worked alongside Soma, setting spears into the muddy slope with tight knots and grim hands. Mira climbed the rise with two archers, her braid flicking in the wind. Kaze disappeared into the ruins, scouting alone. His silence was more reliable than any report.
When they regrouped, the tension was worse. The quiet pressed on their skin.
Goro returned last, his boots soaked in dark mud. "Fresh blood," he said. "Claw marks on stone. It's hunting. Knows we're here."
Ryu's throat dried. He swallowed anyway. "Then it's coming."
Kaze met his eyes, the steel in his voice low but clear. "Stick to the plan. If it breaks, we improvise."
They took their places. The ravine yawned behind Ryu and Kaze like a second mouth waiting to swallow the world. Mira's silhouette was still against the ridge, bow ready. Soma's men crouched low, spears angled like teeth. The earth itself seemed to pause.
Ryu whispered, "We can do this… right?"
Kaze didn't look at him, just nodded. "You planned it. That's not nothing."
The wind shifted.
A sound rose—deep, guttural, wrong. The roar shattered the morning.
It wasn't just noise—it struck the soul. Ryu's legs buckled as the scream of his failures poured through his mind. Taro's severed head. Yumi's terrified eyes. Hana's blood on the floor. His blade slipped slightly in his grip.
Mira's arrow flew—a sharp streak through the haze—but the yokai was already gone.
It reappeared closer.
A blur of dark mane and obsidian claws.
An archer screamed, his chest opening like torn cloth. Blood sprayed the rocks. Mira shot again, grazing the beast's side. It hissed—high and cruel.
"Hold the line!" Soma bellowed, his spear striking. The yokai roared again, and Ryu saw his worst moments again and again. He couldn't breathe.
The plan collapsed.
The beast charged, all teeth and shadow. Spears shattered, bodies fell. Two of the mercenaries didn't scream—they just dropped. Soma lunged with his katana, slicing across its jaw, but the creature's paw smashed into his shoulder. Bone cracked. He screamed and fell back, clutching the torn arm, blood pouring.
"DAMN IT!" he roared, trying to crawl.
Mira jumped from the ridge. Her blade flashed, her voice sharp. "Keep fighting!"
She struck its flank—black ichor spilled.
The Lion-Hybrid spun, jaws closing on her.
Her scream was brief.
Her body hit the dirt, still.
Ryu's eyes widened. "Mira!"
He stepped forward without thinking.
The yokai's red eyes locked on him.
His breath caught. He raised his katana.
"COME ON!" he shouted, voice cracking.
It lunged.
Claws struck his chest—metal screamed, pain bloomed. Ryu flew back.
Over the edge.
The sky spun. The ravine swallowed him. Rocks blurred. Blood filled his mouth.
His katana slipped from his hand.
Darkness rushed in.
Above, Kaze's eyes went wide. "RYU!"
His aura ignited, silver fire erupting around him.
The wind screamed. Stones lifted.
The beast snarled, claws lashing out.
Kaze moved. His katana sliced shadow.
Goro charged from the side, slashing—useless. The mercenaries were scattered, swords clumsy without Aura.
Kaze's breath grew ragged. Blood leaked from his shoulder.
He looked at the ravine, heart hammering.
He could still feel the fall—Taro's fall, Ryu's fall. One he couldn't save.
He had one move left.
His hand trembled.
He hated this technique.
He'd sworn not to use it again.
But now—
He whispered, "Storm Destruction."
His aura surged, silver wind howling like a typhoon.
The air bent.
He stepped forward and swung—a single, vertical arc.
The mountain screamed.
A blade of light tore through the world, cutting trees, splitting ruins, sending rocks flying like paper.
The yokai shrieked. Its body split, not fully, but deep. Shadows peeled away.
It stumbled back, red eyes glaring.
Then it turned—and vanished into the hills.
Goro stared, mouth open. "What the hell was that?"
Soma groaned behind him, cradling his stump. "He's not human…"
Kaze didn't answer.
He staggered forward.
To the edge of the ravine.
"Ryu…" he rasped.
He stepped to jump, but his knees gave out. His katana hit the ground beside him.
Goro caught him. "You're done. You jump, you die."
Kaze's fists clenched. "The kid—"
"I know," Goro said, his voice grim. "But we don't need two corpses."
Silence returned, broken only by ragged breathing. Mira's body lay still. Soma's blood pooled near the rocks. The mercenaries stared, unsure if they'd won or barely survived.
Below, in the ravine's shadows, Ryu didn't move.
His body broken, katana lost.
But something in him still burned.
Not yet a blaze.
But not out.