"Kairagi, Raiden."
As Kazuha spoke, Elliot followed his gaze—and sure enough, there it was, the familiar figure.
Both stood at once. Kazuha was just about to draw his blade when a hand reached out to stop him.
"Let me test the results of my recent training," Elliot said, eyes flashing with fierce intent as he looked at the Kairagi.
"You? You don't even have a weapon."
"My fists are the best weapon I've got."
Elliot grinned and cracked his knuckles, itching for a fight.
Kazuha frowned slightly. This didn't feel right.
The Kairagi wasn't easy to handle. Even with weapons, subduing one wasn't something that could be done in moments.
And Elliot was planning to take it on barehanded...?
"Trust me. This is part of my training too," Elliot said with a quick smile.
Kazuha paused, then sighed and sheathed his sword.
"Just don't die."
"It's only a Kairagi."
BOOM!!
A thunderous blast shook the air. The spot where Elliot had stood was now a shallow crater, purple lightning still crackling in the dust.
"Hah..." Elliot squinted at the blade that had blocked his lightning-infused punch, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Didn't think you knew how to defend."
The Kairagi surged forward, flinging Elliot back—but the moment he landed, Elliot vanished in a streak of lightning.
"Kneel!"
CRACK!
Elliot flashed to the Kairagi's side, landing a crushing whip-kick to its joint.
The towering Kairagi dropped to one knee, its blade stabbed into the ground.
"What speed..." Even Kazuha couldn't hide his surprise.
"Bow!"
This time, Elliot leapt high into the air, bringing down a devastating overhead kick.
BOOM!!!
The Kairagi's head was smashed into the ground, lightning-shaped cracks spidering outward in every direction.
Kazuha froze. He hadn't expected this guy to be so absurdly strong with just his bare hands.
The moves were simple—but with that speed, every hit landed like a critical strike.
"What a perfect punching bag..."
Elliot's expression twisted, unleashing an even fiercer barrage on the Kairagi.
Kazuha began to sense something was wrong.
To him, Elliot had vanished completely—only bolts of lightning flickered around the Kairagi, hammering it from all sides like a thousand invisible attackers.
The Kairagi had no chance to fight back.
BOOM!!!!!
With one final, deafening blast, the ground exploded into a massive crater. The Kairagi shattered into pieces and vanished into the void.
A foul, ominous energy leaked from the pit.
A faint figure stirred within the smoke.
When its twisted face emerged into view, Kazuha didn't hesitate—he drew his blade on instinct.
That...
...wasn't Elliot.
"Heh heh..." The figure cracked its neck, grinning viciously.
Kazuha felt a chill of looming disaster. He held his blade tight, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
The aura—filthy, rotten, and utterly malevolent—reeked like sewage in a gutter.
"Is there a god... living inside him?" Kazuha remained on full alert.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Elliot vanished.
"He's gone?!"
Kazuha's pupils shrank as he spun to search frantically.
When Elliot reappeared, he was already at Kazuha's side—the killing intent so sharp it made Kazuha's skin crawl.
BOOM!!
A gust of wind laced with lightning roared past Kazuha's ear.
A fist, crackling with power, stopped just three centimeters from his temple.
"Urgh..."
"Get away..."
"GET AWAY!!..."
Elliot, barely holding back a fatal blow, suddenly grabbed his head and let out a beast-like scream.
Kazuha stood frozen, mind blank.
Seconds passed before he snapped out of the shock of facing death.
Elliot was thrashing on the ground—rolling and screaming. In Kazuha's ears, the air filled with chaotic, twisted whispers.
Disorder, noise, death, corruption, filth, evil...
A torrent of twisted voices poured in.
They were the voices inside Elliot.
The purity that once suppressed them had weakened—just slightly—and that sliver of evil was spilling out.
And yet, Kazuha hadn't expected that even this little bit would unleash such terrifying power.
"Sit down—calm yourself, now..."
The memory hit him.
Back when they first met, Elliot had shown signs of this on a rainy day.
Back then, all it took was for him to sit cross-legged and calm down—the twisted expression would slowly fade.
Kazuha rushed to pull Elliot up from his curled, contorted position.
But as soon as he saw Elliot's face, he shuddered.
Eyes bloodshot, saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth—he looked like a starved, rabid beast.
"Look at me." Kazuha grabbed Elliot's head with both hands, locking eyes with him.
"You said you wanted to protect others. Think. Who are you trying to protect?"
"Pro..."
"Protect..."
"Karma..."
"Calm... calm... Calming Mantra..."
Kazuha could feel it working. Elliot's struggle was weakening.
"Think clearly—those people you want to protect are the most important in your life. You can't fail them. They're waiting for you..."
"They... they're still... waiting for me..."
Elliot snapped back. In that instant, he dropped into a seated position, legs crossed.
Though his eyes were shut, his face remained twisted—still locked in some internal battle.
"They're still waiting for you. You have to protect them..."
Kazuha continued repeating the words beside him.
Eventually, the fierce expression faded. His face slowly relaxed into calm.
Only then did Kazuha let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He glanced to the side—and saw a long, scorched path of sand extending from where he stood.
It was the trail left by the shockwave when Elliot stopped his punch just in time.
Kazuha knew, beyond doubt—if that blow had landed, he'd be dead.
That killing intent had been real.
"What exactly..."
"...are you carrying?"
Kazuha stared at Elliot, murmuring solemnly.
Just hearing the madness in his voice left his heart racing.
And that wasn't even a fraction of what lay inside.
Just a small crack in his restraint—and that little evil had been horrifying.
Kazuha couldn't even imagine how much darkness was buried in Elliot's soul... or what it would look like if it all erupted at once.
But even that immense evil... wasn't what filled him the most.
What filled Elliot more than anything else—
Was grief.
Kazuha had heard the voices of many.
Even the sorrow of losing a loved one couldn't compare to what Elliot carried.
It was like... watching your loved ones die in front of you—again and again and again.