—
The bolt of crimson lightning slammed into the plaza with a thunderous crack, hurling dust and shockwaves in every direction. Citizens fled. Lights shattered. Even the judges of the Balance recoiled, their perfect formation shaken.
From the smoke emerged a figure cloaked in red and gold, his hair wild, his aura unstable—sparking with both divine and demonic energy. A twisted mask covered half his face, and his eyes… they burned with a familiar blue fire.
Kazuki stumbled back. "Wait… is that—?"
"No," Hoshiro whispered, voice low and tense. "That *can't* be me."
Ayame stared in disbelief. "He looks just like you."
The man laughed—a cold, distorted sound. "Close, but not quite," he said. "Name's Akushiro. Born from the part of you you tried to bury."
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
The Balance judges hovered cautiously now, clearly unnerved. "A paradox made flesh," one muttered.
Akushiro raised a finger and pointed at the sky-fissure above. "That tear? It wasn't caused by you, Hoshiro. *It was caused by me.* You awakened… and I broke free."
Hoshiro stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Why now?"
"Because the world is weak. Broken by order. Shaped by fear. But I… I will rebuild it in fire and freedom."
Suddenly, he vanished—then reappeared inches from Hoshiro, their fists clashing in a shockwave that cracked the plaza tiles.
The battle had begun—not between hero and villain, but between the two halves of the same soul.
—