Takeshi advanced toward the trio who had been thrown by the barrier's collapse, his heavy steps echoing. The terrifying grin on his face made him look like a monster.
Kuronuma gathered herself and stood, then helped Raiga and Yui to their feet. Arisawa's plan had failed, but Kuronuma wasn't worried—she knew her own power.
As soon as Raiga stood, he spoke in a sharp voice:
— We need to kill this guy immediately and get help. The ice guy is ridiculously strong.
Kuronuma nodded, channeling her energy into electricity that flowed through her entire body.
— Everyone, be ready! We need to end this quickly.
Yui struggled but rose, gathering her energy.
Takeshi laughed as he approached with heavy steps:
— I may be weaker than Kael, but you'll never defeat me!
Raiga cloaked himself in flames and immediately attacked. Takeshi raised his right hand, and the ground cracked as earth shot toward Raiga. Raiga kicked the ground and leapt back.
Kuronuma readied herself for the attack.
— Hey, kid! We have to attack him together.
Reluctantly, Raiga understood and agreed.
Takeshi began pulling earth from his hands; his other arm had completely turned into soil. Raiga froze in shock. He couldn't move, as if something were holding him back. Memories flashed before his eyes as he looked at Takeshi's right hand: the death of his family… and the Kaos spirit that had killed them… He realized it—this was the "earth chaos" that had killed his family.
Anger surged across his face as he shouted:
— You… you're the spirit that killed my family!
Takeshi stared at Raiga in surprise, then put his hand to his chin, thinking:
— Hmm… he doesn't remember—
Raiga lunged at Takeshi in fury. Flames engulfed his body as he swung his blunt sword toward Takeshi's head. But Takeshi quickly retreated, using the earth to shield himself.
— I usually don't remember the names of people I kill, but if you tell me your family's name, kid, maybe I will.
Raiga shouted in rage:
— Draven!
As soon as Takeshi heard the name, he remembered and laughed.
— The Draven family… I remember. Nobles I happened upon in some random village. I didn't know their children had escaped.
Raiga couldn't contain his anger:
— Why… why did you attack that village… my family?!
Takeshi shrugged and spoke:
— Too many questions, kid. Honestly, I attacked that village because I was bored.
Raiga froze at the response, staring in disbelief. Words slipped from his lips:
— That massacre… just because you were bored…
Takeshi roared angrily:
— Do you know how terrible it is when a human is bored?!
Raiga's flames shifted from red to blue as he whispered quietly:
— You're not human…
Then he attacked Takeshi. His blue flames cut through the earth's defenses and reached for Takeshi's head. But Takeshi raised another earthen shield. Raiga engaged in close combat with one hand wielding a sword made of earth and the other striking from hardened soil. Kuronuma, seeing Raiga's power, was shocked, yet knew it wouldn't be enough.
— Kid! You can't defeat him alone!
Raiga slammed Takeshi upward with a powerful strike, then leapt and slammed him to the ground with his formidable physique.
— Shut up!
Takeshi rose as if nothing had happened. As soon as he got up, a tree flew toward him; Yui had used her telekinesis. Takeshi lowered his head, facing Kuronuma, whose body was now fully shrouded in yellow electricity. He was encasing himself in earth. Takeshi was pinned to the ground.
Raiga spread his hands, unleashing blue flames at Takeshi. The earth began to melt, yet Takeshi's face remained calm. In his mind, he thought:
The fire energy is strong but it will never match Rion's. And this kid is at full potential. When humans face death, their survival instinct brings out their true strength. This is his limit.
Takeshi emerged from the flames, attacking the airborne Raiga and Kuronuma with earth. Yui pulled both back with her telekinesis, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Kuronuma considered how to turn the battle in their favor. But the real reason she had joined the mission came to mind, and she hesitated. The truth was, she had only participated because she didn't want to die. Committing suicide wouldn't suit a council member, so she preferred to die in battle. Now her only question was: Was it really necessary to push this far?
Takeshi noticed Kuronuma's hesitation and charged at her, forming a sharp spear from earth aimed at her head. As the spear neared, her eyes closed and memories flooded her mind…
Kuronuma had grown up in a house deep in a forest, far from the city, with her father. The Reiji family was noble, but only the two of them were alive. The rest had died of old age, execution, or for money. Kuronuma and her father lived a life away from wars, fame, and governance.
Yet Kuronuma was dissatisfied; her greatest dream was to enter the council. She worked tirelessly, often clashing with her father, but eventually achieved her goal. The people were to choose a new council member. Only she and one rival stood as candidates. Because the people favored her, she easily won.
But after her rival left in anger, Kuronuma now lived in the capital, visiting her father weekly, spending a couple of days together. Those moments were precious. Life had been hard, but her father kept her grounded. He was also a skilled carpenter.
Years passed smoothly—until the day she returned home to find her father gone. She ran to the forest, thinking he might be by the lake fishing. She arrived to see her father standing, with another man. She ran to them, calling out… but her father suddenly collapsed, blood flowing from his body—a knife wound.
Tears streaming, Kuronuma tried to treat him, but he was taking his last breaths. In a faint voice he said:
— Kuronuma… just seeing you makes me happy… There could be no greater joy than taking my last breath in your arms…
Kuronuma screamed, urging him to hold on, promising she would save him. But her father's heart stopped. Tears poured down her face. The man who had stabbed him pulled back his hood—it was her rival from the election years ago.
In a harsh voice, the man said:
— You took everything from me, now I'll take everything from you.
He thrust his knife at Kuronuma, but in fury she shattered it, grabbed him by the throat, and squeezed until he died. She threw his body into the lake, then carried her father back to their home. She dug a grave and buried him there.
From that day, Kuronuma had wanted to die. Her father had been her only reason to live. But suicide would dishonor both her father and the kingdom. So she participated in hundreds of battles, yet never died.
But this time was different. The gap between her and the spirit's power was extraordinary.
Raiga pushed Kuronuma aside swiftly, and Takeshi's spear embedded itself in a tree. Yui used her telekinesis to pull Kuronuma close. Raiga shouted in anger:
— If you're not going to give everything in a battle, can it even be called a battle?!
Kuronuma turned to Raiga.
— But there's such a huge difference in our strength…
Yui answered with a determined voice:
— We won't know unless we try!
Kuronuma still wished to die, but she couldn't ignore the children's determination. A smile appeared on her face as she let her energy flow through her body.
— I guess you're right. Let's take down this spirit!
The battle had now begun to heat up. Kuronuma stepped forward and attacked Takeshi with incredible speed. Takeshi defended with his earth, but Kuronuma didn't relent. She placed her hands on the ground and launched another attack with her legs. Takeshi hadn't anticipated this, but it wasn't impossible to defend. He pulled back and blocked, splitting the tree behind him in two with his earth powers. Raiga, still airborne, caught the two pieces and threw them at Takeshi.
Takeshi shattered the trees. Raiga and Kuronuma engaged in close combat, while Yui supported them by manipulating huge stones and trees. The fierce battle continued for a while. Both Raiga and Kuronuma were now exhausted, their bodies covered in blood. Takeshi sent them both flying with a brutal strike. They struggled to rise but forced themselves up and continued fighting. Their hands trembled, but they did not stop.
Finally, Raiga formed massive blue flames in his right hand and attacked Takeshi with all his remaining energy. This was the most powerful strike he could muster. But just as the flames were about to reach Takeshi, they suddenly vanished, and Raiga collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
Takeshi raised a sharp earth blade above Raiga's head and quickly brought it down. Yui tried to use her telekinesis, but it failed. Kuronuma realized her moment had come. She quickly spread her arms and positioned herself in front of Raiga. The blade pierced her heart. Her body fell to the ground, covered in blood.
Raiga and Yui were stunned. Kuronuma's only thought was that she had finally died heroically, like a true warrior. Tears streamed from her eyes as she whispered in a faint voice:
— I'm sorry, father…
Kuronuma closed her eyes.
Raiga clenched his fists as he looked at Kuronuma's lifeless body, then stood up.
— I will avenge both you… and my family!
Though saddened by Kuronuma's death, Yui gathered her energy with determination.
— From now on, it's just the two of us.
———
Meanwhile, Sora was lifting Makise into the sky. As they passed through the clouds, Sora stopped and released Makise. But instead of falling, Makise hovered in midair.
Sora smiled:
— I'm glad we can fight in the air.
Makise, however, glanced around carelessly.
Sora noticed and shouted:
— You're going to die soon! This isn't the time to admire the view!
Makise looked around a little more before replying:
— Not here.
Sora's expression changed. He spoke calmly:
— Okay… then where do you want to die?
Makise raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. Sora immediately sensed the strangeness; after all, he was an "air chaos."
— What is this…?
Makise first lowered her head, then lifted her face with a terrifying smile.
— Finally… I've been waiting for this moment, until we reached the sky!
Sora flinched in surprise.
— What do you mean by this moment…?
Makise laughed maniacally. She now resembled a full-blown psychopath.
— Waiting for the time I'd be alone with you really tested my patience.
Sora didn't understand. He began to think that Makise had a serious mental issue. Without wasting a moment, he manipulated the air to launch a massive gust of wind.
Makise vanished in an instant, reappearing in the same spot. Sora was surprised that his attack had no effect. He raised his right arm again to strike, but then saw a hand in Makise's grasp… it was drenched in his own blood. Sora looked at his arm and froze. His right arm was gone. His vision began to narrow. First, fear froze him in place, then he screamed in pain.
Makise smiled at him:
— That's what I love!
Sora realized in the first attack that he couldn't win this battle. He immediately tried to flee. Using his air power, he moved extremely fast. Makise dropped the bloody limb and suddenly appeared in front of Sora. She swung her left hand to the right, creating a massive gust of wind. Half of Sora's body was obliterated… He was terrified. He had only ever felt this much fear once before: when he thought he was going to die.
At first, he thought he was dead, but despite the pain coursing through his body, he wasn't. How was this possible? Suddenly, he recalled a warning from his sibling:
— You… are Makise Yura!!!
Makise stopped licking the bloody leg in her hand and stared at Sora, her expression turning serious.
— How do you know that?
Sora answered, trembling with fear:
— The desert Volgrath told me… We were all warned… You're the illusionist who stole Ayame's power…
Makise's previous playful expression vanished completely. A deadly seriousness enveloped her entirely.
— I must… kill the desert chaos.
Despite his fear, Sora smiled sarcastically:
— Why don't you want people to see your psycho side?
Makise first wore a serious expression, then smiled again.
— Then how could I have fun with humans?
Sora asked in shock:
— Fun…?
Suddenly, the lower part of Sora's body and his arm reformed. He thought it was an illusion, but he didn't know how to escape.
Makise extended her right hand forward and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the setting changed. They were now in a dark room covered in blood, filled with torture devices. Bodies with severed fingers, arms, and legs were scattered everywhere.
Sora, trembling, asked:
— W-what are we going to do here…?
Makise first laughed, then spoke in a curious tone:
— I'm looking for a man. His name is Darius. Do you know him?
Sora thought for a moment.
— No… I don't know anyone like that.
Makise nodded:
— Okay, then now we can start the fun.
Makise snapped her fingers again. Sora was immobilized, seated in a chair. Makise picked up a nail puller and began laughing maniacally.
Sora was already screaming for help:
— Let me go!! Stop!!