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Chapter 14 - CHAPTER FOURTEEN—BY LUCK, HE ARRIVED

Inside the Void, everything had collapsed. 

The sky was gone. Reality fragmented. Buildings were reduced to shattered debris, floating aimlessly in a dark, broken space. 

Among it all, a lone tree hovered—its pink leaves drifting in slow motion like falling embers.

Haru sat beneath it. 

Blood trickled down his face. 

His Kurugisama sword hung gently from a branch above him, untouched. 

His expression—blank. 

Unmoving. 

His robe was in tatters, body marked with deep wounds. 

Wooden shards pierced through his feet. His white socks, now stained deep red.

Across from him sat Tanzegtsu, untouched. Perfect. Not a single scratch marked his body. 

He looked as if he had never fought a second of battle, calm amid chaos.

The silence dragged on… until Tanzegtsu finally spoke, voice calm and composed.

"You know… I always thought this Void was too vast for battle."

He looked around at the floating ruins. 

"But I was wrong. You fought so hard, I had to change my robes and regrow my organs. That swordmaster trick you pulled... whoever taught you that is a legend."

Haru didn't move. 

Didn't speak.

Tanzegtsu smiled faintly. 

"Thanks to you, I learned something. The only way to fight your madness... was to go mad myself."

He chuckled softly.

"And lucky for me—being a demon—madness comes with no pain."

Still, Haru said nothing. 

Blood from his jaw dripped onto the floating stone below.

Tanzegtsu's gaze sharpened. 

"That Kurugisama—if it had touched me… I think I would've died. Just the wind from it bruised my entire side."

Haru blinked slowly. His breath, shallow.

Finally, Tanzegtsu's calm cracked slightly. 

His voice lowered.

"What are you waiting for?"

"You could've killed me just moments ago. My head nearly left my shoulders."

"So why stop?"

A long pause. 

Tension thick in the air. 

Then—at last—Haru replied.

Voice cold. Quiet.

"…Luck."

Tanzegtsu blinked, confused. 

"…Uh?"

Haru didn't move. 

Didn't flinch. 

He calmly repeated, "I'm waiting… for luck."

Tanzegtsu's eyes narrowed. 

"Luck? What are you talking about? What kind of trick is this…?"

His voice hardened. 

"You know I can't afford to take your words lightly anymore."

Then—he saw it. 

A faint smile forming at the edge of Haru's bloodied lips.

Tanzegtsu's instincts flared. 

He grabbed his sword, dragging it to his own neck in a swift motion, threatening to slice—his eyes wild, serious.

"WHAT are you planning!?"

But Haru… remained still. 

Calm. 

Unblinking. 

He just watched the floating stones, as if none of this mattered.

Then—a voice echoed across the void.

"Tanzegtsu… there's no need for that anymore."

Tanzegtsu's hand froze mid-swing. 

He paused… then slowly lowered his blade.

His face brightened into a sly smile. 

"…Ejin-san."

Haru slowly looked up toward the sky of floating debris. 

Two silhouettes were approaching—standing on a narrow wooden plank that floated gently through the void like a ferry crossing a silent sea.

One of them, tall and calm, stepped forward—his cloak flapping lightly from an invisible wind.

Ejin spoke with casual disappointment.

"Sheesh… this place is a mess. Guess Haru-sama was more than just rumors."

Beside him stood Qisa, quiet and graceful. 

he held a silver harp, softly strumming its strings. 

The music flowed through the void—mending cracks in the space as they passed, like a lullaby that held reality together.

The air grew heavier. 

Even the Void itself seemed to pause. 

Three beings now stood before Haru—each more dangerous than the last.

And yet, Haru only blinked once more… 

Still waiting. 

Still whispering, deep inside his mind:

"Just a little more… luck."

---

Ejin grinned… then closed his eyes.

"Qisa, inform the rest. It's over. It's time we go home."

He opened his eyes and turned to Haru. 

"Close the box."

Haru didn't flinch. He held his position—seated on the floating rock, blood dripping from his face. His clothes were torn, socks soaked in crimson.

Meanwhile, in the village, Shino and Henji dashed toward the location Matsamaru had mentioned—where Haru vanished.

As they arrived, a heavy silence forced them to a halt.

Henji reached for his sword, ready to split the wall open, but Shino stopped him. 

"No... It can't be here."

Henji looked at him, confused.

Shino reminded him of Chimaru's words—that the warehouse was unimaginably vast.

Realization hit Henji. 

"Every building... might be the Void."

Shino nodded. His eyes landed on the only structure still standing nearby—every other one destroyed in the clash between Endo and Matsamaru. He turned to Henji with a warning:

*"Do not enter. If, by any means, they come out first—stay here."*

Henji looked at Shino, surprised by the weight of the responsibility now resting on him.

Shino stepped toward the door. Slowly, he opened it.

A silent darkness greeted him.

He gulped.

---

Back in the Void...

Haru faced Enji, his expression emptier than ever—his face stained with blood, eyes blank.

Enji, who was previously grinning while joking with Tanzegtsu about what to eat next, suddenly paused. His gaze met Haru's dead stare. The grin faded.

Enji narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right.

He stepped forward and bent slightly toward Haru. 

"What's with that face, fool? It's over. No one's coming to save you…"

He scoffed. 

"You know, maybe they should, because—"

Before he could finish, Qisa interrupted, eyes narrowing. 

"Oi... someone's here."

Enji didn't look away from Haru. 

"Close the box. Let's go."

Suddenly, a figure dropped from the debris above—so fast it blurred past them, descending deep into the void below.

Enji's expression shifted immediately. He turned sharply to Qisa. 

"The party! Bring him back now—before he causes a mess."

Qisa responded instantly, playing his instrument to command debris toward the falling intruder.

The figure was Henji.

FLASHBACK — Just before Henji entered the Void

As Shino prepared to step forward, hand hovering near the entrance, Henji's voice cut through the silence.

"What are you going to do? Get stuck with Haru?"

Shino turned, confused by the question.

Henji stepped forward, gently pushing Shino aside as he faced the door himself.

"Luckily for you... I want to be a Shadow Ninja," he said, eyes sharp. 

"And I can't become one by letting someone else take all the A-level missions."

He glanced back at Shino. 

"Treat Matsamaru. And find Chimaru."

Without waiting for a response, *Henji stepped through the door*. The moment he passed, it instantly *sealed shut*, transforming into a solid wall.

As he fell into the depths of the Void, his voice echoed with reckless energy:

"HENJII IS HEREEEE!!!"

---

Back in the present…

Haru's bloodied eyes widened at the sight of the figure descending. 

He whispered to himself in disbelief, 

"…He came?"

Looks like Haru gamble went through..

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