The mountain peak cracked beneath their feet.
Dawn stained the horizon with a blood-red glow.
Kaien, Akari, and Shiro climbed with tension in their muscles.
Kumo, perched on Kaien’s shoulder, purred like a nervous echo.

—Are you okay? —Akari asked softly.
Kaien nodded, though his gaze was distant.

Flashback – The night before

Kaien had awoken with a start.
Around the fire, the children slept under blankets woven by Hanzo.
Shiro had silently approached.

—I don’t want to lose anyone else, —Kaien said hoarsely—. I’ll protect them, no matter the cost.

He remembered the flames, the screams… and the moment he first grasped Ryusatsuga.

“This sword is a curse. I feel anger all the time. But it’s also my final word… if I must die for them.”

End of Flashback

The group reached the clearing where the Dawnflower was supposed to bloom…
But they found only ashes.
And Zanku.

—You’re late, —he said with a twisted smile. The withered flower rested between his blackened fingers.

—Was it you? —Akari asked, furious.
Zanku crushed the flower viciously.
—Its scent annoyed me.

Shiro growled. Kumo arched his back.

Kaien said nothing. He simply drew his katana.

Zanku smirked. A rune glowed on his shoulder.
—Here for revenge? Think you can beat me now? Last time, I was just testing you…

Then he struck first.

A black surge burst from his arm, twisting like a whip of living shadows. It slammed Shiro into a rock.

Kumo tried to counterattack with a flame burst…
But Zanku, swift and brutal, deflected it with a slash of dark energy and kicked the small feline hard.

—You won’t burn me twice, you damned yokai.

Kaien fell to his knees. His heart thundered.
—No… not again…

The air trembled.

—DON’T TOUCH MY FAMILY! —he roared, and Ryusatsuga vibrated.

Now mastering the resonance, Kaien vanished. The ground exploded where he’d stood.

—[Rising Fang] – (Kiba Noboru)!

Flames burst from the sword. A blue aura rose from him like steam — as if the blade finally heard his soul.

His eyes turned amber. His silhouette shimmered, bathed in heat.
A vertical blast of bluish fire engulfed Zanku.
He blocked it with a shield of darkness, but staggered, surprised.

—You’ve mastered the first level… already?

Kaien didn’t answer. He was already behind him.
—[Echo Blade] – (Kyojin)!

Zanku dodged the strike — but seconds later, an invisible slash opened his back.
—You bastard…!

Akari opened her grimoire.
Her hair flowed with power. An eerie black vapor rose from her and her book. Her eyes gleamed black, her expression deadly focused.

—[Moon Petal] (Gekkabana)!

Glowing petals danced with razor edges. Zanku moved fast, blocking with shadows — but not effortlessly.

—[Lesser Seal] (Fuin Komon)! —Akari shouted.
A rune struck the ground beneath Zanku, freezing him for a second.

—Kaien, now!

Kaien unleashed his technique.
—[Trail of Fury] – (Rekkon)!
A straight-line thrust. Fast. Precise. Burning.

Zanku took the hit to the side, grunting in pain. But instead of falling, he laughed.
—Yes… that’s it! At last, I’m fighting real warriors!

His body rose, wrapped in an armor of pure shadow.
—Think you’ve won? This is just the beginning!

The ground shook. Rocks floated.
Zanku unleashed a new technique:
—Umbra Vortex!

A spiral of darkness engulfed Kaien and Akari. But in an instant, Kaien cut through it with Echo Blade, while Akari shielded him with a sealing rune.

—I’ve got you, Kaien! —Akari yelled.
—Let’s go! —Kaien roared.

Together, they spun in perfect sync.
Ryusatsuga’s fire and Gekkabana’s petals danced like a deadly storm.

Zanku was pushed back — slashed, sealed, struck.

Finally, he fell to his knees. His body began to evaporate into shadow.

—You… work together…

—Now! —Akari shouted.

Kaien spun, Ryusatsuga glowing with petals.
—Dual Style: [Rising Petal]!
[Rising Fang] (Kiba Noboru) + [Moon Petal] (Gekkabana)

Zanku’s smile was bitter… but sincere.
—Damn brats… turned out to be a real problem… They’ll come for you… and you won’t be so lucky next time…

Akari’s grimoire opened on its own.
Zanku’s remaining shadow was pulled in, against his will.
The book didn’t glow. It didn’t vibrate. It just… devoured him. In silence. As if it had always been waiting.

Kaien looked at his katana, also absorbing some of the essence.
Now darker. Ryusatsuga no longer burned — its edge trembled, as if something inside had begun to awaken.

—This… doesn’t feel like a victory.

—But it was, —Akari said, closing her book—. And we did it together.

Shiro staggered over, Kumo perched on his head.
—Did we win?

Kaien let out a faint laugh.
The dawn once again painted the sky.

It wasn’t peace.
But it was something.
And for now…
It was enough.

| Author's Note |

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