The morning sun felt lighter that day.

Kijotsu walked through the narrow streets of Fenralis, his bandages still fresh, his steps slow but peaceful. Leenka’s laughter echoed in the distance, and for once, the world didn’t feel like it was ending.

That’s when he saw her.

A small girl — short, with bright eyes and a smile too innocent for this world. She looked no older than sixteen.

Her voice rang out softly, teasingly.

> “You’re Kijotsu, right? The guy everyone keeps talking about?”

Kijotsu blinked, a little caught off guard.

She was cheerful, almost glowing.

> “Yeah... and you are?”

“Benma!” she said with a grin, holding out a hand. “Nice to meet you, hero.”

Kinata chuckled behind them, shaking her head.

> “Careful, Benma. He’s not as cool as he looks.”

“Huh?! I literally saved your city!” Kijotsu snapped.

They all laughed. For a moment, it was pure — like the old days before the wars, before the blood.

But then—

Something inside Kijotsu shifted.

His vision blurred, his breathing quickened. He saw her. Maksuki.

Her pink aura. The smile that froze his soul.

The laughter around him faded away.

His heart pounded in his ears.

He couldn’t breathe.

He ran.

Ran through the empty streets, through the wind and noise, until he crashed into the door of Kinata’s house, gasping.

> “No... no, not again...”

He dropped to his knees, trembling.

His mind screamed:

> (No... I don’t need to run. Even if she’s here... I think she’s unable to kill me. I don’t know. But my spirit... it always tells me that. Still... she’s stronger. She fought all three of us — me, Leenka, and Notsu — and she won.)

He clenched his fists.

> “I don’t know what to do... pfff...”

Then—

A voice. Soft, delicate. A woman’s whisper inside his mind.

> “Don’t worry... I’ll protect you.”

Kijotsu froze. His eyes widened.

> “Wh... who—who said that!?”

No answer.

Just the sound of the wind brushing against the window.

---

He stepped outside, the sky dim now — evening. A figure stood at the end of the road.

A man draped in a long white coat, cape flowing behind him, eyes heavy with sorrow and rage.

Kijotsu felt something strange — familiarity.

He approached.

> “Hey... you. Do I know you?”

The man turned his head slightly, voice calm but distant.

> “...Maybe you once did.”

Before Kijotsu could ask more, the shadows trembled.

A sudden surge of energy filled the air, cold and suffocating.

Then came her.

Benma.

But not the cheerful girl from before — her eyes were dark now, her aura twisted, her small body surrounded by black lightning.

> “Kijotsu... I found you.”

She moved faster than thought — her attack slashed through the ground like thunder.

Kijotsu barely dodged, tumbling backward, coughing blood.

> “W–What the hell... Benma!?”

Kenhjo — the man in white — stepped forward, raising a hand. A shimmering shield of light bloomed around them, blocking her next strike.

> Kenhjo: “She’s... not herself. Stay behind me.”

The battlefield erupted — explosions of shadow and light.

Kenhjo was fast, powerful, but every second drained his energy.

His knees finally hit the dirt, his breathing harsh.

> Kijotsu (thinking): “No... not again... I can’t let someone else fall.”

He pushed himself up, diamond glowing fiercely in his chest. His voice roared:

> “AAAAAAAAH!”

He unleashed everything.

Blades of light. Bursts of flame. Shockwaves that split the ground.

But his energy — it vanished almost instantly.

He fell.

His body hit the earth with a dull sound. The glow in his diamond flickered weakly — trying to protect him, but it couldn’t.

No more energy. No more strength.

Kenhjo looked down at him, pain in his eyes.

Without a word, he lifted Kijotsu and ran into the night.

---

Kijotsu woke up hours later — in a dim room, on a bed.

Kinata’s hands glowed faintly as she healed him.

His eyes shot open — panic, sweat, fear.

He screamed — a raw, broken sound that filled the entire house.

Kinata gasped, grabbing his shoulders.

> “Kijotsu! You’re safe! It’s okay!”

But his eyes... were empty.

The screen fades to black.

End of Episode 10.