—He’s fast!— Chizuro thought, sliding backward in a flash.

A wall of gold rose between them.

The swordsman advanced without hesitation. An oblique slash tore the golden barrier in two.

«I don’t believe it!» The wall collapsed to the ground under the woman’s incredulous eyes.

The opponent’s blade reached her.

A direct thrust struck her squarely in the chest, hurling her backward.

—No!— golden spikes erupted from the woman’s arms and drove into the ground, stopping her fall.

In an instant she shifted, reappearing only a few centimeters from the shadow.

—Disappear…— she whispered, and her arms—now transformed—struck the attacker with brutal force.

The knight was hurled into the air.

«Coin Rain!»

Once again, an enormous quantity of brish fell from above like a golden storm. The swordsman was completely engulfed.

When the downpour ended, the blows had carved a crater into the ground. Silence fell over the place.

—If I hadn’t transmigrated my body into gold, that thrust would have wounded me…— she thought, bringing a hand to her chest.

«Can you tell me what you are?» she finally asked, approaching cautiously.

When her gaze landed on him, she was utterly overwhelmed.

The knight’s body was wrecked: pocked with holes, his head ruined. But what unsettled Chizuro most was that the shadow… kept trembling.

—It’s still moving… how is that possible?— she murmured, staring at him in disbelief.

At that moment, a presence struck her at blinding speed.

«Spirit Slayer!»

Kaito’s voice snapped her back.

The attack was avoided by an inch: Chizuro extended the spikes she had formed earlier and pushed him away.

Kaito fell into the crater, right beside the shadow.

Panting, he lifted his head. «Strength…»

At his command, the knight stopped trembling.

His body slowly began to regenerate.

—So it’s what I thought… you made it— Chizuro realized, clenching her jaw.

—You’re wrong… it’s only a faint memory of a battle— he replied.

«What are you talking about?» Chizuro asked, more confused than ever.

Kaito gritted his teeth, his anger visible in his eyes.

—I never wanted to use that guy’s technique— he said.

The knight rose to his feet.

«My blades can absorb spiritual energy,» he began in a low voice. «But you already know that. You also know I can reuse that energy to enhance myself.»

He glanced at the reflection of the blade in his hand.

«However, what you don’t know… is that I can decide how to handle incoming energy.»

«Incoming energy?» Chizuro repeated, furrowing her brow.

«When I cut a technique made of spiritual energy,» Kaito continued, «I can choose whether or not to break it apart.»

He took a step forward. «If I break it down, I can store that energy in unlimited amounts… and use it to power up.»

Then he lifted his eyes, pointing the blade at the knight. «But if I decide not to break it…»

A sinister gleam crossed his eyes. «…I can reuse that exact technique.»

Chizuro gave a slight smile at the boy’s words.

«I didn’t expect a technique like that,» she said, pausing briefly. «But I wonder why you hid it until now.»

Her look sharpened.

«I didn’t want to rely on his technique…» Kaito explained in a low voice.

«Don’t you get it?» she shot back, raising her tone. «The mere fact that you kept it proves your failure!»

«You’re wrong,» he answered without hesitation. «Letting pride guide me alone would get me nowhere.»

He brought one of his blades up to his face.

«I know very well that you’re stronger than me… yet I promised I wouldn’t lose.»

Biting the hilt between his teeth, he added firmly, «And I intend to keep that promise.»

The steel of his blades glowed a vivid, vibrant blue.

«Spirit Slayer!»

Again, the luminous slash burst from his blades.

«Pathetic! Still this technique?» Chizuro snapped.

Her arm transformed into a long golden blade.

With a single strike, she cleaved Kaito’s attack in two. The fragments of the wave destroyed the wall behind her.

«Spirit Slayer!»

Kaito repeated the move once more.

«Don’t you understand?!» Chizuro stopped him again.

«Spirit Slayer!»

Her words echoed through the White Place.

In five minutes of fighting, Kaito had launched twenty-five consecutive Spirit Slayers.

The number of hits that found their mark: zero.

After the twenty-fifth swing, he stopped.

Breathless, eyes fixed on his opponent, he thought: —Now… I actually have a chance.—

—What’s he trying to do…? Waste all that energy for what…?— doubt crept into Chizuro’s mind.

«Was that perhaps your last desperate act?» she asked with a smug smile.

«Desperate, you say?» Kaito replied, lifting his gaze. «I’ve set the perfect trap.»

He pointed behind her.

When Chizuro turned, her eyes widened.

All the remnants of the Spirit Slayer strikes they’d launched up to that point had cut through several load-bearing columns supporting the Tenshō Tower.

«When they made us enter the tower, we took an elevator, right?» Kaito continued.

Chizuro remained silent, staring at the damaged columns.

«We went up a few floors… then came down again, until the White Place.»

Kaito’s voice grew firmer. «Which means we’re right in the tower’s foundations.»

The structure began to vibrate; a deep sound echoed all around.

«I waited until Yume left before using this strategy…» he added, breathing heavily. «In at most ten minutes, the Fuyumi Tower… will collapse.»

—Is it over?— resignation crept across Chizuro’s face.

«What are you thinking!?» Ōgon’s voice pierced her mind.

—Ōgon?!— she murmured, surprised.

—You would surrender now? At least die together!— the spirit urged.

—What’s wrong with you? At the start of the fight we were winning— where did your usual composure go?— he goaded again.

Chizuro fell silent for a moment, then her voice dropped, full of fatigue.

—I’m sorry, but I realize we’ve lost… I won’t see him again. Now I’m sure of it.—

She paused, searching for words.

«Kaito,» she called as the tower began to crack around them. «Do you want me to believe that what I did for my husband was a mistake?» Her voice broke.

Her body began reverting to human form; the golden aura receded, focusing only on her right arm.

The shadow knight raised his sword; Kaito readied blades of his own.

«There was never room for remorse on your road of vengeance… just like mine,» she said.

«You’re right…» Kaito answered in a hoarse voice. «When I decided to take revenge on the Mugentamashii, I killed people I could have spared…»

His gaze hardened. «They were criminals, but I could have let them go. Only later did I realize that by continuing that way, I would become like them.»

—But I did not become like that… Chizuro.—

Chunks of the ceiling began to collapse around them.

«Let’s finish this fight!»