Akizame's voice broke the silence.

«All of you are coming with us.»

Ash whirled around him like a storm ready to erupt.

«I agree.»

Around Tetsuya the air suddenly turned ice-cold; the temperature plummeted.

«I'll get rid of you two personally.» declared Reiji.

«Kūdan!»

A gust of wind burst outward in every direction.

—We're actually going to do this— Kaito thought, getting into a defensive stance.

«Yume… I'm sorry.»

«Why…?» she murmured, exhausted.

«My plan was to bring the tower down without you or anyone else inside…» Kaito explained through clenched teeth. «But I was too weak, and I almost died too.»

«Now… I'll do everything to get us both out of here.»

The pressure mode around his body intensified, trembling.

«Come on, reappear… knight.»

At his command the shadow rematerialized behind him.

«This technique…» Yume watched the knight with a puzzled look.

«I'll explain later.» he reassured her.

She nodded, trusting him.

«Kūdan!!»

Reiji's blades shot out like projectiles, slicing the air in every direction.

Kaito advanced with swift movements, cutting through the wind.

«High Ice!»

A frozen wall blocked his path, rising up before him.

«It was you!» Kaito snarled, fixing his gaze on whoever had summoned the technique.

Behind Tetsuya rose a spirit with feminine features: a white kimono, equally white short hair, and eyes of the same icy color.

«Spirit Slayer!»

With a single strike Kaito shattered the mass of ice.

But at that very moment Tetsuya was already on him.

From only a few centimeters away, an ice spear shot at Kaito like a deadly dart.

«Shit!»

He spun in midair with a lightning-fast move, slicing the attack in two.

He landed heavily, raising his head.

Tetsuya had vanished.

«Particle Ice!»

The voice came from above.

—There he is!— Kaito instinctively prepared to leap toward him.

But the moment he tried to push off, his legs gave out.

«Tsk! What…?!»

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Tetsuya landed with a soft movement, as if the ground itself welcomed him.

«Your particles are freezing. Soon you'll lose consciousness,» he explained in a neutral tone.

«But I don't have that much time.»

He charged a kick straight at the boy's face.

«Return to origin!»

Yume shouted the command, and in an instant the spiritual ice dissolved.

Kaito dropped down abruptly, narrowly avoiding the attack.

—I thought the girl had no energy left!—

Tetsuya gritted his teeth, but he had no time to process the thought.

His body was hurled backward by a sudden blow.

«Don't… touch… my king.»

Between him and Kaito stood the Knight.

The Shadow, with an animal-like lunge, threw itself again at Tetsuya.

Its sword fell like a verdict.

«Your movements are predictable.»

With a perfect somersault, Tetsuya avoided the thrust.

«Yukihime: Snowstorm!»

The female spirit behind him raised her arms.

A blizzard exploded into the air and struck the Knight.

The Shadow shattered into fragments of darkness, dissolving into nothingness.

«Good… let's go.»

Pushing off powerfully with his legs, Tetsuya prepared to reach Kaito again.

But something grabbed his ankle.

The shadow had reappeared.

An inhuman scream rang out, and Tetsuya was slammed to the ground with violence.

Meanwhile Kaito had already rushed to her.

«Yume, can you hear me?!»

He took her face in his hands, his voice trembling.

«Yume!!» he insisted, trying to keep her eyes open.

«Kaito…» she murmured, barely audible.

A trickle of blood began to run from her nose, sliding slowly down to her chin.

«Why did you do it? You shouldn't have reused your technique!»

«I… couldn't leave you in that situation…» she slurred, her voice broken.

—I need to stay clear-headed… I have to analyze the situation—

Kaito's mind boiled.

«Hold on to me again and rest.»

Yume barely nodded, then rose with effort, clinging to his neck and letting him support her.

«Cough… cough!» she began to cough more forcefully.

«Sorry, Kaito… I'm fine…» she tried to reassure him.

But when she lowered her hand, it was completely stained with blood.

—Shit!—

Kaito looked around frantically.

—The Shadow… has almost used up the energy I stole from Shirogane— he watched her stagger into the void.

—And that ice guy is too strong… and as if that weren't enough…—

A burst of ash interrupted him.

A gray column rose from the floor a few meters away.

«You used to seem stronger!»

Reiji tried to provoke Akizame.

«Come on, Enzo.»

Filaments of ash shot from the spirit and lunged toward the son of the Fuyumi.

Reiji reacted with blistering speed, sheltering himself behind a mass of debris from the collapsed ceiling.

—I don't have enough time… I can't waste it on them. Not if I want to take my sister… and my mother—

His mind calculated every second.

«Akizame,» Enzo called urgently.

«Tell me.»

«We must hurry. The tower won't stop moving.»

«I know!» growled the possessor, as ash whirled around him.

Kaito watched the scene helplessly.

—Is this… my limit?—

His gaze was lost, empty.

—I trained for years… and I can't beat them!—

His hands trembled before his eyes.

—I know I'm not at the level of possessors like them… but is the difference really that enormous?!—

Thoughts crushed him.

Then he felt Yume's touch.

Her grip weak, but there.

Her breath on his shoulder.

And everything fell silent.

—It doesn't matter if I'm weak… I'll get her out of here.—

«Spirit Slayer!»

His voice cut the air.

A double slash exploded forward and struck the battlefield, forcing everyone to halt.

Tetsuya, Reiji, and Akizame turned toward him.

«That's enough…»

His aura changed. The look in his eyes was different.

«Fuyumi, Reikeitai… and then the Mugentamashii.»

He inhaled slowly.

«Stand in my way from taking her out of here… and I'll kill every last one of you.»

—That look…—

Akizame had already seen it once.

The look that reminded him of a demon.

«Truly impressive.»

A new voice reached the battlefield.

Everyone present turned toward the ruined stage.

«Reikeitai, Fuyumi… and some kids.»

Two figures emerged from the dust onto the scene.

Reiji recognized them immediately.

«Zo! Kagetsu! You made it!» he exclaimed.

«The Mugentamashii…» Akizame stiffened immediately.

Kaito, hearing those words, nearly jolted.

«

The… Mugentamashii…»

After a long search, Kaito finally found himself face to face with those who had caused his vengeance.