"You're just as big an idiot as your brother!" Seiya shouted.

"What? What happened?" Eiji asked, panic rising in his voice.

Seiya groaned in frustration.

"He's heading for us!"

"What?!" Eiji looked at Seiya.

Nobutaka cautiously peeked over the stone wall.

"Hey, guys... I think we're forgetting something."

Seiya glanced at him.

"What?"

Nobutaka slowly pointed toward the Warrior Phantom Beast they had stunned with lightning moments earlier.

"The beast..."

He ducked behind the wall before risking another quick look.

"Yeah... I think it's looking for us," Nobutaka hissed.

Then a freezing gust swept across the floor.

"Is it just me, or has it gotten colder?"

Nobutaka shivered, rubbing his arms.

"Strange... It's even colder than it was at the summit."

Seiya scanned the field, trying to find the source of the sudden shift in temperature.

Unable to ignore the growing unease, Eiji cautiously peeked over Nobutaka's stone wall.

His eyes widened.

"I think that's why..." Eiji stared at the open field just behind the stone wall they were hiding in.

Seiya and Nobutaka followed his gaze.

At the battlefield...

Hyosei and Asatsuyu stood several meters ahead, facing the towering Phantom Warrior Beast.

Neither of them moved.

The Warrior Beast halted, noticing the arrival of the two great warriors of Tsutsumi.

Its crimson eyes shifted toward the source.

Hyosei, standing beside him, was Asatsuyu, spear resting upon his shoulder as flames quietly danced around him.

Neither spoke. They simply moved.

Hyosei vanished first.

His odachi flashed through the smoke with impossible speed.

The Warrior Beast raised two swords to block.

Before the clash had even finished, Asatsuyu appeared from above.

His flaming spear descended like a falling star.

The beast twisted, using another pair of swords to intercept the attack.

Hyosei was already moving again.

Ice erupted beneath the monster's feet.

The instant it escaped the frozen ground, Asatsuyu attacked again.

Neither warrior allowed the creature a moment to recover.

Years... Decades...

Of fighting together flowed through every movement.

One attacked. The other covered. One retreated. The other advanced.

Their blades never collided with one another.

Their attacks never overlapped. Every strike created the perfect opening for the next.

It was less like watching two men fight... And more like witnessing a perfectly rehearsed dance.

Eiji stood frozen. "Amazing..."

Nobutaka could only stare. "So this is how the Generals fight..."

Even Seiya forgot to breathe.

The newly appointed samurai watched in silent awe as two legends fought with the seamless coordination that only countless battles could forge.

Then...

"Eiji!"

A familiar voice pierced through the battlefield.

Eiji turned.

"Fuyu-kun!"

Without hesitation, Fuyuki ran toward his brother and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

For a brief moment...

The battle disappeared.

Relief washed over him.

"...You're safe."

Fuyuki smiled.

"I told you I would be-"

Eiji immediately pulled away. His expression hardened.

"I told you to go to the southern caves!"

Fuyuki puffed his cheeks.

"I can't leave my brother out in danger!"

"You both are siblings, alright." Seiya sighed, folding her arms.

The brothers blinked.

Before Eiji could respond, Fuyuki suddenly turned toward Seiya.

"Wait..."

His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"How were you doing the mind thing?"

"I think I was able to do the same."

"But... I only heard Eiji's thoughts."

Eiji lightly tapped Fuyuki's head.

"Ow..."

"You heard me..." Eiji frowned. "...and didn't listen?"

Fuyuki rubbed the top of his head.

"I can protect you." He smiled proudly. "I'm a Temple Mage."

Eiji sighed.

"I should be the one protecting you."

"Not the other way around."

Before Fuyuki could protest again, Nadare raised a hand.

"I tried dragging him to safety." He let out a helpless laugh.

"But somehow, he was strong enough to break free from my grip."

He shrugged. "So I had no choice but to follow him."

But then, their attention was drawn back to the battlefield by a thunderous bang that echoed throughout the village.

A powerful gust swept across the battlefield as though a storm had suddenly descended upon them.

The wind howled between shattered buildings, nearly knocking everyone off balance.

Dust and burning embers filled the air. Nobutaka's stone wall groaned under the pressure.

Everyone instinctively ducked behind it.

Nadare cautiously peeked over the edge before quickly lowering himself again.

"In this state..." He shook his head. "...all we can do is hide."

"Otherwise... we'll get blasted away like flies."

Beyond the wall they are hiding in, the battle between the two Generals and the Warrior Beast continued.

Steel collided with impossible force. Flames burst into the sky. Ice spread across the frozen ground.

Every clash sent another shockwave rippling through the village.

Asatsuyu narrowly avoided another sweep from the creature's massive blade before laughing.

"This feels familiar, now does it."

Hyosei deflected two swords with his odachi.

"As much as I hate to admit."

The Warrior Beast suddenly inhaled.

Dark miasma gathered within its jaws.

Hyosei's eyes widened.

Then, a towering wall of ice crystal erupted before them.

The corrupted breath slammed against the barrier with a ground-shaking explosion.

Black mist hissed violently against the frozen wall.

The attack finally ceased.

The instant it did, Asatsuyu launched himself over the ice wall.

Still airborne, he thrust his spear forward. Flames exploded from its tip.

The blazing torrent engulfed the Warrior Beast's vision.

The creature instinctively raised its swords exactly as Hyosei expected.

Using the opening, he burst from the side of the shattered wall.

His odachi glowed with freezing mana.

One clean slash.

The blade carved across the creature's abdomen. Dark blood splattered onto the snow.

The Warrior Beast roared. Its enormous tail whipped through the air.

Asatsuyu crossed his spear before his chest. The impact still sent him crashing into the frozen ground.

The stone-tiled ground fractured beneath him.

"Asatsuyu!"

Hyosei charged. Fury burned within his eyes.

His odachi became a blur as he exchanged slash after slash with the monster.

Steel rang endlessly, then frost spread beneath the creature's feet.

Its movements slowed. Ice rapidly climbed its legs, locking it in place.

Hyosei raised his odachi.

An immense wave of freezing mana gathered along its blade.

With a single swing, a colossal crescent of ice tore across the battlefield.

A technique powerful enough to erase almost any Phantom Beast.

But this one raised all four corrupted swords before itself.

Dark miasma condensed into a shield.

The ice slash exploded upon impact.

The collision shook the village.

For one fatal instant, Hyosei's vision disappeared behind the blast.

The monster's tail emerged from the cloud.

Too late to dodge, it struck Hyosei square in the chest.

The General was launched across the battlefield.

"Hyosei!"

Ignoring the pain in his own body, Asatsuyu leaped forward.

He caught Hyosei before he could crash into another building.

The force still drove both of them backward several steps.

Asatsuyu grimaced before glancing sideways.

"Getting old, are we?"

A tired smile tugged at Asatsuyu's lips.

"You're one to talk."

They steadied themselves.

Once more, they faced the towering Warrior Beast.

Its four swords slowly rose into position.

Its tail swayed behind it like another weapon waiting to strike.

"That tail's one hell of a problem."

Hyosei wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"It knows how to use weapons too. Four swords, at that."

Asatsuyu tightened his grip on his spear.

"Who knew Phantom Beasts could wield them?"

Hyosei narrowed his eyes.

"We need to approach this differently if we want to win."

Asatsuyu nodded.

"I think it's time."

Hyosei's voice became unusually calm.

Asatsuyu looked at him.

"But Hyosei, that would mean..."

Hyosei never looked away from the enemy.

"It's for our people, Asatsuyu."

A cold wind swept at them.

Hyosei's grip tightened around the hilt of his odachi.

"If not now, then when?"

...

The Warrior Phantom Beast stood motionless. Its crimson eyes shifted between the two strongest warriors of Tsutsumi.

Asatsuyu tightened his grip around his spear. He let out a quiet sigh.

"You're right. But make sure you'll make it."

Hyosei smiled.

"Of course. We're one of the Ascenders, remember?"

For a brief moment, everything became still.

The crackling flames.

The howling wind.

Even the Warrior Beast hesitated.

Hyosei slowly stepped forward, then a surge of mana erupted from his body.

Brilliant azure light engulfed him.

The frozen ground beneath his feet shimmered as frost rapidly spread across the battlefield.

The sheer density of mana forced everyone nearby to shield their eyes.

Eiji instinctively raised an arm.

The light grew brighter. Brighter still. Until it burst outward like the first sunrise after the night.

When the light faded, Hyosei stood clad in magnificent silver armor adorned with frost patterns that shimmered like living ice.

A flowing mantle of frost drifted behind him despite the absence of the wind.

Every movement radiated quiet authority as though winter itself had chosen a champion.

Across from him...

Asatsuyu chuckled.

"Let's do this."

Crimson flames erupted around his body. Unlike ordinary fire, these flames never spread wildly.

Instead, they wrapped around him with remarkable precision.

Piece by piece. The fire condensed.

Shoulder guards. Gauntlets. Breastplate. Greaves.

Until at last, the flames solidified into brilliant crimson armor that burned without consuming.

The surrounding snow melted instantly.

Yet the fire never harmed its wielder. The two generals stood side by side.

One cloaked in eternal frost. The other, in a living flame.

Silence fell over everyone watching.

Eiji stared blankly.

"...What just happened?"

Fuyuki's eyes sparkled.

"That's... That's what they call a Soulborn Gear!"

He could barely contain his excitement.

"Naoki-sensei taught us this, but we've never seen them in person. It takes a lot of mana to pull it off."

"They look so cool..." Nadare whispered.

Even Nobutaka found himself speechless.

The battlefield had become something out of legend.

Only Eiji remained quiet. His gaze never left his father.

"Please don't overdo it, Dad."

...

The two generals moved. The battlefield exploded.

Hyosei disappeared beneath a streak of blue light.

Asatsuyu became a blazing crimson comet.

The Warrior Beast barely reacted before Hyosei's blade carved across one of its legs.

Ice immediately spread from the wound. Before the creature could retaliate, Asatsuyu launched himself high above the battlefield.

His spear flashed, a single slash.

Blood erupted from the Warrior Beast's face.

Its right eye burst apart.

The monster roared in agony.

Hyosei never stopped moving. Every incoming sword met only empty air.

He flowed between the creature's four blades with effortless precision.

One slash. Then another. Then another.

Each strike landed upon the beast's legs.

Each strike spread more ice. Its movements gradually slowed.

The massive tail suddenly whipped toward Hyosei.

He calmly turned.

"Not this time."

One clean swing. The frozen blade severed the tail.

The enormous limb crashed heavily against the ground.

The Warrior Beast screamed. Its roar tore across the village.

The force alone rattled windows and scattered burning embers through the sky.

Even Eiji instinctively covered his ears.

Asatsuyu seized the opening. He raised his spear toward the heavens.

Countless flaming spears materialized above the clouds.

With a downward sweep, they rained upon the beast.

Each spear pierced deep into its thick scales.

One after another. Driving the creature firmly into the ground.

Smoke rose from every wound. The monster writhed violently.

Then...

It roared again.

This time...

The surrounding Phantom Beasts answered. Dozens rushed toward the battlefield.

They lunged at the two generals from every direction.

Hyosei and Asatsuyu never faltered. Blue and crimson lights danced through the battlefield.

One swing. Three beasts vanished.

One thrust. Five more dissolved into ash.

Another slash. Another explosion.

The horde disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.

"They're unbelievable," Nobutaka whispered.

The Warrior Beast struggled against the countless flaming spears pinning its body.

Only one arm remained free. Slowly, it reached toward a nearby Phantom Beast.

The smaller creature cried out. It tried to flee, but it was too late.

The Warrior Beast seized it. Everyone watched in stunned silence.

It tore the creature apart with its bare hands. Black blood splashed across the battlefield.

Then...

It devoured what remained.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Hyosei's eyes narrowed.

"Since when do they... consume each other?"

Fuyuki's face turned pale.

"That... has never been recorded... in the history of Phantasima before..."

Eiji turned sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Our temple keeps records of the world's history, especially the ones about the Phantasima."

Fuyuki swallowed.

"But this..."

His voice trembled.

"This has never happened before."

Everyone looked back toward the battlefield.

The Warrior Beast's body began changing. Its wounds slowly closed.

The flaming spears that had pinned it down were forced outward one by one.

Its muscles expanded. Its towering frame grew even larger.

The severed tail regenerated.

Longer. Thicker. Sharper.

Three horns now crowned its head.

Then, a crack appeared in the center of its forehead.

The skin slowly parted. An enormous third eye emerged.

Its swirling pupil rotated unnaturally.

Watching. Searching. Judging.

The moment it opened, the air itself grew heavier.

Every instinct screamed.

Run.

Even the flames around the village seemed to lose their warmth.

Asatsuyu quietly lowered his spear.

"This is bad."

Hyosei tightened his grip around his odachi.

"So I guess..."

He took another step forward.

"We'll just have to keep going until it can no longer heal itself."

Neither general looked away from the monster.

But for the first time, even they could feel it.

A fear unlike anything they had ever known.

As though the gods themselves had turned their backs on the world.