Denjiki's eyes glittered, and then, in a blur of speed, he made his move.

  He was just a blur of black and white, closing the distance between them in an instant...

  Bonnibel dashed forward at an even faster speed, with a kick that connected to the side of his face, sending him flying.

  The kick sent Denjiki crashing to the shattered ground, skidding hard across the rough terrain.

  He came up on his feet immediately, wiping the blood from his mouth with a dark sleeve.

  "Impressive," he said, looking between the two women before him. "I see I underestimated your speed."

  Bonnibel braced, staff at the ready.

  "Good," she gritted out. "Keep underestimating us.”

  Denjiki smirked slightly at her challenging tone.

  "You really think you stand a chance against me?" he asked, his voice laced with mockery.

  Bonnibel didn't waver. "We're about to find out."

  And without another word, she lunged forward again, her staff coming down in a furious arc.

  Denjiki dodged, barely evading the swing, but Bonnibel followed with a spinning kick that connected with his side, sending him stumbling.

  He recovered quickly, a dark energy coiling around him as he countered with a punch.

  Bonnibel blocked, the force of his attack shaking her entire arm.

  "You're fast," Denjiki grunted, a touch of frustration in his voice. "But are you stronger?”

  Bonnibel's eyes narrowed as she met his blow, the two struggling against each other in a test of strength.

  "I don't need to be strong to win," she gritted out, pushing back against him. "I just need to be smarter.”

  With a swift twist, Bonnibel broke free and swept his legs. Denjiki tumbled but flipped mid-air, landing light as smoke.

  Before he could rise…

  A pulse.

  The Fragment flared in Alice’s hand, its edge turning ghostly black for an instant.

  She swung it down in a sharp arc through the space between them, not striking flesh, but air.

  Yet the world itself ripped along the blade’s path, a jagged line of darkness tearing open like paper burned at the edges…

  Denjiki froze, eyes wide.

  “Impossible…” he breathed. “That technique… only its original wielder could—”

  He leapt back just as the void-cut collapsed into nothing… but not before grazing his arm.

  A thin black line formed across it and began to unravel, threads of light peeling away like dying stars.

  He clutched it tightly, staring at Alice with something new:

  Dread.

  “You’re not just carrying that blade,” he hissed. “You’re… linked to it.”

  Bonnibel stepped beside Alice again, breathing hard, but her smirk was fierce now.

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  “And you’re starting to see why you should’ve let my sister go.”

  Denjiki backed further away—the first real hint of uncertainty crossing his face.

  "That shouldn't be possible," he muttered, eyes flickering between Alice and the Fragment. "The power of that weapon only responds to its original wielder…"

  Alice glared at him, not loosening her grip on the hilt. "Well, looks like it's made an exception.”

  Denjiki's eyes narrowed, mind working furiously behind them.

  "An… aberration," he muttered, more to himself than to them. "A glitch. Something gone wrong…"

  Bonnibel snorted. "More like something gone right."

  Denjiki glared at her briefly, then focused on Alice again, something cold and calculating in his gaze now…

  Alice gripped the Fragment tighter under his stare, refusing to look away.

  "You can call it whatever you like," she said sharply. "But right now, you should be focused on one thing."

  Denjiki raised an eyebrow. "And that would be…?”

  Alice raised her chin, Fragment humming in her grip.

  "Surviving this fight."

  Denjiki tensed, a flicker of unease in his eyes.

  He was silent for a long moment, as if considering the odds…

  Then:

  "Is that a challenge?”

  Bonnibel bristled, staff raised.

  "Damn right it is," she said, fire in her voice.

  Denjiki's gaze flicked to her, then back to Alice. "A challenge…from two women who have no grasp of the power they're wielding."

  Perihelion narrowed her eyes as she added from behind, "Don't forget ME.”

  Denjiki's eyes flicked to Perihelion as well.

  "Ah, of course… the third member of this little endeavor," he said, voice laced with derision. "And what, pray tell, do you think you can contribute?”

  Perihelion lifted her chin, meeting his gaze evenly.

  "More than you might think," she said coolly.

  Denjiki raised a challenging eyebrow.

  "Oh?" he said, amusement mingling with skepticism. "And what makes you so sure?”

  Perihelion’s eyes glowed faintly—silver light tracing through her irises like stars awakening.

  “I was forged in the silence between heartbeats,” she said, voice low and steady. “Where time forgets to move… and fate hesitates.”

  She took a single step forward.

  “And you? You’re just noise in the void.”

  A hush fell over the ruined city.

  Even the wind stilled.

  Denjiki’s smirk faltered for just a fraction of a second. The silence stretched, thin and fragile. Then Denjiki exhaled sharply, almost a laugh.

  “You speak in riddles,” he said, voice quieter now, edged with something new… caution. “Like one who’s seen the edge of time and lived.”

  Perihelion didn’t blink. “I didn’t just see it. I walked it.”

  Denjiki’s fingers twitched at his side, the dark energy around him flickering like a dying flame.

  “And what do you claim to know?” he asked slowly. “That I’ll fall? That this ends here?”

  “No,” Perihelion replied, calm as still water.

  “I claim you already feel it.”

  A beat.

  Then…

  The ground trembled beneath them. Not from force. From recognition.

  Denjiki stiffened instantly, eyes widening as the tremors grew stronger, sending cracks along the earth.

  Alice gripped the Fragment tighter, staring at the ground.

  The same faint pulse that signaled the Fragment's own heartbeat seemed to be echoed by something else…

  Bonnibel tensed, watching the cracks spread. "What the… hell is happening…?"

  Perihelion didn't respond.

  Her gaze stayed fixed on Denjiki, eyes glowing just a little brighter.

  Denjiki was silent for a moment, the tremors growing stronger…

  But his expression then turned almost mocking.

  "You think a quake will stop me?"

  And, as if in answer, his form shimmered and faded, reappearing on a ledge high above.

  Before anyone could move, Denjiki leapt, clearing the distance in a single bound and disappearing into the ruins beyond.

  Bonnibel tensed, staff raised. "Damn it! Where'd he go?”

  Alice scanned the ruins quickly, her grip on the Fragment tight.

  "Somewhere he can plan his next move without any of us on his heels," she said grimly.

  Bonnibel growled, eyes narrowed. "Damn coward… he's scared to face us."

  "Perhaps," Perihelion said quietly, eyes still fixed on the direction Denjiki had vanished.

  "But fear can make people very, very dangerous.”

  Bonnibel nodded in agreement, reluctantly lowering her staff.

  "Yeah… he's gonna go underground and come up with some clever scheme to get us," she said irritably.

  Perihelion didn't respond, eyes still fixed on the ruins.

  Alice looked at her, a worried frown creasing her brow.

  "You're awfully quiet," she said quietly. "Something about this… doesn't feel right.”

  Perihelion's eyes flickered to Alice without shifting her gaze from the ruins.

  "I'm thinking," she said simply.

  Bonnibel raised an eyebrow at the response. "About what? The fact that he just fled like a little chicken?" she asked dryly.

  Perihelion didn't answer immediately.

  Then, in a quiet, almost hesitant voice…

  "About… what he was running from.”

  Alice blinked, turning to Perihelion. "Wait… what do you mean?"

  Perihelion’s eyes narrowed, glimmering faintly as she stared at the trembling ground.

  “The quake wasn’t caused by us,” she whispered. “Or by him.”

  A beat of silence.

  Then the air cracked, like a whisper turned scream.

  From the deepest crack in the earth, a slow, pulsing light began to rise—pale violet… almost breathing…

  And with it came a sound. A voice, but not Denjiki’s.

  Low…ancient…

  “You called…and I have answered.”