The man dropped from above like a falling star, a blur of blue light and blood-soaked bandages. The moment his boots hit the floor, two glowing semicircle blades ignited in his hands—twin moons of malice humming with lethal intent.

  Akitsu Shouga barely had time to register the attack.

  He twisted his body on instinct, muscles screaming as the first slash tore past his face. Blue light carved through the air where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier, the blade’s wake hissing like a serpent.

  “You’ve got quick reflexes,” the man said, amusement twisting his voice. “I admire that.”

  From above, the mansion groaned.

  Vines erupted violently from the ceiling, cracking stone and wood apart. Two wooden swords dropped straight into Akitsu’s hands. He caught them without thinking, fingers tightening around the familiar weight.

  The man’s eyes narrowed.

  “You… have powers?”

  Akitsu didn’t answer.

  The silence stretched, thick and oppressive.

  “Tch,” the man scoffed. “You’re not very talkative. That’s boring. Fights are better when people scream.”

  Footsteps echoed behind them.

  Both figures froze.

  Renjiro and Rikuya stood at the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide, faces drained of color. The glow of the blades, the bloodied hood, the oppressive killing intent—it was enough to root them in place.

  The man’s grin widened beneath the bandages.

  “Well, well,” he laughed. “Looks like my prey has come to me!”

  “RUN!” Akitsu shouted. “Get out of here—now!”

  They didn’t hesitate.

  Renjiro grabbed Rikuya’s hand, and they bolted up the stairs, panic pounding in their chests.

  Akitsu turned back, lifting his swords and planting his feet firmly into the cracked floor.

  “You’ll have to go through me,” he said calmly, “if you want them.”

  The man chuckled, shoulders shaking.

  “That bravery…” he said. “It’s adorable. And it’s exactly what’s going to get you killed!”

  Akitsu lunged.

  Wood met glowing steel—the clash thundered through the hallway. Sparks exploded with every impact, blue and orange light scattering across shattered walls.

  “I’ll help you!” Seraphine Orion’s voice rang out.

  The floor ruptured.

  Tree roots and thick vines burst upward, snapping toward the man like living chains.

  He laughed, slicing through them effortlessly, blades flashing in smooth, practiced arcs. Roots fell apart like severed limbs.

  “You’re strong!” he said, genuinely impressed.

  Akitsu’s eyes flicked briefly toward the girl beneath the stairs, standing silently in her white rags.

  “Tachibana-san!” he shouted. “Can you help me?!”

  She tilted her head, long black hair swaying.

  “Father…” she said softly. “Needs… help?”

  “Yes!” Akitsu yelled as a blade forced him backward. “Help me—please!”

  “There’s no one here to help you!” the man sneered, pressing his advantage.

  Then he felt it.

  A presence.

  He glanced sideways—and stiffened.

  The girl stepped forward.

  “…Who is that?” he muttered. “I haven’t seen her before.”

  “Don’t… hurt… Father.”

  Her form warped.

  Twisted.

  Reality bent around her as her body shifted into something ethereal, unnatural, wrong.

  Seraphine recoiled instinctively.

  “That… really creeps me out!”

  “A spirit?!” the man hissed, stumbling backward.

  “Orion!” Akitsu barked. “Create a net above—separate the first and second floors! NOW!”

  “On it!”

  Vines exploded outward, weaving into a dense, interlocking net of roots and branches. The structure stretched from wall to wall, anchoring itself with brutal force.

  The man leapt—

  And slammed into it.

  “DAMN IT!” he roared, struggling as vines tightened. “How am I getting overpowered by some kid?!”

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  Akitsu stared at him flatly.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe you’re just a dumbass.”

  The man’s head snapped toward him.

  “You little—!”

  “Do it, Orion!” Akitsu shouted.

  Wooden spikes erupted from the floor like jagged lightning. The man twisted desperately, barely avoiding impalement—blood splattering as shallow cuts tore across him.

  Akitsu charged again.

  Blades collided. Sparks danced violently across crumbling walls.

  “Blue fog!” the man snarled.

  Poisonous mist poured from his mouth, spreading rapidly across the floor.

  Akitsu leapt back, coughing.

  “Tachibana-san! Distract him—just a few seconds!”

  She stepped forward slowly, deliberately—meeting his gaze.

  “Shit!” he cursed.

  He tried to leap upward again—

  The net held.

  Akitsu vaulted forward and hurled a half-broken wooden sword with everything he had.

  The man blocked it easily.

  “Pathetic!” he sneered.

  Akitsu’s eyes hardened.

  “You’re pathetic for not realizing I’m only stalling for time!”

  The man broke free toward the front door, vines clawing at his limbs.

  “No one’s coming to save you!” he shouted. “I told you that already!”

  Then—

  BOOM.

  The front door exploded inward.

  It slammed into the man from behind, crushing him into the floor and sending him skidding across the hall.

  A figure stepped through the ruined entrance.

  White hair.

  Red eyes.

  Crimson-accented armor.

  A katana at his waist, its sheath painted with roses, a strip of red cloth fluttering calmly.

  Kael Ardent.

  “There is no need to worry,” his voice rang out, clear and commanding. “Kael Ardent has arrived.”

  His eyes landed on Akitsu.

  “Eh?! It’s you!” Kael said. “The one from the royal ball a few months ago!”

  “Yeah, yeah!” Akitsu snapped. “Do your job, hero!”

  Kael turned.

  “Where is the villain?”

  Akitsu pointed without hesitation.

  “Under the door you just sent flying.”

  The man groaned, forcing himself upright, bandages soaked darker with blood.

  Kael rested his hand on his katana.

  “Please do not resist,” he said calmly. “There is no need for casualties.”

  The man laughed weakly.

  “This is the tenth time we’ve met! Haven’t you learned? I always resist!”

  “Uuuhhh…” Kael tilted his head. “Who are you again?”

  The man froze.

  “…You don’t remember me? I told you my name five times! I’m Sora Amamiya! One of the Kingdom’s most wanted criminals!”

  “I’m bad at remembering names,” Kael replied coldly, “of people I consider unnecessary.”

  “…Who are you calling unnecessary?!”

  Sora lunged.

  Kael moved.

  Steel flashed.

  In a single heartbeat, Sora was cut cleanly in half. Blood sprayed across the floor as his body collapsed, utterly defeated.

  Kael sheathed his blade.

  “Villains always overestimate themselves,” he said calmly. “That is what leads them to their doom.”

  He turned to Akitsu, eyes briefly flicking to the half-broken wooden sword in his hand.

  “I’m impressed,” Kael said. “You held him off until I arrived. Most people can’t.”

  “Thanks,” Akitsu said, breathing heavily. “My master says my physical abilities are superhuman… maybe that’s why.”

  Kael glanced around at the vines and roots tearing through the mansion.

  “And these…?”

  Seraphine Orion popped into view, small and fox-like.

  “Boo! We meet again, hero.”

  Kael smiled faintly.

  “I didn’t expect you here, Seraphine.”

  “Shouga-kun is special,” she replied smugly. “So I granted him a wish.”

  Kael nodded once, unfazed.

  “Alright,” he said. “No worries.”

  The night, however—

  Was far from finished.