"Ahh, this pain..." Yu began to move his mouth. "I feel it, yes... I'll have to use Shi earlier than I thought, but now I can use it."
"Yasushi, get away." Kenshin realized what was about to happen and quickly moved away from Yu. He hadn't figured out how to shatter the mask yet. From his memories of Ken's time, he knew the mask was indestructible, but there had to be a way; this mask couldn't be unbeatable.
Yasushi, heeding Yu's warning, quickly retreated, but it was too late. Yu, along with Shi, had already sliced his abdomen. Yasushi lost all his momentum with this blow and began to roll on the ground. The sword of death, Shi, had now brought his end. As Yasushi's body slowly decayed, he looked at Kenshin. His gaze showed his faith in him. Kenshin wanted to save him from this situation. For that, he needed Katsuya. He was aware that he couldn't defeat Yu one on one, but he knew. The person he was fighting wasn't Yu. Yu was fighting alongside him.
"Now that we've gotten rid of the extras, Kenshin, come and complete your task." Yu suddenly disappeared from sight. Before Kenshin could even think, Yu had appeared behind him, but Kenshin knew he wouldn't die. Yu was frozen before he could hurl his sword at him. Kenshin took this opportunity and created a flow in his fist, quickly hurling it towards Yu's mask. Before Yu could be hit by the fist, he recovered and disappeared.
"Ah... to have the power of a god but to be hindered, as much as I dislike it, everything must go as it should." Yu raised his arms and began to shake the ground. The decayed soil of the sacred mountain slowly began to levitate. Kenshin easily defended himself against the massive chunks of earth coming at him with Taikyuu.
"Alright, we don't need to play with such simple things anymore." Yu took both of his swords in hand and leaped into the air. "Witness the power of the twin swords." Kenshin could feel that each time a sword strike was about to hit him, it wasn't completing. Yu was attacking fast and quickly recovering. Kenshin was trapped. He could see that all his efforts were in vain. What Usta Shen said wasn't true. Yu still possessed the power of the gods.
"To you-"
"I don't-"
"Touch."
Yu continued his rapid attacks. Wherever Kenshin went, Yu would instantly appear in front of him. There was no escape from him. Kenshin had to think quickly. He couldn't imagine how much longer the real Yu, who was fighting alongside him, could hinder him. And before he could think about it, he had taken his first blow. He was plunged meters below the ground, piercing through the decayed soil.
"How lucky you are; my hand slipped, and you took a blow from the hand holding Shi." Yu stood over Kenshin, buried in the earth. "Do you understand now, Kenshin, that killing me would be foolish? I no longer have any influence in this realm. People have developed themselves and overcome their problems. You saw it yourself; in those new lands, your father opened the door to a whole new world. There's no need for chosen ones in this world anymore. So, killing me wouldn't be a heroic act. Of course, if you're here to avenge your mother, that's another story."
"You..." Kenshin began to emerge from the soil, pushing the earth aside as he climbed. "Don't belong..." He continued to heal the gaping wound on his body as he ascended. "Here." And with one final leap, he landed in front of Yu. "You are pure evil. I will destroy you, the true murderer of my mother."
"Hahaa, try and see." Yu swiftly hurled Shi towards Kenshin. Kenshin didn't try to evade because he was confident that Yu's body would freeze again. He trusted the real Yu fighting alongside him. And as expected, Yu froze. With all the flow he had gathered in his fist, Kenshin punched Yu's mask. With the impact, Yu flew to the other side of the mountain. Kenshin followed Yu, who was flying through the air, to confirm what had happened.
His eyes opened, and the sight froze his blood. This scene next to the sacred water was unexpected for him. "Yes, you're right..." Yu emerged from the water. There wasn't a scratch on him, and his mask was still intact. "I am evil, I am darkness." Yu had brought all the dead chosen ones out of their graves and lined them up in front of the sacred water. "You may be right; even though I no longer have any influence here, I am a being that needs to be destroyed." With a smile on his face, Yu disappeared into the void again. Kenshin shook off the impact of what he saw and tried to predict Yu's movements. How could he shatter that mask? Only one solution came to his mind; he had to accomplish it.
Yu wasn't visible. Kenshin continued to cautiously roam the area.
"And Shi." Kenshin clashed his sword with the Sword of Death at the last moment. If Yu hadn't slowed down for a moment, this would have been his end. He couldn't achieve success in this battle alone. "Katsu." He firmly grasped the second sword with Taikyuu. He looked at Yu's face. It was the first time he saw it so clearly. Two eyes glowing with purple and blue flames. The eye behind the mask glowed with blue flames, while the exposed one glowed with purple. They both had one common point: the light shining behind them. Kenshin managed to push both swords with all his strength. Yu was pushed back. "Ahh... this one was heavy." Kenshin could see that he had dealt Yu a genuine blow. As Yu was momentarily stunned, Kenshin seized the opportunity and leaped onto him. As soon as Yu noticed, he disappeared.
Kenshin would win this battle no matter what, no matter how long it took. He was sure of it, he believed it. This time, instead of expecting an attack from Yu, he quickly scanned the surroundings and planned to make an attack himself.
As soon as he saw Yu, he lunged at him. He put all his strength into his sword. He hoped to slow down Yu's speed. Just as he expected, Yu was frozen when he saw him. Shhss! The sword cleaved Yu's body in two. Although Kenshin knew this was an empty attack, he had done everything to buy time. As Yu stitched up the cuts on his body, Kenshin jumped onto his back and seized his two arms. Wrapping his arms with the rope, he created a flow in his own arms to gain strength. Yu hadn't yet recovered his strength. This was Kenshin's victory. He controlled the hand holding the two swords and quickly made them strike the mask. This was his last resort.
The mask split in two. Kenshin's thoughts had proven correct. As Yu fell lifelessly to the ground, Kenshin jumped off his back. This victory had come easier than expected.