The void shattered around Yuto, and with a blinding flash, the battlefield returned. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His chest still ached where Nyx's blade had pierced him, but there was no time to dwell on the pain. The battle raged on around him, but it was distant now, as if he had stepped outside of reality itself for a moment.
His vision swam. Dark clouds churned above the horizon, and the faint scent of blood filled the air. Through the haze, he could barely make out Takeshi and Rika standing a few feet away, fending off the relentless onslaught of Voidspawn. Takeshi's twin blades whirled with precision, cutting through the monsters with practiced ease, while Rika's Anima flared, creating glowing barriers to shield them from incoming attacks.
"Yuto!" Takeshi shouted, his voice strained with urgency. "Get up! We need you!"
Yuto struggled to rise, his arms trembling beneath him. His Anima, once a brilliant beacon of light, now flickered like a dying ember. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. His muscles burned with exhaustion, but he couldn't afford to stop. Not now. Not when they were so close to victory—or defeat.
Rika glanced over her shoulder, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you alright, Yuto? That wound—"
"I'm fine," Yuto muttered, though the throbbing pain in his chest told a different story. "I'll manage."
Takeshi gave him a sharp look, his brow furrowed with worry. "You don't look fine. That strike should have killed you."
Yuto wiped the sweat from his brow, forcing a smirk despite the agony coursing through his body. "Guess I'm tougher than I look."
But he knew the truth. Abyss had saved him—if you could even call it that. The dark entity had intervened in the void, pulling him back from the brink of death. But why? Was it merely another ploy to claim his soul, or was there something more sinister at play?
Before he could dwell on the thought, the air shifted. A cold, suffocating presence filled the battlefield, and the Voidspawn recoiled, hissing and slithering back into the shadows.
Nyx.
She emerged from the swirling darkness like a specter, her form tall and regal, her pale face devoid of emotion. Her crimson eyes glinted with malice, and the bloodied blade in her hand dripped with Yuto's lifeblood. The air around her seemed to warp, the very fabric of reality bending under her power.
"Still standing, Yuto?" Nyx's voice was soft, almost musical, yet it dripped with venom. "I'm impressed. Few can withstand a direct strike to the heart."
Yuto tightened his grip on his weapon, steadying himself. "I'm not done yet, Nyx."
She tilted her head, an almost playful smile curving her lips. "Is that so? You're clinging to life by a thread. One more blow, and you'll crumble into nothingness."
Takeshi stepped forward, his blades gleaming with fierce determination. "You'll have to get through us first."
Nyx's gaze flickered toward him, her smile widening. "Ah, Takeshi, always the loyal friend. But do you really think you can stand against me? You saw what I did to Yuto. What makes you think your fate will be any different?"
Takeshi's jaw tightened, but he didn't back down. "I don't care about fate. We're not letting you win."
Rika moved beside him, her Anima pulsing with radiant energy. "We've fought worse than you, Nyx. We're not afraid."
Nyx's laughter echoed across the battlefield, dark and haunting. "Afraid? Oh, my dear, fear has nothing to do with it. This is simply the natural order. Darkness consumes light. It's inevitable."
Yuto's chest burned as he took a step forward, standing between his friends and Nyx. "Maybe that's true," he said, his voice low but steady. "But that doesn't mean we'll just lie down and let it happen."
Nyx's eyes narrowed, and for the first time, a flicker of irritation crossed her face. "You still don't understand, do you? The darkness is not something you can resist, Yuto. It's a part of you—just as it's a part of me. It's woven into your very soul."
Yuto's heart pounded in his chest, each beat a reminder of the tenuous hold he had on life. The darkness was always there, lurking at the edge of his consciousness, tempting him, taunting him. Abyss's words echoed in his mind, reminding him of the shadow that had been with him since the beginning.
But this time, he wasn't afraid.
"I know the darkness is part of me," Yuto said, his voice gaining strength. "And that's exactly why I'm not going to lose to it."
Nyx's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating glare. "Bold words for someone on the verge of death."
Yuto met her gaze, his eyes burning with a fierce determination. "Maybe. But I've got something you don't."
"And what's that?" Nyx asked, her tone dripping with disdain.
"Hope," Yuto replied, his voice firm. "And the belief that I can change my fate."
Takeshi and Rika stood at his side, their Anima flaring in unison with his. The bond between them—between all of the Soulbound warriors—was more than just power. It was trust. It was the strength they gave each other.
Nyx's eyes darkened, her expression twisting into one of anger. "Foolish boy. Hope is nothing but a fleeting illusion."
Yuto raised his sword, the last of his strength flowing into the blade. "Maybe. But it's enough."
Nyx moved like a shadow, her blade slicing through the air toward Yuto's throat. But Yuto was ready. In the split second before her strike could land, he surged forward, his Anima exploding in a blinding surge of light.
The clash of their weapons sent shockwaves through the battlefield, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Yuto could feel the weight of Nyx's power pressing down on him, but he refused to falter.
With a roar of defiance, Yuto poured everything he had into the strike, his Anima blazing like a second sun. The light consumed Nyx's shadowy form, tearing through the darkness with unrelenting force.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, slowly, Nyx staggered back, her blade shattering in her hand. She gasped, her body flickering as the darkness around her unraveled.
"You... you're stronger than I thought," Nyx whispered, her voice laced with disbelief.
Yuto lowered his sword, panting heavily as the last of his strength left him. "You underestimated us."
Nyx's form wavered, her crimson eyes still locked on his. "This... this isn't over, Yuto. The darkness will come for you again. It always does."
Yuto didn't respond, watching as Nyx's form dissolved into the shadows, leaving only silence in her wake.
The battle was over. But Yuto knew that this victory was just a momentary reprieve.
The darkness would return.
But for now, they had won. And that was enough.