The chains wrapped around Tobio's body tightened, digging into his flesh and draining the last reserves of his strength. Krampus loomed over him, a gleaming, jagged grin plastered across his terrifying face. Tobio could feel the dark energy radiating from the god of duality, suffocating and relentless.
But something within him refused to submit.
His hands twitched, gathering the faintest trace of chakra that remained. His mind raced back to a technique Heikō had taught him—a last resort, a skill so devastating it could level mountains and carve valleys. Tobio concentrated, his lips murmuring the seals even as Krampus raised his clawed hand for the final blow.
"Tempest Gale Slash!"
With a roar, Tobio's chakra exploded outward, slicing through the oppressive darkness that bound him. A whirlwind of razor-sharp wind blades erupted from his body, each spinning with deadly precision. The tornado formed around him, lifting him into the air and ripping apart the chains that held him.
The wind blades tore through the battlefield, carving craters into the ground and severing the limbs of the remaining demons. Screeches of agony filled the air as the deadly winds tore the creatures to shreds, scattering their dark, putrid remains.
Krampus, momentarily caught off guard, stumbled back as the tornado closed in. The god raised his chains in defense, but even their divine durability could not withstand the sheer ferocity of the attack. The blades of wind sliced through the metal, leaving Krampus vulnerable.
The god of duality roared in fury, summoning his dark magic to counter the assault, but Tobio's determination overpowered him. The tornado struck Krampus directly, hurling him into a jagged mountainside with a thunderous crash.
As the dust settled, Krampus lay slumped against the rocks, his body bloodied and weakened. Though far from defeated, the god was subdued—at least temporarily.
Tobio landed on the ground, his body trembling from the immense strain of the technique. He knew he couldn't stay here. Krampus would recover, and there was no guarantee he could hold his own against the god a second time.
Drawing in a deep breath, Tobio focused his chakra one last time, activating the space-time technique he had mastered for these exact situations.
The air around him shimmered as a portal began to form, swirling with vibrant energy. Behind him, Krampus stirred, his dark eyes locking onto Tobio with a look of pure hatred.
"You think you can escape me?" Krampus snarled, his voice a guttural growl.
Tobio didn't respond. With a final surge of effort, he leapt into the portal just as Krampus lunged, the god's claws swiping at empty air as the gateway closed.
Tobio landed hard, the force of the portal's expulsion sending him tumbling across soft, dreamlike terrain. He groaned, pushing himself to his feet as he surveyed his surroundings.
He was no longer in Krampus' domain.
The air here was heavy but strangely comforting, carrying the scent of lavender and other unidentifiable fragrances. The sky was a kaleidoscope of shifting colors, blending purples, blues, and golds in an ever-changing dance. Floating islands dotted the horizon, connected by shimmering bridges of light that seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
It didn't take long for Tobio to realize where he was.
"Somnia…" he muttered. "The domain of dreams, sleep, and imagination."
Tobio's immediate impression was one of serenity. The mortals who inhabited this domain moved slowly, their expressions dreamy and detached. They drifted through the air as if weightless, their feet barely touching the ground.
But something about them was… off.
One man had the body of a human but the head of a cat, complete with twitching ears and a curling tail. Another floated by with translucent wings sprouting from her back, her eyes glowing faintly like twin moons. A child skipped along the path ahead, leaving trails of sparkling stardust in her wake.
Tobio couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, though every face he passed seemed lost in its own world.
"Hey!" he called out to a nearby woman with skin that shimmered like liquid gold. "Can you tell me how to reach Amorus?"
The woman turned to him, her eyes wide and unblinking. "Amorus…" she whispered, her voice echoing unnaturally. "The god of love… they do not dwell here."
"I know that," Tobio replied. "But I need to find the path that leads to them."
The woman tilted her head, her movements slow and deliberate. "The path you seek… lies within."
Tobio frowned. "What does that even mean?"
Before the woman could respond, the ground beneath him shifted, rippling like water. Tobio staggered, his senses overwhelmed by the sudden change.
The serene landscape dissolved into chaos. The floating islands shattered, their fragments swirling into the sky like shards of glass. The dreamlike mortals transformed, their forms warping into bizarre and nightmarish shapes.
Tobio found himself surrounded by an army of grotesque creatures, each one more twisted than the last. Some had multiple heads, others had limbs that bent in impossible directions, and all of them exuded an aura of madness.
"Fantastic," Tobio muttered, drawing Kagekiba once more.
The creatures lunged at him, their movements erratic and unpredictable. Tobio spun his blade in a defensive arc, cutting down the first wave with swift precision.
But for every creature he felled, two more appeared to take its place. The dream world seemed to be alive, its very fabric working against him.
Tobio realized he couldn't win by brute force alone. He closed his eyes, focusing on the chakra within him. He had to remember what Heikō had taught him about domains like this—places governed by gods of abstract concepts.
"This isn't real," he muttered to himself. "It's all an illusion… a test."
Opening his eyes, Tobio activated a genjutsu of his own, weaving it into the dreamscape around him. The creatures hesitated, their forms flickering as the genjutsu took hold.
Tobio seized the opportunity, dashing through the chaos toward a distant light that seemed to pulse with familiarity.
As he ran, the landscape shifted again, becoming darker and more oppressive. The light ahead of him grew faint, and a new figure emerged from the shadows.
It was Somnia.
The god of dreams, sleep, and imagination stood before him, their form ever-changing. One moment they were a towering figure clad in robes of starlight; the next, they were a child with eyes as old as the universe.
"Why are you here, Tobio Ukihara?" Somnia's voice echoed in his mind, bypassing the need for words. "This is not your place."
"I need to find Amorus," Tobio replied, keeping his grip tight on Kagekiba. "They're the only one who can help me."
Somnia tilted their head, their expression inscrutable. "Amorus lies far beyond this place. To reach them, you must face the truth within yourself."
Before Tobio could respond, the ground beneath him vanished, and he was plunged into a sea of darkness.