Kurihara Usagi's triumphant smile froze, shattering under the weight of reality. As the smoke gradually dispersed, a shadowy figure emerged, floating with eerie grace. His posture was elegant, and his lips curled into a mocking smirk, as if he held the entire battle in the palm of his hand.
"No… how is this possible…" Usagi muttered in disbelief, her expression stiffening as her eyes widened with shock.
Akari licked his lips, savoring the drama as if it were a fine delicacy. Perched midair like a predator poised to strike, his piercing gaze radiated malice and unhinged glee.
"What's wrong? Didn't see this coming, did you?" His voice was laced with mockery, yet his eyes burned with madness.
From the shadows, a sweet voice chimed in, shattering the tension. "Big brother is amazing! I told you, I never doubted you!"
Akari's maniacal laughter echoed across the ruins, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling fervor. Gazing down at Usagi, his tone softened, a fleeting moment of warmth crossing his expression. "I'm glad you're okay, Akane." But this tenderness vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the sharp contours of his cold smirk.
Balancing precariously on a taut steel wire, Akari appeared as if standing on the edge of a blade swaying in the wind. He stared down at Usagi, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think you had the upper hand, Kurihara Usagi?"
Usagi's gaze followed the steel wire to its source—a tent suspended midair. Its four corners were anchored by sharp daggers, while a web of interwoven wires held it aloft. The tent swelled and shifted with the wind, resembling an oversized parachute or an unsteady balloon ready to burst.
Beneath the tent, steel cables reinforced its precarious position, creating a makeshift platform from which Akari surveyed the battlefield with unrelenting control. Only now did Usagi realize that Akari had orchestrated everything from the very beginning. The battlefield itself, even the flow of the wind, had been meticulously calculated. And on the other side of this intricate web, something even more menacing awaited.
"That tent… it belongs to those kids!" Images from earlier flashed through Usagi's mind. From the very start, Akari had been laying the groundwork for this.
Shingin stood in the distance, observing the scene unfold. Cold sweat trickled down his brow. He couldn't fathom how Akari had managed to weave such an intricate trap amidst the chaos. Yet, the true terror was only beginning.
A dagger swayed in midair, tethered to the ground by a near-invisible steel wire. This was Akari's first dagger, the one that had grazed Shingin's cheek. Now, the wire was fraying, weakened by the constant tension.
Snap! The moment the wire broke, a chain shot up from the ground with terrifying speed, its metallic grip snapping around Usagi's body. The freezing cold of the chains bound her tightly, immobilizing her delicate frame.
Before she could react, a shadow darted out from the tent. With the agility of a panther, Hayato raced along the steel wires, his wild yet precise movements propelling him toward Usagi.
"All of this…" Usagi's voice trembled as she surveyed the steel wires and chains surrounding her. "It was his plan all along…"
Just as the chains tightened around her, a dark-skinned man emerged from the ruins. Wielding a blade, he intercepted Hayato's charge, swinging his weapon in a deadly arc aimed at Hayato's head.
"Hold on, Usagi!" the man shouted, his voice urgent. "I'm coming to save you—"
But the blade never reached its mark. Akari, standing high above, released a final dagger. It pierced the tent with unerring precision, setting off a cascade of tremors through the web of steel wires. The battlefield shifted once more.
Akari's cold laughter echoed as his gaze fell upon the dark-skinned man. "Kando… your timing is as terrible as ever."
Before Kando could respond, his body froze mid-motion. A grotesque expression of rage lingered on his face as boom! his head exploded, spraying blood and fragments of bone across the battlefield. Usagi, caught in the grisly aftermath, felt the warm splatter against her face.
Akari's voice turned soft, almost mocking, as he whispered, "Kando always did meddle where he didn't belong." His gaze shifted back to the bound Usagi, his smirk widening. "Now then, Kurihara Usagi… what else do you have up your sleeve?"
Usagi's blurred vision scanned the horizon through the haze of blood and sweat. In the pitch-black expanse beyond, a pair of predatory eyes gleamed, cold and unyielding. His laughter, deep and menacing, cast a shadow over the desolate battlefield.
"Akari… Hayato… Kando…" Usagi murmured, her voice trembling. Cold sweat dripped from her chin as she finally understood—these adversaries were far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.