The forces of both sides surged like raging waves, colliding violently, twisting the surrounding space until cracks spread across it as though it were about to collapse at any moment. Shingen and Watcher No. 13 unleashed their most powerful energies, flames and sigils locked in a stalemate. The oppressive clash made the very air tremble.
Shingen gripped his ethereal sword tightly, the black-and-blue flames swirling around him transforming into an all-devouring abyss. The blade inched closer, targeting Watcher No. 13's heart with relentless precision. His eyes blazed with fury, resembling burning stars. With a low growl, his power surged again, and the sword exuded a catastrophic aura as if it sought to incinerate the entire world.
Watcher No. 13's sigils, glowing with an ancient and mysterious light, rotated fiercely around him like searing starlight. Layers of intricate barriers formed by these sigils held Shingen's black-and-blue flames at bay. His twisted face bore a cruel sneer as he pushed his power to its limits.
"Still resisting?" Watcher No. 13 growled through clenched teeth. His sigils flared brilliantly, as though a cascade of stars were falling from the heavens.
"Resisting?" Shingen's eyes burned fiercely, and he brought the ethereal sword down once more with a thunderous roar. "I'll show you the true meaning of despair!!!"
The clash of flames and sigils tore the skies apart, painting them in chaotic hues of violet and blue. The shockwaves of their battle stirred violent winds, shaking the fractured earth below. Locked in their ferocious struggle, it felt as though the world itself teetered under their immense power.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Shingen caught sight of a familiar figure. His gaze widened in horror—Shingin was lingering at the battlefield's edge. In that instant, he spotted the killing intent—a concealed enemy closing in on Shingin amidst the ruins.
Shingen's heart sank, and without thinking, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Look out, A'gin!"
But this split-second distraction revealed an opening. Watcher No. 13's eyes gleamed coldly as he smirked. With a sudden clench of his hand, the power of his sigils surged explosively, tearing through Shingen's defenses.
"Ugh—!"
A scorching, piercing pain shot through Shingen's chest. His pupils dilated as blood spurted from his mouth. The black-and-blue flames surrounding him dissipated, and his body plummeted from the sky like a kite whose string had snapped.
"A'jin—!!!"
Yahageshii arrived just in time to witness the devastating sight. The scene shattered his composure, and though his legs felt weak, he pushed forward with all his might, a guttural cry escaping his throat. It turned into a heart-wrenching scream: "A'jin! A'jin—!"
Yahageshii collapsed at the spot where Shingen had fallen, his trembling hands lifting the blood-soaked body. Crimson blood poured steadily from Shingen's chest, its chilling touch burning into Yahageshii's soul.
Shingen's gaze dimmed as his lips quivered, trying to form words that came out as broken gasps. Tears blurred Yahageshii's vision. He shook Shingen's shoulders desperately, shouting, "No! Don't do this! You have to get up, A'jin!"
The battle around them raged on, but for Yahageshii, time seemed to stand still. His anguished cries echoed through the air, filled with unbearable pain and despair.
Shingen's eyes flickered slightly as he struggled to open them. His vision blurred, yet a faint clarity remained. His lips trembled as blood seeped out, mingling with a single tear that slid down his cheek, falling onto Yahageshii's trembling hands.
"Yaha...geshii..." His voice was weak, like a whisper from the abyss. "Don't cry... it's embarrassing."
Yahageshii's tears flowed uncontrollably as he shook his head repeatedly, mumbling, "No! Stop talking! You'll be okay... You'll definitely be okay!"
Shingin arrived at the scene, the sight before him striking him like a hammer to the chest. Yahageshii knelt on the ground, cradling Shingen's blood-soaked body, his tears streaming down unchecked. Shingin stared at the ill-fitting clothes, the youthful face so similar to Rayl's yet marked by greater resilience and determination.
His legs felt like lead as he knelt down beside them, his mind consumed by a terrible realization that left him gasping for air. His voice cracked as he stammered, "Rayl... Shingen?"
Shingin's thoughts were in turmoil, his breath ragged. The truth was too cruel to bear: the brother he had been searching for all along was the very boy before him—Rayl.
Shingen turned his gaze toward Shingin, his bloodstained hand trembling as he grasped his brother's hand. Despite his fading strength, a faint smile curved his lips, and he spoke weakly but resolutely: "A'gin... I never meant... to use my identity as Rayl... to make you take on the burden of becoming the 8th-generation leader. Even with your... special abilities... this revolution of mine... it's been so painful... and endless..."
His words faltered as he coughed up more blood. Yet, his voice carried on, though strained: "Trying to save... everyone is impossible... I unknowingly... burdened you with my pain..."
Shingin's heart shattered as he shook his head vehemently, tears streaming. "Stop it! Don't tell me the truth... I don't want to hear it..."
Shingen's eyes softened with a hint of affection. With his final strength, he gripped Shingin's hand tightly, tears glistening in his eyes. "A'gin... you're too kind... So I had to be the villain... to bear the blood on my hands... I wanted to protect you, but I failed... The greatest pain... is for Mother..."
His voice grew weaker, barely a whisper. "Take care... of her... I was just... a disobedient son... of the revolution..."
"Stop talking! Stop it!" Shingin's cries were heart-wrenching as he clung to Shingen, desperate to pull him back from death. "You won't die! I won't let you die!"
But Shingen's gaze grew lifeless as he turned to Yahageshii one last time, offering a faint smile. "Hot-headed Yahageshii... don't be reckless... anymore..."
With those words, his hand trembled before falling limp in Shingin's grasp. His eyes dimmed completely, his body going still.
Yahageshii's tears flowed like rivers, his nails digging into his palms until blood trickled down. He clenched his teeth and stared into Shingen's lifeless eyes, his voice raw and hoarse: "A'jin... I swear... I'll kill those bastards... I'll make them pay!!!!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"
Shingin knelt on the ground, throwing his head back as he let out a soul-piercing wail. The entire city seemed to tremble under the weight of his scream, falling into a deathly silence save for the reverberating echoes of his anguish.