The battlefield crackles with tension.

  Watari stands at the center of it all, unmoving, gripping his bde, veins sparking with unstable energy as he holds back the surging detonation.

  Yumi, Ryuko, and Ren step forward.

  They don’t hesitate.

  They can’t.

  Kuroda exhales sharply. His golden eyes flick toward them, unimpressed.

  “You still wish to challenge me?”

  His voice is dry, almost bored.

  But then—he steps forward.

  And in that instant—

  They move.

  ?

  Yumi Strikes First

  She surges at him in a twisting arc—

  Kuroda doesn’t dodge.

  Instead—he catches her wrist mid-strike.

  Then—he wrenches her to the side, hurling her like a ragdoll.

  Yumi flips mid-air, nding hard—but staying upright.

  ?

  Ren Follows

  He cps his hands together.

  A wave of cutting pressure.

  Kuroda counters effortlessly.

  “You’re fighting like a man who knows he cannot win.”

  Ren grits his teeth and begins throwing blows.

  Kuroda parries effortlessly.

  ?

  Ryuko Waits. Observing. Calcuting.

  Then, in a flicker of motion—he vanishes into the shadows.

  A heartbeat ter—

  Ryuko re-emerges.

  A fist is already swinging toward Kuroda’s face.

  Kuroda moves.

  Ryuko barely sees the strike coming.

  CRACK—

  A brutal knee into Ryuko’s ribs.

  Ryuko chokes on a breath, staggering.

  Kuroda grabs him by the throat—

  And hurls him backward.

  ?

  They all stand again.

  Bloodied. Beaten.

  But still standing.

  Kuroda exhales. His fingers twitch slightly—annoyance.

  “How persistent.”

  They gnce at each other. They’re fighting with everything.

  And it’s not working.

  But… it doesn’t feel hopeless.

  Kuroda has moved more than before.

  Kuroda has started reacting.

  And then—it clicks.

  Yumi breathes out.

  “We already reached it.”

  Ren’s grip tightens.

  “We never needed the cubes.”

  Ryuko exhales sharply, a slow, knowing smirk curling at his lips.

  “Then let’s stop fighting like we’re afraid… and kill this man.”

  A pulse of power.

  Kiyohime’s fmes swirl, hotter than ever. The air distorts from the heat.

  Tsukuyomi gleams, sharper, colder. Shadows coil at Ren’s feet, but this time—they obey.

  Erebus stirs. Ryuko’s grin sharpens. His void expands, surging without resistance.

  They aren’t using weapons anymore.

  They are their weapons.

  They are their resonance.

  Kuroda’s gaze narrows.

  Yumi moves first.

  Bzing Spiral—Kiyohime coils into a twisting, burning cyclone.

  Kuroda raises a hand—ready to swat her away.

  But she doesn’t stop.

  She crashes into him.

  Kuroda staggers.

  For the first time.

  “What—”

  Ren is already there.

  Moonlight Fang—A direct, piercing strike.

  Kuroda turns to block—

  But Tsukuyomi is faster than before.

  The bde cuts across his chest.

  Kuroda’s breath catches.

  And then—Ryuko.

  Abyssal Maw.

  Erebus erupts. Shadows coil, teeth gnash, a massive, consuming force.

  Kuroda barely shifts in time—

  A deep gash appears along his side.

  Kuroda grits his teeth.

  He felt that.

  Kuroda exhales.

  ”…So this is what it looks like. You have truly surpassed those imitations.”

  His fingers twitch. His body tenses.

  He isn’t smiling anymore.

  They charge together—one st time.

  Yumi’s fmes spiral forward.

  Ren’s bde shines with the pale glow of the crescent moon.

  Ryuko’s void threatens to consume all.

  And Kuroda—doesn’t let them.

  “Enough.”

  He exhales sharply.

  A pulse.

  A single, effortless wave of power.

  BOOM.

  Yumi smmed into the ground.

  Ren hurled against a broken structure.

  Ryuko sent skidding across the pavement.

  Kuroda dusts off his shoulder. His golden eyes burn with irritation.

  He didn’t struggle.

  He didn’t flinch.

  “I admit, you finally scratched me.”

  He runs a hand over his wound and it regenerates.

  A slow smirk.

  “But I don’t feel like pying anymore. I told you—this was an execution!”

  His hand lifts.

  “Let’s end this.”

  —But then the cores above begin to pulse wildly.

  CUT TO BLACK.