Jiro didn’t hesitate.

  Didn’t wait.

  Didn’t think.

  He swung his Reibaku with all his might—aiming straight for Akanagi’s head.

  Then—

  SNAP.

  The chains caught his bde. Tight.

  Then—they pulled.

  FAST.

  Jiro’s body whipped forward like a ragdoll.

  Straight into the wall.

  —CRASH.

  The impact shook the room.

  Jiro slumped over.

  Out cold.

  Amano and Tetsuo didn’t waste time.

  They dashed forward, splitting into two angles.

  A coordinated strike.

  One from the left.

  One from the right.

  Bdes fshed—

  Akanagi stood still.

  The perfect pincer attack.

  And yet—

  They didn’t hit.

  They should have. But they didn’t.

  And then—

  BOOM.

  Both warriors were sent flying.

  CRACK.

  Amano hit the far column.

  THUD.

  Tetsuo rolled across the ground, skidding to a stop.

  Watari narrowed his eyes.

  “What… the hell just happened?”

  Kusunagi watched his warriors drop one by one.

  His jaw clenched.

  A deep breath.

  Then—he stepped forward.

  “You’d hurt your own former comrades?” his voice was low, dangerous. “You bastard.”

  Finally—

  Hyouma spoke.

  His voice was empty.

  “Comrades?”

  A pause.

  Then—cold. Absolute.

  “The Shingan is the only thing I’ve ever believed in. I’ve done everything in the name of the Kegare!”

  Then—Kusunagi moved.

  And unlike the others—he sted.

  His bde met chains, sparks erupting between them.

  The air cracked with pressure.

  He held his ground. Pushed through.

  He got closer.

  Almost—

  But then—

  A sudden surge of force.

  Akanagi’s chains ripped forward—

  And Kusunagi was sent flying back.

  The Captain crashed onto the ground, rolling into a crouch, panting, his grip on his Reibaku shaky.

  Watari exhaled.

  “Guess it’s our turn.”

  As the squad prepared to step in—

  Ayase lifted a hand.

  A zy motion. A simple gesture.

  “No need for all that.”

  He stepped forward.

  “I’m the one that got him this mad.”

  A pause.

  His eyes flickered—cold. Unreadable.

  “I guess I’ll be the one to handle him.”

  Then—his voice sharpened.

  “For someone who idolized the Captain of the Jūmonban…”

  A slow exhale.

  “Just know—as her lieutenant, I think she’d allow me to speak for her.”

  His gaze locked onto Hyouma’s.

  “You are truly a despicable disappointment.”

  The moment the words left his mouth—

  Hyouma’s jaw tightened.

  A fsh of something in his eyes.

  Anger. Guilt. Something buried.

  Ayase exhaled.

  “Come forth—Shunketsu.”

  The moment Shunketsu activated—

  The air distorted.

  The ground shifted.

  Akanagi’s chains shed forward—

  They missed.

  No movement.

  No blur of speed.

  Just—gone.

  Then—

  A ssh.

  A thin red line appeared across Hyouma’s arm.

  Then—

  Another.

  Another.

  Another.

  Akanagi’s chains twitched—but Hyouma’s body jerked back before he even realized it.

  “What…?”

  More cuts.

  More sshes.

  Not deep. But accumuting.

  Blood dripped.

  The chains flickered—

  And suddenly—they weren’t moving as fast.

  Watari’s eyes widened.

  “He’s slowing them down.”

  It wasn’t just cutting Hyouma.

  It was deying him.

  The pain gged behind the strikes.

  By the time he registered he had been hit—

  It was already too te.

  And then—

  Ayase’s voice.

  Calm. Casual. Sharp.

  “Oh man. You’re really bleeding out, huh?”

  Hyouma’s breath hitched.

  He gritted his teeth.

  “You…—”

  Another cut.

  This one deeper.

  Ayase exhaled.

  “You’re trying so hard to act tough.”

  A smirk.

  “But I already decided the outcome.”

  A slow step forward.

  “This isn’t a fight, Hyouma.”

  He tilted his head.

  “This is just… me doing my job.”

  And then—

  One final ssh.

  Akanagi colpsed.

  Hyouma staggered, dropping to a knee.

  His chains fell limp.

  The entire battlefield stilled.

  Ayase rolled his shoulders.

  “I guess it truly was a Jūmonban matter after all.”

  —CUT TO BLACK.