Kael and Kaito advanced toward Kurojin, the air around them thick with pressure. The sky, split open from Kurojin's surge of power, bled streaks of red and black lightning. The battlefield had shifted. This wasn't just war now—it was a confrontation between destiny and destruction.
Kurojin floated inches above the ground, surrounded by swirling fragments of corrupted Will energy that tore through the ground like sentient blades. His cloak moved unnaturally, as if breathing, pulsing with the rhythm of something not quite alive.
"So this is the legendary Last Will…" Kurojin mused, eyes glowing. "And his misguided brother. How poetic."
Kael didn't respond. His fists clenched tighter as his Void Will rippled through the air behind him. Kaito stood beside him, his energy quieter, darker—a mixture of remnants from Kurojin's training and his own sense of justice. Together, the brothers radiated something new. Unpredictable.
Raizen, weakened but watching from the ridge, gritted his teeth. "Come on, boys… Make the old man proud."
With no further words, Kael vanished—Voidstep.
He reappeared above Kurojin, striking downward with a spiraling fist of Void energy. Kurojin caught it effortlessly with one hand, his smile widening.
"Still not enough."
Kaito attacked from behind, twin blades swirling with corrupted light. One blade connected, but Kurojin didn't even flinch. Instead, he twisted his body unnaturally, elbowing Kaito into the ground with such force it cracked the earth.
"Kaito!" Kael shouted.
"I'm good—keep going!" Kaito coughed, but his resolve never wavered.
Kael activated Overdrive Mode.
His aura exploded, the signature black and violet flames wrapping around him like wings. Kurojin raised a brow as Kael shot forward again, trading blow after blow in rapid succession—Voidstep chaining into Phase Shift, punches slamming into Kurojin's body, though each time it felt like striking a mountain.
"You're improving…" Kurojin admitted. "But not fast enough."
With a gesture, Kurojin summoned Abyss Chains, spears of black energy that stabbed from every direction. Kael dodged, but one clipped his shoulder, sending him spiraling.
Kaito leapt into the fray, activating a technique Kael had never seen—Soul Divide.
Twin versions of Kaito appeared, each striking from different angles. They struck true, one blade piercing Kurojin's side.
For the first time, blood.
Kurojin narrowed his eyes. "You dare…"
Before he could retaliate, the battlefield behind them erupted with fresh explosions.
Hana and Tetsu were still locked with Lilith, who had unleashed a new Chrono Veil—time slowed nearly to a crawl around them. Hana gritted her teeth, pushing against the drag of time to pierce Lilith's defenses with precision flame strikes. Tetsu vibrated his entire body at a frequency that defied the time lock, slamming his palm into Lilith's chest with a burst.
"You won't win this!" Hana yelled.
Lilith smirked. "I already have. You just don't know it yet."
Meanwhile, Ryuu and Kaede were being pushed to the brink. Veyron had revealed his second form—shadows fused with void energy, creating a massive serpentine creature with Veyron at its core. The sky above them dimmed as the creature hissed, lashing out with tendrils of pure darkness.
Kaede held his blade steady. "We've come too far to fall now."
Ryuu's eyes burned with fire. "Then let's go out blazing."
Back at the frontline, Kael and Kaito regrouped. Both bloodied, both breathing hard.
Kael looked at his brother. "We have to end this. Not just for us. For everyone."
Kaito nodded. "Then let's burn it all down."
Kurojin raised both hands, the sky shattering with a pulse of energy that rippled across the entire battlefield.
"Let's see if you can survive what's next."
And with a roar, the final phase of the war deepened.
The world held its breath.