The man leapt down from above, a blur of blue and blood-soaked bandages. In his hands, two glowing semicircle blades ignited like twin moons of malice.

  Akitsu Shouga barely had time to react. He twisted his body just in time, dodging the first furious slash. The blades whistled past, leaving trails of blue light in the dim hallway.

  “You’ve got quick reflexes,” the man said, a crooked grin in his voice. “I admire it.”

  From above, vines erupted violently, cracking against the walls. Two wooden swords dropped into Akitsu’s hands. He caught them instinctively.

  “You… have powers?” the man said, eyes narrowing.

  Akitsu didn’t reply. Silence hung heavy in the air.

  “You’re not very talkative,” the man taunted. “It’s boring when you don’t talk!”

  Footsteps echoed behind them. Both froze.

  Renjiro and Rikuya had come downstairs—and froze in sheer terror. The man’s glowing blue blades and bloodied hood were enough to stop their hearts.

  The man’s gaze shifted. “Looks like my prey has come to me!” he laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the mansion.

  “Run! Get out of here!” Akitsu shouted.

  Renjiro and Rikuya didn’t hesitate. They bolted upstairs, hearts pounding.

  Akitsu turned back, raising his swords. “You’ll have to go through me to get them,” he said, calm and steady.

  The man chuckled darkly. “That’s no problem. But your bravery… it’s amusing. It’s also what will lead you straight to your death!”

  Akitsu dashed forward. Steel met steel—the clash of blades echoed like thunder in the hollow hall. Sparks flew with every impact.

  “I’ll help you!” Seraphine Orion’s voice cut through the air. Tree roots and vines erupted from the floor, coiling and snapping toward the man.

  He laughed, slashing effortlessly through the greenery, each movement precise, controlled, and terrifying. “You’re strong!” he said between swings.

  Akitsu’s eyes darted to the girl in white rags, standing silently beneath the stairs. “Tachibana-san! Can you help me?”

  The girl tilted her head slightly. Her voice was soft but resolute.

  “Father… needs… help?”

  Akitsu’s grip tightened. “Help, please!” he yelled as the man’s blade drove him backward.

  “There’s no one here to help you!” the man sneered, forcing Akitsu to retreat.

  But out of the corner of the man’s eye, he caught a movement. The girl stepped forward, her presence unnerving and unnatural.

  “Who is this? I haven’t seen her here before,” he muttered, frowning.

  “Don’t… hurt… Father!” Her form twisted, shifting violently into something ethereal, impossible to comprehend.

  Seraphine recoiled. “That… creeps me out!”

  “A… spirit?!” the man hissed, staggering backward.

  “Orion! Create a net above, separating the first and second floors—NOW!” Akitsu commanded.

  “On it!” Seraphine said, her fox form flickering as vines and tree roots erupted, forming a dense net of support and entrapment.

  The man attempted to vault to the second floor, but the net stopped him. The vines clung to the walls, supporting each other, trapping him in place.

  “Damn… how am I getting overpowered by this kid?!” the man spat, fury rising.

  “I don’t know,” Akitsu said flatly. “Maybe you’re just a dumbass.”

  The man’s head whipped toward him. “You little—!”

  “Do it, Orion!” Akitsu shouted.

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  Wooden spikes shot up from the floor like jagged lightning. The man twisted, barely dodging the onslaught, taking a few scratches as punishment.

  Akitsu didn’t pause. He charged again, blades clashing with the man’s glowing blue weapons. Sparks flew, light and shadow dancing across the crumbling walls.

  “Blue fog!” the man hissed, exhaling a poisonous mist that spread rapidly across the floor.

  Akitsu leapt backward, coughing. “Tachibana-san… distract him for a few seconds!”

  The girl moved slowly, deliberately, stepping into the man’s line of sight.

  “Shit!” he cursed. Attempting to jump upstairs, he slammed into the net, blocked completely.

  Akitsu propelled himself upward and hurled a half-broken wooden sword with every ounce of strength.

  The man blocked it easily. “Pathetic!” he sneered.

  Akitsu’s eyes narrowed. “You’re pathetic for not realizing I’m only stalling for time!”

  The man reached the front door, covered in vines and roots. “No one’s coming to save you! I already told you that!”

  Suddenly—the door flew off its hinges, slamming into him from behind. The impact sent him skidding across the floor, stunned.

  A figure entered. White hair, red eyes, crimson-accented armor, a sheathed katana adorned with painted roses. A red cloth fluttered from his waist.

  Kael Ardent.

  “There is no need to worry,” Kael’s voice rang out like a bell. “Kael Ardent has arrived.”

  He spotted Akitsu. “Eh?! It’s you! The one from the royal ball a few months ago!”

  “Yeah! Yeah! Do your job, hero!” Akitsu snapped, urgency in his voice.

  Kael’s gaze shifted to the villain. “Where is he?”

  “Under the door you just sent flying,” Akitsu said flatly, pointing.

  The man groaned, rising, blood-soaked bandages clinging to him.

  Kael gripped his katana. “Please, do not resist. There is no need for casualties.”

  “Come on,” the man sneered. “This is the tenth time we’ve met! Haven’t you learned? I always resist!”

  “Uuuhhh? Who are you again?” Kael asked calmly.

  “Huh? You don’t even remember me? I told you my name like five times! I’m Sora Amamiya! One of the most wanted criminals in the Kingdom!”

  “I’m bad at remembering names of people I consider unnecessary,” Kael said coldly.

  “Who are you calling unnecessary?!”

  The man growled. “I’ll just kill you this time!”

  With terrifying speed, he dashed forward.

  Kael moved like lightning, katana flashing. In a heartbeat, the man was cut cleanly in half. Blood sprayed as he collapsed, defeated.

  “Villains always overestimate themselves,” Kael said, sheathing his sword, eyes calm. “That’s what leads them to their doom.”

  Kael glanced at Akitsu and his single, half-broken wooden sword. “I’m impressed. You managed to hold him off until I arrived. Most people can’t even do that.”

  “Thanks. My master says my physical abilities are superhuman… maybe that’s why I could hold him off,” Akitsu said, catching his breath.

  Kael’s eyes darted to the living roots and vines. “Why are there so many of these… growing everywhere?”

  Seraphine Orion appeared, small and kitsune-like in front of him. “Boo! We meet again, hero.”

  Kael smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect you here, Seraphine.”

  “Yeah. Shouga-kun is special, so I granted a wish for him,” she replied.

  Kael nodded, unconcerned. “Alright. No worries.”