Naki runs through the hall, dodging countless razor-sharp feathers. Nerima and Akide support him with precise gunfire.

  Akide: “We need to conserve ammo. I couldn’t smuggle in much. Naki, be more careful.”

  Naki: “Got it.”

  Naki moves like lightning, crossing the hall at top speed. As he does, he repeatedly strikes his opponent with his rod. After five blows, the rod finally breaks, so he grabs his second sealing sword and tries to stab the guardian. By now, the white guardian knows that this black sword is extremely dangerous and must not touch him. At this point, the hall has been completely destroyed, but almost everyone has already fled. The only ones left are the previously mentioned members of the Sakiko side, and on the Taira side only Kiyomori and his son Kiyomata remain.

  Kiyomori: “The Sakikos are handling this quite well. I don’t think we need to intervene.”

  Kiyomata: “But I really want to fight. My fingers are itching to make someone bleed.”

  Kiyomori: “No. We stay passive and just watch. If that thing comes toward us, then you may intervene.”

  Kiyomata sulks in his seat and plays with the dirt on the floor, shaping faces and then destroying them.

  Nerima and Akide are at maximum output. They do nothing but shoot and reload, carefully avoiding hitting Naki, who is also watching out for that himself. Najun and the others observe the chaotic fight, amazed by Naki’s speed.

  Naki: “[I feel so good. I’m getting faster and faster. My movements are controlled even at this speed. I think I’ve really become stronger.]”

  Naki gathers his courage and attempts a frontal attack. He stands directly beneath the guardian, his sealing sword pressed to its chest. He successfully thrusts through the guardian with his second sword, Ratio, sealing away his entire mind, not just individual thoughts.

  Naki: “Done. Now I need to use my third sword to—”

  The guardian smashes his fist into Naki’s body. Naki flies across the entire hall and slams into the wall, falling unconscious to the ground. Naki is generally healthy again, but the injuries from the journey are still there, so a few bad hits could mean his end.

  Guardian: “Weaklings who fight against justice are destined to die. They belong in the realm of the dead.”

  He immediately advances toward the defenseless Naki. Narima and Akide shoot at him, but it does nothing. His feathered cloak deflects all bullets. He comes closer and closer. His massive hand reaches out and even grabs Naki. He lifts him up, intending to devour him. He pushes his mask up to expose his mouth and is just about to shove Naki inside.

  ???: “Stop right there. If you eat him, Hina will get really mad at me.”

  Kogiri jumps down from the ceiling and wraps his whip around Naki, saving him just before the giant’s mouth.

  Kogiri: “Naki, get up. You’ve waited so long to show everyone how strong you really are.”

  Those words ignite Naki’s fighting spirit, and he stands up on his own. Kogiri hands him a sword.

  Kogiri: “When I brought your father to his room, I passed by your room for a moment. This one’s the real thing, not one of your training swords.”

  Naki loudly thanks Kogiri, and together they advance on the white guardian. They attack alternately, putting heavy pressure on him and forcing him further and further into a corner with no room to evade.

  Kogiri: “Naki, jump.”

  Naki jumps and uses Kogiri’s whip as a springboard. With his sword, he lands a massive slash across the enemy’s chest, then takes the opportunity to completely pierce the guardian’s left foot. The guardian jerks his leg, forcing Naki to retreat. Because of the second sword of Naki’s birth ability, the guardian can no longer think properly. He is nothing more than a wild beast, flailing with his fists or firing feathers blindly. There is no strategy or plan behind it—only raw strength and violence.

  Kogiri: “Naki, let’s regroup.”

  The two pull back together and quickly discuss a plan. Narima and Akide keep the guardian from getting too close to the melee fighters with gunfire. The guardian grows increasingly enraged. His mind cannot understand why his head is empty, why he can only fight and not think. He fires another storm of feathers, hitting Akide all over her body. She collapses to the ground, unable to move. The defensive gunfire weakens, allowing the guardian to advance toward Naki and Kogiri. They have to abort their discussion and focus on not being crushed.

  Narima: “Akide! You others, take my sister and tend to her wounds.”

  Najun and Saku carry her away and begin treating her. Bullet can only heal Najun’s injuries, so he cannot help Akide. Saku seals the wounds caused by the feathers with her cherry blossoms. She has to replace them constantly as they quickly turn red and the blood overflows.

  Saku: “Damn it, her wounds aren’t fatal yet, but they could become so. They need to finish this fight quickly so we can get out of here.”

  Najun puts on a thoughtful expression and stands up, intending to enter the battlefield.

  Saku: “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Najun: “I’m going to help them.”

  Saku: “Najun, we’ve been through this before. Do you remember? You’re not someone made for fighting. Even if you could somehow hold off that giant, it wouldn’t be worth getting injured—or killed.”

  Najun: “You’re probably right. But I’m human. I check things for myself to see whether they’re true or not.”

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  Najun runs off. He sends Bullet flying ahead and synchronizes his thoughts with him. Just like before, he can use his ability from Bullet’s position. His broken arm has healed enough to move properly.

  Najun: “[I need to find the others. Naki and Kogiri are fighting the monster right now. Their positions keep changing. Narima fires shots now and then—he’s definitely conserving ammo, and without Akide his suppressive fire is too weak anyway. The head of the Taira family is sitting comfortably with his son, just watching. They’re not helping? Those bastards…]”

  Najun looks up at a pile of rubble.

  Najun: “You’re supposed to help! Even if you hate us, you want to survive, don’t you? Then do something!”

  Dorothy, Eisen, and Luna are standing atop the rubble. During the earlier quake, they were flung so high that they had to cling to it. They thought hiding up there was safer than running for their lives below.

  Dorothy: “Someone like you has no right to tell me what to do. You, who—”

  Najun: “I know. I’m a terrible person. I don’t deserve to live. But right now we have to stick together. Just for this fight, or we’ll all die. Then you won’t be able to tell anyone what I did.”

  Najun’s words echo inside Dorothy. With a surge of rage, she releases her yellow paths, using them like whips to attack the white guardian.

  Dorothy: “Don’t think you’re off the hook. I will reveal your secret someday.”

  Eisen jumps down from the rubble and attacks with his axe, now larger than during his fight with Naki. Naki is surprised by the new temporary ally but accepts it. Now three people fight the guardian while one attacks from the air with yellow whips. Luna also helps by blinding him with her moon projector.

  Najun: “[It worked. We’re gaining the upper hand again. But what should I do now? What can I contribute to this fight?]”

  Najun calls Bullet back to him and charges him with energy. He clenches him tightly in his fist and kneels on the ground. Bullet perches on Najun’s index finger, pushed slightly forward by his thumb. A shrill sound rings out as Najun releases Bullet. Bullet shoots toward the white crow guardian with tremendous force. The guardian counters by firing several feathers, but Bullet curves around them and hits him from behind, piercing straight through and leaving a massive hole in his chest. Everyone is astonished by the power of the small hummingbird, but the white guardian still does not fall. He staggers, and Naki seizes the chance.

  Naki: “Third Sword: Imperium.”

  With this seal, the guardian loses control of his own body. He collapses to the ground, twitching uncontrollably, his muscles completely out of sync.

  Naki: “[The stronger the body, the harder it is to control. His body will kill him without control.]”

  Naki immediately sends his fourth sword through him.

  Naki: “Fourth Sword: Vis.”

  The white crow guardian now lies motionless on the ground. Through the fourth sword, Vis, Naki has taken away his physical strength. He can no longer use any supernatural or natural abilities. He is like a living corpse. Naki is about to deploy his fifth sword when a voice interrupts him.

  Kiyomori: “Stop, son of the Sakiko head.”

  Kiyomori walks slowly into the center, his son directly behind him.

  Kiyomori: “You fought magnificently. All of you are very strong and have great potential. The white crow guardian appears rarely, but when he does, almost no one can defeat him—especially in a case like this, where he completely lost control.”

  He claps and whistles to emphasize his praise.

  Kiyomori: “From here on, my son and I will take over, if you don’t mind.”

  Kiyomata runs to the white guardian and begins beating him. Even though he is ‘paralyzed,’ he can still feel the blows. Kiyomata strikes him until he kneels before Kiyomori, correcting his posture whenever he slumps.

  Naki: “This is cruel. He may have lost control, but he’s only doing what he was taught.”

  Kiyomori: “I already said we’re taking over, so please be quiet and let us handle it.”

  Kiyomori: “My son, please remove his mask.”

  He obeys and tears the mask off the guardian. A large face is revealed—dead, empty eyes and a scarred chin. Although Naki has sealed much of him, even without the seals he would likely be in such a ‘gray’ state. Strangely, everyone present notices a resemblance between the guardian and Kiyomori and Kiyomata.

  Kiyomori: “Ah, my first son. What have they done to you?”

  Kogiri: “It’s really your son? I thought they looked similar, but I never imagined they were father and son.”

  Kiyomori: “My son wanted so badly to join the judiciary. I told him our system was utter garbage, but he wouldn’t listen. And he became this thing. White crow guardians are unique—there is always only one. The one summoned when rules are broken too often or situations become too dangerous. Most likely, our behavior triggered his sensitive nerves and activated him.”

  Kiyomata: “Father, why is big brother so tall? He was only a little taller than me back then.”

  Kiyomori: “That’s because the white crow guardian is given growth hormones to increase body size. In the past, judges chose the white crow guardian, but today it’s the strongest crow guard. Our wonderful genes turned him into this beast.”

  Kiyomori places his hand on his son’s chest and reaches into the hole, searching for his heart.

  Kiyomori: “Once I have your heart, you can be useful one last time.”

  Kiyomori: “Son of Aihara. The strong one. Release your seals. I want my son to see me one last time before he dies.”

  Naki: “You don’t have to kill him. You know that.”

  Kiyomori: “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. This is no longer my real son, and I want to end his suffering. Release the seals, please. I’m asking you.”

  Naki releases them without further protest.

  Kiyomori: “Do you even remember your name?”

  White Crow Guardian: “Kiyotara.”

  Kiyomori: “Correct. Do you also remember the task I sent you here with?”

  Kiyotara: “Yes…”

  Kiyomori: “Do you know that the white crow guardian gains a special ability through his title? He’s not only there to enforce the rules during a tribunal, but also to oversee prisoners and the dungeon—like with your father Ino, pink-haired girl.”

  Saku looks at Kiyomori with curiosity, hoping for information about where she can retrieve her father.

  Kiyomori: “The dungeon is enormous, a stone tower with, in my opinion, far too many corridors leading to far too many prisoners. To assist with that, the white crow guardian receives this ability. Would you like to see it?”

  With his hand still at his son’s heart, Kiyomori whispers something to him. Kiyotara opens his mouth, revealing words on his tongue. It says ‘Dungeon Master,’ granting him the ability to teleport all individuals who have broken tribunal rules throughout the entire tribunal building.

  Kiyomori: “Let’s see who survives—and who will be the first to greet my son.”

  Kiyotara teleports everyone away, scattering them throughout the tribunal building, except for his father. At that very moment, Kiyomori tears out the heart and tosses it to Eisen, winking at him. Eisen thanks him as he too is teleported away.

  Kiyomori: “You were truly useful one last time, my son.”

  Kiyotara collapses, dead. Kiyomori walks off to leave the main hall.

  Narima: “Why did you leave me and my sister here? What do you want from us?!”

  Narima charges at Kiyomori with a knife, but with a simple motion of Kiyomori’s left hand, Narima’s head explodes. Blood sprays to the left as his corpse stumbles forward.

  Kiyomori: “Did you really think you worthless side characters would be chosen by me? I left you here because you’re so insignificant that I don’t care whether you live or die. Your sister will die as well without proper medical care, but she’s smart enough to stay unconscious. If you’d stayed quiet too, I would’ve simply forgotten you, and you could’ve escaped with her.”

  Kiyomori smiles down at the corpse.

  Kiyomori: “I really need to stop talking to myself so much.”

  Kiyomori leaves the hall with a smile and a tear on his cheek.

  On the roof of the tribunal building, two people are talking.

  ???: “Ah, my Luna. At least we don’t have to fight today.”

  Luna: “Honestly, I don’t care. That you’re afraid doesn’t surprise me, Michinaga.”

  Michinaga: “Your tongue is as sharp as ever.”

  He tosses her a small syringe.

  Michinaga: “I was told to give you this. Use it if things get dangerous.”

  Michinaga winks at her and starts laughing like a mad clown.