BITTER VICTORIES

As Tenshi faded into the solitude of a rainy rooftop, Kenji, several kilometers away, had just delivered his final blow. Ignis' smoking body dissolved into Void particles, and the reddish-black-haired warrior stood triumphant, the rain cooling his overheated skin.

— Kenji! — Yumi ran to him, her face a mixture of relief and concern. She helped him hold on, her small body a surprisingly steady anchor.

— We have to... find Tensh — Kenji said, his voice a hoarse, exhausted whisper.

They began to move through the rubble. But then, an unnatural silence fell over their section of the castle. The din of Tenshi's battle against Vorlag, which had been a constant echo, had stopped.

Kenji knew. His heart, connected to hers by a bond that transcended distance, felt the cold. His sense sharpened. With a clumsiness born of panic, he began to run, limping, following a primal instinct. Yumi followed close behind.

The next scene was a heartbreaking painting. On the rain-swept floor, he saw her. His beloved Tenshi, sitting and leaning against a wall, her lifeless body with one last peaceful smile on her face as the rain washed the blood from her wounds.

Yumi, seeing the scene, covered her mouth with both hands, a choked cry caught in her throat as tears began to well up.

But Kenji... he didn't say anything. He froze. His mind took several seconds to process, to accept the brutality of what he was seeing. And then, the dam that contained his soul broke.

A scream of courage and excruciating pain rent the air. He pounded the stone floor with his fist, cracking it, and ran to her. He hugged her tightly, his face buried in her wet hair, crying as he screamed her name over and over again. Yumi, at his side, was paralyzed by the magnitude of her grief.

Both had fought in the rain, with the promise of reunion. But only one had survived. The Void did not wait. And it was unforgiving.

In another part of the infinite castle...

The rematch was taking place.

There was no one else to interfere. The room was filled with the residue of their battle, a whirlwind of pink energy and purple darkness. Karen had the advantage. The aftermath of Mio's wounds still weighed her down, every dodge was a pinprick of pain, every powerful blow costing her more than it should have.

— You're finished — said Karen, pressing the attack.

Mio, panting, knelt down, using her halberd as a support so as not to fall. It looked like Karen was going to win.

But Mio smiled. — You trusted yourself — she whispered.

With a stomp, he triggered his trap. The ground beneath them, which seemed solid, shattered. It was an illusion covering a bottomless abyss. Both girls fell into free fall.

— ON THE GROUND, YOUR POWER IS STABLE! — shouted Mio, her voice echoing in the fall — BUT IN THE AIR, YOU HAVE NO ESCAPE FROM MY NEW ABILITY THAT I DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU! —

Mio had developed a new skill, especially for her. Her halberd glowed with blinding intensity.

[SYMPHONY OF THE BROKEN SKY].

In the air, where there was no escape, Mio became a gale of sonic blades. Karen tried to defend herself, but to no avail. A final blow, precise and lethal, had cut her chest

The meeting was over.

Mio, using his abilities, caught Karen's body before it was lost in the abyss. As she watched her, he saw the Void energy fade from her eyes. There was no more evil. Only the eyes of a frightened girl.

A fleeting flashback filled Mio's mind, perhaps it was her memories of karen.... She saw a younger Karen, surrounded by warriors in a clan, smiling and laughing as they welcomed her. I'm sorry..., thought a last voice in the echo of Karen's consciousness.

Mio closed the eyes of the girl who had been his enemy and his victim. There was no triumph on her face, only a deep and bitter sadness.

He had won the rematch. But he felt as if he had lost something else in the process..... He felt an emptiness in his heart.