The Ghost and the Broken Sword.

Kazuha had fallen back into the mud, his eyes wide. The Regent's immense Odachi had passed so close to his neck he could still feel the cold steel on his skin. Yet, his head remained on his shoulders. Before him, under the unceasing rain, stood a figure radiating a lethal calm, an absolute contrast to the fury of the storm.

"Tani...moto?" Kazuha stammered, a mix of disbelief and relief bringing him to the verge of tears. The hero everyone had given up for dead had returned.

The figure didn't turn. He maintained his defensive stance, the short katana raised at a perfect angle that had managed to deflect a god's strength. "You did well, Kazuha," Tanimoto said in a hoarse voice, not taking his eyes off the monster. "You held the line. Let me take it from here."

Tanimoto tore off his tattered traveling cloak, revealing his state. He wore the remnants of his old uniform, now full of holes and patched with scraps of leather and cloth. Dirty bandages wrapped his arms and neck, and fresh scars crossed his face. His frame showed he was alive by sheer miracle, a testament to months surviving alone in hell.

The Regent tilted his head, confused. He didn't seem annoyed by the interruption, but genuinely intrigued by this new insect that had stopped his blow. "Hey, you... wannabe samurai," Tanimoto said, pointing the tip of his sword at the giant. "Try dodging this."

Without warning, Tanimoto vanished. He didn't use brute force to propel himself. He used a silent movement technique (Shukuchi), closing the distance in a blink without raising a single drop of water. He reappeared crouched right beneath the Regent's open guard. His katana gleamed with a pale blue light, concentrating all his Essence into a single point. "Iai!"

Tanimoto drew in a brutal upward slash, aiming to split the Regent open from the groin to the chin. The Regent, surprised by the speed, barely had time to react. He stumbled backward awkwardly, losing his balance momentarily. Tanimoto's blade scraped across the chest armor, sending out sparks, but failed to penetrate the thickest layer.

Tanimoto gave him no time to recover. He used the momentum of his failed attack to spin and position himself behind the giant. "Secret Technique: Strike of the Ten Thrusts."

His arms became a blur. In less than a second, he launched ten precise thrusts at points that would be vital on a human: kidneys, base of the neck, spine, knee joints. Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blows resonated like death knells. Though the armor withstood most, the concussive force of the impacts made the Regent roar in pain and surprise, staggering forward. To finish, Tanimoto jumped, using the monster's back as a springboard, and propelled himself upward. He spun in the air and drove his katana with both hands directly into the Regent's face, right between the eyes.

"GAAAAAAH!" The Regent howled, a sound that made everyone's teeth vibrate. He brought his hands to his face, stumbling back blindly.

Tanimoto landed beside Kazuha, panting slightly. As the Regent screamed, Ken emerged from the rubble where he'd been thrown. He was dizzy and his entire right side hurt, but the monster's cry of pain snapped him to attention. He looked toward the source of the sound and saw the unmistakable figure next to the boy. Ken's heart raced. He ran toward them, ignoring the pain in his body.

He positioned himself beside his companion, breathing with difficulty. "Tanimoto... you're alive!"

Tanimoto didn't take his eyes off the Regent, who was still trying to wrench something from his face. "And as usual, arriving late, rookie," Tanimoto said, with a shadow of his old arrogance.

Ken was happy to see him, he wanted to hug him, but something in Tanimoto's posture stopped him. Ken's gaze dropped to his mentor's weapon. His heart froze. Tanimoto's katana was broken. The final attack on the Regent's mask hadn't been enough to pierce it. The tip of the sword had shattered and remained embedded in the black metal of the monster's face. Tanimoto now held a truncated blade with an irregular edge.

Tanimoto noticed Ken's look. "Don't mind it," he said curtly. "It's still sharp."

The Regent finished screaming. He tore the fragment of metal from his mask and threw it to the ground in fury. His red eyes blazed with demented intensity. His aura, which had been invisible before, now manifested as a black, viscous mass of pure malevolence surrounding him, causing the rain to evaporate with a sinister hiss. He was furious. Two insects had touched and wounded him on the same day. His pride as a general could not tolerate it.

"He's coming in earnest," Tanimoto warned, changing his grip on the broken sword. "Get ready, Ken."

"Right!" Ken raised his fists. They had never fought together, but they had known each other for years.

In an instant, the Regent disappeared. His speed was terrifying. He reappeared right in front of Ken, his giant Odachi raised for a downward strike that would split the boy in two. Ken had no time to move.

But Tanimoto did. "Nagashi! (Deflection)"

Tanimoto interposed his broken katana in the trajectory. He didn't try to block the giant's brute force; instead, he struck the side of the Odachi at the precise angle to alter its course. The giant sword veered centimeters to the right of Ken and plunged deep into the ground, getting stuck for a second.

"Now, Ken!" Tanimoto shouted.

Ken seized the moment. He jumped aside and lunged at the Regent's exposed flank. "Haaah!" He launched a spinning horizontal kick with all his strength, aiming for the monster's temple. Ken's boot came within millimeters of impact. But the Regent, displaying inhuman reflexes, released the handle of his stuck sword and arched his body backward like a contortionist, dodging the kick. Immediately, the Regent counterattacked with a short punch to Ken's chest, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Tanimoto helped Ken up. They were panting, but they had achieved something incredible: the Regent was disarmed. His Odachi remained embedded in the ground a few meters away.

The Regent looked at his empty hand, then at the two humans. His fury turned into something cold and calculating. He was not amused. A General of the Calamity being humiliated and disarmed by two brats.

The monster charged at them again. But this time, he didn't use any martial technique. He raised both arms to his sides, making his massive body into a "T." He became a moving wall of muscle and armor.

"Watch out!" Ken shouted.

The Regent rammed them with a brutal tackle, catching both boys with his outstretched arms. It was like being hit by a freight train. Tanimoto tried to break free, desperately striking the Regent's breastplate with the broken end of his katana, but without the tip, the steel just slid uselessly over the black armor. Ken, trapped in the other arm, weaponless, did the only thing he could think of: he sank his teeth into the Regent's armored forearm, biting the metal with impotent rage.

The Regent didn't even flinch. He kept running, dragging the two humans like ragdolls. They plowed through a row of parked cars. The vehicles flew into the air, dented by the impact of Ken and Tanimoto's bodies. The Regent didn't stop until he slammed them with savage violence against the brick wall of a three-story building.

The wall cracked and partially gave way. Ken and Tanimoto felt the air leave their lungs in an explosion of pain. They fell to the ground, gasping like fish out of water, unable to scream, their vision blurred.

The Regent stepped away from them without deigning to look. They were finished. His goal now was to retrieve his weapon. He walked slowly to where his Odachi remained stuck in the asphalt.

Kazuha and his squad, who had been protecting the sword, saw the mountain of death approaching. "Fire!" Kazuha shouted in a trembling voice.

The boy fired his grenade launcher. The rest of the squad threw rocks, knives, whatever they had. The explosions and projectiles bounced off the Regent's armor without even making him blink. He kept advancing, relentless. Fear paralyzed the squad. One by one, they lowered their weapons, trembling, unable to move in the face of imminent death. The Regent reached his sword and extended his hand to grasp the hilt.

However.

Something hit the back of his helmet. It wasn't a bullet or a grenade. The Regent stopped, his hand centimeters from his weapon. Slowly, he turned his head.

On the ground, twenty meters away, Ken was struggling to his feet, propping himself up on one knee, spitting blood. Beside him, Tanimoto was also trying to get up, using his broken sword as a crutch. Ken had picked up a piece of rubble, a stone charged with his weak, black Kijin Essence, and had thrown it with the little strength he had left. Not to cause damage. Just to get his attention.

Ken looked up defiantly, one eye swollen shut. "Hey, you cowardly dog...!" Ken shouted in a ragged voice. "We're not done yet!"