The scene opens in the desolate house. Zanko stands before two intruders who watch him with predatory expressions. The tension in the air is palpable, as if the very environment is holding its breath. Zanko remains steady, his eyes calculating every move.
The Larger Intruder advances first, his footsteps causing small tremors with each stride. With a roar, he unleashes a devastating punch, aiming to crush the old master. Zanko dodges with masterful precision, the impact creating a crater in the floor, wooden splinters flying into the air.
The Agile Intruder tries to seize the distraction, moving swiftly like a silent shadow. But before he can close in, his body is hurled backward by a quick, precise motion from Zanko, who remains impassive, his stance impeccable.
The scene cuts to the field, where Izumi, Takeru, and Niori are running, the sound of their ragged breaths echoing in the rural silence. They move with urgency, eyes alert, the tension between them growing with each passing second.
Izumi (determined): We need to go back. Helping the sensei is the least we can do. Together, the four of us should manage.
Niori (frustrated): And what do you think we're doing?
Takeru (irritated): Are you always going to be this stubborn?
Takeru continues, his eyes glinting with a touch of sarcasm as he tries to mask his own worry: Even so, where are we supposed to go? We can't turn back without them spotting us, and the city's too far from here to reach in time.
Niori (looking ahead, unwavering): Forget the city. To get to the house, they'd have to pass through it. They must've destroyed everything on the way.
Izumi and Takeru (in unison): So what the hell are we going to do?
Niori (with a sudden idea): Have you forgotten about that old house in the middle of the field?
Takeru (incredulous, with a bitter laugh): The one the old man used ten years ago!? No way! That place must be falling apart!
Niori (locking eyes with him): Got any better ideas?
Takeru pauses for a moment, his irritated gaze softening as frustration gives way to the realization that there's no other option.
The scene cuts back to Zanko, now wounded, blood trickling from a deep gash in his side. Yet he stands tall, his gaze resolute, as if no pain could break him.
Zanko (with a steady voice despite the pain): Disrupting my balance won't be an easy task.
Agile Intruder (sneering): Says the guy who won't stop bleeding.
The Agile Intruder tries to flank Zanko, but in the blink of an eye, his arm is seized, and he's slammed to the ground with force, the impact reverberating across the field. Zanko spins on his axis, dodging the furious strike of the Larger Intruder, who bellows in rage.
Larger Intruder (laughing as he charges): You won't escape this one, haha!
With a precise spinning motion, Zanko hurls the Larger Intruder away while wresting a dagger from the Agile Intruder's grip. The effort causes Zanko to wince slightly in pain, but he doesn't falter.
The scene shifts to the trio inside the abandoned house. The structure creaks with every step they take, the smell of mold permeating the air. Takeru looks around with disgust, kicking a piece of rotting wood on the floor.
Takeru (with disdain): And what the hell do you want here, Niori? Almost everything here is older than all of us combined…
Niori (focused, ignoring the remark): Ah, here it is.
She kneels, prying up a section of the worn floor to reveal a hidden compartment. From it, she retrieves an incomplete small necklace and hands it to Takeru.
Takeru (surprised, examining the object): Hey! Wasn't this my dad's?
Niori (calmly): Yes. Grandpa always kept it, asking me to give it to you in case of an emergency.
Izumi (curious, eyeing the necklace): What is it?
Niori (explaining): A magical item that boosts Vigor a little.
Takeru (putting on the necklace): More of a makeshift fix than anything. But it'll do.
Izumi (still confused): Vigor?
Niori (patiently): It's like vital energy. All humans have it, but in very small amounts. The magic Takeru uses runs on Vigor, which is why he can't open more than two portals a day—at least not without the necklace.
Takeru (with an ironic smile): With this, my limit goes up to four, with a lot of effort.
Niori (continuing): The spirits inside us also have something similar, Ether, but in much greater quantities.
Izumi (reflecting): And how can we use it?
Niori (looking at her bruised hands, her expression tinged with disappointment): Even I don't know. Even with practice, I can't manage it.
Takeru opens a small portal, just big enough to peek at the devastated city. Smoke rises on the horizon, and the silence is unsettling.
Takeru (murmuring, almost to himself): They're tearing everything apart…
The three peer through the portal for a brief moment, the weight of the destruction crushing their hopes.
Izumi (resolving himself, stepping away from the portal): Let's go. Every moment counts.
Niori (tossing something to Izumi): Catch.
Izumi grabs the object, but what it is isn't revealed.
The scene cuts back to Zanko. He's exhausted, panting, blood dripping from a wound on his face where an eye once was. The Larger Intruder lies motionless, but the Agile Intruder is still standing, barely holding himself up.
Agile Intruder (with hatred, charging with all he has left): Just die already!
He leaps toward Zanko, but with a masterful move, Zanko brings him crashing down at his feet. As he's about to finish him, a strange glow appears at Zanko's chest. His body trembles as he looks down, seeing something pierce his heart.
Zanko (with a weakening voice): Creation…
A mysterious figure emerges behind Zanko, their golden eyes gleaming intensely as he succumbs to the pain. The chapter ends focusing on Zanko's gaze, fixed on the object embedded in his chest, as his life slowly slips away.