---
Back to the Fight: Haru Unleashed
Haru slowly stood, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. The grin on his face faded—not out of anger, but from something more primal… anticipation.
"You're not broken," he echoed, cracking his neck. "But let's see if you're ready."
The air ignited.
In an instant, Haru's aura exploded—pure, searing pressure that warped the space around him. The ground shattered beneath his feet as he dashed forward, faster than before.
Yuki barely raised his guard before the barrage hit.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
A flurry of precise, devastating strikes hammered Yuki, forcing him back, step by step. Every blow rattled his bones. He was fast—but Haru was faster now. He was strong—but Haru was overwhelming.
Yuki's foot slipped.
CRACK!
A palm strike to the chest sent him flying—his body crashing into a jagged pillar of stone, splinters flying in every direction. He coughed, his vision swimming. Darkness flickered at the edge of his sight.
Too fast... too much...
Haru appeared above him, arm drawn back for the final blow—his aura burning white-hot.
"This is the last test, Yuki!!"
But then—
Everything stopped.
A pressure dropped like thunder.
Time itself seemed to hesitate.
A voice, low and calm, echoed across the battlefield.
"That's enough."
A single figure now stood between them.
Cloaked in a dark coat, long black hair flowing with the breeze, and eyes that shimmered like obsidian flames—Nogitsune had arrived.
He hadn't moved.
He didn't need to.
The sheer force of his presence had frozen the battle.
Haru's arm trembled mid-air—then slowly lowered. Sweat rolled down his temple as he stepped back, not in fear… but in respect.
Yuki blinked up through the haze, his vision clearing.
"N-Nogitsune…?"
Nogitsune glanced at him briefly. "You've done well. But pushing further now… would break you."
He turned to Haru, his voice low.
"That wasn't the deal."
Haru sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. I got carried away."
---
Scene Shift: Ren and Himari Arrive
Elsewhere, high on a ridge overlooking the battlefield, Ren landed gracefully beside Himari, his wings retracting in a gust of wind.
They both stared down in silence.
The fractured ground… the warped air… the overwhelming aura still lingering in the distance.
Ren narrowed his eyes. "That presence… Nogitsune."
"So he showed himself," Himari whispered. "But he wasn't alone."
Ren glanced at her, catching the tension in her posture.
"You sensed it too?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "Something else stirred. Something darker… watching from the rift before it closed."
Ren's grip on his blade tightened slightly. "Then this wasn't just a test."
Himari's eyes glowed faintly. "It was a warning."
---
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