The air turned frigid.
A cold pressure settled over the gathered group—one far heavier than the night itself.
At a distance, standing with eyes filled with unrestrained fury, was Azure Empress Suzuki.
Her voice, dripping with obsession and madness, echoed through the air.
"Give… Him… Back…"
Her rage was palpable. The battlefield trembled beneath it.
But then—
Suzuki, the younger one, felt her stomach drop.
Something was wrong.
Her gaze darted toward the Imperial Convoy, still firing relentlessly at the Empress they thought they were battling.
It was an illusion.
A forbidden-tier illusion spell.
The real Empress Suzuki was standing here—right in front of them.
The headmaids instantly moved, stepping protectively in front of their mistresses.
Even knowing they had no chance against her, they were prepared to buy time.
But before any of them could act—
It was over.
The Empress merely raised her hand.
Invisible chains of psychic energy wrapped around the headmaids, rendering them immobile.
Their bodies locked in place.
They couldn't even struggle.
Her voice—a psychic command, absolute and suffocating—cut through the air.
"Stop."
The word alone shattered their will to move.
Even the consorts, despite their talents, felt their limbs turn heavy, their vision blur.
But one remained unaffected.
Crown Prince Kazuo.
As the others fell still, unable to resist, Kazuo stared directly at the Empress.
His eyes, now full of clarity, met hers.
And for the first time—
There was no fear.
The air was thick with tension, an invisible weight pressing down on them all.
Azure Empress Suzuki took a step forward, her lips curling into a delighted smile as her eyes locked onto Kazuo.
"You… Emperor Kazuo… Or should I say, for now, Crown Prince Kazuo?"
Her voice was sweet, but it carried a twisted kind of fondness—one that made the consorts' skin crawl.
Then, her expression darkened.
"Give me Rin."
It wasn't a request. It was a command.
Her gaze bore into Kazuo, a cruel glint in her eyes as she continued.
"You never cared before, did you? You love your brother, don't you? You even gave me permission to pursue him despite being tied to you."
Kazuo's jaw tightened.
"You were always kind to your brother after he returned," she said, stepping closer. "You followed his every word—believing, just as he did, that you should be Emperor."
Her voice softened, laced with something almost wistful.
"I still remember the happy moments… when you helped me pursue him. Thank you, Kazuo."
A cruel smirk spread across her lips.
"But none of that matters now."
The air grew colder.
A suffocating force filled the space between them, making the consorts shudder as an unseen pressure settled over their chests.
Suzuki's voice turned sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade.
"You need to die."
Rei's hand instinctively reached for her sword, but her body refused to move.
Miharu gritted her teeth, her wind magic surging slightly around her, but she was paralyzed by the Empress's psychic grip.
Even Akane, who always had a plan, felt her usual smirk fade.
This was bad.
"One of the reasons Rin became a hero," the Empress continued, "was to protect the Hoshimi Empire—an empire that you, Kazuo, were meant to lead into a golden age."
A dark chuckle escaped her lips.
"If it weren't for that day when it descended… it would have all come true."
Her fingers twitched, and Rin's motionless body began to float toward her.
The consorts' breaths hitched.
Suzuki's arms wrapped around him—like a child clutching a beloved doll.
"I would have lived a life where Rin loved me back…" Her voice trembled, her madness cracking through her words.
"But that didn't happen. So die, for your brother's sake."
Kazuo flinched.
For a brief moment, he was frozen, his mind flashing back to the past.
The jealousy. The regret.
The pain of losing Rin.
But this time—he refused to let it happen again.
His hand shot forward.
"Rin—!"
But he missed.
Rin's body was already in the Empress's grasp.
The consorts felt their hearts drop.
Suzuki had won.
Or so it seemed.
SPLASH.
The world shattered.
Like ink spreading over a blank canvas, reality itself warped and twisted.
Colors bled into each other. The landscape repainted itself—as if an unseen hand had rewritten the scene.
A moment later—
Rin was no longer in the Empress's arms.
He was behind Kazuo.
Silence.
Then—
"...What…?"
The Empress's delighted expression snapped into shock.
The consorts gasped.
Suzuki, the younger one, felt chills run down her spine.
Rei and Miharu stared, wide-eyed.
Akane, despite herself, let out a breath. "So this is the power of the Imperial Bloodline…"
It was one of the most mysterious abilities of the Hoshimi lineage.
A power not of brute strength, nor raw magic… but of creation.
And Kazuo had just used it to rewrite fate itself.
The battlefield stood still.
The air was thick with awe, tension, and the weight of an unfinished battle.
And for the first time—the Azure Empress Suzuki looked truly furious.
The sound of laughter filled the battlefield.
Slow, deliberate, growing louder with every passing second.
Azure Empress Suzuki's lips curved into a delighted smirk, her laughter sending chills down the spines of those who listened.
"Ahhh… still the same. The Hoshimi Imperial family has always been close."
Her voice was laced with amusement, but beneath it lay an unsettling edge—one that made the consorts' hearts pound in unease.
"You siblings will always protect and love each other. And it's all thanks to Rin, isn't it?"
Kazuo's grip tightened around his brush.
Suzuki's eyes gleamed with twisted fondness as she continued.
"He was the anchor of your family. The one who mediated every problem, the one who made sure you all got along."
Her hand rose into the air.
"The power of your bloodline was strong back then."
A cold wind rushed past them.
"But now? You are weak."
She snapped her fingers.
A wave of psychic force slammed into Kazuo.
He gritted his teeth as his body lurched backward, his mind resisting the crushing weight pressing down on him.
Suzuki took a slow step forward, her tone condescending.
"Your magic is a great counter to my illusions. A perfect defense, really."
Kazuo lifted his brush, wiping the distortion of reality from around him with a single stroke.
But Suzuki simply smirked.
"Unfortunately, illusions aren't my only strength."
Lightning crackled. Ice formed. The ground trembled.
Vines burst from the earth.
The air thrummed with sheer magical force.
The consorts tensed, their breaths hitching.
Suzuki's voice rang out like a death sentence.
"Ice, plant, lightning, earth, psychic, and illusion.
I am a Forbidden-tier magician."
Her gaze sharpened.
"You? A mere Master-tier."
The weight of those words sank in.
She raised her hand—power surging to its peak.
"You are two levels beneath me. One level beneath Rin… currently."
A flick of her wrist—and death rained down.
Kazuo moved.
His brush swept across the air, and four of the six elemental attacks vanished—wiped from existence like a stroke on a canvas.
The ground froze where ice magic had struck.
Lightning surged past his face, barely missing him.
Vines wrapped around his ankles, but with a single stroke—they were erased.
The consorts watched, wide-eyed.
Rei's heart pounded. "He's holding his own… against a Forbidden-tier magician."
Miharu's hands trembled. "This is unreal… but… he's still at a disadvantage."
Suzuki stood unshaken, her smirk deepening.
Kazuo was holding his ground, yes.
But it was only a matter of time.
His breathing grew heavier.
His movements became a second slower.
The sheer pressure of fighting alone against a Forbidden-tier magician was beginning to take its toll.
And the worst part?
The Imperial Convoy was still fighting an illusion.
They couldn't help him.
The consorts' hands clenched into fists.
They had to do something.
Or Kazuo—no, their only remaining hope—would fall.
Kazuo's breath came ragged. His body trembled, his mana reserves completely drained.
His artistic spells had held on longer than anyone expected—a miracle in itself.
But now?
There was nothing left.
Across from him, Azure Empress Suzuki smiled.
A slow, satisfied smile that sent a shiver down the spines of those watching.
"You fought well, Crown Prince Kazuo."
She raised a hand, and Rin's lifeless body floated towards her once more.
She welcomed him into her arms with a delicate embrace, her fingers brushing through his dark hair.
Then, with an eerie gentleness—she pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Her gaze turned back to Kazuo, filled with cruel amusement.
"In the end, when he sees you dead…"
A pause.
Her grip on Rin tightened.
"He'll finally be weak enough to be corrupted."
Kazuo's breath hitched.
Suzuki's voice softened—a whisper filled with something almost… broken.
"Just like I was when I lost my own Rin."
The weight of her words hung in the air.
But it did nothing to stop the malice in her next sentence.
"Once I'm done with you, the convoy is next."
Her head slowly turned.
Her gaze fell upon the consorts and their headmaids.
"Don't worry," she murmured, her lips curling into something truly menacing.
"I have something special for each of you four."
The atmosphere grew thicker, heavier.
Every muscle in Kazuo's body screamed at him to move.
But he couldn't.
He was out of mana.
His vision blurred, his body numb.
And in that moment—he knew.
He was about to die.
Suzuki raised her hand. A final attack.
The execution of a Prince.
"Die."
—A voice cut through the night.
"YOUR HIGHNESS, PLEASE RUN!"
A figure **rushed forward—**a blur of movement intercepting the incoming spell.
Officer Tsutomu.
The world seemed to slow.
The next moment—his body was lifted into the air.
An invisible force wrapped around him—his limbs twisting, his bones creaking under the pressure.
Pain exploded through his body.
But he didn't scream.
He clenched his jaw, enduring.
Suzuki's voice was almost gentle as she watched him struggle.
"Officer Tsutomu… Such a loyal man."
Her fingers twitched, and the pressure around him tightened.
His body convulsed.
But still—he refused to cry out.
Suzuki's gaze darkened.
"You were one of the only ones truly loyal to Rin."
Her lips curled.
"Thank you for your service… back then."
Tsutomu's vision blurred from the pain, but his mind refused to break.
He could hear the panicked voices of the consorts.
The desperate calls of the headmaids.
Kazuo was still on the ground, defenseless.
Rin was still unresponsive.
This was bad.
Azure Empress Suzuki was about to launch a final attack.
And no one was strong enough to stop her.
Azure Empress Suzuki's body jerked forward.
The tip of a blade— piercing through her back.
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes, wide with disbelief, slowly turned to the one behind her.
Shimuzu Rin.
His quantum eyes burned—fully activated.
But more than that—
His entire presence felt different.
Colder. Sharper.
Yet infinitely more terrifying.
His voice was low, dangerous.
"You… gave me such a painful memory to remember."
Twenty Supreme-tier wind spells exploded around them.
A violent maelstrom of pure force blasted the Empress away, tearing through the battlefield.
Her body crashed into the ground, skidding across the dirt, rubble flying in all directions.
But Rin…
He stood still.
Breathing.
His mana flared violently.
His soul burned.
And in that moment—
It changed.
Inside his soul, golden flames ignited.
A furnace.
A core of pure, raging energy formed within him—gathering, burning, refining.
It consumed the very mana around him, processing it, making it purer, stronger, limitless.
The others could only watch in awe.
"W-What... What is that?!" Miharu's voice shook.
"That's not normal mana... it's something else!" Rei's grip on her sword tightened.
Even Kazuo, still breathless on the ground, stared with wide eyes.
Akane whispered, her voice almost reverent.
"A Mana Furnace… It's impossible…"
Yet—
Rin raised his hand.
And in a single instant—
Thousands of Supreme-tier spells materialized.
Lightning roared.
Fire blazed.
Earth shattered.
Wind howled.
Shadows danced.
Psychic energy twisted.
Illusions distorted reality itself.
Every element he controlled, every force of nature he had mastered—all at once.
The battlefield shook.
And Rin's voice, cold and resolute, echoed across the valley.
"You are an existence that should not exist in this timeline."
His hand came down.
"Dismantle this."
The sheer force of the incoming devastation made even the Azure Empress stagger.
Her hands shot up, her own mana flaring violently.
She summoned every **element at her command—**Ice, Earth, Lightning, Plant, Psychic, Illusion.
Spells upon spells clashed midair.
But even as she defended, her expression twisted in fear.
She screamed.
"Rin… No! Please don't awaken that power!
You'll die!"
Yet Rin's expression remained unshaken.
For the first time—
It was the Empress who looked desperate.
The battlefield was silent.
The air, once heavy with malice, felt lighter.
The barrage had ended.
And in its wake, the Azure Empress Suzuki knelt, her body covered in wounds—slowly regenerating, but at a fraction of its former power.
The corruption had devoured so much of her, yet…
She had lost.
Rin stood before her.
His katana hung loosely in his grip, its edge gleaming with the residue of battle.
Yet he did not strike.
Instead, his voice, trembling with emotions he could no longer contain, broke the silence.
"…Why?"
His golden eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"Why did you accept a deal with the corruption…?"
Azure Empress Suzuki coughed, her breath ragged.
She looked up at Rin, her mana eyes trembling.
She saw it.
The change within him.
His soul—completed.
The power of the Hoshimi bloodline…
The power that once burned the brightest.
The power that once stood alone against the endless darkness.
Her lips quivered as the realization sank in.
She had failed.
Failed to save him from this fate.
Failed to stop him from walking that same, lonely path.
And just like before—
He would die.
She choked back a sob.
"I… I love you."
Over and over, she whispered it.
"I love you... I love you... I love you..."
She had tried.
She had fought.
Yet in the end—
She had failed him again.
Her hands clenched against the dirt.
Her voice cracked in desperation.
"I failed… I failed again…"
Rin stepped closer.
His expression was unreadable.
But his words cut through her like a blade.
"Your Rin… would have been disappointed."
Suzuki froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"…What?"
Rin's voice was soft, but heavy with sorrow.
"The same woman he loved… made a deal with the very enemy he fought against."
She could not answer.
She could only look up—waiting.
Would he hate her?
Would he strike her down?
She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.
But instead—
She felt something warm.
A hand on her head.
Rin… was gently rubbing it.
Like he was comforting her.
Like she was a crying child, lost and afraid.
Her breath hitched.
Her body trembled.
And then, he spoke.
A whisper, yet it shattered everything inside her.
"You tried."
She gasped.
His fingers lightly pressed against her scalp, as if urging her to feel his warmth.
"I'm sorry I couldn't live."
And with those words—
The corruption shattered.
The darkness that had clung to her for so long peeled away—
Like ink being washed from a stained page.
The weight, the whispers, the agony—
All of it dispersed into nothingness.
For the first time in what felt like forever—
She cried.
Truly cried.
Not from hatred.
Not from despair.
But because…
She was free.
She looked up at Rin.
Her vision blurred, but she could still see him.
The man she once loved.
The one she had lost.
Her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
"…I'm sorry."
And then—
She faded into dust.
Leaving behind nothing but a single, glimmering insignia.
The Azure Empress's Insignia.
Now resting in the palm of Rin's hand.
The wind carried the last remnants of her away—
And with it, the echoes of a love that could never be reclaimed.