---
The Battle Rages On
Kenji Sakamoto's body felt like it was made of iron and fire.
His muscles screamed.
His lungs burned.
His vision blurred from the blood dripping down his forehead.
But still—he stood.
Cracks spider-webbed beneath his feet, the sheer force of his stance shaking the battlefield. His Stand, Titan Soul, pulsed with raw, unyielding power.
Across from him, Minh and Cetz stood untouched.
Minh adjusted his gloves, his golden eyes cold.
Cetz tilted his head, amused.
"You're still standing?"
Kenji wiped blood from his mouth.
"Damn right."
The others—Akira, Daisuke, Hiroshi, and Yuki—were injured, barely breathing.
If they didn't escape now, they were finished.
And that meant only one thing.
Kenji had to buy them time.
---
The Decision
Akira struggled to his feet, his entire body trembling.
"Kenji—don't."
Kenji didn't look back.
"Get them out of here."
"We can still fight—"
Kenji clenched his fists.
"No. You can't."
Minh took a slow step forward.
"Ah… so you're playing the hero now?"
Kenji cracked his neck.
"Nah."
He planted his feet into the ground, his aura surging.
"I'm playing the Titan."
The battlefield shook.
The air became heavy.
And then—
Kenji Sakamoto charged.
---
Titan vs. Time and Illusion
The ground shattered beneath Kenji's first step.
He launched forward, fists glowing with seismic power.
Cetz flicked his wrist. Mirage Symphony erupted in a wave of illusions—hundreds of clones of Minh and himself appearing at once.
Kenji didn't hesitate.
BOOM.
He punched through all of them.
The illusions flickered, distorting like broken glass.
Cetz's grin faltered.
"Tch—"
Kenji's fists tore through the battlefield, forcing Minh to finally move.
Minh vanished.
Chrono Requiem activated.
Time twisted.
Kenji's attack reversed.
For a second—he was forced backward, like his own punch had never happened.
But Kenji gritted his teeth.
"Screw your time tricks."
Titan Soul roared.
And for the first time—Minh's time manipulation didn't fully work.
Kenji broke free.
And his fist connected.
---
The Unstoppable Impact
Minh's eyes widened.
He had calculated everything.
But Kenji's willpower had overpowered even time itself.
The punch landed.
A shockwave exploded.
The sky itself rippled.
Minh was sent flying, his body crashing through layers of the battlefield.
The ground split apart from the sheer force.
Cetz's smirk vanished.
"Impossible—"
Kenji roared, stepping forward.
"You're not untouchable."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I'll break you both apart."
---
The Counterattack
But Minh wasn't down.
Not yet.
As he staggered to his feet, his fingers twitched.
And suddenly—Kenji's punch had never landed.
The battlefield reversed.
The cracks in the ground sealed.
The dust returned to the air.
Minh stood exactly where he had been before.
Kenji's eyes widened.
"No way—"
Minh exhaled.
"I don't make the same mistake twice."
Chrono Requiem's full power activated.
Kenji's own body turned against him.
His breath froze mid-air.
His heartbeat skipped.
His momentum unraveled as time itself betrayed him.
Minh's hand flicked.
And Kenji's ribs shattered.
---
The Final Sacrifice
Kenji stumbled.
Blood pooled at his feet.
His vision blurred.
But he saw them.
His team.
His brothers.
Daisuke, unconscious.
Hiroshi, barely moving.
Yuki, too weak to fight.
Akira—still trying to stand.
Kenji gritted his teeth.
"Not like this."
He forced his body forward.
Titan Soul erupted.
Minh and Cetz flinched.
Cetz hissed.
"He's still moving?!"
Kenji's Stand glowed white-hot.
His body was falling apart.
But his spirit refused to break.
"You think you've won?" Kenji whispered, blood dripping from his lips.
Minh narrowed his eyes.
"You've lost, Sakamoto."
Kenji grinned.
"Then I'm taking you to hell with me."
---
Titan's Final Roar
Kenji slammed his fists together.
The ground beneath him erupted.
A final, unstoppable seismic shockwave tore through the battlefield.
A force so massive—it broke Minh's control for just a moment.
Kenji turned to Akira.
"GO!"
Akira hesitated.
"KENJI—"
Kenji's roar silenced him.
"RUN!"
And then—
Kenji charged forward.
His final attack.
His final moment.
Minh and Cetz braced themselves.
The world trembled.
And then—
Kenji vanished.
A single heartbeat.
A blink.
And he was gone.
---
The Aftermath
Silence.
The battlefield was empty.
Where Kenji had stood—only dust remained.
Minh exhaled, adjusting his gloves.
"It's done."
Cetz stared at the empty space.
"Hmph. Shame. He was fun."
Minh turned away.
"Let's go. The rest will fall soon enough."
And just like that—
They were gone.
Leaving nothing behind.
No body.
No remains.
Just the memory of Kenji Sakamoto—the Titan who stood alone.
---
Escape
Akira and the others barely made it out.
Every step was agony.
Every breath was a struggle.
They didn't stop running—
Not until the city lights faded behind them.
Not until they collapsed in the ruins on the outskirts.
Not until the weight of what had happened crushed them.
Kenji was gone.
Not just dead.
Erased.
Akira knelt on the cold ground, fists clenched.
"Damn it... Damn it... DAMN IT!"
Daisuke sobbed into his hands.
Hiroshi stared at the sky, empty-eyed.
Yuki wiped at his face, silent.
And then—
Footsteps.
Figures appearing in the darkness.
The other allies had arrived.
But they were too late.
And now—
Kenji was never coming back.
---