A storm of embers filled the battlefield.
Akane's heart pounded as she searched through the smoke, eyes burning with desperation. "Kaito—!"
A figure emerged from the flames.
Kaito staggered forward, his armor scorched, his skin cracked and seething with cursed energy. The Yami Seal had begun consuming him. His right arm was charred beyond recognition, his breath labored. And yet—he still stood.
"I'm not done yet," he muttered, voice strained.
Akane bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. They couldn't keep fighting like this. Not with the child in her arms.
The dragon roared, shaking the heavens. Shadows twisted around its body, the air warping from its overwhelming presence. The beast was preparing for its final attack.
They had to stop it—now.
Kaito turned to Akane, his silver eyes filled with something she hadn't seen before. Acceptance.
"Akane… we have to use the sealing jutsu."
Her blood ran cold. "No. There has to be another way—"
"There isn't."
His voice was firm, but there was something softer beneath it. A plea.
Akane trembled. She knew he was right. But the thought of what they had to do—what it meant for their son—made her stomach twist.
The sealing ritual would consume their lives.
But it was the only way.
She closed her eyes for just a moment. Then, when she opened them again, the hesitation was gone.
She nodded.
Kaito let out a slow breath. "I'll hold it down. You prepare the ritual."
Before she could protest, he was already moving.
With the last of his strength, Kaito rushed the dragon.
He was a blur of motion, dashing between the beast's claws, dodging by inches as it swiped at him. He leapt onto its back, running along the length of its spine before driving his sword deep into the base of its skull.
The Kuragari screamed.
For the first time, it felt pain.
The beast thrashed violently, trying to shake him off. But Kaito did not let go. His entire body burned with cursed energy as he poured his very soul into the blade.
"Yami no Saigo—Endless Abyss!"
Darkness erupted from the wound, spreading through the monster's body like venom. The dragon froze, its six eyes widening in shock.
Now.
Akane raised her trembling hands, whispering the incantation.
"Seal of Eternal Night, bind the abyss to flesh…"
A glowing sigil appeared in the air, spinning with ancient symbols. The shadows around the battlefield twisted, drawn toward the center of the ritual.
The Kuragari shrieked in fury.
It tried to fight, but Kaito held firm, his body disintegrating under the force of the jutsu.
Akane's tears fell as she pressed her hand to her son's tiny chest.
The moment the seal touched Renjiro, a violent surge of energy exploded outward. The Kuragari's form unraveled, pulled into the newborn like a collapsing star.
The beast vanished.
And in its place, the infant's cries echoed through the silent battlefield.
Akane collapsed, her vision fading. The last thing she saw was her husband's body—gone.
And then—darkness.