Chella couldn't move.
Her pupils stretched wide, swallowing the little light that reached them. Her body had gone rigid—locked in place as if the ground itself had claimed her. Even her breath felt borrowed.
She didn't understand what she was seeing.
Sora did.
And her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
Her shoulders jerked violently, a tremor ripping through her frame as her eyes fixed on the scene ahead—
Yamato.
Standing still.
A blade pressed against Ichiha's neck.
Blood pooled beneath Ichiha's body, dark and spreading, seeping into the cracks of the cave floor. His severed arm lay a short distance away, lifeless… disconnected… wrong.
A low groan escaped his lips, teeth clenched so hard they trembled against each other as he dragged himself back, inch by inch, until his spine met the cold wall behind him.
"YAMATOOOO!"
Sora's scream tore through the cave.
It echoed.
It broke.
But Yamato didn't.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even glance at her.
His eyes remained locked on Ichiha, sharp and unmoving, like a predator watching prey that dared not die yet.
"What is it, Sora?" he asked calmly.
Too calmly.
That calmness made it worse.
Ichiha let out a strained laugh—if it could even be called that. His teeth ground together as he forced his body upright against the wall, blood still pouring from his shoulder.
Yamato's body trembled slightly.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Something else.
Something primal.
"Move an inch," Yamato said quietly, his voice low and cutting, "without explaining yourself… and I promise you—your head won't stay attached."
Chella's thoughts spiraled.
Not from memory.
Not from fear of the past.
But from what stood in front of her now.
Yamato.
Breathing.
Like a hunter.
"How could you… Yamato?"
Her voice was barely there, but it reached him.
Slowly, she lifted her head, her expression trembling under the weight of disbelief.
"Why did you cut off his arm…?"
Ozaki had already seen it.
He stood at a distance, silent—but his mind was racing.
Ichiha is hiding something.
And Yamato…
He already found it.
Ozaki's eyes narrowed slightly.
What are you planning, Yamato?
Will you actually go that far…?
Yamato exhaled softly.
"Relax," he said.
"It'll grow back."
Lumei's expression twisted.
Anger.
Confusion.
Shock.
All colliding at once.
"What do you mean it'll grow back?!" he shouted, his voice breaking under the pressure.
"You chopped off his arm!"
His body leaned forward—but stopped.
His mind pushed him.
His legs didn't follow.
Something in him knew—
If he stepped forward now…
Yamato would prey him.
Yamato slightly eased the blade away from Ichiha's throat—but not enough to free him.
"You're Vessels," he said flatly.
"It'll grow back."
His eyes didn't leave Ichiha.
"Don't tell me… none of you knew that."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
No one answered.
Yamato let out a faint breath, something between disappointment and disdain.
"And you call yourselves S-Rank…"
His gaze sharpened further, boring into Ichiha like it could peel him open.
Ozaki exhaled.
Then—
He vanished.
A blur.
A distortion of space.
Before anyone could react—
He was already there.
In front of Yamato.
His fist clenched.
And then—
THOOM!
The impact echoed like a shockwave through the cave.
Yamato's head snapped slightly to the side as his body shifted back a step.
Just one.
Ozaki stood between them now.
"Enough, Yamato."
His voice was calm—but firm.
"He'll talk. But not like this."
There was a pause.
Then, quieter—
"I aimed to shatter his skull…"
His eyes flickered toward Yamato.
"…but it only pushed him back."
Behind him, Ichiha sucked in a shaky breath.
Relief flickered in his eyes.
Master Ozaki…
He came…
Ozaki crouched in front of him.
"It'll heal, Ichiha," he said.
Then his tone changed—slightly sharper.
"But tell me."
His gaze locked in.
"What are you hiding?"
Ichiha froze.
Blood continued to drip.
His silence answered more than words ever could.
Ozaki sighed.
"Lumei. Move."
"And the rest of you—calm down."
Lumei's leg twitched.
Then shook.
Then—finally—moved.
Chella steadied her breathing, though her hands still trembled.
Sora stood frozen, caught between fear and confusion.
Ozaki turned back to Ichiha.
Ichiha raised his remaining hand weakly.
"Help me… Master Ozaki…"
His voice cracked.
"I'll talk… I'll tell you anything…"
Ozaki nodded once.
"Focus your Divine Energy," he instructed.
"Treat it like a broken limb. Let your body do the rest."
Sora frowned, watching closely.
"Sir… if it heals like a normal injury… why hasn't the bleeding stopped? Why hasn't it started growing already?"
Ozaki closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"Because…"
He glanced at Yamato.
"He was healing."
A pause.
"Just not his arm."
The realization hit them all at once.
"You see," Ozaki continued, "Yamato was already pressing hard enough to cut his head off."
His voice lowered.
"The only reason Ichiha didn't bleed out from his neck… is because he was constantly healing it."
Sora's eyes widened.
"So his energy was…"
"Split," Ozaki finished.
"Barely keeping him alive."
"AAAHHHH!!"
Ichiha screamed.
His body arched as he redirected his focus—
From survival…
To regeneration.
Slowly—
Painfully—
The process began.
Bone formed first.
White. Fragile. Growing outward.
Then muscle wrapped around it.
Fibers knitting together like threads being pulled tight.
Blood vessels followed.
Pulsing.
Connecting.
And finally—
Skin.
Sealing everything into place.
His arm was whole again.
Breathing heavily, he slumped slightly against the wall.
Yamato stepped forward.
"Ichiha."
His voice was deep.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
"That was just a warm-up."
He turned to Ozaki, casually extending the blade back toward him.
"Here."
"I guess he'll talk now."
Ozaki took it—but his eyes stayed on Yamato.
Yamato turned his back.
And just like that—
The killing intent vanished.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Ozaki's brows tightened.
This is Yamato…
Then what was that just now…?
Yamato walked toward Lumei.
Each step made Lumei's heart pound harder.
One step back.
Then another.
Until—
His back hit the wall.
Nowhere left to go.
"Hey, Lumei."
Yamato smiled.
Light.
Casual.
Like nothing had happened.
Lumei's body shook.
"Sorry about that," Yamato said, scratching the back of his head slightly.
"I got a bit carried away."
He chuckled.
"I almost killed Ichiha."
A pause.
"Well… not kill kill, just—"
Lumei snapped.
His hands shot forward, gripping Yamato's shirt tightly.
"You think this is a joke?!"
His voice cracked.
He pointed behind him.
"Look at them!"
Sora.
Chella.
Shaken.
Afraid.
"Look at what you've done!"
"You made them fear you!"
His grip tightened.
"You made me fear you!"
Yamato blinked.
Confused.
"You cut off a friend's arm based on your assumptions!"
"I—"
"Zip it!"
Lumei roared.
"What are you going to do now, Yamato? Huh?!"
Yamato's expression shifted.
Slightly.
Then hardened.
"Stop blaming me for everything," he snapped.
"You wanted to see Recovery Rank me."
His voice rose.
"So you got it."
"This is how I am."
"This is the truth you kept asking for!"
He mimicked Lumei's voice mockingly—
"Oh Yamato, tell us why you're Recovery Rank."
"Oh Yamato, show us how you do your thing."
"Oh Yamato, how do you feel in situations like that?"
His tone dropped.
Cold again.
"You asked for it."
"And now you're angry?"
He pointed at Ichiha.
"He's hiding something."
"And whatever it is—"
"It could increase our chances of survival."
A pause.
"But I guess you'd be dead bodies."
Silence.
Then—
"Because I won't."
Lumei's body shook with anger.
"What do you mean dead bodies?!"
"Are we just things that can die to you?!"
His voice softened—but hurt more.
"We're your friends…"
Yamato's reply came instantly.
"No, you're not."
Everything stopped.
"You just tell yourselves that."
His eyes burned—not with rage…
But something deeper.
"Did I ever ask to be your friend?"
"I've been alone my whole life."
"And I didn't die."
"In fact…"
"I did just fine."
Sora stepped forward.
"Stop it, Yamato—"
He turned to her sharply.
"No."
"You're not my friend either."
"You're just a spoiled rich girl trying to use me and toss me aside."
Her breath caught.
He turned back to Lumei.
"You think being poor makes us the same?"
"It doesn't."
His voice cracked slightly.
"I was feared."
"Shunned."
"By everyone."
"I didn't even know why."
Tears began to fall.
"Do you think I liked being alone?"
"I didn't."
"I just… accepted it."
"Because everyone who came near me…"
"…only came to take something."
His voice dropped.
Soft.
Broken.
"That's what you are too."
"What have I gained from you?"
"Nothing."
"Just more reasons to hide who I am…"
"So you won't be afraid."
His shoulders trembled.
"When we met… you asked me for help."
"You took what you needed."
"And I gave it."
"Because that's all I've ever known."
Tears streamed freely now.
"I'm human too…"
"I need… something back…"
"Something real…"
"But all you ever do…"
"…is take."
Silence filled the cave.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Ozaki listened quietly.
His expression unreadable.
"…another one like me," he murmured under his breath.
Then—
Soft arms wrapped around Yamato from behind.
Sora.
"I'm sorry…"
Her voice trembled against his back.
"I never asked what you needed…"
Tears fell onto his shirt.
"We just kept asking things from you…"
"And you kept giving…"
"…just to stay with us."
Lumei's grip loosened.
Then dropped.
His mouth opened—
But no words came out.
Just silence.
---
Far away.
Deep within a cave untouched by light—
Darkness swallowed everything.
Endless.
Heavy.
Alive.
Two red eyes opened.
They burned through the void.
Watching.
Calculating.
A voice followed.
Low.
Deep.
Carrying a weight far beyond Kaku's.
"Yamato… Ozaki…"
A pause.
"I cannot defeat them… if those two are with them."
The darkness shifted.