Yuji stopped in front of the crooked mansion that looked like it was about to collapse. The facade resembled an old bar, with rusty signs and boarded-up windows, but there was something different there, a silent presence, as if the place were watching whoever approached.
"It must be here…" Yuji murmured. "That junkyard."
Satella stood a little behind him, holding her hood, cautiously looking around. The slums at night were even more oppressive.
Yuji raised his fist and knocked on the thick wooden door.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then, a deep, hoarse voice echoed from the other side of the door:
"...Password."
Yuji blinked.
"Huh?"
He moved a little closer to the door.
"Password?" Yuji repeated, genuinely confused. "I just… want to talk to the owner of the place." On the other side, there was a heavy silence. Then, the voice returned, more suspicious.
"No one enters without a password. Go away."
Yuji scratched the back of his neck, already feeling that slight social discomfort that always appeared in these situations. "Look, man, we're looking for a girl. Blonde, short, named Felt. They said she often comes here. We just want to talk."
No immediate response.
Satella took a step forward, hesitant, and slightly opened her hood, letting part of her face appear in the dim streetlights.
"P-please… it's important. Something very valuable was stolen."
Inside, something seemed to move. A heavy step. Then another.
"...Valuable, huh?" the voice grumbled. "That word causes a lot of trouble around here."
The door didn't open, but Yuji felt the presence of the man on the other side, large, heavy, like a wall.
"Without a password, there's no conversation," the voice said firmly.
Yuji sighed thoughtfully.
He looked at Satella, then at the door.
"Okay… then let me try something else."
Yuji moved closer to the door, placed his hand on it, and spoke in a sincere, innocent tone: "We're not the guards. We don't want trouble. We just want to resolve this quickly and leave. If Felt is there, tell her that… someone is looking for a coat of arms that shouldn't be in the wrong hands."
Silence.
Then, from the other side, a heavy sound was heard, like a lock being moved.
"…You have the nerve to come here without a password…" murmured the voice. "Either you're very stupid… or very honest."
The door began to open slowly, creaking.
"Come in…"
Yuji gave a nervous half-smile.
He took a step forward, instinctively standing slightly ahead of Satella, as the darkness of the junkyard swallowed them.
The interior of the junkyard revealed itself to be… a bar.
Old, worn by time, but still standing. The wooden floor creaked with every step, the counter was wide and marked by the scars of glasses and blades, and the walls were covered with metal parts, broken weapons, and scrap metal hung like trophies. Weak lanterns cast a yellowish light, creating long shadows that danced across the empty hall.
There was no one there but them.
Yuji took a few steps inside, his eyes attentive, absorbing the atmosphere. Despite the decaying aspect, there was something welcoming there, like a place that had once been noisy, full of laughter and fights, but that now slept.
He approached Satella and leaned slightly, speaking in an almost imperceptible whisper: "It's not revealed yet… let me speak first."
Satella nodded silently, pulling her hood forward a little more. The small spiritual lights around her had diminished, almost invisible.
Yuji glanced around the bar once more. The place had… charm. A rough, honest charm. The kind of place where broken people gathered not to appear strong, but to rest from pretending.
"This place seems… familiar," Yuji murmured, more to himself than to her.
Then, heavy footsteps echoed behind the counter.
A huge man emerged from the shadows. Broad body, thick beard, watchful and suspicious eyes. Every movement he made made the floor protest.
Rom.
He crossed his arms, staring at Yuji from head to toe, then briefly glancing at the hooded figure behind him.
"You have nerve…" he said. "Coming in here like this, without a password… especially so late at night."
Yuji slowly raised his hands, showing he had no intention of fighting.
"We didn't come to cause trouble. Just to talk."
Rom let out a grunt, resting his elbows on the counter.
"Conversation usually turns into a mess around here," he replied. "So just say what you want... before I change my mind."
Yuji rested one hand on the worn counter, not aggressively, but firmly enough to show he wasn't there by chance.
"Felt..." he said directly. "When does she show up?"
Rom narrowed his eyes for a moment, as if weighing every possibility. Then he let out a heavy sigh, the kind that comes with exhaustion.
"Soon..." he replied. "She always shows up when it gets really dark. That's her time."
He straightened up, his tone becoming more harsh.
"And let me warn you: whatever you have with her has nothing to do with me. I gave her shelter, food, and a place to survive. More than that… it's none of my business."
Satella took a step forward, but Yuji discreetly extended his arm, asking for silence. She hesitated, but took a half-step back, obeying.
Rom noticed the gesture.
"Hm…" he murmured. "You don't seem like your average troublemaker."
Yuji gave a weak, almost sad smile. "I've been called worse."
Silence returned to the bar. Only the distant creaking of wood and the wind blowing through a crack broke the stillness.
Rom turned, grabbing an old cloth and starting to clean the counter, even though it was practically clean. A habit. Something to keep his hands busy.
"If you want to talk to Felt." He continued, "You'll have to wait. But let me make it clear from the start: if you try to touch her by force, this place will turn into hell."
Yuji nodded.
"I didn't come to hurt anyone."
Rom cast a suspicious glance, but there was something in Yuji's gaze that didn't match a lie. An ancient weight, too deep to be feigned.
"Then sit down..." Rom said, pointing with her chin to a nearby table. "Wait. And when she arrives… resolve this quickly."
Yuji pulled up a chair and sat down. The wood creaked under his weight. Satella sat across from him, still keeping her hood down. The little flower the child had given her was discreetly tucked into the sleeve of her dress, a small detail, but one that Yuji noticed.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
The smell of the place, the tension in the air, the waiting… it all affected him in a strange way. It wasn't like facing curses. It wasn't like fighting.
It was waiting.
And waiting always hurt more.
Somewhere in the bar, something metallic made a dry sound. Yuji opened his eyes immediately, his body reacting even before thought.
Rom also stopped what he was doing.
A shiver ran down Yuji's spine. It wasn't fear, it was that sixth sense he had learned to respect after so many battles. The image of the woman from before returned to his mind: the smile too calm, the aura sharp as a blade against his skin.
He tilted his head towards Satella and spoke softly, almost without moving his lips: "That woman… the one I bumped into earlier. Something about her wasn't right. Keep an eye on things in here."
Satella stared at him from under her hood. Her violet eyes reflected the dim light of the bar.
"Are you going out alone?" she asked, worried.
Yuji nodded. "I'm just going for a walk. I want to find Felt and finish this quickly before someone gets hurt."
She hesitated for a moment, clearly torn between trusting him and insisting on going with him. Finally, she took a deep breath.
"Be careful… please."
Yuji gave a half-smile. "I always am."
He turned to Rom.
"I'll take care of this quickly. If Felt shows up, tell her I'll be right back."
Rom crossed her arms, watching Yuji walk to the door.
"Hmph…" Rom murmured, but didn't try to stop him.
The bar door slammed shut behind Yuji with a low creak.
Outside, the slums were even darker. Weak lanterns illuminated narrow alleys, shadows moving on the crooked walls as if they had a life of their own. The smell of rust, garbage, and smoke was heavy.
Yuji walked with light, attentive steps. His eyes scanned everything: rooftops, corners, reflections in broken windows.
"Felt…" he thought. "If I were a thief, where would I hide?"
Yuji walked through the slums with firm but cautious steps. The uneven ground creaked beneath his feet, loose pieces of wood and rusty metal scattered like makeshift traps. Each shack seemed glued to the next, forming a suffocating labyrinth. Still, he maintained his pace, guided more by instinct than by sight.
Ahead, he saw a man leaning against a crooked wall, smoking something with a strong smell. The man's face was marked by time and excess, but his eyes were attentive, the eyes of someone who had survived too long in that place.
Yuji approached without aggression.
"Hey!" he called. "Do you know a girl named Felt?"
The man slowly exhaled the smoke and analyzed Yuji from head to toe. The scar on his face, the torn clothes, the firm gaze… after a few seconds, he chuckled.
"Yes, I know her…" he replied. "Hard not to know that little pest."
Yuji relaxed a little. "Do you know where she lives?"
The man pointed with his chin towards the back of the slums, where the shacks seemed even more crowded together.
"Third shack after the broken tower. Crooked door, roof patched with old rags." He paused and then added, in a strange tone, half ironic, half sincere: "Live strong."
Yuji found those words strange for a moment. It wasn't a "good luck." It wasn't a direct warning. It was… almost a rare wish in that place.
He nodded.
"You too."
He followed the indicated direction, feeling the weight of those words on his back. "Live strong." It wasn't something Yuji heard often. In fact, it had been a long time since the last time.
As he walked, his heart pounded, not with fear, but with anticipation. Something told him that this encounter wouldn't be simple. Still, his steps didn't hesitate.
Yuji stopped in front of the indicated shack. The wood was so old it seemed to creak even in the wind, and the makeshift roof barely held out the darkness of the night. He bent down a little and peeked through the crack in the crooked door.
Inside, there was almost nothing.
An improvised bed made of old rags, some empty boxes, remnants of rusty tools, and a weak lamp that barely illuminated the space. There was no luxury, no comfort, just the bare minimum to survive. That made Yuji's chest tighten. For a moment, he felt something close to guilt for intruding into that place.
"...Damn it."
He straightened up, about to knock on the door, when a voice came from behind him, quick and sharp.
"Hey! Don't even think about it!"
Yuji turned his head in time to see a blonde girl emerge from the shadows, agile as a cat. Her eyes were lively, suspicious, and before he could even say anything, a knife was already pointed in his direction.
"There's nothing here for you to steal..." Felt said, with a crooked, defiant smile. "Then you better get out of here, big guy."
The blade trembled slightly, not from fear, but from tension. She was ready to run or attack whatever came first.
Yuji slowly raised his hands, showing that he had no weapon.
"Relax. I didn't come to steal anything."
Felt narrowed her eyes.
"Everyone says that."
She took a half-step forward, trying to appear larger than she was.
"Go away before I stab you." Yuji calmly observed her posture. The knife was well-positioned, but her body betrayed exhaustion. Did she know how to fight? Perhaps. But against him, that threat wasn't very convincing.
Still, Yuji didn't smile, didn't provoke.
"If I wanted to hurt you..." he said, his voice low and firm, "You would have noticed."
This made Felt hesitate for a second.
The night grew silent between them, heavy. The wind rustled the roof, and the lamp flickered inside the shack.
Yuji kept his gaze on her, serious, but without hostility. "I just want to talk, Felt. About something that doesn't belong to you."
Her name, said with such certainty, made the grip on her fingers intensify.
The knife was still there.
Felt's eyes widened.
"Wait, what…?! Hey, answer me! How do you know my name?!"
Yuji didn't answer.
In a swift and precise movement, before she could even react properly, he grabbed Felt by the back of her clothes and lifted her off the ground, the way someone grabs a skittish stray cat—not brutally, but without giving her a chance to escape.
"H-hey! Let me go!" she struggled, trying to hit him with the knife.
Yuji simply held her wrist with two fingers. The blade fell to the ground with a dry, metallic sound.
"Calm down!" he said seriously. "I didn't come here to fight you."
Felt struggled a little more, but quickly realized the absurd difference in strength between them. That made her even angrier.
"You madman! Who do you think you are?!"
Yuji stared at her closely. There was no anger in his eyes. No contempt. Just… exhaustion.
"Someone who needs to solve a problem before things get worse."
He put her back on the ground, but didn't give her room to run, standing in front of her like a wall.
"You stole a insignia..." he continued. "We need to talk about this."
Felt froze.
For a fraction of a second, the mocking look disappeared. Her eyes darted away, and she clenched her teeth.
"...So that's it."
She crossed her arms, trying to regain her composure.
"If you came to get this back, you should have sent someone more important." A crooked smile reappeared. "Because I don't return anything for free."
Yuji sighed deeply.
"I don't care about money."
This caught Felt off guard.
"Huh?"
"The owner of the insignia is worried. That's all." He paused. "And I promised to help."
A heavy silence fell between them. The knife on the ground seemed forgotten. Felt looked at the shack, then at Yuji, as if calculating her options.
"Tsk…" she clicked her tongue. "You're strange, you know?"
Yuji gave a tired half-smile.
"Thanks."
Deep in the slums, far from the city lights, that simple conversation was beginning to pull threads that none of them fully understood, but which would soon lead them all back to the same place.
And Yuji, without even realizing it, was already approaching something far more dangerous than a simple robbery.
Yuji crossed his arms, clearly impatient.
"We don't have time for this." His tone was firm, almost urgent. "If you stole the emblem, we need to deal with this now."
Felt rolled her eyes, but there was something different in her expression. A weariness that didn't match her arrogant pose. "Hah… you talk like the world is about to end."
She took two steps back and then said, almost casually, "Live strong."
Yuji frowned immediately.
"...That's the second time I've heard that today." He stared at her. "What does that mean?"
Felt was silent for a few seconds. The crooked smile disappeared. She looked at the dark sky between the shacks, where almost no stars could appear.
"Here in the slums..." she began, "nobody promises 'good luck.' Because luck runs out quickly."
She shrugged.
"'Live strong' is like… wishing you don't die today. Or tomorrow. Or get forgotten in some corner."
Yuji felt a pang in his chest.
"So it's a way of wishing well?" he asked softly.
"It's the best we can do." Felt replied. "Especially when we know the person's path is dangerous."
She looked at him, now serious.
"And yours is."
Yuji was quiet for a moment. Those words echoed within him more than they should have.
"I understand…" he murmured.
He took a deep breath and then returned to the subject.
"So, Felt. The insignia."
Felt sighed, defeated, and reached inside her clothes, pulling out a small object wrapped in cloth.
"Okay, okay…" she said. "But I'm warning you: returning this will get you into serious trouble."
Yuji didn't hesitate. "I'm used to it."
And, without realizing it, as the night advanced over the favelas, fate began to align its pieces, silent, cruel… and inevitable.
Yuji carefully picked up the emblem, examining it in the dim light of the lamp coming from the shack. The object was small, but it carried a strange weight, not physical, but symbolic. He didn't exactly understand its value in that world, but he could sense that it wasn't something common.
He looked up at Felt. "How much are you going to sell this for?"
Felt answered without hesitation: "Twenty holy coins."
Yuji blinked.
"...Is that a lot?"
"It's enough." She gave a short smile, too confident for someone who lived there. "I don't want to spend my whole life in these slums. With this money I can get out of here, disappear, start over."
Yuji looked around. The shack, the crooked walls, the cold floor. He had seen worse places... but he also knew that "starting over" was almost never as simple as it seemed.
"And you really think twenty holy coins will be worth it?" he asked directly. "Is that going to be enough to change your life?"
Felt crossed her arms.
"I can take care of myself. I always have." Her gaze was firm, stubborn. "I don't need anyone saving me."
Yuji was silent for a few seconds. That answer… it sounded too familiar. He had said similar things before. To himself. To others.
"I understand…" he finally said. He returned the insignia to Felt, without trying to force it. "You'll be the one to return it to its owner."
Yuji observed Felt for a few more seconds, that tough demeanor trying to hide something much more fragile. Without thinking too much, he reached out and gently stroked her head, lightly ruffling her blonde hair.
"Everything will be alright…" he said, in a simple, almost automatic tone. "With your life."
The reaction was immediate.
"HEY! S-STOP IT!" Felt dodged, slapping his hand away and taking a step back like a wary cat. "Don't treat me like a child!"
Yuji blinked, surprised.
"Huh?"
"I'm already fifteen, okay?!" she crossed her arms, huffing. "I don't need anyone patting me on the head!"
Yuji's eyes widened slightly.
"Fifteen…? You need to eat beans…" He quickly calculated. "…I'm only a year older than you."
Felt stared at him for a second, looking him up and down, analyzing again those scars, the expression too tired for someone his age.
"Really?" she let out a short laugh. "You don't look it."
"What?" Yuji frowned.
"You look like an old man," she said, without any filter. "A tired old man who's lived too long."
That really got to Yuji.
He let out a low, somewhat awkward laugh.
"...Said the little one!"
Felt looked away, scratching the back of his neck.
"Tsk. Anyway... don't do that again."
"Fine..." he replied, still smiling slightly. "But I stand by what I said."
She made a face.
"Yes, you do!"
But even while complaining, something in her gaze had changed. It wasn't declared gratitude. Nor total trust.
It was just... less loneliness.
And, on that cold night in the favelas, that was already a lot.
When they arrived at the bar, the door was still closed, but the dim light escaped through the cracks in the old wood. Yuji knocked twice, just like before, and soon the latch moved. Rom opened it, casting a suspicious glance... which quickly changed when he saw Felt next to Yuji.
"So you found the little pest..." he grumbled, making room for them to enter.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, Satella stepped forward. Silently, she removed Yuji's shirt, carefully returning it to him. The red hood also went back into his hands. The small lights of the lesser spirits still floated around her, now softer.
Yuji took the shirt without saying anything.
Satella then looked directly at Felt. Her gaze was neither accusatory nor aggressive. It was firm, but gentle.
"Can you… return the insignia?"
The bar fell silent.
Felt looked away for a moment, clenching his teeth. Then he sighed, as if releasing a weight greater than the object itself. She pulled the insignia from inside her clothing and held it for a few seconds, staring at it.
"Here..." she said, extending her hand. "It's yours… But what am I going to tell my contractor?"
Satella took the insignia carefully, as if it were something fragile and precious. The instant her fingers touched the object, something seemed to click into place. She closed her hand around it, relieved.
"Thank you." she said, in a low but sincere voice.
Felt turned his face away, trying to hide it.
"I didn't do it for you," he murmured. "It was because of that strange guy over there."
Yuji scratched the back of his neck.
"Hey…"
Rom let out a deep laugh.
"Hah… you young people always complicate things."
For a brief moment, it seemed that everything had ended there. The problem solved. The atmosphere less heavy.
But Yuji felt it again.
That unsettling feeling.
As if something had been wrong from the beginning.
The air inside the bar felt colder.
Yuji let his gaze wander around the bar.
The dim lighting created long shadows, corners completely swallowed by darkness. It was the kind of place where someone could stand still, breathing softly, without ever being noticed. That unsettling feeling returned in full force, the same shiver he had felt before, in the favelas.
His body reacted before his mind.
"...There's someone here."
No one had time to ask what he meant.
From the darkness, a presence moved without a sound.
In the blink of an eye, the woman from before appeared behind Satella, as if she had simply been born from the shadows. The smile was thin, crooked, predatory. The blade gleamed for an instant, reflecting the dim light of the bar.
Elsa.
Yuji felt his heart race.
"PUCK!" he shouted, turning his body at the same time. "Protect her!"
The small spirit reacted instantly. A bluish flash exploded around Satella, the air freezing in a second. Puck appeared before her, his eyes now cold, attentive, completely different from the playful tone before.
"You chose the wrong target..." he said, his voice echoing deeper than it should for someone of his size.
Elsa's blade found the mana field at the last instant, scraping through the frozen air instead of flesh. The sound was dry, shrill.
Rom took a step back, shocked.
"What…?!"
Felt's eyes widened, his body tense.
Yuji was already in motion.
At that moment, there was only one thing that mattered.
No one else would die in front of him.
He placed himself between Elsa and Satella, his gaze firm, heavy, almost brutal.
"You…" Yuji said, clenching his fists. "It's that woman."
Elsa smiled even wider, clearly excited.
"Oh?" she tilted her head. "So you realized."
The entire bar seemed to hold its breath.
And the inevitable battle was about to begin.
Yuji slid his hand down to his waist and reattached the clawed gauntlets Yuta had given him. The cold metal fit his wrists like something all too familiar, as if those weapons also remembered how many times they had been used to kill.
The dry sound of the fitting echoed through the silent bar.
Elsa tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with a sickly pleasure at the movement.
"Oh…" she smiled, bringing the blade to her lips as if savoring the idea. "So you carry that scent too."
Yuji didn't answer. He simply planted his feet firmly on the ground, his body leaning slightly forward. Ready.
Elsa took a slow step towards him.
"It would be an honor…" she continued, her voice almost affectionate, "to open the organs of another assassin."
The word hit Yuji like an invisible punch.
Murderer.
He felt the weight of every life he had taken, every body that had fallen because of his hands. For a moment, images flashed through his mind: lacerated curses, spilled blood, screams he still heard when he closed his eyes.
But he didn't look away.
"I don't fight because I like it," he finally replied.
Elsa chuckled softly.
"What a disappointment…" she said. "The best always say that."
She moved.
She didn't run.
She disappeared.
Yuji felt the air shift behind him instantly. His body reacted to the limit of its power; he twisted his torso, blocking with his gauntlet just as the blade came to his side.
Metal against metal.
The impact echoed through the bar.
Puck maintained a firm protective field around Satella, the cold intensifying. Felt and Rom instinctively retreated.
Elsa stepped back with a light leap, landing without making a sound.
"Interesting…" she murmured, excitedly. "You didn't hesitate."
Yuji clenched his fists, his claws reflecting the flickering light.
"Neither did you."
The bar, once just old and silent, was now a hunting ground.
And two predators faced each other in its center.
"He's not a murderer!"
Satella's voice cut through the air, firm, almost trembling with indignation.
In the same instant, she extended her hand and several spikes of dry ice formed around her, shooting out in a straight line. The air grew icy, creaking, as the projectiles crisscrossed the bar like shards of winter.
Elsa spun her body with unnatural grace, narrowly dodging two spikes. One grazed her arm, freezing her skin for an instant before shattering into dust.
"What a shame…" Elsa smiled, licking her lips. "It's not what my eyes are seeing…"
Yuji seized the opening. He advanced in a single explosive step, the ground creaking beneath his feet, and threw a straight punch with his gauntlet. Elsa recoiled at the last second, but the pressure of the blow still ripped through the air, shattering tables and bottles behind her.
"Hey! HEY!" Rom roared. "You're going to destroy everything!"
The giant grabbed his enormous club, positioning himself beside Yuji like a wall of flesh and wood.
"If you're going to fight, do it without knocking over my bar!"
Yuji didn't take his eyes off Elsa, but nodded slightly.
"I'll try."
Elsa laughed, genuinely amused.
"What a curious place… a spirit, a half-elf, a grumpy giant…" She tilted her head, staring at Yuji again. "And you, kid. Carrying death in your fists, but insisting on being something else."
Yuji took a deep breath.
"I didn't choose this."
"Nobody chooses..." Elsa replied, advancing again. "They become..."
She reappeared beside him, the blade searching for his abdomen with surgical precision. Yuji blocked the attack with his left gauntlet and, with his right, tried to strike her face. Elsa recoiled, the blow missing by centimeters.
"Quick..." she murmured, her eyes gleaming.
That was enough.
Yuji clenched his teeth.
"Shut up."
He spun his entire body, delivering a heavy blow that finally landed, throwing Elsa against one of the bar walls. The wood cracked loudly, but didn't completely give way.
Rom let out a tense sigh.
"Hmph... at least she's still standing."
Satella watched everything with a racing heart, the spiritual lights trembling around her. Puck floated ahead, serious, ready to react to any opening.
Elsa stood slowly, adjusting her neck as if she had just received a caress.
"Ah…" she smiled, more alive than ever. "Definitely not an ordinary assassin."
The cold, the tension, and the smell of blood filled the bar.
And Yuji realized, too late, that this woman didn't intend to stop there.
The combat intensified in the blink of an eye.
Elsa disappeared from Yuji's sight and reappeared at an impossible angle, gliding across the floor like a living shadow. Before Rom could fully react, she spun her body and plunged the blade's hilt with brutal force into the side of his head.
The sound was dry.
"Rom!" Felt shouted.
The giant staggered, trying to stay upright out of sheer stubbornness, but his eyes lost focus. The club fell from his hands with a heavy thud, and soon after Rom collapsed, unconscious, on the bar floor.
"Damn it…" Yuji murmured.
His chest rose and fell with difficulty. Each movement pulled at old aches: bones that hadn't finished regenerating properly, muscles strained beyond their limit. He hadn't truly recovered since arriving in that world, and now he felt the price.
Elsa noticed.
She always noticed.
"Oh…" she said, with a slow smile. "Your body is screaming, isn't it?"
Yuji clenched his teeth, sweat running down his face, mixed with dried blood.
"Tsk…"
Satella stepped forward, startled.
"Yuji…!"
"Stay behind Puck…" he said without looking at her, his voice tense. "Don't move."
Elsa tilted her head, amused.
Yuji suddenly turned his face to Felt.
"Felt!" Yuji shouted. "Run! Go get help! A guard, a knight, anyone!"
"What?!" her eyes widened. "No way! I'm not going—"
"NOW!" Yuji yelled, for the first time since arriving in that world.
That made Felt freeze.
She had never heard that tone. It wasn't an order. It wasn't anger.
It was desperation.
"...Damn it..." she growled, clenching her fists. "You owe me one, old man!"
"You can collect later," Yuji replied, turning back to face Elsa.
For a second, Felt hesitated… then turned and ran off, disappearing into the slums with the speed only she possessed.
The bar grew quieter.
Only they remained.
Elsa cracked her neck slowly.
"She sent the kitten to fetch help…" she smiled. "So you intend to keep me here?"
Yuji raised his fists again, even though his body protested.
"Hold you here?... No, I'll finish you off right here," he replied.
Puck hovered ahead of Satella, the cold intensifying dangerously.
"If you cross this line..." said the spirit, its voice laden with menace, "there will be no mercy."
Elsa chuckled softly.
"How exciting..."
She took a step forward.
Yuji took another.
Even broken. Even tired.
He wouldn't back down.
Because, once again, someone was behind him.
And that, for Yuji Itadori, was always reason enough to keep fighting.
Yuji took a deep breath, feeling the air tear at his lungs. His body protested, but he forced another step forward. His eyes never left Elsa.
"Hey..." he said, his voice low, tired, but firm. "You like a little bit of cutting, don't you?"
Elsa smiled, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Ah… I love it," she replied, almost sighing. "Especially when they're done intentionally."
Yuji didn't wait any longer.
He lunged forward in a brutal impulse, spinning his body and unleashing a sequence of slashing blows with his gauntlets. The claws tore through the air; they weren't just punches, they were cuts charged with cursed force, precise and heavy.
Elsa tried to dodge, but this time she wasn't perfect.
— "Tch—!"
One cut opened her shoulder. Another ripped her flank. A third grazed her neck, drawing blood and a surprised gasp.
"Hm…" she murmured, taking two steps back. "That hurt more than I expected."
Yuji felt his arms tremble, but he didn't stop. He lunged forward again, pressing down, each blow carrying not only force, but accumulated frustration, fear, guilt, everything he hadn't been able to let go of since Shinjuku.
Elsa was pushed back. Then the air changed.
"Now, Yuji!" Satella's voice echoed.
She extended both hands, and the ground beneath Elsa's feet exploded into ice. The cold surged like currents, enveloping the assassin's legs, freezing them in place for a precious instant.
Elsa's eyes widened, genuinely surprised for the first time.
"Oh…?"
Yuji didn't waste the opening.
He concentrated everything into a single movement and delivered a direct blow, piercing her defense and throwing Elsa against the wall. The impact made the wood creak loudly, cracking.
The ice shattered immediately afterward.
Elsa fell to her knees, breathing harder now. Blood trickled from the cuts, dripping onto the bar floor.
She put her hand to her abdomen, her fingers trembling, not from fear, but from excitement mixed with something new.
"Heh…" she chuckled softly. "Interesting… very interesting."
Yuji stood still, fists raised, his whole body aching. He felt the limit dangerously approaching.
Satella stepped forward, the spiritual lights trembling around her, ready to conjure again if necessary.
For a brief moment, it seemed that this could end there.
But Elsa's smile…
wasn't that of someone defeated.
It was that of someone who still had cards to play.
Elsa noticed.
The irregular rhythm of Yuji's breathing, the slight delay in his movements, the weight on his shoulders. His body was reaching its limit, and she loved it.
"Enough of these sweet games…" she said, tossing the blade aside for a moment. "Let's see who can take more… in hand-to-hand combat."
Before anyone could react, Elsa advanced directly, without tricks, without disappearing into the shadows. A punch came straight, heavy, aimed at Yuji's face.
He raised his arm in time.
Impact.
The blow pierced his guard and yet sent him sliding backward, his feet scraping the wooden floor. Pain exploded in his arm, but Yuji didn't fall.
"Tch…!"
He responded with a short punch to her abdomen. Elsa twisted her body to cushion the blow, but the impact still made her gasp.
"Hah!" she laughed. "So you still have strength!"
She attacked again. Knee, elbow, another punch. A brutal sequence, without refined technique, just pure violence.
Yuji took a beating.
He felt his ribs protest, the metallic taste rising to his mouth. The world spun for a second.
But he didn't back down.
He advanced.
Yuji grabbed her arm mid-attack and pulled with all his might, using his own weight to deliver a sharp headbutt. The shock made Elsa stagger for the first time in that confrontation. "…!" Her smile widened even more. "This…this is wonderful!"
She tried to dig her fingers into his abdomen, but Yuji grabbed her wrist and twisted it tightly, hearing a dry snap. Before she could break free, he struck her with a violent hook to the chin.
Elsa was thrown backward, rolling across the bar floor.
Yuji stood still, his shoulders slumped, his whole body trembling. Every muscle burned. Every breath felt like it was scratching from the inside.
Satella screamed his name.
"Yuji!"
He didn't answer.
He just straightened up again, clenching his fists once more.
Elsa slowly stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth with her thumb.
"You should be down…" she said, almost marveling. "Your body has already gone beyond its limit. But it refuses to fall… How exciting…"
Yuji looked up, tired but determined.
"...Go fuck yourself..."
He took a step forward.
"But it's not over yet."
Two broken bodies, face to face, in the middle of a destroyed bar.
Neither willing to give in.
And the confrontation was now entering its most dangerous phase.
Elsa tilted her head, observing Yuji as if studying a cracked work of art.
"That look..." she said, her voice almost affectionate. "You can deny it all you want, but it's there. The eyes of someone who has killed. Of someone who knows what it's like to open someone up inside."
That was enough to make something snap inside Yuji.
"Shut up..." he growled, his fists trembling. "You know nothing about me."
"I know more than you imagine..." Elsa replied, smiling. "Ordinary people don't look like that. Only murderers—"
"—Enough!"
Satella stepped forward, the spiritual lights swirling violently around her. She hated this conversation, hated the way Elsa was trying to force those words into Yuji, as if she wanted to drag him into the same hole.
"Yuji, don't listen—"
But before she could finish, a new presence filled the bar.
Heavy. Absolute.
"She's right about one thing…" said a calm, firm voice that seemed to cut through the air.
Everyone turned.
In the bar's ruined entrance, a red-haired man stood, his posture too relaxed for the tension of the place. Yet, there was something about him that made the air seem… lighter.
Reinhard.
"You shouldn't fall for the drivel of an assassin…" he continued, taking a few steps forward. "People like her live to drag others down to their level."
Elsa laughed, genuinely amused.
"Oh? So the hero has arrived. Reinhard Van Astrea, isn't it? My name is Elsa Granhiert."
Reinhard looked at her indifferently.
"I arrived too late, it seems." Then he shifted his gaze to Yuji. "You fought well. Especially considering the state of your body."
Yuji breathed heavily, still irritated, but those words… held no judgment. No accusation.
"I…" he gritted his teeth. "I just—"
"I know." Reinhard said, interrupting him gently. "And that's why I say: don't let her define who you are." Reinhard frowned slightly as he spoke aloud, as if he were speaking more to his superiors.
Elsa sighed, bored.
"What a shame…" she murmured. "Just when it was getting interesting."
She took a step back, her eyes still fixed on Yuji.
"Live strong, you murderous boy who insists on not being one."
Yuji felt a shiver run down his spine.
Reinhard took a single step forward.
"It's over, Elsa Granhiert."
The name, spoken like that, without any emotion, even made her smile falter for a moment.
The bar was in absolute silence.
As soon as the tension eased a little, Satella ran to Rom. She knelt beside the fallen giant, her face serious, focused. Small spiritual lights gathered around her hands as she murmured low words, almost like a prayer. A soft glow enveloped Rom's head and chest, the cold of the ice giving way to a calmer, restorative mana.
"Everything will be alright…" she said, more to herself than to the others.
Rom groaned softly, his face contorting before breathing more steadily.
On the other side of the bar, Felt was already pulling Yuji by the torn sleeve of his shirt.
"Come on, old man..." she said, forcing an irritated tone that didn't hide her concern. "You've done enough. If you stay there, you'll end up dead."
Yuji tried to resist instinctively, but his body simply wouldn't respond as it should. His legs gave way for a second, and he needed to lean on her.
"I can still..." he murmured.
"You can't..." Felt retorted. "Now let the adults handle this."
She dragged him a few steps back, putting him out of the direct path of the confrontation. Yuji was breathing heavily, his vision still a little blurry, but he kept his eyes on Elsa.
Reinhard, in turn, took a step forward.
He reached for the hilt of his sword, purely by reflex... and stopped.
The blade didn't respond.
For a moment, his eyes narrowed, not in frustration, but in understanding.
"I understand…" he murmured.
He released his grip and looked around. The bar was partially destroyed, tables broken, bottles scattered. Reinhard then bent down and picked up whatever could serve as a weapon, a thick metal bar lying on the floor, heavy enough to crush bones.
He tested it in his hand once.
"I don't need it for that." he said calmly.
Elsa watched the scene with a more restrained smile now, her eyes assessing Reinhard in a different way.
Reinhard raised the metal bar, his posture calm, almost polite.
Yuji, leaning on Felt, felt a strange weight lift from his chest. For the first time that night, he wasn't the last wall between danger and the others.
And, while Satella took care of Rom and Felt held him up by force, Yuji realized something simple, but important:
He didn't need to carry everything alone in that world.
Reinhard raised his sword.
The instant his fingers gripped the hilt, an absurd light exploded in the room, so intense that the air seemed to tremble. The old bar, previously shrouded in shadows and the smell of mold, was swallowed by an almost divine glow. The walls creaked, the wood groaned, and even the floor seemed to protest.
Yuji half-closed his eyes.
For a moment, just one, the world around him disappeared.
In that flash, he saw his sensei.
Not as a distant memory, but as if he were there, standing before him, with that confident look of someone who always said that strength wasn't just about winning, but about moving forward even when broken. Yuji's chest tightened, not with pain, but with something close to gratitude.
"...heh." escaped a tired half-smile from his lips.
He simply admired him.
He admired the weight of that blow, the conviction, the absurd difference between them at that moment. There was no envy. Only respect.
Reinhard brought down his sword.
The impact was devastating.
Light ripped through the space like a solid lightning bolt, and in the next second, the bar practically ceased to exist. The walls were torn down, the ceiling exploded into shards, tables and beams flew as if they were made of paper. A shockwave swept everything away, throwing dust, wood, and metal in all directions.
The sound came next, a bang so loud it made Yuji's ears ring.
When the dust began to settle, what remained of the bar was a pile of smoldering rubble, unrecognizable.
Yuji remained silent.
The cold wind swept through where the walls had once stood. He took a deep breath, smelling the scent of burnt wood and residual mana in the air.
"...damn." "It was a murmur, low.
There was no more fighting there.
Only the clear mark that Reinhard Reinhardt was something on another level.
And Yuji, even exhausted, felt an old flame rekindle within him.
Satella knelt beside Rom, gently placing her hand on the old man's chest. The lights of the lesser spirits gathered around her, pulsing in cool, tranquil tones. The ethereal ice crumbled into soft particles, and Rom's wound began to slowly close.
The old man let out a hoarse groan… and then took a deep breath.
"…Am I alive?" he murmured, confused.
"Yes, you are…" Satella replied, relieved. "Rest a while."
Felt, who had been watching closely, released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.
"Thanks... really..." she said, looking away, as if thanking someone was too difficult for her. "And sorry about the isignia, okay?"
She then pointed her thumb back at the red-haired man.
"I brought a guard. A really strong one."
Rom's eyes widened when he saw who it was. "That's no ordinary guard..."
Reinhard was already walking towards Yuji.
The rubble creaked under his steps. His aura was calm, almost gentle, contrasting sharply with the devastation around him. As he approached, he noticed something strange.
Yuji was standing, slightly bent over, his fist clenched against his chest.
And tears streamed silently down his face.
Reinhard frowned, surprised.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice firm but sincere.
Yuji didn't answer immediately. He ran the back of his hand across his face, trying to hide it, but it was no use. The tears kept coming, stubbornly.
"No…" he finally said, his voice low and hoarse. "That's not it."
Reinhard was silent for a moment. He felt no hostility coming from Yuji. On the contrary… it was as if those tears were laden with something very old.
"Then why…?" he began, but stopped mid-sentence.
He simply didn't know what to ask.
Yuji took a deep breath, looking at the night sky now visible where there had once been a ceiling.
"I just… remembered someone important…" he replied, without looking at him. "Someone who encouraged me to keep living…"
Reinhard nodded slowly.
"I understand…" he said. "Sometimes, the strength of others reminds us of the path we still need to walk."
Yuji let out a weak laugh.
"Are all the royal guards this strong?" "You're overestimating me," Reinhard replied with a slight smile.
For a few seconds, the two stood there in silence, amidst ruins and spiritual lights, like two warriors who, even from different worlds, understood that feeling without needing more words.
Yuji moved away from the rubble and walked towards Satella. The small lights of the lesser spirits still floated around her, weaker now, like tired fireflies after exertion. When she saw him approaching, she stood up quickly.
"Yuji…" she said, her voice soft but worried. "Don't be upset about what that girl said. She just wanted to provoke you."
Yuji scratched the back of his neck, looking away.
"It's alright…" he replied with a simple smile. "I've heard worse."
But Satella noticed. He said he was fine, but something inside her wasn't.
She pressed her hands against her dress, her fingers trembling slightly. Her silvery eyes darted from side to side, restless, as if searching for courage anywhere but within herself.
"Y-Yuji…" she repeated, now more quietly. "I… I need to tell you something…"
He finally looked at her, attentive.
"You can speak."
Satella took a deep breath. The air felt too heavy for her lungs.
"M-My name…" she hesitated, as if that word were dangerous. She looked around, seeing that Reinhard or Felt weren't near them. "My name isn't Satella."
Yuji frowned slightly, but didn't interrupt her.
"People…" she continued, swallowing hard, "Fear me. Avoid me. Some want to kill me just for being a half-elf."
Silence fell between them.
"My real name is… Emilia." "She finally said, almost in a whisper, as if confessing a crime.
She closed her eyes, waiting.
Waiting for rejection.
Waiting for fear.
Waiting for him to take a step back.
The lesser spirits around her trembled, reacting to their mistress's anxiety.
Yuji remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, instead of backing away… he took a step forward.
"So that's what was bothering you?" he said, in a surprisingly calm tone.
Emilia opened her eyes, confused.
"You… aren't angry?" she asked, her voice almost breaking.
Yuji tilted his head, thoughtful.
"Angry?" Yuji replied. "You had your reasons for not telling me your name, and I understand perfectly."
He smiled slightly.
"Emilia, right?" he repeated, as if testing the sound. "Yeah… It suits you better."
Her shoulders relaxed in a restrained smile, and her eyes began to shine, not with magic… but with emotion.
"Thank you…" she murmured, placing her hand on her chest.
Puck, still invisible, muttered somewhere in the air:
"…That boy is going to be trouble."
And, for the first time that night, Emilia felt that maybe… just maybe… she had done the right thing by trusting him.
Yuji released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. For a moment, everything seemed… too calm. The destroyed bar, the smell of dust and burnt wood, the distant sound of the city resuming its rhythm.
Too calm.
A shiver ran down Yuji's spine.
"Yuji, behind—!"
Too late.
From the rubble, like a specter refusing to die, Elsa emerged in absolute silence, a distorted smile of pleasure etched on her face, the blade coming straight for her back.
But Yuji was no longer the same as he had been minutes before.
He turned around instantly, his gaze empty, sharp, dangerously calm.
The air ripped through him.
"— Dismantle."
There was no exaggerated movement, no scream. Just an invisible cut that pierced the space between them as if the world had been forcibly split.
The impact was dry.
Elsa was thrown backward, her body spinning in the air before violently colliding with the remaining wreckage of the bar. Blood stained the floor in jagged lines, and her smile finally broke into genuine surprise.
Reinhard's eyes widened.
Rom, still leaning on Emilia, felt a chill run down his spine.
"That…" Felt murmured, swallowing hard. "What kind of attack is that?!"
Elsa staggered to her feet, her body covered in deep cuts, her breathing uneven. Even so, she laughed. A hoarse, broken laugh, full of hatred and ecstasy.
"Hehehe… so I was right…" she said, spitting blood. "That look… that smell… you're just like us."
Yuji didn't answer. He just stared at her, serious.
Elsa took a few steps back, assessing the damage. For the first time, she wasn't the one dictating the pace of the fight.
"What a shame…" she murmured. "I would have loved to open you up slowly."
In the blink of an eye, she leaped back, disappearing into the shadows of the slums.
Her voice echoed in the distance, laden with resentment:
"Die slowly… all of you."
Silence fell.
Yuji relaxed his shoulders and felt his body protest, fatigue finally taking its toll. He put his hand to his side, taking a deep breath.
Emilia ran to him immediately.
"Yuji! Are you alright?!"
He gave a tired smile.
"Now, yes… I think I can truly relax."
Reinhard watched Yuji in silence, his gaze serious, almost solemn.
The sword at his waist… trembled.
And, for the first time, Reinhard understood:
that boy was not just a stranger.
…
"Dismantle?"
Was he an omen?
The silence after Elsa's escape weighed more than the battle itself.
Yuji took two unsteady steps. The adrenaline that had kept him standing finally dissipated, and all that remained was absolute exhaustion, not only of the body, but of the soul. He hadn't stopped since arriving in that world. He hadn't slept. He hadn't recovered. He went from one war… straight to another.
His vision darkened at the edges.
"Yuji…?" Emilia's voice came from a distance, muffled.
He tried to respond, tried to say that everything was alright, but his body wouldn't obey anymore. His knees gave way, and Yuji fell forward.
"Yuji!" Emília caught him before he hit the ground, kneeling with him in her arms.
She shook his shoulders gently, the desperation evident.
"Hey, please… wake up… Yuji…!"
Nothing.
His chest was still rising and falling slowly. Breathing was heavy but steady. There were no new injuries, no sign of curse or poison. Just…exhaustion.
"He's just sleeping…" said Reinhard, after approaching and observing him carefully. "His body has reached its limit."
Emília bit her lip, relieved, but still distressed. She ran her hand through Yuji's hair, moving it away from his scarred face.
"You didn't need to go this far…" she murmured, more to herself than to him. "Not for me..."
Emilia pressed Yuji to her chest carefully, as if she was afraid he would disappear if he let go.
"Let's get him somewhere safe." he said, decidedly. "He deserves to rest. Even if just… just for a little while."
And, while Yuji slept deeply, without dreams, without wars, without voices...
for the first time since arriving in that world,
he was truly safe.
Our hero needed to rest... Just a little.
End of Chapter 2