After Fate's battle, Kate finally snapped. She sat with her father's corpse on her lap, tears flowing as she cradled him. Far off, nearly two kilometers away, the thunder of Yamato and Draken's fight still rolled across the island.
She lifted her father in her arms, sobbing as her tears fell onto his lifeless face. A memory surfaced, long ago, on a scorching afternoon, her father had been working the fields while little Kate trailed behind him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed, "What the hell are we forced to do?"
Kate had laughed. "Are you tired already? There's still so much to do, Dad."
He went quiet for a moment, then said softly, "I don't have much time in this world. If you ever manage to escape after I'm gone, bury me in this field. Bury me here as an honor."
Kate had laughed then, not fully understanding.
Now, holding his body, she whispered through trembling lips, "Dad… I'll honor you, just like you asked."
Shingo's fight with Shin raged near the shore. The ground between them was a ruin, scorched, cracked, and torn apart. Both fighters were exhausted, but neither intended to stop.
"You don't know when to quit, do you, Shingo?" Shin panted.
Shingo grinned. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
Shin opened his tech box and stored away his sword. "Earth Prison!" he shouted.
The ground rose like grasping hands and swallowed Shingo whole, dragging him down.
"Tsk… I'm stuck," Shingo muttered, moments before the earth closed over him completely.
Shin stood still, wind whipping his hair. Tears shimmered in his eyes as he murmured, "Four comrades from the Super Tag Force are dead. Rest well, guys… I'll avenge you." Turning away, he began to leave.
Suddenly, flames burst from the ground, setting the scorched earth ablaze. Shin spun, eyes wide, as Shingo erupted from the fire.
"Why won't you die?" Shin rasped.
Shingo's lips curved into a sharp smile. "Demon Flame... Second Technique: Inferno."
Fire gathered around his fist, and with blinding speed, he struck. Shin was sent flying off the island, blood spraying from his mouth as his eyes went blank. What an incredible power, he thought as he fell. His Senkai… it's like living fire.
Shingo stepped closer to the cliff's edge, watching Shin's body drift away. "I won't kill you," he said quietly. "Stay alive, for your friends."
Shin's eyes filled with tears as he fell into unconsciousness.
Draken felt the sudden disappearance of Shin's aura and scowled. From within the swirling dust, Yamato's low, mocking laugh echoed faintly.
"What's wrong, Draken? Looks like your forces are down, thanks to my crew."
Draken's face twisted in fury. "Ending you is the same as ending them. I'll kill every one of you!"
Yamato laughed again through ragged breaths, blood dripping from his chin. "Try it."
In an instant, Draken was upon him, his hand gripping Yamato's throat. "It's over, Yamato."
Yamato gasped for air but still smiled faintly. "I'll defeat you, Draken. I won't… lose."
Draken's eyes turned cold. With a savage motion, he plunged his hand into Yamato's chest and tore out his heart.
For a moment, everything went silent, the island itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then, faintly, Yamato's fingers twitched, a dim blue spark flickering across his body before fading. The fight's thunder continued somewhere distant.
Near the Tag Force camp, where the slaves were being guarded, a small child slipped free of his mother's hand and ran toward a passing guard.
"Hey, you creep!" the boy shouted. "I saw people fighting Draken earlier, they're fighting for us, right? They're going to win!"
The guard's face darkened. "You called Lord Draken 'a creep' and spoke his name too casually. You'll pay for that."
He reached for the boy but another man suddenly leaped forward and shoved the guard back. The Tag Force soldiers descended on the man and beat him savagely.
The boy screamed, terrified. "Someone help us!"
A guard sneered down at him. "No one's going to save you, kid."
An arrow whistled through the air and pierced the guard's chest. He dropped instantly.
The boy turned toward the source and froze, it was Kate, bow in hand.
He ran to her and threw his arms around her waist, crying. "You came!"
The remaining Tag Force soldiers spotted her. "Grab her!" one of them shouted. They charged forward.
But before they could reach her, fire and lightning erupted across the field, burning and electrocuting the soldiers in a single, blinding instant.
When the smoke cleared, Shingo and Fate stood between Kate and the Tag Force, their power radiating like living storms.
Fate smiled gently. "Glad you're alright."
With help from the other slaves, Kate buried her father in the field he had loved so much. Everyone stood in silence, hands clasped, praying for his soul.
After the burial, Kate climbed a small hill overlooking the crowd. "I need everyone's attention," she called out, her voice steady and clear.
The people murmured in confusion.
"Bounty hunters? What's going on? Aren't bounty hunters villains?" someone asked.
Kate lifted her chin and spoke firmly. "These men are on our side. They're fighting to free us."
A man shouted back, "They're fighting to claim ownership over us, right?"
Another voice echoed, "Yeah, he's right!"
Kate raised her hand, stopping them. "If they were evil, my father wouldn't have died for them. If they had escaped their cells and only cared for themselves, they would have run. But they stayed—and fought for us. That proves who they are. Please..... help them."
A small boy cried out, "Big sis is right!"
The crowd stirred. A man stepped forward. "If they're fighting for us, then we'll fight too!"
Shingo and Fate exchanged quiet smiles, unaware, in that brief, hopeful moment, of what had become of Yamato.