Hiyori sat on the bench, tension coiling in her chest. What are they going to do with her? Who are they?
"Raithasu," she whispered, uneasy.
"Don't worry," came the calm reply. "Before we reach them, she can handle herself."
"Daiki… she's foolish to get caught," Hiyori muttered.
"But to whom?" Raithasu countered.
"Yuki… you know where they'll take her. Just tell me."
"Hmm… first, sit. You're making me tense," Yuki said.
They seated themselves, and the scene shifted to Elsiya.
"Hey, you big bird! Leave me alone! I'll kill you and roast you for dinner!" she screamed, struggling.
The bird flapped, undeterred. "Stupid child."
"I'm not a child! I'm older than you!" she shot back, clutching her hands as the bird's claws dug in.
Elsiya's nails left painful scratches, but she didn't flinch. "Can you even eat me? I won't die young!"
With a swift punch to its foot, she tried to stay stable. "Hey, girl! Stay still—I can't fly!"
"I don't care, you bastard! Take this!" she yelled, summoning a Glacier Impact. The bird froze, and Elsiya fell to the ground with a cry.
Before she could recover, a second bird swooped in, releasing smoke onto the land. "What is this?" she gasped, and darkness claimed her. The bird snatched her again.
"Don't take her lightly," someone muttered. "She's very strong. Now, let's go before the boss gets angry."
The scene shifted back to Hiyori and Yuki.
"Okay, listen carefully," Yuki said. "When Douma ordered Daiki's capture, he informed Usami and me that a portal had opened in the ocean. We must avoid it at all costs. If we reach it, we'll need to break the barrier between worlds."
Yuki continued, ". There's a gang that seeks special powers like ours. They'll try to capture us. Boss Zero can seize power from the south-side castle, their hideout. We must defeat him. He knows how to get there, but he has created portals and dimensions. His high-ranking members make him extremely difficult to defeat."
"I'm sure he'll take Usami next," Hiyori muttered. "But how can we possibly defeat him?"
"He didn't tell us," Yuki admitted.
Raithasu leaned back, deep in thought. "We have the entire night to figure out which power can counter the portal dimension's power."
Yuki nodded. "He also told me one thing that might help."
"Tell us quickly," Hiyori urged.
"We'll need the help of a girl," Yuki explained. "She lives in some abandoned village. No one is there, but she might know how to defeat him. Maybe. It won't be easy."
Hiyori frowned. "Why would we convince her to help?"
"She isn't on our side," Yuki replied. "She's the first commander and the most powerful member. Only she knows how to defeat him."
Hiyori groaned. "Everything's going wrong."
"But at least we try," Yuki said firmly.
Hiyori pressed on. "Why would she help us?"
"I don't know," Yuki admitted. "Douma said he might know something, but he didn't tell us."
Hiyori's eyes narrowed. "But how would he know all of this?"
"He was once a member of their group," Yuki said softly.
"Are you serious? Then why did he leave?"
"I don't know," Yuki shrugged.
Raithasu spoke again. "First, we need to talk to the girl. If she helps, it becomes easier. If not… we strike without hesitation."
Yuki bit her lip. "But we only have three days."
Hiyori clenched her fists. "How can we reach both the girl and the castle?"
"That… also makes me tense," Yuki admitted.
Hiyori turned to Daiki. "Hey, Daiki… do you remember anything that happened when you went with Elsiya? Anything at all?"
Elsiya had tried to tell me but Hiyori hadn't listened clearly.
Daiki murmured, "Yuki… he is sleeping."
Hiyori blinked. "What?"
The scene abruptly cut.The first light of sunrise crept over the horizon, casting a soft glow across the forest.
"Hiyori, let's go! We don't have time—she's waiting!" Yuki urged.
Hiyori grabbed Daiki by the shoulder. "Hey, wake up, idiot! We need to move!" She punched his head lightly for emphasis.
Daiki yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Morning already? What… what's happening?"
"No time to waste. We need to rescue Elsiya. Let's go!" Hiyori said firmly, dragging him along.
"But… what are you doing?" Daiki protested, stumbling.
"Move faster!" Hiyori snapped. Everyone nearby watched them with strange curiosity as they took off, flying above the treetops toward the forest.
"Be careful," Yuki warned, eyes scanning the dense woods. "There could be traps."
"Okay," Hiyori replied, gripping her weapon tightly.
Raithasu's voice came softly to Yuki. "I think I just realized something."
"What is it?" Yuki asked, worry creasing her brow.
"How can we find her .we don't know how she look her name Raithasu said.
"Do you know her name?" Yuki asked.
"I… he told me, but I can't remember," Raithasu admitted.
They pressed on, flying continuously through the morning mist. Suddenly, a towering wall of fire erupted before them, accompanied by a booming, menacing voice:
"Take this! A blast for you!"
"Daiki!" Hiyori shouted.
Explosions and flying kunai rained down from all directions.
"Ah! Who are they?" Hiyori yelled, dodging a blade.
Yuki's eyes narrowed. "They're not that strong individually. Fight them!"
The team moved in unison, flowing through the air with precise kung fu techniques. They dodged, blocked, and countered, using the forest canopy as cover.
But then—a massive blast hurtled straight toward Raithasu, who hadn't noticed. Without thinking, Yuki pushed him out of the way, taking the full force herself.
Raithasu recovered quickly, eyes blazing. He retaliated against their attacker, but in the chaos, one of the boys lunged and stabbed Yuki in the kidney. Blood spilled from her mouth as she collapsed to the ground, pain wracking her body.
Raithasu landed beside her, gripping her hand, "Stay with me," he murmured, panic flashing across his normally stoic face.
A strike came for him—but for a single, suspended moment, time seemed to freeze. Everything hung in perfect balance. Then, with a deadly calm, Raithasu's gaze hardened. In that instant, every enemy around them crumpled, unconscious before they could even react.
The forest fell silent. Yuki lay in his arms, wounded but alive. Raithasu's chest heaved as he stared across the clearing, his eyes glinting with quiet, unstoppable resolve.