Kazuhiro, the current head of the Sarushima Clan and the father of Souichiro and Yuuna, stood silent and unmoved while his gaze was locked forward, cold and unreadable, as if the chaos outside the hall had nothing to do with him at all.
Around him, the air felt heavy and it was thick enough to choke on. The tension curled like smoke through the grand hall where guests in ceremonial robes whispered to one another with tight faces and uneasy eyes.
"What a terrible wedding day this is..." one of the attendees muttered under his breath, voice low and strained. His eyes flickered nervously toward the battlefield beyond. "I really don’t think there’s anything to celebrate here. Why is Souichiro-kun losing in this war?"
Kazuhiro didn’t so much as blink. His face, sharp and lined by the years, was as still as carved granite. The words drifted past him without leaving a trace, as if they were nothing more than an insect’s buzz.
Outside, the war between the two factions kept raging on with the roars of clashing steel echoing faintly like thunder on the horizon. Even as reports of the Kouhei Faction gaining ground poured in, Kazuhiro remained unmoved with his posture perfect, his expression locked in cold stone.
It was as if defeat itself dared not touch him.
Meanwhile, on the scorched and battered battlefield, the Souichiro Faction teetered on the edge of collapse.
The Kouhei Faction pressed forward without mercy, step by crushing step, like a tidal wave that refused to break. Soldiers of the Souichiro side, scattered and bloodied, struggled to hold the line as the tide turned against them.
In the middle of this chaos, Souichiro himself stood with his golden hair shifting slightly in the breeze and his eyes narrowing as he looked around at what remained of his forces. His gaze then slid to Kouhei, standing before him with unwavering resolve.
A sneer twisted across Souichiro’s lips. "You really think cutting down a few of my men matters, huh?" His tone dripped with venom and scorn. "You think beating them means you can beat me
Kouhei’s eyes narrowed. "So your entire faction is nothing more than pawns to throw away?"
"What else would they be?" Souichiro spat without hesitation. "They’re replaceable. And when they die, I’ll replace them with better ones."
Kouhei clenched his jaw, a quiet disgust burning in his gaze. "You’re even more of a scumbag than I thought."
"Scumbag, huh?" Souichiro barked a humorless laugh, that crooked smirk crawling back onto his face. "Yuuna and I... we’re exactly the same. Same blood. Same nature. We were born from the same womb, after all. When the time comes, she’ll do the same. She’ll discard you all without blinking. She’ll find others to replace you, just like I do."
"You don’t know anything about Yuuna-san," Kouhei shot back, voice low but steady.
"Oh, but I do," Souichiro’s grin sharpened into something darker. "I’ve been with her for centuries... centuries longer than your pathetic human lifespan. I’ve watched her do things your tiny human brain can’t even imagine. Your little belief in her? That’s just a story you made up in your head to comfort yourself."
Their eyes locked, and for a moment the battlefield felt silent, the world shrinking to the space between them.
To Kouhei, Souichiro looked less like a timeless vampire lord and more like a stubborn child, clinging desperately to arrogance. Despite centuries of life, he still felt like a spoiled brat stamping his foot at a world that wouldn’t bend to him.
It was sad. Pathetic, even.
But there was no time for pity.
Kouhei’s grip tightened around the hilt of his blade.
They were the kings on this battlefield, and whichever one of them fell would decide everything.
Souichiro saw the movement, and his smirk widened, like a wolf baring its fangs. "So you’re really going to fight me? You think you can actually win?"
Kouhei didn’t bother answering. His silence said everything.
Did he truly believe he could win? Maybe not. But he had no intention of running. Running now meant never seeing Yuuna again... and never pulling her back from the darkness. And he refused to let that happen.
Kouhei’s eyes fell briefly to Souichiro’s sword, dark energy swirling around it like a living shadow. Even from here, he could feel its cold hunger scraping at the edge of his senses.
"Let’s find out," Kouhei muttered under his breath. He raised his blade, channeling Yui’s pure angelic mana through it, light crackling along the steel. The power hummed against his palms, cold and searing at once with a holy force that demons despised.
But it was limited. The pure mana wouldn’t last forever. And when it was gone, Souichiro’s darkness could break him in an instant.
Kouhei exhaled slowly, steadying his heart. His boots dug into the ruined ground, the scorched earth crunching underfoot as he pushed forward.
Souichiro didn’t even bother shifting his stance. He lifted his sword casually, almost lazily, yet there was no opening Kouhei could see. It was like the air itself locked shut around him, choking away any path to victory.
The world seemed to narrow, the roar of battle fading to a distant rumble. Kouhei’s pulse thundered in his ears, every heartbeat syncing with the bright flare of angelic mana coiling around his blade.
He didn’t dare look away. He couldn’t look away.
The moment Kouhei lunged forward, Souichiro moved like a shadow twisting through flame.
The clang of their blades smashing together sent sparks exploding into the air, each impact ringing out sharp and cold like a funeral bell.
Souichiro’s smirk never wavered. His movements weren’t wild or desperate as they were calm, precise, and terrifyingly fluid. It was like a master idly playing with a child.
Kouhei’s muscles strained as he tried to press forward, angelic mana crackling around his blade in pale, holy light. But Souichiro met every strike effortlessly, turning aside Kouhei’s blade with almost lazy flicks of his wrist.
"Is that all?" Souichiro drawled, his voice low and mocking. "Come on... show me what makes you think you can stand beside my sister."
Kouhei didn’t answer. His breath came faster, sweat dripping down his jaw as he forced his feet to move, driving his sword at Souichiro’s side. But before the blade could land, Souichiro twisted slightly, his own dark blade slamming down against Kouhei’s with a force that sent vibrations screaming up Kouhei’s arms.
"Too slow," Souichiro taunted, his grin sharp enough to cut.
Souichiro stepped in closer, darkness swirling around his blade like living smoke, and lashed out. Kouhei barely managed to block, the impact ringing so loud it felt like it rattled inside his skull.
Kouhei stumbled back, boots scraping through blackened dirt. His chest heaved with his lungs burning. The holy mana around his sword flickered, thinning under the weight of Souichiro’s relentless darkness.
Souichiro advanced. "Look at you," he sneered, eyes flashing. "Struggling just to keep standing."
Their blades clashed again. Sparks flew. It was white from Kouhei’s side and black from Souichiro’s. The sounds echoed across the ruined field with them being sharp metallic screams, the low hiss of burning mana, and the dull crunch of earth cracking underfoot.
Kouhei tried to pivot, slashing low at Souichiro’s leg, but Souichiro anticipated it perfectly, knocking the attack aside and slamming his knee into Kouhei’s ribs.
"Ghh—!" Kouhei gasped, pain lancing through his chest.
Before Kouhei could recover, Souichiro’s blade crashed down again, and Kouhei barely raised his sword in time to block. The sheer force drove him to one knee, the ground cracking beneath him.
Souichiro stood over him, looking down with scorn. "You’re disappointing me, Child of Anti-Prophecy. Did you really think faith alone would carry you through?"
Kouhei forced himself back up, gripping his blade tight enough that his knuckles whitened. Angelic light sparked again around the steel—but it was dimmer now, sputtering like a dying candle.
Souichiro moved first this time, a blur of black steel and cold malice. Kouhei’s sword rang as he parried, the shock numbing his arms. Each strike pushed him back, inch by inch, until his boots slid against loose stones.
Kouhei’s breath came ragged. His heartbeat thundered in his ears with each thud screaming at him to move, to fight, and to survive. But Souichiro was relentless. Every opening Kouhei tried to make vanished before it even appeared.
Souichiro’s smirk widened, the darkness around him pulsing. "You’re nothing but a flicker of hope," he murmured, voice dripping with contempt. "And I’m going to snuff you out."
Their swords met once more, and this time Souichiro twisted his blade sharply, ripping Kouhei’s guard wide open.
With a brutal backhanded swing, Souichiro’s blade smashed into Kouhei’s side, sending him crashing to the ground. Dirt and shards of broken rock scattered into the air, the world spinning in a dizzy blur.
Kouhei coughed, tasting blood at the back of his throat. His vision swam and his ears started ringing.
But still... he forced himself to grip his sword tighter.