On the other side, Karito's arm-blade clashed with Ishigaki's auric in mid-air as they launched towards each other. They then landed onto the cold asphalt below, where numerous warriors were impaled to their deaths.

  They took a leap backwards, gaining distance from each other. When Ishigaki panted heavily while thinking about his next move, Yamato landed beside him. He looked at Yamato and saw a different glare in his eyes.

  "You came to help me again, huh?" asked Ishigaki, as he brushed the dust from his jacket, "aren't you being a traitor to them right now?"

  Yamato paused for a moment, but then he looked at him, "Kurouzu was my closest friend, and I will do anything to avenge him..." he remarked, while his dark arm started to glow purple, "but I was too angry with myself to think straight before... as I was dragged back into this world that I didn't ask for..." he clenched his left hand, imbued with darkness, "but then I realized that this might be my last chance to see my friend again, I'd do anything for that,"

  Ishigaki saw an unyielding spirit boiling from Yamato, he's clearly in the middle of his own redemption arc, "I just remembered the first time we saw you, you were trying to kill us. Now look at you, suddenly become a hero," he sneered to him, while keeping his focus towards Karito.

  "I have changed... I still bear the burden of turning one of your friend into one of my army. But just know this, we had a plan," Yamato answered, now his focus is shifted towards Karito as well.

  "Who's we?" Ishigaki asked again, he kept holding onto Aosuke's sword from before, seemingly forgetting that it was not his.

  Yamato turned his head towards Ishigaki slightly, and answered, "Me and Yamisuke,"

  ----

  Yusuke dived towards Kyuuto from the roof he was standing on, making an explosion when he finally crashed into the ground. But amidst the smoke and the rubble, he was held by Kyuuto, blade on blade.

  Kyuuto held Yusuke with all his might, while ice starting to form around him. It's clear that he could match his opponent's strenght, but only clouded by doubt. After the two struggled, they stepped back and panting heavily, their breaths could be seen as warm steam among the ice of their own powers.

  "Do you remember him well, Kyuuto?" Yusuke suddenly asked, with a huge grin behind his mask, his acid dripping even more from his icy blade. "I retain Koori's memories, so I do have a good idea of how you two used to interact with each other... but I'm curious, how do you remember him?" he sneered at Kyuuto, then squatted down by also resting his hands onto the hilt of his sword.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The acid of Yusuke's sword corroded some scrap metals on the ground, including some part of the asphalt near his foot. As Yusuke waited for a response from Kyuuto, the sun gradually covered by the clouds, leaving Yusuke in the shadows, while his neon green acid lit up as well as his eyes.

  Kyuuto meanwhile felt heavy and unable to respond, his mind was filled with memories of him and Koori. But somehow, it was all blurry and he could not remember everything very well. One memory that he could recall was the practice with Koori, while their daily lives seemed to have been obscured by something in Kyuuto's mind.

  "Koori tried to be the best brother for you, didn't he?" Yusuke spoke again, while walking in a small circle, keeping his sharp eyes on Kyuuto, "he tried to care for you, to make you feel alive. While Shin was doing the exact opposite. He appeared to hate you, to not even bother talking to you when you were around... but you know what? It was just all an act. Koori especially,"

  Yusuke hanged his sentence, giving Kyuuto more time to process. But then he answered cold and sharp, with confidence, "I know," he said.

  Yusuke paused his smugness and tried to process what Kyuuto just said, he was stunned to hear that Kyuuto knew about Koori's act. "Oh really? What about it then?"

  "I know what he felt... I understand his pain. He always want to do good, to chase his dreams, but the moment I came along... his dream was no more," Kyuuto looked down with a bittersweet smile of realization, then he looked at Yusuke again. He felt like he saw Koori's old image on top of his now deformed body controlled by Yusuke.

  "But now I'm determined. If we could knock out Akira out of Kentarou... then I'll force you out of Koori as well..." Kyuuto got into his fighting stance, the temperature around him dropped drastically as thin layer of ice formed on the concrete under him.

  Yusuke smiled again, his smile wide and filled with mallice. His acidic ice blade formed again, dripping to the asphalt beneath him, eating it into nothingness. He knows that Kyuuto was getting more unstable.

  "Bring it on then," Yusuke said calmly, but his body was tense, ready to clash his blade again. Right before he even blinked, Kyuuto suddenly was in front of him, with his bright blue eyes staring to his soul, his sword was ready to take him out.

  Yusuke narrowly sidestepped him, while also conjuring his acid ice from the ground to act as a shield. That shield was instantly broken by Kyuuto's slash, after which the two tried to hack each other furiously but never quite reach each other.

  Until one move, Kyuuto managed to slash Yusuke's arm and he stepped back with blood dripping to the ground. Yusuke smiled even wider and said, "You're really telling me something here... don't you care about your brother? This is his body, remember?"

  Kyuuto paused for a moment before he replied, "I do... that's why I will give my all!!" he then lurched forward quickly, slashing Yusuke furiously while he struggled to dodge and defend himself, "Get out of my brother's body!!" Kyuuto jumped backwards, then launched himself again with stronger force with his blade facing straight to Yusuke's chest.

  Kyuuto planted his blade deep inside Yusuke's chest, as the world seemingly fell silent for a moment, leaving only their heavy breaths through the air.