Chapter 243: Roar from the Ashes

Usagi, using the last of her strength, landed lightly beside Hayato like a dragonfly skimming the water. Her breath was weak, and her face was as pale as paper, yet she still straightened her back with effort and asked, "Just now… why didn't you dodge? Weren't you afraid… that the mini-cannon might actually kill you?"

Hayato wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his forehead and flashed his signature roguish grin. He bent down slightly, looking straight into Usagi's eyes. His tone was playful, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "You wouldn't."

Usagi was momentarily speechless, her emotions a whirlwind of complexity. She stared at Hayato, the image of his unguarded stance against the cannon's blast replaying in her mind. She couldn't understand why this man—who she once considered an enemy—would trust her so blindly. The trust was almost laughably absurd, yet it stirred an inexplicable warmth within her.

She murmured bitterly, "Why… why would you do this for me? Do you even realize…"

Before she could finish, Hayato cut her off. He straightened up, his eyes gleaming with an untamed fire. "Relax. No matter what happens, you'll be fine. I promise—"

Their brief conversation was shattered by a deep rumble from the depths of the ruins. Rubble collapsed like a surging tide, but the swirling dust was suddenly torn apart by an immense sword aura.

From beneath the wreckage, Leo slowly stood up, gripping the Yahachi Blade tightly in both hands. Orange energy flickered and crackled around the sword's edge, its radiance dazzling.

Leo had clenched his teeth and used the Yahachi Blade to forcibly withstand both Hayato's strike and the mini-cannon's explosion. Though his arms were drenched in blood and his face was ghostly pale, a glint of madness ignited in his eyes.

"You think this is enough to defeat me?!"

Hayato looked at the staggering yet unyielding Leo in the distance, a wild grin stretching across his face.

"You're tougher than you look—"

His features twisted with exhilaration, a terrifying aura radiating from his entire being. His voice roared like thunder, shaking the battlefield:

"Play your symphony—Yatsuten!!!"

A ferocious surge of sword aura erupted with his words, sweeping across the battlefield like a tempest, shredding everything in its path. The rubble disintegrated into dust, the ground split into deep chasms, and a suffocating killing intent filled the air.

Usagi steadied herself and spoke in a low voice, "You take the front, I'll cover the rear."

As she finished, the four mini-cannons behind her rose again, their glow intensifying as energy surged within them.

Hayato let out a wild laugh, gripping his twin blades tighter, his blood burning with excitement. He cast a playful glance at Usagi and smirked, "With teamwork like this, I can't let you down."

Before his words had fully settled, he had already launched himself forward like a beast, his twin blades gleaming as they sliced through the air, aiming directly at his opponent.

Leo tightened his grip on the Yahachi Blade, his sword aura surging like a tidal wave. He let out a deep growl, muscles taut, as he swung his sword down with crushing force. The moment their powers clashed, blood-red sparks and sharp sword light intertwined, creating a destructive symphony of battle.

Leo's sword slashed through the air, Yatsuten's energy raining down like a storm, recklessly ravaging the ruins. The sheer force of the attack shook the battlefield—sand and stones whirled into the sky, the very air screaming under the pressure. Yet Hayato danced through the onslaught like a phantom, slipping through each deadly strike with predatory precision.

Meanwhile, Usagi controlled the four mini-cannons from the rear, their beams cutting through the night like shooting stars, relentlessly locking onto Leo. He leaped and dodged through the rubble with remarkable agility, trying to shake off the pursuit. But no matter how fast he moved, the cannons remained fixed on him, almost as if they had a mind of their own.

Seizing the opportunity, Hayato closed the distance in a flash, his twin blades striking at an intricate angle. However, just as he was about to land the decisive blow, an immense pressure bore down on him—Leo's gravity field locked him in place, making every movement sluggish and arduous.

At that moment, Usagi's four mini-cannons finally caught up to Leo.

Leo's expression hardened. With no room left to retreat, he gritted his teeth and flipped into the air at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the incoming energy blasts. Yet, just as he thought he had escaped, the cannons didn't stop. They veered sharply—heading straight for Hayato instead.

Hayato, however, showed no fear. He didn't dodge or flinch. And just as before, the four mini-cannons swerved at the last second, slipping past him harmlessly before redirecting toward Leo once more. The beams of energy, as if enchanted, had become his shield rather than his doom.

Leo roared in frustration, finally unleashing the power he had been holding back. He swung the Yahachi Blade with all his might, his voice booming across the battlefield:

"YATSUTEN!!!"

A devastating sword aura erupted outward, threatening to level the entire Sonya Ruins.

The four mini-cannons met the oncoming sword aura head-on. The two forces clashed violently, sending shockwaves exploding through the air. Sparks of energy and sword light collided at the epicenter, birthing a blinding radiance before detonating into an overwhelming shockwave.

Smoke and dust surged into the sky like an infernal tide. Shattered debris rained down, obscuring the moonlight and plunging the battlefield into chaos.

Two cataclysmic forces clashed at their peak, sending ear-shattering tremors through the world. Golden-orange sword light tangled with searing white energy beams, their collision birthing an invisible storm that ravaged everything in its wake. The very battlefield quaked under their battle, the night sky torn asunder by their relentless onslaught.

The explosion's radiance blazed like a second sun rising over the ruins, illuminating the darkened sky as if heralding the dawn of a new era. Then, the aftershock surged outward in a tidal wave of destruction, uprooting earth, scattering rubble, and disintegrating everything in its wake.

"RUMMMMBLE——!!!"

The ground trembled violently, cracks spiderwebbing out like shattered glass. It was as if the entire ruins were on the verge of collapse.

Smoke and dust billowed, engulfing everything in darkness and chaos. The air burned with residual energy, the scent of scorched stone and metal hanging thick. Breathing itself became a struggle in the suffocating heat.

And amidst the destruction, Leo remained standing tall. The golden-orange radiance still flickered around him, his Yahachi Blade firmly in hand. His gaze was sharp and unwavering as he stared into the swirling smoke ahead—awaiting the next round of battle.