Chapter 262: The Crimson Baptism of the Blooming Higanka
The night was as dark as ink, with only the howling wind and the distant rumble of a departing train breaking the silence. The lights in the distance vanished into the abyss, leaving nothing but the void. Usagi collapsed onto the grassland, her tears falling onto the withered blades beneath her. The wind carried the dust into the air, its chill seeping into her trembling body.
Her world had crumbled.
And standing before her—the man who had once fought alongside her, whom she had trusted with her very soul—was now answering her cries with the most arrogant, the most disdainful voice—
"I'M RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!"
Rinro's voice erupted in the night, rolling like thunder, filled with unrestrained madness and an unmistakable killing intent. The corners of his lips curled into a mocking smirk, and in his golden eyes burned an eerie, bloodthirsty light.
—BOOM!!!
An overwhelming aura exploded forth like a raging storm!
Usagi's pupils shrank violently, her heartbeat pounding like a war drum. Every hair on her body stood on end under the crushing pressure. It was an ancient, savage, and overwhelmingly powerful presence, an unmistakable declaration of dominance—
The power of the Dragon Clan!
Rinro's body began to change. His taut muscles writhed as if something inside was ripping them apart. Beneath his skin, bones twisted and groaned, emitting grotesque, grinding sounds. Crack! Crack! Crack! One by one, razor-sharp dragon scales burst through his flesh, rapidly growing over his shoulders, arms, and back, reflecting a cold, ominous gleam.
A fleeting beam from the distant train illuminated his figure—he was no longer fully human. He stood in a battle stance, half-man, half-dragon.
"I have endured for too long," Rinro growled, his golden dragon eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on Usagi. "And you—Kurihara Usagi—must hold a high status within the Crimson House."
His voice was deep, carrying the weight of a death sentence. "Tonight, you must die!"
A crushing force gripped Usagi's heart, as if an invisible hand had clenched around it, suffocating her. Her fingers dug into the earth, her nails piercing the soil, her wide eyes locked onto the monstrous form before her.
Why… why had it come to this?!
Tears streamed down her face—tears of despair, of fury, of immeasurable pain. The one she had trusted the most now stood as her executioner, poised to end her life.
Her emotions shattered, and in that moment, she threw back her head and let out a heart-wrenching scream—
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
The desperate cry tore through the silent plains, piercing the night with raw anguish, grief, and an unyielding defiance.
Yet, the moment her voice reached its peak, her eyes suddenly snapped open. The tears had yet to dry, but within her crimson pupils, something flickered—something that did not belong to despair.
A chilling shift in the atmosphere rippled outward.
Rinro's dragon eyes narrowed slightly, his movements halting as he stared at Usagi's gaze. The smirk on his lips gradually faded.
"Do you want to kill me…?" he murmured, his tone carrying an unexpected hint of amusement. "Interesting."
The moonlight cast over Usagi's figure as the wind lifted her pink strands of hair. The air around her turned blistering hot, a violent energy radiating from her being like blood-red flames.
Slowly, her lowered eyelids lifted, revealing pupils glowing with a sinister, crimson hue—
Like the Higanbana blooming at the edge of the underworld.
Rinro's pupils constricted sharply. A cold shiver crawled up his spine like spectral claws.
—BOOM!!!!
Behind Usagi, the void twisted violently, rippling with blood-red waves that spread in concentric circles. One after another, eerie and deadly Higanbana flowers bloomed in the darkness, their presence warping the very fabric of reality. The energy surge compressed and distorted the air itself, creating sharp, piercing wails as though the world was fracturing under the weight of its power.
Rinro took a deep breath, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Beneath his dragon scales, his muscles tensed to their limit. He was ready—his stance rigid, his dragon armor gleaming, as though preparing for the ultimate defense.
"You're just a reckless fool with explosive power!" Rinro growled, his dragon eyes gleaming with both arrogance and calculated precision. "If I can withstand this attack, then you're the one who dies!!"
Yet, Usagi's gaze did not waver. There was no hesitation—only absolute, murderous resolve.
She extended her arms, and behind her, the endless blood-red ripples collapsed inward, condensing all their energy into a storm of annihilation.
Her voice resonated through the heavens, layered with the echoes of countless souls—
"HIGANKA!!!!!!!!!!"
—VMMM!!!!
In that instant, the world changed. The sky darkened, winds howled, and crimson petals filled the air like an all-consuming tempest! The earth trembled, the heavens roared—every living thing cowered beneath the suffocating might of her unleashed power!
A strange, intoxicating fragrance wafted through the air, lulling all who inhaled into a trance—as though they were stepping into the afterlife itself, where the boundary between life and death blurred.
Her crimson eyes burned like molten fire, her hair whipping wildly in the storm. She stood like a divine force incarnate, gazing down upon all creation with sovereign fury!
As the void quaked, the first beam of light erupted forth!
The atmosphere shrieked as the beam tore through it, a deafening crack splitting the air. It shattered the sound barrier, its trajectory locked onto Rinro with inescapable precision!
Rinro roared, crossing his arms before him, pouring every ounce of strength into his defense. But the moment the beam struck—
—BOOM!!!
His dragon scales splintered like fragile glass!!!
Charred fragments flew, the acrid scent of burnt flesh filling the air. The searing beam bored into his arm, leaving behind a grotesque, smoldering wound!
Rinro's expression twisted in shock—
"WHAT?!"
But he had no time to process it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
A relentless barrage of Higanka's beams rained down, each one a bolt of divine wrath, burning with crimson flames, annihilating everything in their path! The atmosphere itself twisted and cracked, the very ground shattering beneath the onslaught, turning into nothingness!
The world collapsed around them, an apocalyptic storm consuming everything in its wake!
Rinro gritted his teeth, pushing his body to its limit, his dragon eyes filled with the reflection of countless falling beams!
He moved at impossible speeds, every step a desperate dance against death. Yet, the beams were faster—
A searing shot pierced his shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. Blood spurted, sizzling as it touched the scorched air!
"ARRRGHHHHH!!!!!!"
Rinro howled in pain, his form staggering under the relentless bombardment. Each strike shattered another layer of dragon scales, each blast leaving fresh wounds upon his body.
Above them, the sky burned crimson. Below, the earth cracked and crumbled. And amidst the chaos, Usagi stood unwavering, her determination burning brighter than the destruction she had unleashed.
She would not stop.
She would not let Rinro leave here alive!