CHAPTER 17: GOLDEN LIGHT

Within the ever-shifting walls of the Infinity Castle, Kokushibo knelt in stillness. The silence hung heavy.

He closed his eyes.

"I hope you win, Sahiru," he murmured. "End this."

Far away, deep in the forest now torn by battle, Sahiru faced Hiyori alone.

She twirled her blood-soaked scythe, unphased.

"You've lost your ally. Now die like the rest."

But Sahiru… chuckled.

Low at first, then louder.

The sound stopped Hiyori in her tracks. Even the observers hiding behind the trees flinched.

"He's laughing?" Obanai muttered.

Mitsuri gripped his arm. "Why is he laughing now…?"

Sahiru looked up, eyes gleaming. "You think you've seen my power?"

He took a single step forward.

"Everything I've done up to now… was me holding back."

The air warped. Thunder cracked without clouds. Leaves whipped into a whirlwind. The earth trembled beneath his feet.

He roared—

"Facade Breathing… Reawakening."

His blade—once violet and scarlet—began to shift.

A golden radiance engulfed the forest.

The aura was divine.

Even Hiyori faltered for the first time, instinctively stepping back.

Then it happened.

Sahiru's eyes widened, glowing with golden light. In the midst of that divine storm, a voice rang in his ears.

"Sahiru… I'm with you."

It was her.

Suzune.

His spirit bond ignited.

Power surged. Emotion surged.

The grief, the rage, the love—every feeling that had shaped Sahiru Orasawa's journey—merged into one moment of undeniable truth.

"No more limits," he said softly.

And then he moved.

A blur.

A streak of light.

They clashed, one final time—Sahiru and Hiyori. No tricks. No manipulation.

Just power against power.

The scythe met the blade.

A hurricane exploded around them.

They screamed their wills into the sky.

And then—

Slice.

A clean arc of gold.

Blood splattered across the riverbed.

Hiyori's head hit the ground.

Her body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Sahiru stood amidst the silence. Blade dripping. Breathing calm.

She was gone.

He had won.

At last.

The golden light faded gently around him.

He looked up to the sky. The clouds parted.

For a brief second, a soft breeze caressed his face—almost like a hand.

Far away, Kokushibo sat in the quiet of the Infinity Castle, a soft exhale escaping his lips.

"…Thank you," he whispered.