The battlefield had long since lost meaning—craters upon craters, blood evaporated into mist, energy scars etched into the air itself.

  Round Two: Kairyuuha vs. Kazuki.

  The clash resumed.

  Hours passed.

  Spell met spell. Fist met dagger. Flame met void.

  The cosmos swirled around Kairyuuha’s eyes, while Kazuki’s magic flared with devastating brilliance.

  They tore through mountains, danced on lightning, and carved the sky with every clash.

  But eventually—an opening.

  Kairyuuha slipped through.

  His dagger pulsed with cosmic energy.

  He drove it forward—right into Kazuki’s heart.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  CRACK.

  The Void Barrier Kazuki had activated shimmered—an absolute defense of the empty plane.

  But even the void wasn’t enough.

  The dagger shattered it—and pierced through.

  Time froze.

  Kairyuuha’s eyes widened.

  His hand trembled.

  “No…”

  Kazuki staggered, blood blooming like a dark flower from his chest.

  And in that moment—memories flooded back.

  Laughing together.

  Training.

  The first time Kazuki called him “nii-chan.”

  The times they stood side by side—never behind, never ahead.

  Brothers.

  Kairyuuha’s voice broke to a whisper.

  “I tried… I tried protecting you…

  It didn’t have to be like this.”

  He gritted his teeth.

  “…I don’t want to…

  I can’t believe I…”

  Tears.

  Not glowing. Not magical.

  Just tears.

  Falling.

  Kairyuuha, the one who shattered a domain.

  Who fought billions.

  Now broke—before one man.

  Kazuki.

  His eyes flickered. The chains of control shattered in his soul.

  “…Brother?”

  Kairyuuha looked up, trembling.

  Kazuki, despite the wound, smiled gently.

  “It’s alright.”

  He touched Kairyuuha’s shoulder.

  “I remember now.

  You were always the one who stood in front of me…

  Shielded me from everything.

  Even now, you still are.”

  Kairyuuha choked. “No, don’t talk like that—"

  But Kazuki interrupted, his voice calm.

  “This isn’t your fault.

  I know you’ll fix all this.

  So… let me make this easier.”

  He began glowing—a soft white light, not of destruction, but of surrender.

  “I’ll destroy myself…

  Because I trust you, Nii-san.”

  The light intensified.

  Kairyuuha cried out—“KAZUKI—!”

  But it was too late.

  A burst of light.

  Then silence.

  All that remained—

  Was Kairyuuha, kneeling in the ash, trembling, holding onto the fading warmth of his little brother’s final smile.