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  Chapter 17: Luna/AKARI**

  — Kaien... — Yuzuki muttered through clenched teeth. — Guard the entrance. Do not get involved. She... she is more than any of us.

  The little dragon looked up reluctantly, claws dug into the floor.

  In the bar, the battle raged on. Akari spat blood. Her knees trembled, but she forced herself upright.

  — I do not need summonings. I am Alcali. I am Akari! — she shouted, lunging forward.

  Luna formed a pair of ice claws on her forearms, and they collided in a brutal frenzy of punches, elbows, blocks, and parries. Akari struck with short, lightning-fast blows—low kicks and precise elbows—but Luna was a tactical monster.

  With a single step, Luna slid along an ice trail she had created on the floor, spun, and reappeared behind Akari. A frozen hook struck straight at Akari's liver. She fell to her knees, coughing up blood.

  — This is not a fight — said Luna. — It is a lesson.

  She kicked Akari's face with her ice-hardened boot, sending her crashing into the bar, which shattered into splinters. Akari struggled to rise. Her hands shook, her face was bruised, one leg bled. But her eyes... her eyes burned with defiance.

  — I... will not accept... this defeat. Not from you.

  Luna stepped closer, conjuring an ice spear in her hands.

  — Why do you persist? Do you not see it is useless?

  — Because you remind me of what I could have been... — Akari replied, her gaze unwavering. — And I refuse to become like you.

  Luna hesitated for a heartbeat. Kaien took a step forward, but Akari cried out:

  — NO! This pain is mine. This victory... will be mine, too.

  She rose unsteadily; blood ran from her nose and chin. Yet she raised her fists again—and smiled.

  — Come, Luna. Let us see who truly bears the Alcali legacy with pride.

  ***

  ### **Blood, Ice, and Heritage**

  Silence fell for a heartbeat. Akari, kneeling amid the shattered bar, lifted her gaze. Her brown eyes met the broken window. Through it, the golden light of sunset cut through the dusty air, caressing her wounded face. She smiled—not with scorn or taunt, but with a serene remembrance of who she was.

  — Thank you... Zyon — she whispered, as if in prayer.

  Luna took a step forward, readying her next assault. From her back, five ice daggers materialized. In her hand, an ice scythe curved cruelly.

  — Then rise, Akari — Luna murmured. — Let us finish this.

  Akari forced herself to her feet. Every muscle ached, blood streamed from deep cuts, but her resolve was unbreakable.

  — **Alcali Blood Seal... Symbiosis of Exchange.**

  Luna sprang forward like an arrow. The scythe cut the air, aimed at Akari's flank.

  *KSHHH!*

  But instead of flesh, the blade bit through a bar stool. Akari crouched behind a shelf, gasping.

  — Exchange number one — she murmured.

  Luna's teeth clenched. The ice daggers shot forward.

  *SHUNK, SHUNK, SHUNK!*

  Three mundane objects replaced Akari's form: a serving tray, a shattered bottle, a wooden stool. In an instant, Akari reappeared just ahead, vaulting beneath the daggers, and then, with a spinning leap, swapped places with a broken lantern dangling overhead.

  She hovered above Luna—and before the ice warrior could react, Akari seized her head and slammed it into the floor with all her might.

  *CRAAAAACK!*

  The bar floor cracked. The ice daggers clattered inert to the ground. Luna writhed, dazed. Akari drew in a fierce breath and raised her open hand.

  — **SHINKō TECHNIQUE!** — she roared, fury and justice in her voice.

  An intense blue energy burst from her palm—living currents, ancient and unbound—writhing over Luna's body like serpents and etching complex, tribal sigils of pacts and prison seals.

  — That seal... — Akari growled. — Is MINE!

  With a violent tug, the blue chains snapped, showering sparks and an ethereal roar of unleashed power. Zyon stirred. In the back of the bar, a silvery light pulsed like a giant heart. A beam of energy pierced the floorboards, making the ground tremble. Akari felt him—Zyon was with her again.

  Luna scrambled backward, flipping three somersaults with uncanny grace before landing amid the wreckage. She panted, hair loose, eyes wide.

  — You shattered the seal... with your bare hands.

  She surveyed the ruined bar, the blood on the floor, Akari standing tall.

  — And the boy?

  Her gaze flicked to the glowing symbol sealing Yuzuki. It still pulsed, undisturbed.

  — He is still trapped... — Luna said quietly, as though plotting her next move. — Fifteen minutes remain. That is all.

  She clenched her fist and the ice daggers floated back into position, forming a lethal circle around her.

  — Let us see what you can do... with time against you.

  Akari assumed her stance. The wind howled through the shattered wall, whipping her blood-soaked hair.

  — Fifteen minutes is more than enough — she said, fierce determination blazing in her eyes.

  ***

  ### **Blood, Ice, and Heritage (continued)**

  Akari took a deep breath. The chaos around her seemed to vanish for a moment. The wind carried the last golden rays of dusk, and through the wide-open window, the Golden Tree rose like a sacred monument. She stared at it, tears welling in her eyes.

  — Thank you... Master Yuzuki. For training me. For helping me remember... who I am.

  She clenched her fists.

  — Luna... I am no longer a frightened creature, cowering in the dark. I have Zyon with me.

  Akari's eyes glowed with a crystalline blue.

  — He was my father. My Kugutsu. My strength... my victory.

  Luna took a step back. For the first time... she was afraid. From Akari's body emanated a spiritual energy so dense and intense that it was visible—a deep blue like a storm-tossed sea, enveloping her in a sacred tempest.

  — What the hell is this girl...? — Luna muttered, eyes wide.

  Akari lifted her head, and her shout rolled across the bar like thunder:

  — I AM BREAKING FREE! I AM AWAKENING FROM AN ANCIENT NIGHTMARE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN RESOLVED! The sky trembled. The air grew thin.

  — FEEL THE DESPERATION IN YOUR BONES! ZYON, COME TO ME!

  High above, Kaien watched it all. His eyes shone with reverence.

  — What... what energy is this? — he whispered. His wings unfurled, and with a silent leap, he flew out through the window.

  On the ground, Yuzuki remained sealed—but, for the first time, he smiled.

  — *Good girl...*

  And then everything erupted. A blue wave swept through the entire bar. In the center of the whirlwind, Akari hovered, wrapped in a storm of peace and fury. Luna roared. She drove her scythe into the ground and spun it, creating a circular barrier of ice. Ice stakes sprouted from the earth, trying to contain Akari's energy. She laughed—a nervous laugh, passionate about the battle.

  — Time for the show, Akari... This is getting interesting!

  She raised her head and shouted with all her might:

  — TO THE DESPERATE, I ONLY ASK FOR CALM! COME TO ME... JADE!

  The ground shook. A frigid, cutting explosion swept across the makeshift arena, freezing everything in a one-kilometer radius. In the center of the battlefield... two forces clashed. On one side, Akari's vivid blue light. On the other, Luna's deadly frost.

  ZYON appeared first. From the eye of the blue storm emerged a tall man, just over two meters. His eyes were crystalline like sapphires, his pale skin marked by ancient runes. White hair, like freshly fallen snow. A crow's cloak, hunter's gear, and on his back, a chainsaw-sword—grotesque, alive, almost pulsating. The sound it made when activated sent Luna's heart racing. A mechanical, monstrous roar. Zyon... was not a beast. He was a man. A warrior. A father.

  Luna swallowed hard.

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  — ...My God...

  And then Jade appeared. In a frigid glow, an ice fairy materialized, floating beside Luna. Porcelain-white skin, silver hair flowing like waves in the wind. Eyes as cold and blue as abysses. A white dress trimmed with crystals, radiating serenity and danger. But there was no trace of cruelty in Jade. She was like winter: silent, beautiful, relentless.

  Zyon stepped forward. The earth trembled. Jade raised her hands. Snowflakes spun in the air like dancing blades. Akari and Luna, side by side with their Kugutsus. Force versus control. Spirit versus domination. Blue fire against eternal ice.

  Zyon walked among the wreckage, his heavy steps marking the ground soaked with blood and snow. His eyes found Akari, fallen, her body covered in deep wounds. She trembled in pain, but when she saw him, her eyes shone with understanding.

  — **Bar??...** — she whispered, her voice hoarse yet steady.

  Zyon's energy reacted immediately. A dark-blue aura enveloped them both, and Akari's wounds began to close at a supernatural pace. It was as if Zyon's very blood were merging with hers. They were connected. Body and soul.

  Zyon smiled—a wild, nostalgic smile.

  — Hm... I have missed this.

  The chainsaw in his hands vibrated in response. But it was not a simple metallic sound—it was a scream. An infernal roar that cut the air like invisible blades, warping the environment around them.

  — **Devil Trigger!** — Zyon shouted, and the world seemed to stop.

  His body exploded in crimson energy. Veins pulsed like rivers of lava beneath his skin, and the chainsaw roared with even more fury. Luna barely had time to blink. Zyon was already in front of her. She widened her eyes—too shocked to react—and the chainsaw was already slicing through her belly, tearing flesh and bone. Blood gushed like a scarlet fountain, staining the ice-covered ground. Luna was thrown backward, her body smashing through three houses before collapsing in the rubble.

  The chainsaw spun on its own, pulsating. It drank the enemy's blood with animalistic pleasure, transferring that corrupted energy directly to Akari, who watched from afar.

  — Thank you, Zyon... — she said with an ironic smile —, now I am resistant to ice.

  Her laughter cut the silence like a knife.

  Luna emerged from the wreckage, staggering, her belly open, blood flowing uncontrollably. She fell to her knees, but before she lost consciousness, Jade appeared at her side, pale and panting.

  — **Bar??...** — she murmured, and her energy flowed into her mistress, sealing the wounds with a cold light.

  Luna gasped, her eyes wide with hatred and confusion.

  — What the hell kind of Kugutsu is this...? — she spat. — I have never seen anything like it...

  She turned to Jade, trembling.

  — Make it snow. Now.

  Jade hesitated.

  — Are you sure? It is still early...

  — Jade! — Luna shouted, her voice cracking. — If you do not take this seriously... we are going to die!

  Silence. Then Jade nodded, swallowing her fear. She touched Luna's forehead gently, then shot into the sky like a blue arrow of light. Her energy pulsed with an unnatural force.

  — **Secret Technique: Ice Sky.**

  The world changed. The weather transformed in seconds. The temperature plummeted. Snow began to fall in torrents, dense as wool, cold as death. The moon above darkened... then shone blue, intense, otherworldly.

  Akari swallowed hard, her body already beginning to freeze.

  — My God... — she whispered to Zyon. — She is stronger than I imagined... The entire climate... is changing...

  ***

  ### **CUT TO: UNDERGROUND — BURIED ALIVE**

  In the depths of the earth, among rocks and ice, Yuzuki felt an overwhelming presence. His eyes opened. His soul trembled.

  — What is this energy...? — he whispered, suffocated. — I... lost connection with them...

  But Luna did not know. She did not know that Yuzuki held a trump card. An ancient secret, stolen from the hands of the gods. He slid his hand inside his torn robes and pulled out a book covered in golden symbols, throbbing like living flames.

  When he opened it, a golden light exploded from within, like the first sun after a thousand years of darkness.

  ***

  Zyon! Devil Trigger**

  Back on the battlefield, the silence was broken by a single word.

  — Let us begin... — Luna murmured, her eyes locked on Akari.

  The icy breeze that had been falling softly like a lament transformed. The snow melted into blades. The sky wept deadly ice.

  — **Rain of Daggers.**

  With a serene, almost motherly voice, Luna sealed the fate of that night. The sky opened, and thousands of ice shards—long, sharp, merciless—plunged like the wrath of a vengeful god.

  — Get behind me! — Zyon roared, positioning himself in front of Akari.

  With steady movements, his chainsaw spun in a fury. Every falling dagger was cut, deflected, or shattered by the living blade. The shards ricocheted around them, but not one even touched Akari. Their eyes met amid the chaos—an unshakable mutual trust. They smiled. It was the dance of war. And they were in perfect rhythm.

  Then Akari went further. Blood still streamed from her flank, but she ignored it. Her muscles screamed, but she only tightened her grip on the sword that lay on the ground. She raised it, pointing it toward the sky of daggers.

  — Come to me, Luna! — her voice echoed like thunder cutting through the storm. — The fight is between you and me!

  Without hesitation, Akari activated her ability. A faint light formed beneath her feet.

  — **Exchange!**

  The patch of frozen ground beneath Luna glowed. And, in the blink of an eye, Akari appeared directly below her. With a sharp blow, she delivered a kick with the full force of her body straight into Luna's chin, sending her flying upward. In that instant, Akari leaped and, in midair, drove her sword into the enemy's chest, piercing flesh, muscle, and bone.

  Luna spat blood into the sky.

  — NOW, JADE! — she screamed in agony.

  Jade reacted immediately, drawing circles of ice around Akari. The frozen rings began to close like shackles, attempting to bind her limbs. But Zyon's response came with the fury of a thunderclap:

  — I AM HERE, AKARI!

  From a distance, he leaped like a bolt of flaming lightning and spun the chainsaw in the air.

  — **Technique: RENDER!**

  The ground trembled. The ice circles exploded into thousands of pieces, freeing Akari. She wasted no time: she ripped the sword from Luna's chest and kicked her violently, striking her in the face. Luna collapsed to the ground, spitting blood and screaming in pain.

  — You bitch... — she snarled, her eyes clouded with hatred.

  But she was not finished. With a swift motion, the three floating ice stakes orbiting her fell like missiles upon Akari. A dry crack tore through the air. The stakes pierced Akari's abdomen, opening a grotesque hole.

  — AAAAAARGH! — Akari screamed, her body doubling over in agony.

  Zyon watched the blow with wide eyes. Her pain was his. He roared with a primal fury:

  — **BONE CRUSHER!**

  He drove the chainsaw into the frozen ground. The blade screamed. An explosion of rock, ice, and snow swept everything away. A massive crater opened on the battlefield. The mist spread, blinding everyone.

  From the midst of the dust and destruction, Zyon emerged like a war-forged demon, his eyes like burning embers, the chainsaw roaring. He appeared right behind Jade.

  — You should not have done that.

  The blow struck her head-on. Jade flew through the air like a lifeless rag doll. Zyon did not stop. He ran in a straight line, like a runaway train, toward Luna. She rose, staggering, and drew her crystal scythe.

  — Then come! — she shouted, spitting blood. — COME, MONSTER!

  The blades clashed. The ice scythe and the living chainsaw collided with the thunder of an avalanche. Sparks exploded on impact. Every blow between them cracked the ground, the winds howled, and the sky writhed.

  And somewhere, beneath that storm of chaos and blood... Yuzuki opened the book.

  ***

  ### **The Fusion of the Cursed**

  The blades were still clashing when Luna and Zyon came face to face.

  — You piece of shit... — Luna snarled through gritted teeth. — What the hell are you? I have never seen a human Kugutsu!

  She pushed the scythe harder, the blade trembling with icy magic.

  — I will kill Akari... and steal you from her. — Her tone was venomous, sadistic. — You will serve me... knowing you slaughtered the one you loved most.

  Zyon remained motionless. His gaze pierced Luna's soul—cold, silent, abyssal.

  — You understand nothing...

  In an instant, black chains shot from Luna's arms and legs, pinning her to the frozen ground with a metallic snap. Her eyes widened as her body struggled in vain against the seal.

  — What is this?! NO! — she screamed, trying to break free.

  A dark iron collar appeared on her neck, pulling her brutally until her face was pressed against the ice.

  — STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!

  She looked at Zyon... and the world shattered around them. The sky bled red. Crows circled overhead, cawing like harbingers of death. All around, wooden crosses sprouted from the ground, nailing broken, naked bodies—still breathing, still bleeding. The earth was covered in unrecognizable corpses.

  Zyon said nothing. He just watched her. Eyes fixed. Empty. Luna began to tremble.

  — Stop... stop this... get me out of here!

  She screamed like a child trapped in a nightmare. Real terror. Then, a familiar voice.

  — Luna...!

  Jade. Luna blinked. Everything vanished. She was back on the battlefield. The cold. The mist. The blood. The pain. Jade was holding Zyon's chainsaw with both hands, enveloping it in frigid energy. Her arms trembled, but her gaze was firm.

  — I am with you, Luna. No matter where. I will always be with you.

  Luna gasped, breathless. Her hands still shook.

  — Was it... a nightmare?

  She smiled briefly, but deep down she knew it was no mere delusion.

  On the other side, Akari was bleeding profusely. Her sword was driven into the ground, her body hunched. Her gaze was tired, but her voice came out clear.

  — Zyon... we have no choice.

  He turned to her immediately.

  — This fight... has gotten out of control. We need to use *that*.

  Zyon's eyes widened for a moment, then he nodded gravely.

  — **Y?g?.**

  The sacred word fell like thunder upon the battle. The air shifted. Time hesitated. On the other side, Luna's eyes widened, and she backed away instinctively.

  — My God... they know how to use *Y?gō*! — she whispered, terrified. — Jade! We have to kill Akari. Now!

  Jade, still panting, shook her head. But before anything could happen... the ground glowed. A golden light, pulsing like the heart of the Tree of Adam and Eve, began to sprout from the soil. It was not just light. It was life. It was ancient power.

  From afar, a roar tore through the heavens.

  — *RAAAAAAAAAAARGHH!!*

  Kaien. The dragon descended from the skies like a falling star. He spiraled brutally, tearing through the clouds in flames.

  — **YYUUUZZZUUKIIIII!!!**

  Kaien hit the ground with such force that the ice shattered, the stones exploded, and a colossal crater opened in the center of the battlefield. The air trembled, the golden light grew even more intense. Kaien beat his wings violently. For the first time, he roared in black flames, unleashing a jet of fire that swept away the mist.

  — MY MASTER IS BACK!!!

  The world stopped. Luna retreated, eyes wide. Akari let out a bloody smile, an almost insane laugh. Jade and Zyon turned their gazes to the center of the crater.

  From within the golden abyss, a head began to emerge. First the dark, wet strands of hair... then the eyes—eyes that burned with living gold.

  Yuzuki was returning.

  — That is enough... — Akari murmured, her eyes shining.

  — The real war begins now.