Kai was on his knees, his breathing ragged, as he struggled to stay upright on the devastated tatami. The dojo around him was a true battlefield, as if a silent and brutal war had been waged there. The floor was strewn with debris, stained with blood and soot, and the cracked walls showed signs they wouldn't hold much longer. Flames and sparks still flickered here and there, remnants of the techniques he had used in his desperate attempt to stop Baren. His whole body ached; every fiber seemed to protest the effort, and his right arm barely obeyed, pulsing with pain. His thigh, previously punctured, responded a bit better now, though every movement sent a stabbing pain through it.
Each breath was a challenge, the air dense as if fighting against him, and his mind wavered between exhaustion and determination. Kai looked at Baren, who still bore a mocking smile, and felt a wave of frustration mixed with exhaustion. "Why am I here? Why am I still fighting this giant rat? What am I trying to prove… and to whom?" He struggled to cling to a purpose, something to justify this insane effort.
Then, amid the pain, warm and gentle memories began to emerge, like a breath of fresh air amidst the chaos. In his mind, he saw Sona and Tsubaki. He remembered a peaceful morning when they shared laughter around the breakfast table. In another memory, the three of them lay sprawled on the couch, laughing and trading teasing remarks. In those moments—simple and unassuming—he felt a genuine peace, a rare and precious sense of belonging. Even amid all the dangers and battles, he had found something worth holding on to, something too valuable to let go of. He fought because he couldn't give up now; not when, finally, he had found a purpose.
This spark of determination lit a new brightness in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he raised his face and stared at Baren. The pain was still there, but now it was a distant memory. Kai would not let it stop him. He was still standing and would see this through to the end.
Unsteady, he got to his feet, sweat dripping down his face as he took one last look around. It was then that he noticed the wolf statue, almost completely destroyed, standing beside the door it was meant to protect. The figure bore deep cracks running throughout its stone body, and dozens of dead rats lay around it. The statue, even in ruins, seemed to struggle to drag itself back to the front of the door, as if it had only one mission left: to protect that mysterious entrance.
Kai observed the scene with respect and admiration. Even torn and on the brink of collapse, the wolf statue did not abandon its purpose. Inspired, he tightened his grip on the Zanpakutō, lifting his determined face and staring down Baren, who watched him with a sneer.
Kai finally broke the silence:
— "I know I'm handsome, but I'm pretty sure you're not here for me," he said, a biting tone in his voice, though he could barely hide his exhaustion.
Baren blinked, surprised, but then burst into a loud and threatening laugh. The rat's eyes glowed with a dark amusement.
— "Boy, are you a fool or just absurdly arrogant?" Baren tilted his head as if studying Kai completely. — "After all this fighting, you still don't understand my goal?" He cast a scornful look, as if staring at someone brainless.
Kai felt his blood boil under Baren's disdainful gaze and snapped back, irritated:
— "Of course, I know what you're after! You want what's behind that black door, don't you?"
Kai cast a quick glance at the door behind him. The structure was intimidating, with red lines that seemed to pulse like veins. Amid all the destruction around, that door remained intact, as if an invisible force shielded it from any contamination. If Baren desired anything, it was clearly what lay beyond that barrier.
Baren sneered.
— "Then why ask the obvious?" He took a step forward, a superior look that made Kai even angrier. — "Are you stalling? Boy, your fate is already sealed."
Kai saw that Baren had seen through his ploy, but he kept a stoic face. He had been trying to buy time to recover energy and heal his wounds, but now that he was discovered, he had no choice left. He focused, managing to close the wound on his thigh partially. It would have to be enough to move without as much disadvantage.
With his disguise revealed, Kai decided to go on the offensive. He tightened his grip on the Zanpakutō and prepared for a decisive attack. Instead of using his fire rings as a shield, he decided to risk everything on a direct attack. With a calculated move, he sent the eight flaming rings of Ookami hurtling toward Baren as he advanced in his wake.
The rings whistled as they cut through the air, glowing like eight small dark moons surrounded by sinister flames. Baren reacted instantly, steadying his daggers and delivering swift blows to deflect each one. But even as he defended himself, his hands grew numb, surprised by the intensity of the flames. At the moment he deflected the last ring, Kai was already in front of him, ready to strike.
Kai took advantage of Baren's brief paralysis, lifted Ryu, and aimed a direct blow at his neck. Baren instinctively raised one of the daggers to block the strike, but something felt off. His eyes widened as he saw his dagger sliding over a small gap in the scales of Kai's blade, an opening he hadn't expected. Every fiber of his being screamed in warning, and he quickly manipulated his own hair, transforming it into a defensive barrier around his neck.
As the two collided, sparks flew, lighting up both their faces. Kai's arms throbbed, veins bulging, every muscle tense as he poured all his strength into the Zanpakutō.
— "Aaaaahhhh!" Kai grunted through gritted teeth, and Ryu began to glow with a celestial blue hue, flooding the area with vibrant light.
Baren felt the pressure mount. Before he could react, his entire body was thrown back by the force of the blow, flung like a broken toy. He flew through the air, smashing through a wall and landing outside, leaving a cloud of dust and debris in his wake.
Kai's breathing was labored, his body still aching, but there was something else in his gaze now—a determination that couldn't be broken. He was exhausted, but he knew it wasn't over. Looking toward where Baren had fallen, he walked outside slowly, breathing deeply as he felt the weight of the battle still pressing on his shoulders. His feet touched the hard earth, and he noticed the stark contrast between the internal chaos and the external scene. Outside, the dojo seemed small and forgotten, surrounded by a vast and empty field, almost as if someone had built it in the middle of a deserted wasteland.
The exterior bore signs of time, its white walls stained with leaks and cracks snaking through like webs. The windows, dirty and dust-covered, reflected the outside light with a dull gleam, giving the place a cold, distant feel. The ground around the dojo was dry, littered with stones and small twisted plants that seemed to have resisted the passage of time but at the cost of their vitality.
Looking around, Kai noticed the eerie silence of the place. A shiver ran down his spine as he observed the wolf statue. Once imposing, it was now nearly destroyed, still trying to drag itself into position before the door. Stone fragments lay scattered, and its form barely held up.
That's when he heard a sound behind him, like stones shifting and gravel being pushed aside. He turned and saw Baren, slowly rising amid the dust in the air. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze fixed on Kai with a mixture of fury and amusement. The rat, now more menacing than ever, took a step toward Kai, and the ground seemed to tremble with the intensity of his presence.
Kai took a deep breath, and with the last of his strength, advanced against Baren, his Zanpakutō in hand. Determination blazed in his eyes, even though his body was weary and marked with injuries. Baren watched him with that mocking smile, his eyes gleaming with a perverse pleasure as he saw the young human persist, as if waiting for the moment Kai would finally collapse.
Kai raised his swords and attacked with all his intensity, delivering a series of rapid blows. The blades cut through the air, each movement flowing into the next, as if they were an extension of his own will. But Baren, with his sharp daggers, was an unyielding opponent. He blocked and dodged each strike, the metallic sound of the blades echoing around them.
In a moment of advantage, Kai managed to bypass Baren's guard, aiming for his chest. With a quick move, Baren stepped aside and used his strength to shove Kai backward, making him stumble over the rubble and fall to his knees. Baren's smile grew even darker.
— "You really don't understand, do you?" he taunted, lifting one of his daggers. — "Did you think you could face me with just determination? That with pathetic willpower, you could overcome a being like me?"
Kai got up, panting, but his gaze remained defiant. That's when he noticed something strange. Around them, the dead rats' bodies began dissolving into a thick mist, a dark purple mixed with black streaks. The gas rose from the ground, coiling through the air like venomous serpents, converging toward Baren. The energy enveloped the rat's body, absorbing into him, and a purple sphere began to form in his hands, growing and pulsing with menacing energy.
— "This is my final move, boy!" Baren shouted, holding the sphere with both hands, his voice a mix of triumph and hatred. — "I'll crush you, this place, and everything around with a single explosion!"
Kai felt the danger pulsing from that growing sphere. His instincts screamed for him to act quickly, but he knew he wouldn't reach Baren in time to stop the attack. He looked around, desperately searching for any way to stop him, but Baren was already nearly engulfed by the sphere's energy, ready to unleash his deadly blow.
But at the last moment, an unexpected figure appeared.
The stone wolf statue, which seemed completely destroyed and lifeless, moved. With one final effort, the wolf dragged itself close to Baren, its empty eyes fixed on the enemy. When Baren noticed the approach, it was already too late. The stone wolf leapt with ferocity, clamping its jaws onto Baren's arm, holding it tightly and ripping a cry of surprise and anger from the rat.
— "Damn Tsugami!" Baren roared, trying to free himself from the wolf's bite, but the creature held fast, as if determined to protect Kai until the last moment.
Kai didn't waste any time. Seeing the distraction caused by the wolf, he gathered all his remaining energy and charged at Baren. With a quick, precise movement, he drove his Zanpakutō into the rat's chest, aiming directly at the heart.
— "Burn, Ookami!" Kai shouted, activating the hidden power of the blade.
Immediately, black flames erupted from the blade, enveloping Baren in a dark inferno. The flames were not ordinary; they seemed to devour not only the body but also the essence of Baren, consuming his very existence. The rat screamed in agony, his body writhing in the flames that consumed him entirely.
In the midst of the pain, Baren gathered his last strength and, in a desperate act, absorbed the large purple sphere of energy. His body began to swell, becoming unstable as if it were about to explode. His eyes glinted with madness.
— "Hahaha! You may have defeated me, boy, but you won't leave here alive…" Baren said, his voice distorted by pain and hatred. — "I am but an explorer… When the true force arrives, you and all those you love will suffer the consequences of defying our power…!"
Before he could finish his threat, the stone wolf, in one final effort, used its tail to knock Kai back, pushing him toward the destroyed area. Kai was thrown inside, landing heavily on the ground, feeling a powerful vibration echo through the air.
Suddenly, a blinding flash filled the space, and the ground began to shake, as if on the brink of collapse. Kai, still dazed by the intensity of the blow, watched in panic as the entire place began to fall apart around him. But before anything could reach him, an invisible barrier emerged around him, shielding him from the debris and chaos.
Confused, Kai looked back and saw that the barrier was emanating from the black door. The red lines pulsed like living veins, radiating protective energy that enveloped him.
When the dust began to settle, Kai took a deep breath, waiting for his vision to clear. Gradually, the air began to clear, and he finally managed to see his surroundings with greater clarity. What he saw intrigued him: there was no sign of Baren's body or the rats, as if they had never been there that night. It was as if the enemies had evaporated, taking with them any physical evidence of their presence.
However, the destruction around told another story. The ground where the dojo once stood was marked by a huge crater, proof of the battle's intensity. Fragments of rubble and wood littered the ground, mixed with tiny sparks that still flickered in the air and ashes floating lightly. Kai scanned the wreckage, recognizing among it the remains of the stone wolf. It was in pieces, nearly unrecognizable, yet even in ruin, it seemed to have fulfilled its duty to the last moment, sacrificing itself to protect what lay beyond that door.
And there it was: the black door, intact. Even amidst the complete destruction, the door stood upright, as if an invisible barrier had shielded it from the surrounding chaos. The red lines crossing its surface glowed faintly, pulsing as if carrying a life of their own. Kai felt a mix of respect and unease as he looked at it. This was not just a door but a monument, an imposing presence that defied logic.
He didn't know what the door held, but its resilience, even in total destruction, conveyed a sense of purpose and mystery.
Kai gazed at the black door, feeling an inexplicable pull toward it. The monument's solidity, its untouchable resistance amidst the total devastation around, exuded a presence that seemed to whisper, subtly calling to him, almost imperceptibly, yet irresistibly. Each pulse of the red lines seemed to vibrate within him, like an echo that resonated through his very core.
Before he could even question this impulse, Kai found himself moving forward. It was as if the door were drawing him in, an invisible force pulling him closer. His hand rose slowly, and his fingers stretched out as if they had a will of their own. When his palm touched the cold, rough surface of the door, he realized too late that he could no longer pull away. A nearly supernatural chill ran down his arm, and his fingers clung to the monument, unable to move.
An intense sensation began to wash over Kai. He felt something being pulled out from within him, a flow of energy that drained from his body and was absorbed by the door. His vision started to darken at the edges, and his thoughts, once clear, now blurred as a wave of extreme fatigue washed over him. He tried to pull his hand away, but his muscles wouldn't respond, and his mind was already clouded.
Each beat of the door now pulsed intensely, the red lines lighting up with a vivid, hungry glow. Kai felt his knees buckle, and his body grew heavy as if the ground were about to give way beneath him. It was as though the door was draining not only his energy but his very consciousness, and he could barely keep his eyes open.
The last thing he saw, before his vision completely faded, was the red lines of the monument, now brighter, pulsing like living veins, illuminating everything around him. Then, the exhaustion overtook him, and Kai surrendered to the darkness.