The scorched plains beyond Tildaroot still bled smoke black ribbons twisting into the twilight.
The battlefield had fallen silent, save for the hiss of molten stone cooling beneath the weight of what had transpired.
Far beyond the ruins, at the edge of the valley, three silhouettes emerged from the haze.
The first, a massive frame cloaked in crimson heat, his breath like smoke and laughter like embers, Bakuza, the Crimson Hollow.
The second a pale, slender man, robes torn, Kero, the Psycho of the Nine.
And the third a woman wrapped in obsidian silk, her long hair flowing like ink in the wind, eyes glinting with unreadable calm.
They walked in silence for a long time until the stillness broke.
"Tsk…" Bakuza growled, dragging his burnt blade behind him, sparks dancing in its wake.
"I want a rematch with Gorou."
His voice carried that same manic hunger, the voice of a beast that refused to be chained by reason or pain.
