Izutsumi was afraid.
Afraid because she had just unleashed an unrestrained Marcellus.
Afraid she wasn't strong enough to defeat him.
And afraid Kiyoko would get caught in the crossfire.

But fear meant nothing now. She couldn't turn back without putting up a proper fight. A fight she was almost certain to lose.

"I'm tired... I don't want to fight anymore..."

Or maybe that was a lie. She clearly had a violent streak. But even she could tell when a battle couldn't be won. And this was one of those battles—a fight she'd already been dragged into.

"Both of you. Come at me."

Marcellus pointed his sword at the two of them. Izutsumi exhaled hard, slipped the extinguished Verdant back into its sheath, and raised Callow with both hands.

Kiyoko, meanwhile, still hadn't shaken off what her sister had said.

"I... I was in your way?"

But Izutsumi didn't have time to deal with her little sister's emotions. Right now, her top priority was getting both of them out alive.

Marcellus raised two fingers in Izutsumi's direction. On reflex, she lifted Callow to guard.

"Shadow Gun."

A crushing force hit her. The impact from the spell crashed down on her arms, and for a split second, it felt like her bones had shattered.

"It's not enough... I can't block it..."

Her Posture broke. She was blasted back, skidding across the dirt. Digging Callow into the ground, she forced herself upright. But the effects of Marcellus's Shadowcast were already creeping through her. Her limbs felt heavy. Her senses dulled. Her vision darkened. The shadow had taken root inside her, crawling into every inch of her body.

Then—a snap of the fingers.

Izutsumi's instincts screamed. She knew exactly what that was. No one understood a Contractor's abilities better than she did. And she knew—it wasn't meant for her.

"Judgment."

"KIYOKO!!"

Kiyoko flinched. Reflexively, she dove to the side. Almost instantly, hundreds of threads shot out from the void, converging on the spot where she'd just stood. Missing their mark, the threads drooped, then vanished just as suddenly.

"Don't hesitate. You have your reasons. Fight."

"Uh... aah..."

Marcellus began walking slowly toward Kiyoko. For the first time, her childlike heart hit a wall. A wall named Marcellus Ratra. No matter how angry she got, no matter how hot her flames burned—this was a wall she couldn't break through. She could feel it.

She couldn't even breathe. Her hands trembled as they clutched her sword. Her instincts screamed:
This man wants to kill me. And he can.

She blanked. Just for a moment.

Marcellus didn't miss it.

A dull thud rang out. He struck her hard in the gut with the flat of his blade, sending her flying into a nearby building.

Izutsumi tried to rush to her, but the weight of the Shadow lingering on her body stalled her. She stumbled—and fell face-first into the dirt.

For the first time, she couldn't rise through sheer willpower alone.

"Damn it..."

As a last-ditch effort, she slammed her palms into her chest. And suddenly—her body erupted in flame.

Flame Within.
A dangerous technique that burns away life force in exchange for temporary power. Not quite forbidden, but strongly discouraged—even by the ones who invented it.

The fire lit deep within her soul reignited Verdant's flame.

"Fine then. You don't want to go down like some pathetic loser either, huh."

It was infuriating. She wanted to kill him. Beat him. Drag his head back to the Hive and get her damn reward.

But she couldn't.

She should've run the moment she saw his bounty.

Then again... she'd never once run from a fight before.

Too impulsive. She always fought first, thought later.

She stomped her foot down. Two circles of wind whirled beneath her—a mark of the Jetstriker Oath. Letting the wind take her, she launched herself toward Marcellus, her leg snapping forward.

"Jet Kick!"

Marcellus countered cleanly, deflecting Izutsumi. Then, he raised his hand. In that instant, she felt something wrap around her throat.

"Clutching Shadow."

He clenched his fist.

Whatever was around her neck became solid—gripping tight and yanking her into the air. Then—he slammed her down. Not a fall, but a deliberate, punishing strike against the earth.

"Don't... screw with me..."

"Don't screw with me."

Two voices. Identical words. But Izutsumi had only spoken one of them.

The other came from Kiyoko—now standing among the wreckage of the house she'd crashed into.

"You bastard..."

Her left eye had begun to shift—its iris glowing purple. A glint of violet light shimmered from her pupil, forming into substance and trailing beside her cheek.

"...Visionshaper?"

Marcellus recognized it instantly. Mei had that power. So did Alm. And now—Kiyoko.

"If it's a fight you want... then let's fight."

Kiyoko wiped her left eye.

In the next moment, an owl's cry echoed—and a second Kiyoko appeared. Soulless, but undeniably dangerous.

It lunged at Marcellus with no hesitation, its hand drawn back for a strike.

He knew exactly what it was: a deceptive phantom.

Without pause, he severed its charging arm and thrust his Crypt Blade through its chest. The illusion burst—vanishing into a scatter of owl feathers.

But at that exact moment—he felt her eyes on him.

Kiyoko's real gaze. Piercing through him. Through his memories. His guilt. His past.

And he knew what she was about to do.

It wasn't fear of losing that made his pulse spike. It was fear of what he might become if she succeeded.

If she did what he thought she would... the last shred of his humanity would snap.

"Don't. You. Dare."

Marcellus growled—but Kiyoko didn't seem to hear him.

Or maybe... she was still too innocent to understand the price she was about to pay.

This time, she covered her right eye.

Another burst of shadow. And in the smoke—someone rushed him.

A figure. Sword at his hip. Fist aimed at his chest.

Blue eyes.
The Moonseye hovering above—mark of a Dawnwalker.
Sea-blue hair, covering the right eye. The left—vacant, but undeniable.

"...!"

Marcellus let himself be thrown back. But something inside him cracked.

His definition of "killing"... began to warp.

His sense of morality—slipped.

Because standing before him...

...was Elliot Ivanel.

Once again.

With Purple Cloud at his side.

For just a heartbeat, Marcellus forgot who he was. Forgot what he was trying to do.

The Doctrine of the Ministry—the one he'd buried long ago—rose from the depths of memory. And whispered in his ears.

"Kill all who stand in your way. Erase all variables."