A leg that had nearly regenerated was caught by the Flexible Blade again. A moment later, it was severed from his body.
A sharp blade tip suddenly burst through his chest. That damned five-foot runt... Kokushibo found him more hateful than ever!
If Doma were still alive, he would have taken a special liking to that runt, wouldn't he? He would have savored every bite!
But Doma was dead.
As the thought surfaced, Kokushibo was startled.
What am I doing? Why am I thinking like this?
Does this mean my heart has begun to weaken?
Have I started pinning my hopes on someone other than myself?
"How pathetic!"
His blade swept down in a flash. It was still a form of the Breath of the Moon, but its power was nowhere near what it had been.
Tetsu no Sosuke watched him and let out a quiet breath of relief. Is his will to fight finally fading?
But just then, Tetsu no Sosuke's pupils contracted.
Beneath the night sky, killing intent surged through the woods!
Yet beneath a quiet tree, a vase had appeared out of nowhere.
Gyokko!
When had the one who had disappeared at the very beginning shown up here?
Has he been watching all along?
Or...
Even as thoughts raced through his mind, Tetsu no Sosuke moved.
He couldn't give Gyokko a single chance.
But the instant his foot left the ground, searing pain surged through every part of his body like an electric current. His knees buckled, and he nearly fell to the ground.
The strength he had only just recovered was nowhere near enough to support any movement. Even that single step drained all his energy, leaving his head throbbing.
He gritted his teeth and struggled to hold himself up, trying to shout a warning.
But