But his body dissolved into smoke.
"An illusion?" the River King growled, twisting to find him.
The real Hatashi dropped from above, blade blazing. "Dragon Technique: Furnace Strike!"
Fire engulfed the River King, his icy armor cracking and blackening. He staggered back, smoking and scarred, but still alive.
"Pathetic," he hissed. "I'll kill the healer first."
His vines surged toward Kaitara.
"Not happening!" Tiatsuri shouted, lightning exploding from his arms. His Takuda marks flared brighter—three blue diamonds now burned into his skin. The air trembled with raw electricity.
Kaitara's own energy answered, two glowing diamonds flashing to life as her fists blazed with scarlet light. Together, the siblings charged, striking in perfect unison. Their combined force shattered the River King's defenses, sending him staggering.
Hatashi appeared behind him in the same instant, Devil's Eye glowing. His blade seared through the River King's chest in a storm of fire using the Dragon technique: Furnace Strike.
The tyrant crashed to his knees, smoke rising from his ruined body.
"Tell us where to find Kaoru Akira—the Sun King," Hashiro demanded.
The River King laughed, bitter and broken. "I will never betray the feudal lords."
With a final surge of power, he drove a shard of poisoned ice into his own heart. His body froze solid, then shattered into a thousand pieces.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kaitara lowered her fists, trembling. "Even in death, he refused to surrender."
Hatashi's Devil's Eye flickered, his expression grim. "Which means the others will be worse."
Hashiro's gaze swept the room, sharp as a hawk. A shadow rippled along the wall—a cobra slithering into the mist. Its eyes glowed faintly before vanishing.
"The Serpent Demon," Hashiro muttered. "He's watching us."
None of them spoke as they left the shattered throne room.
But when they stepped outside, the silence broke. The villagers poured into the streets, weeping, cheering, showering them with gifts and praise. For the first time in years, the coast rang with joy.
Yet Hatashi's gaze drifted beyond the celebration. His Devil's Eye caught only shadows far away watching, waiting.
The true war had just begun.