Saito steadied himself and looked toward Kaito.
"…Be careful."
Kaito didn't turn back.
"Don't worry."
His grip tightened on his blade.
Across from him—
Jackal watched quietly.
"…I expected no less from you."
A faint smirk formed.
"Assassin."
Then—
He brought his hands together.
Clap.
The sound echoed sharply.
"Wolf Style…"
Auris burst out of his body—
Violent.
Unstable.
It spread across the ground like a storm.
The air grew heavy.
Even the surrounding wolfbeasts hesitated.
Orun's eyes widened inside the barrier.
"…No…"
His voice dropped.
"…He's using that technique."
Jackal's Auris surged violently.
"Wolf Style…"
A pause—
"Beast Form."
His body began to change.
Muscles tightened.
His frame grew larger—taller, heavier.
Veins pulsed beneath his skin as Auris wrapped around him like armor.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Kaito instinctively stepped back.
"…This is bad."
Saito narrowed his eyes.
"He got bigger…"
Kaito shook his head slightly.
"…Not just that."
His gaze sharpened.
"His whole body is coated in Auris."
Jackal exhaled slowly—
A grin spreading across his face.
"…Yeah."
"This is my favorite."
He looked straight at Kaito.
"Come here, human."
"Let me show you… true wolfbeast power."
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward—
Fast. Precise.
But—
Gone.
Jackal disappeared from his sight.
Kaito's eyes widened.
"…What—"
A presence behind him.
Too late.
BOOM!
Jackal's kick slammed into Kaito's back—
Sending him flying straight into a hill.
The impact shattered rock.
Dust exploded into the air.
Saito's eyes widened.
"Kaito!!"
Jackal rolled his shoulder slightly, as if nothing happened.
"…Wow."
A low laugh escaped him.
"This power…"
"…is incredible."
His gaze shifted slowly toward Saito.
"…You're next."
Jackal moved again—
A blur.
He lunged straight at Saito, claws charged with Auris.
Saito raised his blade—
Clang!
The impact exploded on contact.
But this time—
It wasn't enough.
Saito was blown back—
His body slammed into the ground, tearing through dirt and stone.
He struggled to stop himself.
Jackal stood there, laughing.
"YES… yes, yes!"
His voice echoed wildly.
"This is power!"
Inside the barrier—
Orun watched with a grim expression.
"…Jackal, stop."
His voice strained.
"You're overusing it."
"That form will drain your stamina."
Jackal didn't even look at him.
"Shut up, old man."
He cracked his neck slightly.
"I'm enjoying this."
Takashi stepped closer to the barrier, tense.
"…Is there anything we can do?"
Orun's gaze stayed fixed on the battlefield.
"…Very little."
A pause.
"…We wait."
Takashi frowned.
"Wait?"
Orun nodded slowly.
"…Until his stamina runs dry."
Saito pushed himself up slowly.
Dust fell from his shoulders.
He closed his eyes.
Everything around him—
The noise. The chaos.
Faded.
His breathing steadied.
Calm.
Jackal tilted his head, grinning.
"…What's this?"
"Want more?"
He lunged again—
Fast. Brutal.
Claws tearing forward.
But Saito didn't move.
"…Sword Style…"
His voice was low.
"…Rush Spear."
In the next instant—
Jackal was already in front of him.
Saito's eyes snapped open.
A sharp flash—
His blade shot forward like a spear.
BOOM!
The force exploded on impact.
Jackal blocked it—
But his body was pushed back violently.
His feet dragged across the ground.
Leaving deep marks in the earth.
He finally stopped—
Eyes narrowing.
"…Not bad."
Kaito appeared beside Saito.
"…You good?"
Saito nodded slightly.
"Can you hold him off?"
Kaito smirked.
"…Got it."
In the next second—
He vanished forward.
Jackal reacted instantly.
"Wolf Style: Strike!"
He slashed the air—
Sharp claw force shot forward like blades.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
"…Guess I don't have a choice."
He moved.
One step—
Then gone.
"…Assassin Style."
His presence disappeared completely.
Jackal's eyes shifted.
"…Where—"
A flicker.
Kaito appeared right in front of him.
"Knife Barrage."
Slash—Slash—Slash—
A rapid storm of strikes.
Blades pierced into Jackal's body again and again.
Jackal winced.
"Tch—!"
He swung his claw wildly—
But—
Nothing.
The attack passed straight through.
"…An afterimage?"
Before he could react—
Kaito was already gone.
A blur.
He reappeared on a rock a short distance away.
Watching.
Waiting.
Jackal's eyes snapped toward Kaito.
"…There you are."
He lunged instantly—
A brutal charge, claw aimed to crush him.
Kaito slipped aside just in time.
Jackal clicked his tongue.
"Don't run, you little—"
He chased again.
Faster. Heavier.
But Kaito kept moving.
Calm. Precise.
"…Wait for it."
Jackal swung again—
And this time, his foot stepped onto something.
Metal.
Hidden beneath the ground.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
"…Got you."
Jackal looked down—
Too late.
Knives rose from the ground in a perfect circle.
Surrounding him.
Every escape route blocked.
Kaito's voice came quietly.
"Assassin Style…"
"…Knife Dimension."
The blades began to spin.
Faster and faster—
Creating a rotating barrier of death.
Jackal tried to force his way out—
But every direction was sealed.
"…Tch!"
Kaito leapt into the air.
Dozens of knives circled around him as well, responding to his movement.
Then—
He snapped his hand forward.
"Release."
The knives shot inward.
The entire sphere collapsed into controlled chaos.
Jackal barely managed to move—
But the blades didn't just strike once.
They bounced.
Ricocheting off the inner barrier.
Cutting from every angle.
Back and forth.
Again and again.
Jackal's body was struck repeatedly—
Trapped inside the spinning storm of blades.
Jackal roared in rage.
His fists, coated in Auris, smashed through the collapsing Knife Dimension.
Blades shattered around him like glass.
"…ENOUGH!"
The sphere broke apart completely.
Inside the barrier—
Orun stepped forward weakly.
"…Now…"
Takashi's eyes widened.
"You're not fully healed yet!"
But Orun didn't stop.
His gaze was fixed on Jackal.
"…This is my fault."
"I gave them a purpose built on pain."
A pause.
"…Now I will take it back."
He opened his mouth.
A massive flow of Auris condensed into it—
Dense. Controlled. Dangerous.
Takashi took a step back.
"…This is insane…"
Orun exhaled.
"Wolf Style…"
"…Atomic Surge."
A compressed sphere of Auris formed instantly—
Then fired forward at terrifying speed.
BOOOOM!
The impact hit Jackal directly.
The ground shattered beneath him.
Shockwaves tore through the battlefield.
The air itself rippled violently.
Silence followed.
Dust filled the field.
Jackal stood barely upright.
His body trembling.
"…It can't be…"
"…This isn't supposed to happen…"
From the side—
Saito stepped forward.
Auris gathered around his blade.
Calm. Focused. Final.
"…This is your end."
His eyes sharpened.
"Sword Style: Blue Surge."
He swung.
A single, clean arc of blue light.
Jackal tried to raise his claw—
But his body couldn't respond in time.
The slash connected.
A moment of silence.
Then—
Jackal collapsed.
The battlefield fell still.
Saito's body wavered.
His vision blurred.
"…It's… finally over…"
His knees gave out.
Before he hit the ground—
Kaito caught him.
"Don't pass out on me now."
Saito let out a weak smile.
"…Guess it's over."
Kaito exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah. It is."
He helped Saito steady himself, then turned toward the camp.
The battlefield was quiet now.
Only dust and silence remained.
They walked back together.
At the center of the field—
Takashi stood still.
His gaze was fixed on Orun.
Saito stopped beside him.
"…How is he?"
Takashi didn't answer immediately.
Then he shook his head.
"…He's gone."
Saito lowered his eyes.
"…I see."
Silence settled between them.
Nearby—
Takeru and the remaining wolfbeasts gathered.
No words were spoken.
Only grief.
Then—
A low howl rose into the air.
One by one, they followed.
A mournful call echoed across the battlefield.
A farewell to their leader.