"Wha—!?"
Zaraki's eyes flew wide in shock. Before he could even identify the figure who had stepped between him and Setsuna, he was reeling from the realization that his supposedly invincible body had actually been wounded.
As he was sent skidding back by a powerful kick, gnashing his teeth in humiliation, Setsuna stared blankly at their savior and whispered his name.
"Ryuga, is that you...?"
"Is everyone alright? It seems I made it just in time," Ryuga said.
He scanned his comrades, noting that while they were battered, none of their injuries appeared to be fatal.
Marcos, forcing his unresponsive limbs to move, dragged himself over to Setsuna and the others. He looked at Ryuga with a bewildered expression.
"Didn't you go after Koumaru to avenge your father? Why are you here?"
"..."
Ryuga offered no immediate answer. He merely stared at Zaraki in silence, stepping forward to shield his friends from the villain's mounting rage.
Is he going to shut us out again? Marcos wondered, nearly resigned to the swordsman's usual reticence. But then, without turning back to face them, Ryuga finally spoke.
"I realized... I didn't want to betray them."
"What...?"
Marcos and the others gasped in unison. Keeping his eyes fixed ahead, Ryuga began to speak his mind in a voice that sounded almost like a prayer.
"I'm a weak man. Even now, I haven't been able to let go of my hatred for Koumaru or Raiha. I'm a pathetic person, still shackled by the past. But... I have a friend who believes in me anyway. I have an irreplaceable partner who believes I'm strong enough to choose kindness over my own failings."
Ryuga lowered his gaze to the blade of his katana, staring at his own reflection in the polished steel. As he looked into his own eyes, he continued, his voice steadying as if he were making a vow to himself.
"My father, my mother, and my sister... they all believed I could become someone capable of protecting others. It's true that I crave revenge. But the feeling that I don't want to betray the trust my family and my friend placed in me... that isn't a lie either."
His strength had been forged in the fires of vengeance. He couldn't deny that, nor could he simply cast those feelings aside. But they weren't his entire world anymore. He had found things far more precious than his grudges.
The faith and trust of the people he loved had finally opened his eyes.
"I'm no 'Strongest Swordsman.' I'm just a weak man haunted by his past. Even so, I refuse to betray the people who support me and believe in me. My heart wouldn't stop screaming it... and that's why I'm here."
"Lord Ryuga...!"
Ryuga fell silent for a moment after revealing his reasons. Then, still looking forward, he added one final thought.
"And there was one more person I didn't want to betray. The man who tried to beat some sense into me when I was about to wander onto the wrong path. For that, I'm truly grateful."
"!"
Marcos caught his breath. Sensing the genuine gratitude in those words and seeing the absolute resolve in the swordsman's silhouette, Marcos understood.
"The orb on his forehead," Marcos shouted. "Shatter that, and Raiha will be set free. That's our only path to victory!"
"Understood. Leave the rest to me and rest."
"We're counting on you, Ryuga."
With the hopes of his friends resting on his shoulders, Ryuga walked toward Zaraki. The villain, having recovered during the exchange, met Ryuga's approach with a mocking sneer.
"Are you finished with your sentimental play-acting? You're a damn fool, you know that? Giving up on your revenge just to come here and die in vain!"
"Call me a fool if you like. I only need one reason to swing my blade: to live up to the trust of my irreplaceable friends. Besides... didn't you know? I'm not going to die."
I believe in you. I know you can do it.
Yugo had said those words to him. He would believe in the strength and kindness within himself and answer the faith of the partner who had entrusted him with everything. Ryuga cut through Zaraki’s mockery with his own conviction.
His friend’s words, his sister’s love, the will his father had left behind—every memory sent a surge of heat through his chest. His heart beat with a powerful rhythm, granting him the strength to shatter the chains of the past.
"The rage, the sorrow, and the past... for this one moment—!"
His soul was being liberated.
Propelled by the trust of his family and friends, his spirit accelerated, leaving even his deepest hatred in the dust. As he focused on the singular, simple desire to protect those he loved, his heart thundered in his chest. At that moment, Ryuga roared the words his friend had given him.
"I'll shake it all off!"