"URRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The roaring Zaraki swung his arm with everything he had.
Ryuga drew Ryuo-ga in a blur, unleashing a lightning-fast Iai slash.
The exchange lasted only a heartbeat. After the two crossed paths, Zaraki sprinted past Ryuga before finally skidding to a halt.
"What happened...? Who won!?"
Setsuna’s strained whisper cut through the heavy silence of the battlefield.
Had Ryuga prevailed in that split-second clash, or was it Zaraki? As their comrades watched with bated breath, a spray of crimson danced in the air.
"A-Ah...!"
"Ryuga!!"
Raiha and the others let out agonized cries as they saw blood erupt from Ryuga's left shoulder.
Even after sustaining the wound, he remained motionless. He didn't show so much as a tremor—perhaps he simply lacked the strength left to move.
"Heh... haha... Fuhahahahahahaha!!"
In stark contrast to Ryuga, Zaraki began to howl with laughter.
He threw his head back, mouth wide open, his voice bordering on a shriek.
"This is the start of my Legend of the Strongest! The tale of the man who claimed the dragon's power to become the king of all begins right here! I’ll grow stronger still! I’ll seize a power that none can defy! I’ll build the Zaraki Millennium Kingdom and become the Ultimate Being—ugh!?"
As he shouted of his ambitions and the Path of Supremacy he would forge, Zaraki suddenly groaned.
He doubled over, clutching his chest as pained sounds leaked from his throat. He turned unsteadily back toward Ryuga, staggering as he moved.
"A-Ah...!"
The moment Zaraki’s body turned toward them, Raiha and the others saw it—a deep, massive sword wound carved across his chest.
Ryuga spoke quietly to Zaraki, who clutched the gash as golden lightning crackled within it, his face twisted in disbelief.
"...Nothing is beginning. Your pathetic ambition ends here."
"Impossible...! Me... losing like this, to this...!?"
He had lost completely in a one-on-one duel, a head-on collision of raw intent. Faced with the undeniable gap in their power and technique—the sheer difference in their strength—Zaraki’s voice trembled as he struggled to accept reality.
"It's a lie... not in a place like this...!"
The future he had envisioned was crumbling away with a deafening roar.
A sense of defeat... no, a feeling even deeper and darker than that began to swallow his heart, drowning out the rage and revenge that had fueled him. To the broken man, Ryuga delivered the final blow.
"Savor it well. That despair... is your End Point."
"U-U-UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Zaraki’s body toppled backward.
As the man who had lost even his last shred of willpower collapsed, the lightning etched into his wound detonated in a massive explosion.
"Ga, gugah...! Gi, gu... gah..."
"Did he do it...? He won! He defeated Zaraki!!"
Melt let out a cry of joy as she saw Zaraki, now returned to his human form, fall into a silent, groaning heap.
As the group celebrated the end of the long, grueling battle, they tried to rush toward the man responsible for their victory. However, having watched Zaraki fall, Ryuga finally lost his strength and collapsed.
"Ah! Hey, Ryuga! Are you okay!? Wait, huh...?"
"Wait!? Yugo!?"
Yugo tried to bolt toward him in a panic, only to trip and face-plant into the dirt.
He had pushed himself far past his breaking point; he hit the ground and stayed there as his friends descended into total chaos.
"Yugo! Ryuga!! Hang in there!"
"W-Which one should I prioritize!? Who has the deeper wound!?"
"Stop Ryuga's bleeding first! We need to give Yugo emergency first aid with recovery magic, too!"
"Good grief, you idiots!! This level of recklessness isn't even funny anymore!"
"Get them to the hospital, now! Don't you dare let them die!"
"The Security Force reinforcements should be here any second! Just hold on a little longer!!"
Ryuga let out a long, weary breath as the cacophony of his friends' voices washed over him.
He was just starting to reflect on how he had truly overdone it this time when he felt something warm fall onto his cheek. He forced his eyes open just a crack.
"Don't die, Ryuga...! Please...!!"
Raiha was clutching Ryuga's hand with both of hers, pouring her own vitality into him to treat his wounds. She spoke through a blur of tears.
Seeing her desperate state, Ryuga managed a faint, weary smile.
"I’m not... going to die. Stop being... so dramatic..."
"Ah...!"
Raiha’s eyes widened in surprise when he responded.
He gazed at her face as she squeezed his hand even tighter, his eyes lingering on the Dragon's Eye in her right socket. It was far more beautiful than he’d realized. With a small smile, Ryuga finally let go of his consciousness.