"Ngh...!"
Clack! A crisp, sharp sound echoed through the air. Ryuga’s face contorted as the impact jolted the back of his head.
He slowly raised his head and turned around. There stood Raiha, clutching a familiar slipper. He didn't even try to hide the venom in his voice as he addressed her.
"What is the meaning of this? Do you have something to say to me?"
"..."
"B-Brother...! Raiha-san...!" Yui stammered.
Ryuga’s gaze was like a cold blade directed at Raiha, who had just struck him with her footwear. Yui looked frantically between the two—Raiha, who remained silent under that piercing stare, and Ryuga, whose eyes burned with irritation. Finally, Raiha steeled her resolve and spoke.
"Ryuga-san...! People are being attacked. Right in front of your eyes, monsters are slaughtering humans. Can you truly look at that and see nothing?"
"Is that all you wanted to say? Then let me give you an answer."
Ryuga met her gaze directly as he slowly drew his katana from its sheath. Staring back into her left eye, which reflected his own cold image, he spoke with icy deliberation.
"Don't. Ask. Me. Questions."
"Ngh...!"
"Ugh... ahh...!"
The air grew heavy, thick with a suffocating pressure. Ryuga had unleashed a wave of raw killing intent, pointing his blade toward Raiha. Even though they weren't the primary targets, the sheer weight of his malice left Yui and the man gasping for breath just by being near him.
Facing that pressure head-on, with the tip of the katana leveled at her chest, Raiha stood her ground. Her clenched fists trembled, but her voice did not waver.
"It is true that those people are not innocent. But that does not mean we should abandon them to die. If you turn your back on them now, can you still hold your head high before your best friend, Yugo-san? Can you look your father in the eye when you meet him in heaven?"
"You... you dare speak of my father? After everything you’ve done, how can you even say his name!?"
"Brother, no! Stop!!"
Though the tragedy had been the result of a conspiracy, Ryuga’s rage exploded at the mention of his father by the very person who had killed him. He swung his sword upward, his killing intent flaring like a localized storm. Yui screamed, terrified that her brother was about to butcher Raiha where she stood, but Raiha’s voice cut through the air even louder.
"You saved me! You, Ryuga-san, were the one who saved my soul! You helped me, a Great Sinner who took your own father's life! Did you not!?"
"..."
The shout hit Ryuga like a physical blow, freezing his movement.
He stood there, sword held high in an overhead guard, staring down at the girl who looked back at him with a desperate, tangled mess of emotions. Raiha didn't back down.
"I understand your anger. I understand the despair you feel toward those people’s actions. But tell me... do you hate them more than you hate me? If you could find it in your heart to forgive your father’s killer, can you really not find enough mercy for them?"
"You...!"
Her words gouged deep, carving through the armor around Ryuga’s heart. They shook the very foundations of his hatred. As he grappled with a surge of indescribable feelings, Raiha spoke again, her voice now a plea.
"I know I have no right to say this. I know that even if you were to strike me down or cut me to pieces right now, I wouldn't have the right to utter a single word of complaint. But please... I beg of you. Forgive them. If it is you—the man who showed me mercy—then I know you can do this."
"Ghhh...!!"
Something snapped inside his mind. For a fleeting second, he seriously considered hacking her down.
Yet, at the same time, he knew. He knew Raiha was doing this because she cared for him more than her own life. He realized that the emotion he felt for her was something far more potent than mere anger.
In a rare display of hesitation, his grip on the katana faltered. His hand trembled as he exhaled a long, sharp breath. Then, his eyes snapped wide, and he brought the sword down with terrifying force.
The blade whistled through the air, but the strike passed inches from Raiha’s side. The Flying Slash it unleashed tore through the air, neatly bisecting a Sahagin that had been lunging at a Blue Ever member just behind her.
"Ryuga-san...!"
"Don't look at me. And don't you dare call my name...!"
Seeing the joy on Raiha’s face and hearing the relief in her voice sent a storm of undefinable emotions raging through him. Spitting those words out, he brushed past her and walked toward the rioters still struggling against the monsters.
"Get out of here. Now," he growled at them. "But if you lay a single finger on my sister, the people of this island, the monsters... or the woman standing there... I will personally take your heads."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"I told you to run, but don't think for a second that you're leaving this island without atoning for your crimes. If you try to flee without making amends, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and kill you myself. Understood?"
He was in a foul mood. Irritated, bitter, and loathsome. His killing intent was still so volatile he could barely keep it under control.
And yet... deep down, a part of him felt that this was right. He was aware, however grudgingly, that he was grateful to Raiha for pulling him back from the edge.
That realization only made him more furious.
"Bad luck for you," he muttered, facing the remaining monsters. "Right now, I don't think I can stop."
"Gyo...?"
He was angry at Raiha for lecturing him. He was angry at himself for knowing she was right. He was angry that he cherished the very person he should hate. Every part of it was infuriating.
But as a swordsman, he could not allow such distractions to cloud his blade.
Forcing down the rage, the hatred, and the irritation, Ryuga steeled himself. To shake off the complex web of emotions threatening to consume him, he glared at the Sahagins and roared.
"You're going to help me blow off some steam. Now... I'll shake it all off!"