Silence.
The white light faded, revealing a battlefield covered in cracks and empty spaces where entire buildings had once stood. Dust drifted through the ruined streets of the Citadel as everyone struggled to catch their breath.
Tatsuo's Spatial Sword was still shaking violently.
Tiny fragments of the blade continued disappearing into white particles.
"...So that's your limit," Yoshiro said with a faint smile. "You created something difficult to erase..."
He slowly raised his hand.
"...but not impossible."
Tatsuo tightened his grip.
"I won't let you destroy this city."
"You don't get to decide that," Yoshiro replied.
In an instant, he vanished.
"Behind you!" Reji shouted.
Tatsuo spun around, swinging the Spatial Sword with everything he had.
BOOOM!!
The blade split the street apart.
But it hit nothing.
Yoshiro had already moved.
A cold voice echoed behind him.
"You looked the wrong way."
Tatsuo's eyes widened.
Yoshiro's glowing hand rested against his back.
Dracula's heart nearly stopped.
"TATSUO!!"
Without hesitation, Dracula launched himself forward in a burst of crimson lightning.
Reji's chains shot through the air.
Seiyan dashed across the battlefield.
Judas summoned countless steel pillars.
All of them were too late.
"...Erase."
White light erupted from Yoshiro's palm.
It spread across Tatsuo's body.
His Spatial Sword shattered into countless fragments before disappearing completely.
Tatsuo looked down at his own hands.
His fingers...
Were fading.
"...Heh..."
A weak smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"This is how it ends."
Dracula reached him and grabbed his arm.
"No..."
"No, no, no..."
"You can still make it!"
Dracula desperately pulled him away, but Tatsuo's body continued disappearing.
It wasn't blood.
It wasn't ash.
His existence itself was being erased.
Reji's chains wrapped around Tatsuo, trying to hold him together.
They slipped through empty space.
Judas immediately placed both hands on Tatsuo's shoulder, her restoration energy shining brighter than ever before.
"Come back..."
"Come back!"
Her power restored wounds.
It restored broken flesh.
It even restored erased body parts.
But this...
This was different.
There was nothing left to restore.
Yoshiro quietly watched.
"I didn't erase his body."
"I erased his existence."
Judas gritted her teeth.
"...No..."
For the first time...
Her restoration failed.
Seiyan stood frozen, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Tatsuo..."
Tatsuo slowly turned toward Dracula.
Despite his body disappearing piece by piece...
He smiled.
The same warm smile he had worn since they were children.
"Hey..."
"Don't make that face."
Dracula's tears streamed down his cheeks.
"You promised..."
"We were supposed to travel together."
"We were supposed to climb more mountains..."
"We were supposed to stay in Reikosha..."
Tatsuo laughed weakly.
"Yeah..."
"I remember."
His legs faded away.
Only the upper half of his body remained.
"You know..."
"I'm really glad..."
"...that I met you."
Dracula lowered his head, shaking uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry..."
"I couldn't save you."
Tatsuo gently placed his fading hand against Dracula's forehead.
"You already did."
"When everyone else saw a vampire..."
"...you saw your best friend."
Dracula completely broke down.
"TATSUO!!"
Tatsuo looked toward the sky one last time.
"...Keep climbing those mountains for me."
"...And don't carry this pain alone."
His smile became brighter.
"You'll always..."
"...be my best friend."
The last fragments of his body dissolved into countless white lights.
Then...
Nothing.
No body.
No ashes.
No trace.
Only silence remained.
Dracula continued reaching toward the empty space where Tatsuo had stood.
His hand grasped nothing.
The city became completely quiet.
Even Yoshiro's smile faded for a brief moment as he watched the empty space before turning toward the remaining warriors.
One student...
Had completely disappeared.
Dracula slowly lowered his trembling hand.
His head remained bowed.
No one could see his eyes beneath his hair.
But crimson lightning began crackling around his body.
Not wildly.
Not uncontrollably.
Quietly.
Like a storm waiting to be unleashed.