Back at Reikosha Academy, the battlefield had gone almost completely silent.
The academy was barely recognizable.
Buildings were split apart, the ground was covered in cracks, and injured students were scattered across the ruined courtyard. Some were sitting against broken walls, others were being helped by their classmates.
Everyone was exhausted.
Everyone had seen too much.
And yet...
Kimimaru was still standing.
He didn't move.
He didn't speak.
He simply stared toward the place where Shougo had disappeared.
His eyes were empty.
Tyouro stood several meters away, breathing heavily. His clothes were torn, his body covered in injuries, but what hurt him most wasn't the pain.
It was Kimimaru's silence.
"Kimimaru..."
No response.
Tyouro clenched his fists.
"Kimimaru!"
Still nothing.
He walked toward him.
"You heard what happened, right?"
Kimimaru slowly lowered his head.
Tyouro's voice began shaking.
"Shougo is gone."
Kimimaru's hands tightened.
But his expression didn't change.
Tyouro stared at him.
"Say something."
Silence.
"Anything!"
Kimimaru finally looked at him.
"...What do you want me to say?"
Tyouro froze.
"What?"
Kimimaru's voice was quiet.
"He's gone."
Tyouro's eyes widened.
"That's it?!"
Kimimaru looked away.
"What else is there?"
Tyouro suddenly grabbed him by the collar.
"You selfish bastard!"
Everyone nearby turned toward them.
Kairo immediately looked over.
"Tyouro!"
Tyouro didn't let go.
"You're just standing there!"
Kimimaru didn't resist.
"You act like none of this matters!"
His voice cracked.
"Shougo was our teacher!"
Kimimaru's eyes remained cold.
"I know."
"You know?!"
Tyouro shoved him backward.
"You KNOW?! Then why aren't you doing anything?!"
Kimimaru stared at the ground.
Tyouro's fists trembled.
"You always do this..."
His voice became quieter.
"Every time something happens, you shut everyone out."
Kimimaru looked at him.
Tyouro's eyes were filled with anger and grief.
"You think you're the only one suffering?"
Kimimaru didn't answer.
"We all lost him!"
Tyouro's voice echoed across the ruined academy.
"Yura is injured! Kairo is exhausted! Everyone here is barely standing!"
He pointed toward Kimimaru.
"And you're just standing there like you're already dead!"
Kimimaru's expression finally changed.
Just slightly.
"...Don't talk about things you don't understand."
Tyouro's eyes widened.
"Then make me understand!"
Kimimaru turned away.
"There's nothing to understand."
Tyouro's anger exploded.
"You're pathetic!"
Kimimaru stopped.
Tyouro charged.
BOOM!
His fist slammed into Kimimaru's face.
Kimimaru barely moved.
Kairo immediately rushed forward.
"STOP!"
Tyouro slammed his foot into the ground.
FWOOSH!
A massive wall of fire erupted between them.
Kairo stopped.
"Tyouro!"
Tyouro stood behind the flames.
"Don't interfere!"
Kairo stared at him.
"You're both injured!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
The fire grew higher.
"This is between me and him!"
Kimimaru slowly wiped the blood from his mouth.
He looked at Tyouro.
"...Fine."
Kairo's eyes widened.
"Kimimaru, don't."
Kimimaru stepped forward.
His energy began gathering around him.
"I'll fight you."
Tyouro's eyes narrowed.
"Good."
The two stared at each other through the flames.
Tyouro's fire burned brighter.
Kimimaru's energy became completely still.
For several seconds...
Neither moved.
Then—
BOOM!
They collided.
Tyouro swung his fist.
Kimimaru blocked.
Kimimaru countered.
Tyouro dodged.
The ground shattered beneath them.
Their fight wasn't elegant.
It wasn't controlled.
It was anger.
Pain.
Years of things neither of them had said.
Tyouro shouted while attacking.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ACT LIKE YOU DON'T CARE?!"
Kimimaru remained silent.
Tyouro struck him again.
"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS PUSH EVERYONE AWAY?!"
Kimimaru blocked.
Another attack.
"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT THAT YOU'RE HURTING?!"
Kimimaru's eyes narrowed.
He finally attacked.
Tyouro was thrown backward.
Kimimaru stood there silently.
His voice was barely audible.
"...Because if I admit it..."
Tyouro stopped.
Kimimaru looked down.
"...then it becomes real."
Tyouro's anger disappeared for a moment.
Kimimaru's fists trembled.
But his face remained emotionless.
"If I accept that he's gone..."
He looked toward the destroyed academy.
"...then there's nothing left for me to do."
Tyouro stared at him.
Kimimaru raised his eyes.
"So don't ask me to accept it."
Tyouro's eyes became wet, but he wiped them quickly.
"You're an idiot."
Kimimaru said nothing.
Tyouro stepped forward again.
"Then I'll beat that feeling out of you."
Kimimaru lowered his stance.
"Try."
The flames surrounding them roared higher.
Kairo stood outside the barrier, helplessly watching.
He clenched his fists.
"Kimimaru..."
The two charged again.
BOOOOOOM!
And while the rest of Reikosha struggled to survive...
Two students who had lost the same teacher...
began fighting because neither knew how else to deal with the pain.