The impact echoed across the ruins long after the clash itself had ended.
Hiroto's entire body trembled beneath the Black Daimyo's strength. His blade was still locked against the armored man's single hand, yet it felt as though he were trying to stop a collapsing mountain.
The difference between them was overwhelming.
No—
inhuman.
The Black Daimyo stood completely still, black smoke drifting from the gaps in his armor while Hiroto struggled just to breathe beneath the pressure radiating from him.
"…Too slow," the armored man repeated calmly.
Then he pushed forward slightly.
That small movement alone shattered the ground beneath Hiroto's feet.
Hiroto was launched backward violently, crashing through a broken stone pillar before skidding across the ruins in a storm of debris.
"Hiroto!" Yui cried out.
Akari immediately moved forward, fury flashing across her face, but Goro blocked her path with one arm.
"Don't."
"Move!" she snapped.
"You'll die."
His voice remained calm.
That calmness made the words even heavier.
Akari froze.
Because deep down—
she knew he was right.
Meanwhile, Hiroto forced himself back onto one knee, coughing blood onto the ruined stone beneath him. His arms felt numb from a single exchange.
One attack.
That was all it took.
The Black Daimyo slowly walked toward him through the collapsing ruins.
No rush.
No effort.
"You've improved," he said. "Far more than I expected."
Hiroto glared at him through ragged breaths. "You came all this way just to insult me?"
A faint laugh echoed beneath the helmet.
"If I wished to insult you," the Black Daimyo replied, "you would already understand how insignificant you truly are."
The pressure surrounding him intensified again.
Nearby ruins cracked apart instantly.
Even Kenzaku's expression tightened now. "This guy's insane…"
The ancient guardian watched silently from behind the shattered gate, chains hanging from its colossal body as its golden eyes followed the confrontation carefully.
Then it suddenly spoke.
"He is not fighting seriously."
Silence crashed across the battlefield.
Hiroto's eyes widened slightly.
Akari stared in disbelief. "What?"
The guardian's voice rumbled throughout the ruins.
"If he were…"
A pause followed.
"…you would already be dead."
The truth behind those words hit harder than any attack.
Hiroto clenched his fists.
Frustration burned through him instantly.
The Black Daimyo looked toward the guardian briefly.
"Still observant despite your imprisonment."
The creature growled lowly. "I remember your kind well."
The armored man ignored the hatred in its voice and turned his attention back toward Hiroto.
Then, slowly—
he drew his weapon.
The ruins seemed to darken the moment the blade appeared.
It was long and completely black, with crimson markings running across its surface like flowing veins. The air around it distorted unnaturally, as though the weapon itself rejected the world.
Yui's face turned pale instantly.
"That sword…"
Even Tamagichi's expression hardened further.
"Shadowsteel," he muttered quietly.
The Black Daimyo rested the weapon against his shoulder casually.
"You should feel honored," he said to Hiroto. "Very few survive long enough for me to draw this."
Hiroto forced himself back to his feet despite the pain tearing through his body.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
Every survival instinct he possessed was telling him the same thing.
You cannot win.
But his grip around the blade only tightened.
The Black Daimyo noticed.
"…Good."
The single word echoed coldly through the ruins.
Then he vanished again.
This time Hiroto barely reacted.
A black blur appeared beside him instantly—
SLASH.
Pain exploded across Hiroto's chest.
Blood scattered through the air as he staggered backward violently.
Akari's eyes widened in horror. "HIROTO!"
Another strike came immediately.
Faster.
Hiroto barely raised his blade in time.
CLANG.
The collision sent him crashing across the ruins again.
The difference in skill was monstrous.
Every movement from the Black Daimyo was clean.
Perfect.
Like a predator dismantling prey.
Hiroto tried counterattacking once—
only once.
The Black Daimyo sidestepped effortlessly before driving his knee directly into Hiroto's stomach.
The impact stole all air from his lungs.
Hiroto collapsed hard onto the broken stone.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
And above him, the armored man stood silently.
Looking down at him.
Judging him.
"You possess the blade," the Black Daimyo said quietly. "But you lack the resolve of the one who carried it before."
Hiroto's vision blurred slightly.
Yet even through the pain—
anger burned hotter.
"…Shut…"
He coughed violently.
Then forced himself upward again.
"…up…"
For the first time since arriving—
the Black Daimyo became completely silent.
The ruins trembled softly around them.
Then, beneath the shadows of his helmet—
a faint smile appeared.
Not mockery.
Respect.
Very slight.
But real.
"Interesting," he murmured again.
Then his voice lowered further.
"Perhaps Tamagichi was right to keep you alive."
Tamagichi's eyes sharpened instantly.
The guardian behind the gate growled lowly.
And Hiroto froze.
Because those words meant something far worse than he realized.
The Black Daimyo already knew Tamagichi.
Far better than anyone expected.
To Be Continued