The ground pulsed again.
Not violently.
But steadily.
Like a heartbeat.
Slow.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Haruki couldn't look away.
The circle in the center of the ruined village—
That perfect, hollow absence—
Was no longer still.
It was breathing.
"…It's getting stronger," Karin said under her breath.
She had already taken a step back.
Then another.
Raizen hadn't moved.
"…Of course it is."
Haruki clenched his fists.
The pressure from earlier—
It was back.
But this time—
It wasn't distant.
It was right in front of them.
"…We don't have much time," Haruki said.
Raizen nodded once.
"…Then we act now."
Karin snapped her head toward him.
"…Act how?!"
"…We stop it before it stabilizes."
"…And how exactly do we do that against something we can't even see?!"
Raizen didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
Closer to the circle.
Haruki's eyes widened.
"…Raizen, wait—"
Too late.
The moment Raizen crossed the edge—
The world reacted.
A sharp crack split the air—
The circle expanded slightly.
And something inside it—
Moved.
Not subtly.
Not vaguely.
Clearly.
A shape—
Distorted.
Pushing outward.
Karin's voice dropped.
"…That's not just trying anymore…"
Haruki felt it too.
This wasn't a warning.
This was emergence.
His vision shattered.
Not one future—
Many.
Rapid.
Overlapping.
Raizen standing still—
Karin rushing forward—
The ground breaking—
Something breaking through—
Every outcome—
Ended the same way.
Badly.
"…No…" Haruki muttered.
"…There has to be another way…"
"Haruki!"
Karin's voice snapped him back.
"…Focus!"
He inhaled sharply.
The visions didn't stop—
But he forced himself to move anyway.
"…Don't let it fully come out!" he shouted.
Raizen didn't look back.
"…Then stop it."
The circle pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
The air bent around it.
And then—
A limb forced its way through.
Not fully formed.
Not stable.
But real.
Karin's eyes widened.
"…MOVE!"
She grabbed Haruki and pulled him back just as—
The limb slammed into the ground.
The impact cracked the earth.
Snow scattered violently.
Haruki's heart pounded.
"…That's not something we can fight head-on…"
Raizen finally moved.
Stepping back—
But not retreating.
"…Then we don't."
He turned slightly.
"…Haruki."
"…Yeah?"
"…Use your eyes."
Haruki froze.
"…What?"
"…You can see what's about to happen."
"…Then find the moment we can interrupt it."
Haruki's chest tightened.
"…That's not that simple…"
"…It doesn't need to be simple."
Raizen's voice remained calm.
"…It just needs to work."
The limb moved again.
Dragging itself forward.
More of it began to emerge.
Karin stepped into position.
Flames flickered faintly in her eyes.
"…I'll hold it off."
Haruki turned sharply.
"…You can't—"
"…I don't need to win," she snapped.
"…I just need to buy time."
The ground shook again.
The circle widened further.
The creature forced more of itself into their world.
And Haruki—
Closed his eyes.
Not to escape—
But to see.
Darkness.
Then—
Fragments.
The limb striking—
Karin dodging—
Raizen moving—
The circle pulsing—
Again.
Again.
Again.
Too many.
Too fast.
"…Focus…" he whispered.
"…Not everything…"
"…Just one path…"
The visions slowed.
Slightly.
Enough.
He saw it.
A moment.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But real.
"…There…" he whispered.
His eyes snapped open.
"…Raizen!"
Raizen moved instantly.
"…Now!"
The circle pulsed—
For a split second—
It weakened.
Just slightly.
Raizen struck.
Not the creature—
The edge of the circle itself.
The impact—
Silent.
But the effect—
Immediate.
The circle distorted.
The limb jerked violently.
Karin didn't hesitate.
"…MOVE!"
Flames burst from her hands.
Not wild—
Focused.
She struck the same point.
The circle cracked.
Not fully—
But enough.
The creature let out a sound.
Not a roar.
Not a scream.
Something else.
Something wrong.
Haruki flinched.
"…Again!" he shouted.
The visions surged—
But this time—
He didn't resist them.
He moved with them.
"…Left—now!"
Raizen shifted.
Struck again.
"…Higher!"
Karin adjusted.
Flames hitting precisely where needed.
The circle destabilized further.
Cracks spread across its surface.
The creature's form flickered.
Breaking.
Failing.
"…One more!" Haruki shouted.
Everything slowed.
One moment.
One chance.
"…Now!"
Raizen and Karin struck together.
The circle shattered.
Not explosively—
But completely.
The connection—
Gone.
The creature—
Dragged back.
Its form collapsing—
Disappearing—
Into nothing.
Silence.
Absolute.
The pressure vanished.
The air stilled.
The ground settled.
Haruki dropped to one knee.
Breathing hard.
"…We… did it…"
Karin exhaled sharply.
"…Barely…"
Raizen stood still.
Watching the empty circle.
Or what remained of it.
"…No," he said quietly.
Haruki looked up.
"…What?"
Raizen's gaze hardened slightly.
"…We delayed it."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It carried a different weight.
Not fear.
Not relief.
Something else.
Understanding.
Haruki looked down at his hands.
They were shaking.
Not from weakness—
But from realization.
"…That wasn't the main body…"
Raizen nodded.
"…No."
Karin frowned.
"…Then what was it?"
Raizen turned.
"…A fragment."
The word hung in the air.
Heavy.
"…And if a fragment is that strong…" Karin muttered.
"…Then the real thing…"
No one finished that sentence.
Because they didn't need to.
Haruki stood slowly.
His eyes burned faintly.
Not painfully.
But differently.
More controlled.
More aware.
"…Next time…"
He clenched his fist.
"…I won't hesitate."
Raizen looked at him.
"…Next time…"
A pause.
"…You won't have that luxury."
The wind moved again.
Soft.
Cold.
The forest—
Silent once more.
But no longer peaceful.
Because now—
They knew.
This wasn't the end.
It wasn't even close.