Kaito’s breath was ragged, his vision blurring as pain shot through his body. The cold steel of Shigaraki’s blade had pierced his chest, and his heart raced, pounding in his ears. He stumbled, his sword falling from his hands as blood trickled down his side.
Shigaraki grinned over him, the wicked curve of his lips burning itself into Kaito’s fading consciousness.
Shigaraki (mockingly): “Bye-bye, Kaito."
The world around Kaito dimmed, but in those final moments, his mind was flooded with the memory of the choice he made—the deal he struck with the god.
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Just before Shigaraki’s fatal strike, Kaito had been cornered, helpless. Yuna was just within reach, but he knew he didn’t have the strength to stop the attack. His body, his skills—everything had been insufficient to stand against this monstrous enemy.
That’s when the world around him froze.
A chilling wind swept through the air, the battlefield fading into a void of blackness. Silence followed. The only thing Kaito could hear was his own heartbeat, desperate and frantic.
Suddenly, a voice—low, smooth, and unsettling—echoed from the shadows around him.
God (mocking): “So... this is how it ends, boy?”
Kaito’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with confusion. The source of the voice was nowhere to be seen, but the air itself seemed to hum with its presence. The shadows danced and twisted around him, creating a sense of dread that clawed at his chest.
Kaito (panicking): “W-Where... am I?”
He spun around, searching for the speaker, but all he could see was darkness. His heart pounded louder, his breath shallow as the realization began to sink in—this was no ordinary place. Something was terribly wrong.
Out of the twisting darkness stepped a figure. The god—or what Kaito assumed was a god—did not have a solid form. His appearance shifted—sometimes a man cloaked in robes, other times a shadow with glowing eyes. It was as if his shape was too terrifying, too otherworldly, to settle on one face. The flickering images unsettled Kaito further, sending a cold chill down his spine.
God (amused): “You are at the threshold, Kaito. The place between life and death.”
The words sent a chill through Kaito’s body. His mind raced. Between life and death? Was this it? Was he truly dying?
Kaito (desperately): “No... I can’t die. Not now. Yuna—she needs me.”
The god circled him slowly, his ever-changing form flickering in and out of sight, like smoke curling through the air. There was a cruel smile in his voice as he spoke again.
God (mocking): “Ahh, the desperation of a dying man. You humans are always so predictable.” His voice dropped to a whisper, though it seemed to come from all directions. “But... perhaps you don’t have to die. Not yet.”
Kaito’s heart pounded. He wanted to speak, to demand answers, but the god’s next words froze him in place.
God (tempting): “I can save you, Kaito. I can give you the power you so desperately seek.”
Kaito’s body tensed, the words ringing in his ears. He knew there would be consequences. He wasn’t naïve. But what choice did he have? If he didn’t accept, Yuna would die, and so would he. He had already failed once—he couldn’t let it happen again.
Kaito (uneasy): “What... what’s the price?”
The god’s form flickered, his voice growing softer, more intimate, like a whisper from the depths of the void.
God (darkly): “Power always comes with a cost. I will give you the strength you need to face your enemy... but it will not last. When that power fades, so too will your life. You will not live to see another sunrise.”
Kaito’s heart skipped a beat. His hands trembled as the weight of the offer sank in. This was it—the moment where everything would change. He thought of Yuna, standing defenseless against Shigaraki’s next attack. He thought of the life they still had ahead of them, the promise he had made to protect her.
He couldn’t let her die. He couldn’t let them both die.
Kaito (determined): “I’ll do it. Just... give me the power.”
The god’s smile widened, though his face never fully appeared. He stepped forward, his form towering over Kaito, filling the void with his cold, suffocating presence.
God (whispering): “Your strength will be borrowed. Use it wisely, and remember: when your time is up, I will come for you.”
Kaito felt a surge of raw energy flood through him as the god placed a hand over his chest. It was unlike anything he had ever felt—overwhelming, intoxicating, but terrifying in its intensity. His body trembled under the weight of the power, his senses heightened beyond anything he had ever imagined.
The god’s form began to fade into the shadows, but his voice lingered in Kaito’s mind.
God (coldly): “I have done my part... now do yours.”
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Back in the present, Kaito’s vision cleared for just a moment. He had used the god’s power to fend off Shigaraki. For those fleeting moments, he had felt unstoppable. Every swing of his blade had been faster, sharper, more powerful than ever before. He had parried Shigaraki’s lethal strikes, holding him at bay with the borrowed strength.
But even then, Kaito knew—it was only a matter of time.
The god’s power had surged through him, but it was fleeting. He could feel it slipping away with every heartbeat, every second that passed. His life was being drained along with it. And now, as Shigaraki’s blade pierced his chest, Kaito understood—his time had run out.
Shigaraki twisted the blade slightly, a sadistic grin plastered across his face as Kaito gasped in pain.
Shigaraki (mockingly): “You fought well... for a dead man.”
Kaito’s knees buckled beneath him, his body growing weaker with every passing moment. The divine power was gone, and all that remained was the overwhelming weight of failure. He had tried to save Yuna, but it hadn’t been enough.
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The battlefield seemed distant now, like a place he no longer belonged to. Kaito’s vision blurred, the edges of the world fading as the weight of his injuries pressed down on him. The sharp pain of Shigaraki’s blade piercing his chest was overwhelming, but it was the fading power—the god’s power—that truly crushed him. It had surged through him like a burning flame, but now that flame was flickering, dying.
Kaito’s hands trembled, his fingers barely able to keep a grip on the hilt of his broken sword. He had given everything, used every ounce of strength the god had granted him, and yet... it hadn’t been enough. Yuna’s face, desperate and afraid, was etched into his mind. He had made the deal, he had fought for her, and still... he had failed.
Kaito (thoughts, disoriented): I didn’t have a choice... if I hadn’t accepted the deal, she would’ve died right then. I... would’ve died. But now... it feels like nothing has changed.
The sound of Shigaraki’s laughter echoed around him, but it seemed far away. The cruel mockery in his voice barely registered in Kaito’s mind. He couldn’t focus on anything but the cold, creeping sensation spreading through his body. His time was running out, and with it, the last remnants of the power he had bargained for.
Kaito (thoughts, pained): This wasn’t supposed to happen... I was supposed to save her. That’s why I made the deal. That’s why I gave everything. But...
His thoughts trailed off as the god’s presence returned to his mind, colder and more suffocating than before. It was as if the god had always been watching, waiting for this moment—the moment when Kaito would realize the bitter truth.
The divine power, the strength that had coursed through Kaito’s veins, was fading faster now, slipping away like water through his fingers. He could feel it leaving him, could feel his own life force being drained along with it. His breaths were shallow, his body heavy, and his vision darkened at the edges. The world seemed to tilt around him, spinning out of control as the weight of his failure pressed down on him.
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Shigaraki (mockingly): “Five minutes... that’s all you had. But I have to admit, you made it more interesting than I expected.”
The words barely registered in Kaito’s mind. All he could think about was the god’s voice, still echoing in his thoughts. The promise of power, the cost of it, and the cruel realization that even with that borrowed strength, he had been too weak. He hadn’t saved Yuna. He hadn’t changed anything.
The reality of it hit him like a wave, threatening to drown him in regret.
Kaito (thoughts, anguished): I couldn’t protect her... even with his power...
His heart pounded, each beat slower than the last, as if it too was giving up. The divine power had felt like a burning fire, but now it was cold, extinguished, leaving him empty. And with that emptiness came a crushing sense of despair. He had fought, sacrificed everything, and yet... Shigaraki stood over him, victorious.
Kaito’s grip on his sword slackened, the blade slipping from his hand, broken and useless. His body was failing him, the god’s power gone. All that remained was the cold, harsh truth—he had not been strong enough. His strength, borrowed and temporary, had been a fleeting spark in the darkness, and now that darkness was closing in.
Kaito (thoughts, regretful): I thought I could save her... I thought I could protect her... but I wasn’t enough.
His breath hitched, a pained gasp as his chest tightened. Blood pooled around him, warm and sticky, but it was the cold that consumed him, the cold of the god’s claim. He had been granted strength for a short time, but now that time had run out. The deal had been struck, and Kaito had failed to uphold his end of it. The god had given him a chance, but Kaito had squandered it. He had been too weak, too slow.
Shigaraki’s cruel smile loomed above him, but Kaito could barely see it now. His vision had dimmed to near blindness, his limbs heavy and unresponsive. And then, just as the darkness closed in completely, he heard it—Yuna’s voice.
Her scream pierced through the haze, dragging Kaito back from the edge of unconsciousness.
Yuna (screaming, panicked): “Kaito!”
Her voice was filled with so much fear, so much desperation, that it cut through Kaito’s fading awareness like a blade. He tried to move, to reach out to her, but his body refused to obey. His strength was gone. His time was up.
Kaito (thoughts, filled with regret): Yuna... I’m sorry... I couldn’t... save you...
Her sobs echoed in his ears, and it was the sound of her crying that broke him more than the pain of the wound in his chest. He had made the deal to protect her, to keep her safe, and yet here she was, crying over him, helpless.
Kaito (weak, fading): “Yuna... I... I’m sorry...”
His voice barely came out, a whisper lost in the wind. He wanted to say more, wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how he had tried so hard to save her. But the words wouldn’t come. The weight of his failure was too much.
And then, as his eyes fluttered shut, the cold presence of the god returned, a chilling reminder of the deal he had made and the price he was now paying.
God (whispering in his mind, cold): “Your time is up, Kaito. You fought well... but you were always destined to fail.”
The words echoed in his mind, and with them, the last remnants of Kaito’s hope faded. He had done everything he could, and it still hadn’t been enough.
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Yuna’s scream tore through the still night like a dagger. Panic surged through her veins as she watched Kaito collapse to the ground, his body limp and lifeless. Time seemed to slow, every heartbeat echoing in her ears, every breath becoming heavier and more painful.
She ran to him, her feet moving on instinct, her mind unable to process the horror before her. The world around her blurred, and all she could focus on was Kaito—his pale face, his labored breathing, and the blood soaking into the earth beneath him.
Yuna fell to her knees beside him, her hands trembling violently as she reached out to touch him. Her fingers brushed his arm, cold and unresponsive, and tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.
Yuna (desperate, voice breaking): “K-Kaito, please... don’t do this! Please, stay with me!”
Her voice cracked with each word, the weight of her fear and sorrow crushing her chest. She had never seen him like this—so fragile, so broken. The strong, determined Kaito who had always been there to protect her, now lay before her, slipping away.
She shook his arm gently, as if that small action could somehow wake him, as if her touch could bring him back from the brink.
Yuna (sobbing): “You can’t leave me! You promised... you promised we’d make it out together!”
But Kaito didn’t respond. His breathing was shallow, each inhale weaker than the last. His eyes fluttered open, just barely, his vision blurry and unfocused. He looked up at Yuna, his heart heavy with the pain of seeing her cry. Her face, streaked with tears, was a vision of despair, her whole body trembling as she tried to hold on to him.
Kaito’s hand, weak and trembling, lifted slowly, reaching for her face. His fingers brushed against her cheek, wiping away her tears with what little strength he had left.
Kaito (whispering, voice faint): “Yuna... I’m sorry... I tried... but I couldn’t save you.”
His words were barely a whisper, but they pierced through Yuna’s heart like a knife. Her tears fell harder, the anguish in her chest threatening to tear her apart.
Yuna (shaking her head, frantic): “No! No, you saved me! You did everything, Kaito... you did everything you could! Please, don’t leave me! Don’t go!”
Her voice cracked, and she choked on her sobs, her hands gripping his arm desperately as if she could somehow pull him back from the edge of death. She couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not when they had fought so hard to survive.
Yuna (pleading): “Please, Kaito... you can’t die! Not for me! Please, I need you...”
But Kaito’s strength was fading fast. His hand, still resting on her cheek, grew colder, his touch becoming lighter until it slipped away entirely. His breath hitched, his chest rising and falling in shallow gasps, and his eyelids began to droop.
Kaito (struggling to speak, weaker): “I... I’m sorry... I... couldn’t...”
His words faltered as his breath grew weaker, the weight of his failure settling in. He had made the deal to protect her, but it hadn’t been enough. He had given everything—his very life—and still, it wasn’t enough. And now, as he lay dying, all he could feel was regret.
Regret that he hadn’t been strong enough.
Regret that he was leaving Yuna behind.
Yuna’s sobs grew louder, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces as she watched him slip away. She leaned over him, her tears falling onto his chest as she pressed her forehead against his.
Yuna (sobbing, voice cracking): “No, no, no... please don’t leave me... Kaito, please...”
Her voice was barely a whisper now, the strength drained from her body as the reality of his death crashed over her. She clung to him, her hands gripping his blood-stained clothing as if holding on to him could somehow stop the inevitable.
Kaito’s eyes fluttered one last time, his lips parting as he tried to speak, but no words came. His breath slowed, his chest barely rising anymore. And then, with one final exhale, the light in his eyes faded, and his body fell still.
Yuna (whispering, broken): “Kaito...”
Her voice cracked, the pain in her chest unbearable. She shook him gently, still clinging to some desperate hope that he would wake up, that this wasn’t real.
But Kaito was gone.
The sobs that wracked Yuna’s body came in waves, each one more violent than the last. She buried her face in his chest, her entire body trembling as she cried out in agony. The weight of her grief pressed down on her like a crushing force, suffocating her, drowning her.
Yuna (sobbing, pleading): “Please... please come back... don’t leave me...”
But the only response was the cold wind that swept through the forest, carrying with it the scent of death. Kaito’s body lay lifeless beneath her, and the emptiness of his absence consumed her.
She had lost him.
The one person who had fought so hard to protect her, who had given everything to keep her safe... was gone.
And in that moment, Yuna felt more alone than she ever had in her life.
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As Yuna wept beside him, clutching his lifeless body, Kaito could feel the presence of the god creeping closer. The air around him turned icy, and though his body was still on the brink of death, his consciousness was dragged back into the cold void where the deal had been made.
The god’s voice, low and smooth, echoed from the shadows that enveloped Kaito’s mind.
God (whispering): “It’s time, Kaito. Your strength has run out. You’ve played your part... and now, I will collect what is owed.”
Kaito’s heart thudded slowly in his chest, each beat weaker than the last. He was caught between the world of the living and the grasp of death, unable to move, unable to speak. All around him was darkness, except for the faint, glowing eyes of the god.
Kaito wanted to resist, to fight against the cold grip tightening around his soul. But he couldn’t. His body had given everything it had. His borrowed strength had failed him. And now, the god had come to claim his prize.
Kaito (desperate, voice weak): “No... please... I can’t leave her... not like this...”
The god’s form flickered into view once more, shifting between shapes—sometimes a robed figure, other times a swirling mass of shadows. His eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light as he stared down at Kaito, indifferent to his pleas.
God (calmly): “Your time is over, Kaito. You made your choice. You accepted my power. And in return, you offered your life.”
Kaito’s chest tightened. He could hear Yuna’s sobs echoing faintly in the distance, her cries muffled by the cold void that now surrounded him. His heart broke for her, knowing that he would never be able to protect her again. He had failed her, and now he was being ripped away, forced to leave her in the hands of a monster.
Kaito (pleading, voice shaking): “But I didn’t save her... you promised me power... and I still couldn’t save her!”
The god’s lips curled into a faint, almost cruel smile.
God (mockingly): “I gave you power, yes. But I never promised you victory.”
The words hit Kaito like a blade to the chest. He had been so blinded by his desperation to protect Yuna that he hadn’t truly understood the god’s terms. The god had granted him power, but not enough to change the outcome. It had all been a cruel illusion—an impossible hope.
God (coldly): “You were too weak, even with my gift. Strength alone cannot change what is fated. You fought well, but in the end... you were always destined to fail.”
Kaito’s mind reeled. His heart pounded in his chest, not from life but from sheer panic. The crushing realization sank in—he had made the ultimate sacrifice, and it hadn’t been enough. Yuna was still in danger, and now he was powerless to stop what would happen next.
Kaito (desperate, almost whispering): “I... I was supposed to protect her...”
The god loomed over him, his expression unreadable, but there was no mercy in his eyes—only the cold, uncaring gaze of a higher power that existed beyond mortal concerns.
God (softly, finality in his tone): “Your role was to fight, Kaito. And now... it is over.”
The void around Kaito seemed to close in, suffocating him. The weight of the god’s power pressed down on him, heavy and inescapable. He felt his last remnants of strength slipping away, the life draining from his body like water from a cracked vessel.
Yuna’s sobs grew fainter in his ears, drowned out by the god’s presence, the darkness overwhelming him.
God (whispering, almost mockingly): “You played your part well, Kaito. But now, it’s time to rest. What is owed will be collected.”
The god’s shadowy hand reached toward Kaito, closing the distance between them. Kaito’s entire being felt cold, the warmth of life leaving him entirely. He wanted to scream, to cry out for Yuna one last time, but no words came. His voice was gone. His strength, his will, everything had been consumed by the deal he had made.
Kaito (silent thoughts, full of regret): I’m sorry, Yuna... I couldn’t protect you...
The god’s hand touched Kaito’s chest, and in that moment, Kaito felt his consciousness begin to unravel, like threads of a tapestry being pulled apart. The darkness consumed him fully, and the last thing he heard was Yuna’s voice—desperate, broken, and alone.
End of Episode