Veliona stepped forward, placing herself between Yasuo and the yurei. "That's not fair. I know what happened to your village isn't either, but you can't seriously put all the blame on him."

"How noble of you to stand up for someone you only just met," the yurei voiced. "But you don't know the full story yet, little princess..."

Veliona glanced back slightly at Yasuo, asking, "What are they talking about?"

But the yurei didn't wait for him to answer. They continued to speak. "The raiders had been harassing our village for months, preying on us. When we received word from the capital that a samurai was to be placed here, we thought our suffering would finally be over. We waited for weeks for a savior that didn't come.

Finally, we'd had enough. We decided to fight back. And they killed everyone." They paused for a short while, their eerie voice turning wistful. "Starting with the children."

Aldrich and Levi turned their gaze to Yasuo. His expression was rigid, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"E-even if that is the case, you still can't just-..."

Yasuo held out a hand, and Veliona fell silent. He gently pushed past her and faced the yurei directly.

"I am sorry that I wasn't here to save you. I was young back then, proud as well. I felt my skills were wasted being stationed in a village in the middle of nowhere. I know nothing I say will fix my mistake, so I won't say anything more. But I will finally put your souls to rest."

The yurei let out a loud, echoing cackle. "You wish to kill us again? Very well, let's play one final game."

Yasuo reached for his katana and drew it slowly out of its sheath, the blade scraping lightly against it. "You three, stay back."

"I already told you I can take care of myself just fine!" Veliona argued.

Yasuo gave her a small smile. "I know. But this is my fight, so please..."

Veliona opened her mouth as if to say something but then shut it. She stepped back.

Yasuo took in a large, deep breath. He shifted his left foot slightly behind his right, heel raised. The tip of his katana extended towards the enemy.

He breathed out, hot air escaping through his clenched teeth. "Chūdan-no-kamae."

Levi leaned over slightly towards Aldrich and whispered out the side of his mouth. "What does that mean?"

Aldrich shrugged in reply.

["Chūdan-no-kamae", one of the five stances in kenjutsu and the most basic. Providing a balance between attack and defence.

In this stance, the trunk and right wrist are concealed from the opponent.

Although the throat is visible, the extended sword tip serves as a deterrent against potential attacks. While the head remains the only clearly open target, it can be defended effectively.

As long as the kamae is not broken, the user can step into striking distance of the opponent while maintaining a strong defensive posture.]

The yurei lunged forward with almost blinding speed. Aldrich could barely follow their movement with his eyes. However, Yasuo didn't seem bothered; with a quick movement, he thrust his katana into Masashi's ghost and proceeded to slash right through her. She let out a loud shriek as her form dissipated.

Shunsui lashed out in anger, but Yasuo was gone before his claws reached his face. Yasuo was now behind the yurei. He flipped his katana in his hand and stabbed it through the back, causing it to dissipate as well.

There was a brief moment of silence before the two ghosts reappeared some meters away.

"So that's how it is," Yasuo thought aloud. Then he turned to the three of them. "Killing these two won't remove the curse. Its source is elsewhere. I'm sorry to ask this of you after telling you to stay back, but I need you three to find this source."

"What exactly are we supposed to look for?" Veliona asked, visibly confused and clasping her dagger tightly. But Aldrich and Levi knew what to look for.

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The reformed yokai cackled loudly in unison. "Do you really think we're letting any of you leave? We're going to play right here. Forever."

Yasuo took no heed of them. "I'll keep them occupied. And please... be careful."

A large grin grew on Veliona's face; she flipped her dagger a few times then gripped it again. "Don't worry, I'll keep them safe." She turned to Aldrich and Levi. "Let's go, boys!"

She began to run towards the exit; Levi and Aldrich sprinted after her. The yurei really didn't want them to leave; they shifted their attention from Yasuo and began to chase after the three of them.

Soon they stood between the three and the exit. Veliona didn't stop running; she gave the boys a sly grin over her shoulder before slashing her dagger through the air and creating a rift. She dove in headfirst, and Levi and Aldrich followed. Leaving the yurei surprised as the rift closed.

The yurei screamed—an ear-piercing sound. They turned to the exit to chase after them when a vertical slash cut one of them clean in two. The other turned in surprise; the samurai hadn't moved from his position. How had he cut them from so far away?

Yasuo raised his katana above his head once again, his fingers gripping the hilt tightly. He shifted his right foot out. "Jōdan-no-kamae."

He brought down his blade like a flash of lightning, slicing through the air and the yokai on the other side of the room.

["Jōdan-no-kamae", another one of the five stances. The sword is raised above the head, tip pointing back, and the blade faces up, poised for a strike.

This aggressive stance offers extended reach, an intimidating posture, and swift strikes. However, it comes with a notable drawback—vulnerability in defense as the throat, wrists, and body are exposed.]

The yurei reformed promptly, their full attention on Yasuo once again. If they were distracted, even for a second, he would slash them down.

The yurei eyed him cautiously. "What an unusual ability. Tell us, is this what they call... a virtue?"

"To reveal one's technique to the enemy is to invite defeat," Yasuo replied. "Apologies, but I think I'll be keeping it secret."

"How prudent of you," the yurei appraised, and then began to laugh, the laughter growing louder and louder. "Very well then. Mysteries are more fun anyway. Now then, let's continue our game!"

Yasuo brought up his katana just in time to intercept the onslaught of attacks from both the yurei. They had gotten even faster, closing the gap in an instant.

Their movements were random and erratic, or at least it seemed that way. Yasuo was able to read their patterns and anticipate their strikes. With precision born from experience, he deftly parried each attack, his katana meeting the yurei's onslaught with a dance of steel. Despite their increased speed, Yasuo's focused instincts allowed him to maintain control of the battle.

They seemed to have adapted to his own patterns in turn. His windows for attacks kept getting smaller and smaller. He slid backward a few meters after blocking an attack from both of them at the same time. Now there was some distance between us; he had more space to act.

He placed both hands on his katana hilt and lowered its blade towards the ground. "Gedan-no-kamae."

He would focus on deflecting their blows and creating his own striking opportunities. He just needed to keep this up until the children found the source of this curse.

A small laugh escaped his lips. He never relied on anyone, and now here he was entrusting such a task to children. His master would almost die of laughter if he could see him now.

"Is something funny?" The yurei questioned.

Yasuo shook his head and readied his blade. "It's nothing... Let's continue."