---
The battlefield was eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of fading embers. Smoke hung heavy in the air, obscuring the stars, while fragments of shattered earth were everywhere left behind by the battle. Among the ruins, the lifeless body of Yumi lay crumpled to the ground, her blood pooling beneath her still form.
Elara knelt beside her, trembling hands glowing faintly as she poured the last remnants of her mana into a desperate healing spell."Come on, Yumi,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
"Please... don't leave us.”
But the wound was deep—far too deep. The light from her spell dimmed, and her mana sputtered out. Elara let out a chocked sob, clutching Yumi's hand. “No...no, no, no...”
Beside them Toru lay unconscious without an arm as he was trying to protect Kaito and Yumi. His broken sword fixed in the ground.
Not far away, Kaito's body was motionless, shadows flickering faintly around him. His fingers twitched as he began to stir, his fragmented consciousness slowly piercing itself together. Memories came flooding back—Yumi's smile, her laughter, and the countless times she had shielded him across their lives.
He tried to move, but his body felt like stone.
His voice was a whisper. "Yumi...”
Elara anguished cry pierced the air. "Kaito! She's gone!”
Those words tore through him, sharper than any blade. His hazy vision cleared just enough to see Yumi's lifeless form. And in that moment, the world stopped.
His essence stirred violently, fragments of shadows and starlight swirling uncontrollably within him. The memory of Yumi's voice echoed in his mind : "You were always enough, Kaito. Thank you for being my light.”
But all he could fell now was the weight of failure—of every life.
---
Standing amidst the devastation, the Demon Lord gazed at the carnage with a mix of disdain and satisfaction. His six-winged silhouette loomed, casting an ominous shadow over the fractured ground.
“This was always how it would end,” he said, his voice a low rumble. He surveyed Kaito’s fallen form and scoffed. “To think you were chosen. A puppet, just like me, but weaker. Tell me, boy, how does it feel to be powerless, even with fragments that could alter existence itself?”
Valen and Seraphine stood between him and Kaito, their weapons raised, unwavering despite the odds.
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“You speak of fate,” Valen growled, his blade alight with crackling energy, “but you’ve made this choice for yourself.”
The Demon Lord’s laughter rolled like thunder. “Choice? Do you think I’m here of my own will?” He stepped forward, his towering form exuding raw power. “I was summoned, forged for this singular purpose: to be the stepping stone for that child’s ascension. My strength, my pain, my life—it was all predetermined by powers beyond this realm.”
His crimson eyes locked onto Kaito. “But I refuse to play my role. If I must fall, I’ll drag him and his precious fragments into oblivion with me.”
---
Kaito’s fingers twitched as he felt the fragments stirring within him, their energy volatile and unrelenting. Shadows seeped from his body, tendrils of darkness lashing at the ground, destroying everything they touched.
Elara’s desperate voice broke through the tension. “Kaito! Fight it! You’re stronger than this!”
But her words fell on deaf ears. Kaito’s shattered psyche allowed the fragments to take control. The starlight within him flickered weakly, overwhelmed by the torrents of despair and hatred.
A haunting laugh escaped Kaito’s lips as his body levitated, shrouded in a swirling storm of shadows. His once-clear eyes were now pools of inky darkness.
“I’ll destroy everything,” he hissed, his voice layered with malevolence. “There won’t be a cosmos left to save.”
---
The Demon Lord surged forward, his swords raised high, but Kaito moved faster. In a flash, the battlefield shattered as Kaito’s speed tore through dimensions. Planets trembled, their surfaces splitting under the pressure of his movements.
The Demon Lord faltered, his expression twisting in disbelief. “What... are you?”
Kaito appeared behind him in an instant. He didn’t attack—he didn’t need to. The sheer force of his velocity ruptured the space around them, splitting the ground and obliterating the stars overhead.
“You’ll never understand,” Kaito said coldly. “You were nothing more than a pawn.”
The Demon Lord’s body disintegrated, his ambitions crumbling alongside him. His final words echoed faintly as the shadows consumed him. “I... was so close...”
---
With the Demon Lord gone, Kaito’s power spiraled out of control. Shadows erupted, consuming galaxies, stars, and dimensions in their wake. Yet, even as they destroyed, the starlight worked tirelessly to restore.
The Dimension Tree shattered and regenerated endlessly, its infinite branches caught in a paradoxical cycle of creation and destruction. Entire timelines unraveled and rewove themselves, preserving the flow of existence even as it teetered on collapse.
In the higher planes, Valtherion watched with a calculating gaze. “So, the fragments have chosen,” he murmured. “But at what cost?”
---
The starlight within Kaito surged, battling the overwhelming shadows. Bit by bit, it regained control, pulling him back from the brink. The shadows hissed as they receded, leaving Kaito kneeling amidst the ruins.
He crawled toward Yumi’s body, his hands trembling as he cradled her lifeless form. Her face was pale, her eyes closed as though she were merely sleeping.
“Elara,” he croaked. “Heal her.”
Elara knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face. “I’ve tried. I’ve exhausted all my mana. I... I can’t save her.”
Kaito’s starlight flared as he tried to channel its essence into her wounds, but nothing happened. The energy was too depleted, too focused on maintaining the fragile balance of the cosmos.
“Why?” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Why can’t I save her?”
Elara met his gaze, her own eyes filled with sorrow. “She told me... she told me to tell you something if this happened.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “‘Those memories we created were the best of my lives. Tell Kaito... thank you for being my light.’”
---
Kaito’s essence surged once more as he encased Yumi’s body in a crystalline stasis. The shimmering starlight preserved her perfectly, freezing her in a moment of peace.
“She’s not gone,” Kaito said, his voice cold and resolute. “Starlight can bring her back. I just... need more strength.”
He turned to Valen and Seraphine, his gaze like steel. “Protect her body. If anything happens to her, there won’t be a cosmos left to destroy.”
He looked beside them only to see Toru unconscious missing an arm. He was grateful because he had guessed the cause. He crafted a sword specially for him it was of legendary grade which was to serve as thanks and his protection.
"When he wakes up, tell him when I come back I'll be able to give him his arm back."
---
As Kaito rose, his essence still radiating suppressed power, Elara stepped forward. “Kaito,” she said, her voice steady despite her tears. “I’ll walk whatever path you choose.”
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. “You can’t handle the path I’m about to take,” he said, his tone as cold as ice. “You’re too weak for the cosmos.”
Elara flinched, but she held her ground. “Even if I’m weak, I’ll still follow you.”
Kaito turned away, his figure fading into the horizon. “Then prepare yourself. Because this path has no light.”
---
End of Chapter 7