A stunned silence descended upon the dimension. Rinne's eyes widened, a flush creeping up her cheeks—not from embarrassment, but from a mix of astonishment and begrudging amusement. Did he really just say that?

Aka Manto's mask seemed to twitch, the eternal grin warping into a grimace of confusion. "What nonsense do you speak?" the spirit hissed, visibly unsettled. “Enough! Die!”

With a furious sweep of his skeletal hands, the air around him filled with swirling rolls of red and blue toilet paper, multiplying like a swarm of ominous butterflies. The rolls unraveled in midair, transforming into deadly ribbons that shot toward Shigure like a barrage of ethereal daggers.

"Shigure, watch out!" Rinne yelled, her voice cracking with urgency. "The red paper is razor sharp—it’ll cut through you like nothing! And the blue—" She hesitated, her heart pounding as she watched the rolls advance. "The blue isn't as sharp, but it’ll drain your mana the second it touches you!"

Shigure glanced back at her, a calm smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Got it," he said nonchalantly. "But that's a lot to remember." Suddenly, a fierce azure aura began to emanate from his body, swirling around him like a tempest made of raw energy, covering both him and the sole sword that he held as his weapon.

And then he moved.

In a blur of motion, Shigure charged forward. The blue aura streaming from his body made him look like a bolt of lightning streaking through the dim, oppressive red of Aka Manto’s dimension. His sword sang as it sliced cleanly through the first wave of toilet paper, shredding the red ribbons before they could even touch him. The crimson sheets disintegrated on contact, dissolving into dust as if they’d never been there at all.

Rinne stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat. How is he doing this? Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the almost superhuman display before her. Then it hit her—Shigure had cloaked himself in an absurdly high-density field of mana. Not only had it boosted his physical abilities to the extreme, but it also let his sword vaporize anything it touched.

His sword wasn't just cutting; it was erasing.

She could barely comprehend how precise his control must be, to maintain such a dense field without losing his grip on reality.

Before she could react further, Shigure ducked low, pivoting on his heel as he dodged a blue ribbon that snapped toward his head. In the same breath, he twisted his sword upward in a dazzling arc, severing the ribbon in two. The blue toilet paper disintegrated instantly, unable to latch onto him.

He moved like a dancer, each strike a perfectly timed step, weaving through the onslaught of red and blue like he had memorized the attack patterns long before they even happened. His movements were smooth, fluid—there was no wasted energy, no hesitation. His blade flashed in rapid bursts, each swing more accurate than the last. Razor-sharp sheets of toilet paper were reduced to nothing in the blink of an eye, unable to even graze him.

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Rinne’s pulse quickened as she watched in awe and disbelief.

He’s cutting through them so easily, she thought, her fingers trembling slightly at the sight.

Then, in one motion, Shigure halted mid-step. What is he doing? Fluidly, he drew his arm back and hurled the blade with incredible force. It spun through the air, a spiraling comet of light, cutting through the sea of toilet paper as if it were intangible.

Aka Manto barely had time to react. The sword pierced straight through his mask, embedding itself deep into his forehead. The spirit staggered, a grotesque howl ripping from his throat. Dark, shadowy tendrils seeped from the wound, writhing like snakes as they dissipated into the air.

But Shigure wasn't finished. In the very instant the sword struck, he vanished from where he stood. A heartbeat later, he materialized at the hilt of the sword, his hand gripping it firmly. It was as if he'd warped across the space between them.

Rinne's eyes widened. He didn't teleport—that was pure speed!

Shigure yanked the sword free with a swift, merciless pull. The motion sent Aka Manto reeling, his skeletal body convulsing under the strain. Shigure, his face impassive, took a step back, his eyes narrowing in cold calculation. With a single, fast movement, he brought the sword up in an arcing swing.

The blade cleaved through Aka Manto’s body in one clean, upward slash.

The spirit let out a blood-curdling scream, a sound that pierced through the very fabric of the dimension itself. Aka Manto’s body split in half, each half writhing in agony as they fell apart. The red-tinted walls of the world began to crack and crumble, shattering like glass as the spirit’s death throes tore the very dimension apart.

“I’ve once again completely severed something useless.” Shigure said as he sheathed his sword.

In the blink of an eye, they stood outside the dormitory. The stars glittered overhead, indifferent to the battle that had just transpired.

"I’ve heard the stories, you know," Shigure said, looking at the tower. "About demons pulling us into their realm when things go wrong. I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to experience it myself.”

"But nobody knows where it really is. Could be anywhere. The Void, they call it, or something like that. Some say it’s in the spaces between things—like in the cracks of the world itself. Others say it’s part of the tower." He nodded toward the ominous spire in the distance, the unending tower that seemed to pierce heaven.

Shigure’s eyes flicked to Rinne, who was still staring at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, and he tilted his head slightly, his tone teasing.

"Is this the part where you fall in love with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wanna join my harem?"

Rinne’s face immediately twisted into a scowl, her cheeks flushing as she balled her fists. "HELL NO!" she snapped, her voice echoing in the night air. "Like that’s ever gonna happen, you idiot!"

Shigure smirked, clearly amused by her reaction. She huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance, but as she looked away, a small thought crept into her mind. He did look kinda cool back there... she admitted to herself, though she’d rather jump off a cliff than say it aloud.