The blade pierced through Kakunō all the way. He coughed out blood and fell to his knees.

Dominique stood in front of Engo to protect her. He cast a runic circle over his right hand, creating very long bandage straps. They extended far enough to hit a wall. However, Tokino moved out of the way even before the attack occurred.

Just as Dominique thought he would be next, Tokino immediately switched her footing to turn around. He saw Kakunō stood up, clutching his belly and holding an ornate gold revolver.

Tokino dodged the similarly colored bullet fired at point-blank range. Her rapier closed in on Kakunō’s neck, but suddenly, the bullet redirected and flew onto her from behind.

Tokino turned around with eyes widened. “Damn it! It’s too quick!” The bullet hit her in the right shoulder blade. She grunted and fell in front.

Next, the bullet slowly pulled itself out of her flesh and returned to the revolver’s chamber; Tokino shrieked in pain as it did.

Kakunō walked out of the way, healing himself and mending his clothes. “She’s all yours, Larry. I wouldn’t want Yuki to know I did this.”

With Tokino incapacitated, Dominique healed her injury.

Kakunō pulled out the silver box again. It transformed into a miniature, metallic pillory with no hole for the head.

He positioned Tokino’s arms behind her back. But then, “You don’t need to do that…” she said softly.

Her words startled the three again, and she slowly got back up. Picking up her rapier, they thought Tokino would fight again. Instead, she sheathed it.

Tokino turned around. “Saying sorry will never be enough for what I did. I promised Yukino to do better, and yet I regressed into an animal. I’ll go back on my own.” She walked to Kakunō and held his shoulders. “I’m begging you. If you can… please save my Haruto. He’s saved so many himself….” She began walking back to the VIP room.

“Hey, Ma’am, wait a minute!” Kakunō caught her attention, making her turn around again. “You don’t need me to do that for you. You see, Hokori can—” A thunderous bang within the runic dome’s edge startled the four.

Tokino immediately ran to the source of the sound. She gasped and covered her mouth upon seeing a mangled body on the floor. The other three followed suit, and what they saw widened their eyes to their limits.

It was none other than Hokori. He twitched around while groaning—and got back up by propelling his legs forward.

As he slowly stood up, the four saw something they wished they never had: His head twisted to one hundred and eighty degrees, looking right at them. He lost multiple rows of teeth.

Hokori quickly snapped his neck back into place with his right. Next, he fixed his jaw and pushed an eyeball back inside its socket. His fractures and dislocations corrected themselves.

Hokori grinned. “Hahahahahaha! You’ve truly piqued my interest now, boy!” He wiped his chin with his right fist. Then, he disappeared from where he stood—as a bare-fisted Haruto tried to attack him.

The four stood in shock once again, witnessing Haruto’s otherworldly transformation.

His hands now bore claws, digging the runic edge.

His mouth displayed rows of front fangs, and his eyes were now even more unusual than Hokori’s. The corneas glowed sky blue. His “pupils” turned into white cross marks. His skin looked noticeably burnt.

Some blue flames lit upon his clothing. Unlike his skin, however, they were unscathed. Haruto rested one hand on the dome, panting. He looked right at a frightened Tokino.

She noticed one thing with her eyes squinted. “He’s smiling?”

“Hey kid, what’re you doin’? Get back here!” Dominique shouted.

Despite his warnings, she touched her husband’s hand. “Honey…?”

No matter what, Haruto did not react negatively. If anything, he felt a familiar, serene feeling. He stared wide into her lavender eyes. His heart bounced.

Tokino held his hand closer and smiled back. “It’s warm. Your flames don’t burn me at all. Oh, my Haru—” before she even knew it, her husband got punched in the face.

An smiling Hokori stood nearby Tokino. “Hahahahahahaha! Now, you be lookin’ like a lot of fun, boy!” he pointed.

Tokino looked at her brutalized husband lying from afar. “Haruto!!” then she looked at Hokori, eyes narrowing, “You bastard!!!” she drew her rapier and readied a lightning thrust.

However, a black whip wrapped her arm around. Kakunō pulled it quickly, making her fall. He pinned Tokino down on her chest with his lone right hand.

Tokino struggled, but it was futile. “Let me go! Let me go!” she punched and scratched Kakunō’s arm.

“Believe me, ma’am, I could do this all day. This is nothing compared to what I’d go through…” he shook his head.

Tokino still struggled. “Let. Me. Go!!!” tears flowed out of her angered eyes.

“No, I won’t!” Kakunō exclaimed, “Listen to yourself. You promised Yuki, didn’t you? It’s going to be fine! I know Hokori more than you do. Yuki knew that in his heart. You don’t need to read mine to fully understand! Please, ma’am! Calm down….” He lifted his arm.

Tokino stopped fighting back and sat down with her head lowered. “It’s hard…” her tears welled up.

Kakunō kneeled. “I know it is. I never changed myself. Not even when I left my nation. You’re not the only one that tries. Come…” he lifted her arm, “…Let’s just wait and see. If anything goes awry, I’ll intervene. Understand?”

Tokino nodded reluctantly. She briefly realized that Kakunō was as tall as her.

“That girl didn’t foresee his action…?” Dominique’s eyes squinted, standing from afar.

Back at the fight, Hokori saw Haruto slowly getting up. The former chuckled. “No fucking idea how an uppercut triggered this. But who would’ve thought you were one of their kind! Show me more, boy. You entertain me. For real.” he cracked his neck.

Haruto snarled and growled at him. He raised an open palm upward, causing a massive blue fire column to emerge where his opponent stood. Hokori kept flash-stepping around the place as he grinned. More columns erupted.

The crowd stood in utter shock, not because they witnessed something new, but because they now had a rare treat for their eyes. They immediately went back to primal cheering.

Hokori’s friends in the VIP rooms sat at the edge of their seats. “Holy fuck! I haven’t fought these things in ages!” Bernard exclaimed, spewing his drink.

In another room, Yukino’s eyes opened as wide as they could. “Papa…?”

Kenkō’s eyes widened as well. “By the Gods… Wait, does that mean?” she turned to Yukino and pinched her chest.

“Ow! Big Sis… what are you doing?” she looked up at her.

Kenkō patted her head. “I-I’m so sorry, Yukichi… I just thought you had a fever.” She smiled with her eyes closed.

Yukino smiled back and hugged her. “I’m fine, Big Sis. Thank you…” she looked back at the screen.

Kenkō took a look at her fingers. “It didn’t feel searing hot at all. I guess it was obvious with how young they were. Yukichi’s adopted….” she looked at her again.

Five minutes later, Haruto still created flame columns off the ground. Hokori yawned, dodging every single one. “Oh c’mon, boy! You’re indeed a lot of fun right now—but one-trick-ponying means ya got coal for brains!” He palm-trusted Haruto’s face. “I hope that fixed it….” Unlike his attacks before, it was not even enough to give Haruto a nosebleed.

Because of that, Hokori grinned out of immense enthusiasm. It should have smashed his skull to dust.

Moments later, Haruto tried a different approach. His blue flames clad his body more, combusting in sheer intensity. He snarled and drooled with his fanged teeth clenched. The fire roared out of his eyes and mouth.

“Eugh… Smells like burnt T-bone….” Hokori noted. “Huh?” Haruto disappeared from his sight.

As if the whole world slowed to a crawl, Hokori moved his eyes down. He saw Haruto delivering a flaming lariat.

Hokori coughed out blood and went flying, but unlike Haruto, he landed on his feet with massive drag. He never touched the runic dome, and more of the ground fissured and caved in.

Just when he thought all was well and good, Hokori found out his spine bifurcated in two. He fell like a folded blanket. Luckily, sensation from his lower half instantly returned. He punched his back to thrust forward, creating a loud cracking noise.

The crowd cringed at the scene. Some even gagged and vomited.

Hokori sighed with his eyes closed. “Oh come on now, boy! Copycatting’s way worse!”

He continued the battle with a wide grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Kakunō’s eyes lit up when he saw Haruto’s transformation. “Uh oh… This ain’t good, ma’am!” he turned to her.

Tokino sweated bullets. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“If that’s what I think I’m seeing, your husband’s gonna cook himself to death! Remember what I told you? Just stay where you are!” he raised his hand in front.

“Right!” She nodded.

Kakunō ran inside the dome. “Hokori! Say thanks to Kenkō later!” He threw a silver, gun-like device with a syringe vial in the barrel.

“Uh… Thanks?” Hokori examined it. “Woah!” he dodged another lariat from the semiconscious Haruto. “Now that’s just criminal…” he noted the same attacks repeated over and over.

Haruto kept using the same attack to no avail. Each time he did, he slowed down even more. Smoke started to billow out of his orifices. Kakunō went back outside the dome. He cupped his hands. “He ain’t got much time left, Hokori! Shoot him!!”

“Yeah, sure… Lemme just stand still. Oh, wait!” He flash-stepped out of the way to avoid yet another lariat. Even though finding it futile, he pulled the trigger multiple times in annoyance. Haruto quickly swiped every projectile that managed to cross his face.

Hokori stood nearby Kakunō. “Ya got more?!”

“No, I ain’t got more, the fuck did you do!!”

“Shit….” Hokori dropped the device.

Haruto’s flames lessened as more smoke came out. Yet even when limping, he was still swift. At that point, he appeared as if his eyes burnt off and left empty sockets.

Hokori dodged another lariat. “Jesus! This boy’s gotta stop, somehow. He’s so slow now he might as well be dead. Wait, that’s it! This always works in movies!” He flash-stepped behind Haruto and held the back of his head, ramming it repeatedly on the floor.

“What are you doing?!!” Kakunō’s eyes widened.

“Giving him a fake-out death!” Hokori turned to him.

“A what!!”

“Fake-out deaths turn off transformations!”

The crowd raised both eyebrows over the scenario.

Yukino finally ran out to the doors. Kenkō accompanied her. Meanwhile, Dominique and Engo held off Tokino from going any further. She shouted her husband’s name repeatedly, tears flowing out.

Hokori stopped the head-bashing business to do one last shot at his theory. He threw a straight punch at Haruto’s chest. Once again, the runic dome abruptly halted his momentum. He fell on the ground before his wife outside the said dome.

Haruto’s eyes returned to normal. The flames died out, leaving only black smoke.

“Haruto!” Tokino ran and sat down, horrified by his charred and cracking skin. His eyes gazed up above, not moving.

“Haruto… Honey, please look at me. Look at me!” She shook him multiple times.

The two paramedics came for his aid. “Step aside, Mrs. Tokino (時野様). He’s not dead,” Engo stated.

The two from the VIP room finally went down. Yukino stood next to her mother. She did not react the way Tokino did, as she could feel her father’s ‘heart.’ She sighed in relief.

“Are you still scared?” Kenkō asked.

“No… I was just worried.” They both smiled at each other.

Haruto began breathing again as his skin returned to normal. Tokino cried tears of joy. However, the heartfelt moment did not last.

A grinning Hokori jumped in front of them. “Ah ah ah… we ain’t doin’ dis shit! Need to get my fix, now!” He dug his fingers inside Haruto’s upper torso, making him grunt in pain.

Tokino gasped, and her eyes narrowed. “Let him go, you fucking bastard!” Before she could do anything, Hokori flung Haruto to the arena’s center.

Haruto got up with outside blood vessels pulsating around his skin. “What the hell…?” he looked at his arms. The veins disappeared momentarily. His body now looked as if he had never entered the colosseum in the first place. Not a single scratch was left on him, and he lost all fatigue.

Hokori slowly walked closer. “Better than runes, amirite? Think of it as good cancer.” He looked behind him, seeing a worried Tokino. “Hmmm… Ya know what? I’ll allow this monologue at least once. Let’s begin with this: Show me more, boy…” he grinned.

“W-What?” Haruto’s eyes squinted.