Kaen lay sprawled across the ground, blood streaking down his arms, breaths shallow and uneven. Smoke curled around the crumbling stone walls as Huozhen's furious form loomed over him—relentless, fists raining down like embers from a wildfire.
Ryoma, staggering and half-collapsed himself, kept forcing his way in between them. "Enough—! Stop it! You'll kill him!"
Huozhen's eyes flared, his temper snapping. With a savage grunt, he hurled Ryoma aside like a ragdoll. Ryoma hit the ground hard, coughing up blood, but still trying to push himself back up.
"I've had enough of you two!" Huozhen growled, flames flickering along his arms. "Where is she?!"
His foot slammed down inches from Kaen's head.
"How dare she kick me!"
His voice roared like an inferno. "I was going to spare her. But now? I won't stop until I rip her apart."
He turned, pointing straight at Ryoma, voice low and lethal.
"And you—if you get in my way again, come at me with your full strength… or don't come at all."His voice dropped into a chilling growl. "Unless you wish to be killed."
Kaen groaned, forcing himself up on trembling legs, blood dripping from his jaw. He glanced toward Ryoma. "Ryoma… I don't think we should keep fighting him."
Ryoma exhaled hard, eyes locked on Huozhen, and gave a slight nod. In that brief pause, a flicker passed between them—silent, practiced. A coded exchange.
Huozhen scoffed. "Good. At least one of you knows when to stop," he spat, flames rippling off his back. He pointed at Kaen, eyes blazing. "But don't think that means I'll spare you. After I kill her, you're next, human. You've tested my patience for the last time."
He turned to walk forward, fury still simmering—but the moment his foot stepped ahead, his motion snapped to a halt.
"What—?" he looked down. Glowing runes shimmered beneath his boots.
Thin ropes bound his arms in a sudden pull, anchored into the symbols on the cracked stone floor.His head jerked up. Kaen stood with one hand locked in a seal, while Ryoma clutched the ropes, keeping tension.
"You think this pathetic formation can hold me?" Huozhen growled, power crackling around him.
Kaen's gaze was calm but steeled. "It won't," he said. "But it doesn't need to hold you forever. Just a few moments…"
"…Long enough for the sun to rise," Ryoma added coldly, tightening the rope.
Huozhen's face twitched, and his flames flickered, unstable. His glare shifted between them.
"You demons hate daylight, don't you?" Kaen continued. "Your power halves under the sun. That's why you hide in the dark."
Huozhen's teeth clenched as he fought against the sigils locking his limbs.
"If you think you'll escape after this," he hissed, "then it'll be your biggest mistake."
Meanwhile, Astra—
The smoke stung her eyes, the heat clawing at her skin like wild hands. She stumbled through the underbrush, the weight of her own body threatening to pull her down with every step. Her breaths came short and sharp, searing her throat, but she forced herself forward—drawn to the towering inferno before her.
The abandoned town ahead was almost gone—roofs caved in, stone walls crumbling, shrines blackened and burning. Houses, temples, walkways—everything had turned to flame and ash. The fire danced like a living beast, crackling hungrily as it devoured what little remained.
Her heart thundered in her chest. "Kaen… Ryoma…" she whispered, barely audible over the roar. "They're still left behind in there…" Her hands clenched. Her body shook. But her feet moved, one step… then another. lips pressed into a line of determination, despite the fear flickering in her eyes.
She braced herself, ready to charge through if it meant reaching them. But before she could—
A hand caught her arm, firm and unyielding.
She gasped, but her strength had already left her. Her knees gave out.
And she collapsed—Not to the ground. Into someone's arms.
Strong. Steady. Warm.
The noise of the burning world around her faded into a low hum. Her vision blurred, but she looked up slowly—her fingers lifting, dazed and uncertain. Her hand brushed against the man's face above her, tracing blindly over the features.
She reached out, brushing the edge of his brow with the tips of her fingers—his eyes, closed for a moment, then opening slowly beneath her touch.
Her hand moved down, lightly tracing the bridge of his nose, pausing briefly at the dip. Then, the curve of his lips—soft. Finally, her fingers slid along the line of his jaw, firm and steady beneath her hand. Her palm settled against his chest, where his heart thudded against her skin fast, frantic, alive.
The man looked down at her, quiet and still, the fire's reflection flickering in his eyes, yet softened at the sight of her.
"…Kriya…?"
He didn't answer.
He just held her tighter.
Without a word, his arms shifted—scooping her up with quiet certainty. Her weight left the ground, and for a moment, Astra blinked in confusion, her body light in his hold as if floating.
Her eyes widened. "W-What are you doing? Put me down!"
She squirmed, but he only held her closer, the heat of his body grounding her against the chaos around them. Then, without hesitation, he turned and began walking—each step steady, sure, and unhurried.
"Let me down!" she cried, voice cracking. "They're still in there—with that demon! He'll kill them!"
He stopped.
The fire roared behind him, throwing embers into the air. Smoke curled between ruined beams, swallowing what remained of the abandoned town.
Still holding her, he turned slightly, his gaze fixed on the burning wreckage in silence. Then, barely audible over the wind and flame, he muttered,
"…He can't kill them."
Astra looked up at him, her fists clenched into his robe. Her heart pounded. The world blazed, but the man holding her stood like the one untouched thing in it.