Meanwhile, the wailing from the side continued, sand moved in from open holes in the caves, and a battle between Isak and Morio continuously raged on, without an end in hindsight.

Isak threw the Morian towards the distant river, with him sliding down into debris, creating a small circle of electricity which he used to launch the smaller boulders in the demon's direction. One hit left a nasty wound, while the others were either punched through or caught midair, then sent back to the white-haired boy.

Isak stepped into a shallow part of the water, heavy breaths following his stride.

Morio stood up again, one hand on his wounded leg, and the other, holding onto both swords.

That damn smile, too. The same wasn't reflected on his face. He was always sure that the next move would mean the battle's end, but Morio didn't seem to give up.

The two launched into the water stream, fists clashing against both swords. Morio cut through his forearms, before sticking Gloria's end into the water, sending a shockwave through.

Isak couldn't move as fast, sinking below and almost drowning with another kick of Morio's leg. He managed to grab his boot, pulling the Morian down.

Now, losing air, Morio stuck Victis into Isak's stomach, as the new blood followed in with zaps and small strikes of electricity, letting the Morian push himself out. Gloria waved up, as he threw it into the air, with the weapon transforming into a literal clap of thunder.

With a sigh, he leapt, grabbing onto its end, desperately trying to fly out of the caves. Sand kept pouring in from above, covering the once-exposed altar, and the ends of the river with the same beige grains.

"MORIO!" Isak screamed out, his hand reaching up towards the thunder. At the moment when the zaps seemed meaningless, he managed to launch himself upwards.

Stuffing Victis back into the sheath, a tough beam appeared on Morio's face, and the last, vital moment of the scuffle began.

The two kept punching, with Morio avoiding every one of his moves while landing a few hits on Isak's body. The thunder clashed with the ceiling, and that's when the chaos allowed Isak to almost pierce through Morio's hand with one simple strike if it wasn't for the fact that each of Morio's furious punches ended in zaps shaking up some of his body.

The two jumped off, landing on the few revealed boulders near the top. Morio caught the end of the thunder with his hand, while Isak stared forth, climbing up another boulder.

The Morian threw the transformed weapon in his direction, seemingly bouncing upwards with a massive flash of light permeating through the caves and the sands, even finding the other three.

Ranpa reached out, trying to pull as a stream moved towards the exit.

Kania kept throwing kicks at Hakate's destroyed face. He swore he heard a broken bone but his grip was relentless.

As if the pact they made all those years ago was what bit.

Kania closed both eyes,

"Go without me!" he yelled out.

Sand now poured in from the open bricks in the wall, with most of it already consuming Hakate's body.

The hunter laughed, while Kania stared forth, shrunken eyes meeting Ranpa's unsure expression. Something he never even vowed to imagine. Why was the person who seemingly resented him at first, with all the good reasons to do so, trying to help him out?

Kania closed his eyes, before painfully reaching his hand out, which found itself stuck into the statue's side.

Ranpa reached out, pulling. Genni looked back, breathing heavily.

Then, the grip around Kania's leg seemingly loosened. Sand consumed Hakate's body spinning around like a tornado.

His half-open mouth moved up to meet Kania's terrified expression.

"Humanity will tumble without people like me," he spoke through his teeth. "THE DEMONS TRICKED YOU!"

"The deal's off!" Kania kicked Hakate's face in, as the hunter tumbled into the sands.

"YOU'LL REGRET THIS, KANIA!" he stuck his hand out, while the grains poured into his mouth. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"

The statue was almost crushed into two. Using the momentum, Genni carried the water stream upwards, pulling on Ranpa and Kania, before she too, launched herself out of the open side.

The three landed in the desert, with the sand at the sides still moving up, concealing the presence, and the painful screams of Hakate, mixing in with the cries and the wailings of the witch.

Turning to the side, however, revealed the last bits of struggle between the Morian and the demon.

Morio held Gloria tightly, as it transformed back to its sword-like form. Isak moved out of the sand, swinging his fists, trying to clear the grains, continuously sinking into the temple.

He kept yelling out the Morian's name, almost desperately. The eye was shrunk, and Morio's expression temporarily shifted.

Then, when his view focused, the weapon spun in his hand, followed by a loud, almost impenetrable grin. Smiling in the face of his opponent, completely denying all the reasons for death.

Underestimating their battle, in a childlike manner.

Yet, it was Morio who stood at the top, and the sword's end eventually pierced through Isak's signed palm. The demon screamed, unable to battle against the beige tides.

The Morian jumped to the side, sprinting towards the others, almost pushing them out of the Shaiti Temple's sandy circle, before turning his head back to Isak.

"Morio...!" he bellowed, one last time, before his face disappeared into the grains.

The only thing left of the demon was his hand, stuck out from the depths of the grains, with his palm bloodied, blurring into the shape of a reversed triangle, with a line going down the middle.

Morio breathed out. With a tight smile, he looked at the three. Genni hugged him, while Ranpa and Kania nodded, their eyes meeting for a second.

"Y-You got that map?" The Morian asked.

"I'll draw a good chunk once we get back home," Genni muttered.

"Home?" Kania asked.

"Uh..." Morio scratched the back of his head. "Any place where I can write about all this will be good enough."

"W-What about, Saphrith, then?" Ranpa asked. "To reconcile, and then use all the other pathways to get back to what we were once doing."

Kania nodded. "Saphrith is good. The King must be fuming because I was missing during the ceremony! Better not waste too much time."

Genni nodded. "I've never seen Saphrith."

Morio breathed in, beaming again. "Thanks for everything, y-you guys. I wouldn't have done it without you, in the e-end."

"Leave credit where it's due, Morian." Kania chuckled. "You sailed the air like a madman! That one bastard demon would've killed us all if it wasn't for you."

"Y-Yeah," Ranpa muttered. "I was scared shitless back then."

"Aww." Kania grinned.

Genni put a hand on his shoulder. "The victory, in the end, is entirely yours."

Morio beamed, with his half-open eyes meeting hers.

However, a noise came from the back, resembling a bone twisting in the wind.

The temple was completely calm, but with a turn, Isak's hand seemed to move.

Morio's eyes narrowed. Isak's fist was clenched, with blood from the sign completely covering it with its crimson colour.

When it cleared, however, the body seemingly changed. Their colour adjusted into a thin white, with sharper claws at the end. Then, a red mist shrouded the entirety of the area, and with Morio's faster heartbeat, he took another step forward.

A silhouette calmly moved out of the winds, standing still, facing the Morian on the other side.

As dark as the night would get, but shining in the sunlight.

It seemed to cast an even bigger shadow than Isak.

Despite being smaller.

Despite not looking as dangerous.

Despite any reasonable explanations.

Morio froze.

"You're not smiling anymore, fella." Shi Hon extended his arm. "Concerned is the word I could use to describe the face I'm seeing. Even if, you could reasonably doubt whatever stands in front of you."

Morio was frozen, and the others only stared, backing away.

"Things came down to exactly how I predicted them. I don't have much time of my own in this body. I have to bring two things back to Mount Aria before everyone's time runs out. I suggest we make this quick." he chuckled. "Because from what I've seen... I know you're not going to go down without a fight."

Morio put his hand on Gloria's sheath, then moved it towards its grip, pulling the fine blade out. Shi Hon opened his mouth, before the gleam in his eyes shone towards the sunrays, reflecting off the weapon's sharpest points.

Gloria's entire structure seemed to tremble and change with his presence. Long gone was the sharp, clean katana and instead, bones, eyes and parts of red flesh took its place, growing twice as big.

The pupils turned towards the Morian, with spikes growing out towards his hand, staining it in a similar blood.

Shi Hon grinned, and the others stood frozen.

Then, with a scream, as if to deny everything, Morio ran forward.

A scattered moment came to a halt.

In the face of Shi Hon, the master of everything cruel and wrong, there was no other way but forward.

Otherwise, there would be nothing, but that finale.

When their hands crashed, the power of the thunder below sent them flying into the sky. Shi Hon held tightly, his eyes looking deep into Morio's, while the Morian desperately tried to resist the force of his pull.

Genni screamed out, hands extending upwards. She threw the boomerang, but it didn't reach them fast enough. Before she could blink, the two headed through the clouds above.

It was now Shi Hon creating all the wind. Morio turned, seeing everything that made Hararaba. The ruins of Halesdeep, the tallest distant peak of Windsdale, and even Mount Aria, permeated through his view and flashed in, much like everything that happened back then.

The whole reason he found himself treading through the caves. The motivation to destroy that temple back then, and then push himself through the training. To defeat the enemy standing in front of him.

For Jeffy, who died, trying to protect him. For Mama, who lay in bed, still asleep, because of a demon's attack. Or maybe Bancho, speaking of those words again.

"You're the only one that can stand a tiny chance against Shi Hon."

The background seemed to fade with each second, and the darkness battled the light. The clouds weren't there, the mountains faded out of view, and it seemed to him that everything spoke of an unsightly end.

One thing was certain, though, again, his smile.

For whom was he smiling? Jyuzou, out there, waiting for his return. Atomu, who never tried to deny his anger. Chyuuichi, who'd understand his most ridiculous of ideas, if it meant achieving something. Genni, who he was to take to Mistwick. Ingo, who'd be certainly angry seeing how far he came. Koyote, proud that her words finally rang true.

Or... himself.

A beam battled the odds, denied whatever wrong came to strike, facing the cruellest of opponents.

Morio tugged on the deformed Gloria once more, raising it into the air. Shi Hon let go.

A thunder came powering from the sky, first gathering in tiny sparks at the sword's tip, then transforming into this long, chaotic trail. Shi Hon kept backing away, while Morio painfully accepted the power.

Even if it was a tiny chance, he was going to take it.

For everyone, and all of his dreams.

He was certain that one day, they were going to come true.

Morio closed his eyes. Shi Hon's smile faded, at the last moment, and something new appeared.

Within the screams, a hush came when the thunder became the largest, and a feeling overcame him.

When it snapped off, the eyes on the bones finally met him, turning into a calm blue.

Much like the eyes that matched his Mama's.

Gloria became the weapon it was and struck, sending Morio to the ground, with a massive flash.

***

"Oh my days," she uttered, in disbelief. "He's alive!"

Morio breathed in, blinking a few times. He stared at the open circle, breaking through the clouds. Then, his hand landed on his body. The wounds from earlier didn't seem to pain him as much, and he felt... strangely at peace.

"That was insane!" Ranpa moved around, gulping. "You came down in seconds, with a thunder striking your body!"

"What?" Morio asked, head moving in curiously.

"Seriously." Kania put his hands together, forcing the shield under his armpit. "It kept hitting even when you were already here."

"I was so sure that it was your end and yet..." Genni shook her head. "Again. You came out just fine."

Morio blinked a few times, glancing at her.

"Like you always did, Morio." she beamed.

"Did I do it?" he tugged on his emblem.

"We haven't seen Shi Hon since," Genni muttered.

Morio shook his head. "Did I prove to you that I'm strong?" he smiled.

The three glanced at each other, and awkward smiles only seemed to signal one thing.

Morio struck at the ground with his fist.

Then, a scream came out. It wasn't one of battling a pain, but something that spoke of pure, childlike joy.

"I DID IT!"

Morio ran forward, extending his arms, as if telling the world he made it.

That he was up there, willing to prove his dream.

Morio stopped for a moment, breathing in and out. He clenched the emblem in both hands, and his beam grew larger.

"Did you see that, Mama?!" he shouted. "I did it!"

"Oi." Kania pointed, taking a few steps towards the Morian. "What's with that thing on your head?"

"Ah?" Morio seemed a little confused. Reaching out, he found a rather large object, and now in his hands, he analyzed its exterior. "A crown?"

It was a red, spiky coronet, with a jewel in the middle that reflected his expression.

"Where did that come from?" Genni asked.

"No clue." Morio shook his head. "It looks cool though!"

"Wait, Morio!" Genni chased right after. "What if it's from that temple?"

"Like the witch's crown?"

"It could be dangerous!"

Kania breathed out, squinting his eyes.

Ranpa tapped his shoulder. "You think it could be..."

"Yeah," Kania whispered, gulping. "The Holy Crown."

Morio stuffed it back on his head, treading with Genni chasing him around.

Ranpa cleared his throat. "You're not going to do anything about it?"

"Even if I tried forcing it off his head." he rolled his eyes. "It belongs to the Morian."

"There is some good in you." Ranpa nodded, and the other chuckled.

Morio smiled, before waving in the direction of the others.