Chapter 16: The Soul

Misaki is cornered in her home by two Ranganese elites: a scarred man and a young woman wielding metal fans. Recognizing she cannot beat them head-on, Misaki uses feints and timing to make the woman’s blast strike her ally, then survives a blistering close-quarters duel despite her age and injuries.

Misaki immobilizes the woman by freezing her to the flooded floor, seizes a fan to execute her, and hesitates when the woman taunts her. The fonyaka rips herself free, mangling her arm, and performs Lazou Linghun—the Soul Pull—crushing the air from Misaki’s lungs. Misaki slashes the woman’s throat and drives the fan into her neck, breaking the technique, but Misaki is left collapsing, unable to breathe.

Cut to Mamoru, who annihilates five fonyakalu, then digs Atsushi from the Kotetsu house’s rubble. When the scarred dragon killer arrives, Mamoru forces Atsushi to flee and raises a massive ice wall to pull the elite’s attention to himself.

Mamoru closes distance, improvising shields and a storm of shard projectiles. The fonyaka counters with a whirlwind and a brutal kick, then feints a punch while catching Mamoru’s falling sword mid-fight. He shears off Mamoru’s sword fingers and stabs him under the ribs with Mamoru’s own blade. As the blade is torn free, Mamoru understands he is mortally wounded.