Shirogane clearly saw Kaito’s figure on the tracks. Yume noticed it too and was stunned.


    "I-I can''t believe it…" she whispered, her voice filled with hope.


    Shirogane, on the other hand, clenched his teeth in frustration. "That bastard… I warned him."


    He stepped forward and gave a firm order: "Kuroyami, appear."


    From his shadow, the summoned spirit slowly emerged, taking position in front of him. "What is it?" she asked curiously.


    "I want to send a large number of knights onto the train’s roof. Can we do that?"


    Kuroyami pondered for a moment. "In theory, yes. We can create knights using the passengers’ shadows and transport them up instantly."


    A smirk appeared on Shirogane’s face. "Perfect. Let’s do it."


    Together with Kuroyami, he spoke firmly:


    "KAGE NO ITSUWARI… KNIGHTS."


    A dark aura spread around him like a menacing mist. His eyes glowed an intense violet. An instant later, fragments of shadow began to seep from the passengers’ cabins, silently drifting up to the train’s roof. No one noticed a thing.


    Meanwhile, on top of the moving train, a lone figure stood tall. Kaito had made it onto the roof with a jump from the tracks.


    "Alright, I made it… Now I just have to take down Shirogane… and get Yume."


    His voice was firm, but there was a trace of unease. He cautiously stepped forward along the train’s roof—then suddenly froze.


    A few meters ahead, a strange mass of shadow pulsed in the darkness. Then, without warning, it took shape.


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    Kaito’s heart pounded.


    "Damn it…"


    Before his eyes, fifteen shadow knights materialized.


    Tightening his grip on his blades, Kaito readied himself. One of his swords was tightly strapped to his broken arm with bandages, allowing him to wield it despite the injury.


    "So this is how you want to play, Shirogane??? Fine… I''ll take you all down!"


    The first knight lunged at him, heavy footsteps echoing on the roof. He drew his sword and aimed straight for Kaito’s face.


    With a quick sidestep, Kaito barely avoided the attack, brushing against the edge of the roof. Then, pushing off the surface, he dashed forward. His blade slashed horizontally, striking the knight—and in that instant, part of the knight’s body was absorbed into the sword.


    For a moment, a smirk crossed Kaito’s lips. But he had no time to celebrate—another knight intercepted his sword, knocking him back.


    The two faceless warriors charged without hesitation. Their blades clashed against Kaito’s, sending sparks flying.


    (Alright, let’s try this…)


    With that thought, Kaito used the force of their blows to leap behind them in a fluid, precise motion. But his enemies weren’t slow: with a synchronized slash, they struck at him.


    At the last second, Kaito bent backward, narrowly dodging the attacks.


    The fight had only just begun.


    A moment later, he tried to counterattack but was stopped by three more knights. Two grabbed his arms, while the third seized his throat, preventing him from moving his head.


    One of the knights from earlier stepped forward and struck him brutally with his sword.


    "AAARGH!"


    Kaito screamed as pain shot through his body like freezing fire. Blood spilled from his wound, but despite everything, he forced himself back up, trembling, his chest torn open. His gaze, though filled with pain, still burned with determination.


    He was convinced he could win.


    He stared at the five enemies before him. When he saw three more knights charging at him with their weapons raised, he acted on instinct. He lunged forward, dodging just in time as their swords came crashing down.


    Seeing an opening, Kaito leaped and slashed diagonally, decapitating three knights in one swift motion.


    The remaining knights stood still, emotionless, watching him.


    His blades immediately absorbed the severed parts of his foes, as if their very existence had been erased.


    "Come on… WHO’S NEXT?!"


    At his provocation, the remaining thirteen knights charged.


    Kaito faced four of them, parrying their attacks with one blade while countering with the other. The battle raged across the train’s rooftop, a relentless clash of steel.


    Two knights fell—one stabbed in the shoulder, the other knocked off balance and sent crashing onto the train. The heavy thud alarmed the passengers below, who started to panic.


    Sensing two more knights approaching from behind, Kaito used the fallen enemies’ bodies as a foothold to propel himself backward, slashing perpendicularly as he moved. However, only one of them went down.


    (No! He dodged it.)


    Still mid-air, Kaito saw his opponent’s sword aimed straight at him.


    The thrust was powerful. The blade tore through his side, sending him flying into three more knights. But in that brief instant of impact, his hand had already acted—he had thrown his sword at his attacker.


    The knight who had wounded him suddenly collapsed.


    Gasping for breath, body covered in wounds, Kaito pushed himself up again.


    "Alright… eight left."


    His breathing was ragged, but he knew he could still fight.


    Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Shirogane abruptly stood up, fists clenched. Kuroyami did the same, though she didn’t seem nearly as annoyed as her master.


    "Where are you going?" Yume asked, visibly worried.


    Shirogane didn’t turn around. "To take care of something."


    Saying nothing more, he walked away, his spirit following him.


    Yume immediately understood—he was going to kill Kaito.


    She clenched her fists and lowered her gaze.


    "Please, Kaito… don’t die because


    of me. Run…"