"After this dramatic and unexpected denouement, Team Urameshi advances to Round 2!" The stadium speakers blared with an announcement from the committee's office. "However, it seems that one of their members, Kuwabara, may be out for the duration!"

"'Unexpected' my ass. I thought that was Round 2." Sayomi glared up at the announcement speakers, then watched as a medical tent was set up off to the side of the ring. "That's new. Why wasn't there a tent for the other matches?"

Back in the ring, Yusuke was gathering Kuwabara's unconscious body.

"Here, let me help…" The scarred fighter from Ichigaki's Team, Ryo, kneeled beside Yusuke to help with Kuwabara.

"Thanks." Yusuke smiled, welcoming the offer.

"We did this… please, let me make it up to you!" Ryo clenched his fist, pleading for Yusuke's consent. "Allow me to take his place on your team!"

"I'd be happy to, but… no." Yusuke answered.

"Huh?" Ryo gasped.

Yusuke grinned and pointed to Kuwabara's battered form hanging from his shoulder. "You don't know Kuwabara. He'd bust my butt if I allowed it. Not to mention a certain demoness who already called dibs on the alternate position."

Ryo listened, respecting Yusuke's loyalty and reasoning. They carefully moved Kuwabara to the side of the ring. "Anyway," Yusuke continued. "The tourney rules state we can't use an alternate unless a team member dies."

"I see…" Ryo accepted Yusuke's decline and made his way back to his teacher's side.

"Those humans keep winning!"

"One of 'em's gotta die! Now!"

"Quiet, everyone! Settle down!" Koto tried to keep the peace as the crowd rioted in the stands. "The second round matches are on the board!"

All eyes looked to the board to see who was next to fight. Sayomi's eyes narrowed and darkened. Why does this not surprise me?

What…?" Kurama asked, confused.

"Team Urameshi will face the Shadow Channelers!" Koto announced to the crowd's delight.

"Right now?!" Yusuke growled angrily. He marched up to Koto and glared her down, invading her personal space. "I was never told we'd go straight on!"

"I know, I'm sorry!" Koto frantically apologized. "I'm just the announcer, and these are my directions!"

"Awright! Now we're talkin'!"

"Kill 'em!"

"Fight 'em! Trounce 'em! Torture 'em!"

"Kill 'em!"

"Kill!"

Sayomi growled and glared up at the stands. I'm getting real sick of their moronic chanting. Everyone is worn out already and I'm no good to them unless I heal everyone, but that will wear me out before too long.

"You call this a tournament?!" Yusuke glared at the stands, gritting his teeth. "Feh! It's just a grinder, and we're the meat! Well, bring it on!"

Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei stood in the ring, defiant against the crowd's "kill," chant. Meanwhile, Sayomi made her way to Kuwabara to start working on his wounds. He was almost as bad as his encounter with Rando. He was covered in scrapes and bruises and his clothes were torn and stained with blood. It's a miracle he's still alive after that kind of beating.

"Entering the arena – the Shadow Channelers!" Koto introduced the new team as a whirlwind blew through the ring. Once the dust settled, five figures were revealed in cloaks. Each fighter varied in height and each cloak hood had a different shape or pattern to distinguish them.

"'Shadow Channelers'?" Sayomi wondered out loud. "Are they shadow demons?"

"Our new opponents, huh?" Yusuke muttered to himself. "Show-offs."

"Team leaders come forward!" Koto beckoned to each team.

"Kuwabara's definitely out while Sayomi takes care of him, so it's down to the four of us." Yusuke informed his team as he made his way to the center.

Make that three… Sayomi glanced at the worn team. While Hiei and Kurama still seem able, the Masked Fighter used a lot of aura in that last match.

"Who wants to do the honors?" A member from the Shadow Channelers asked.

Sayomi raised an eyebrow. Did they not already decide on their captain?

There was another cyclone and a cloak flew off with the wind. The fighter underneath had a mess of red hair and bright blue eyes. A single horn poked through his red mane and his smile seemed somewhat playful. He wore baggy white pants with two strips of white cloth crossing over his bare torso. His forearms, ankles and feet were wrapped in bandages. "Ah'll step up."

"It's Jin! The Wind Master!" Koto introduced the mysterious fighter.

"It's Jin, all right!" Kurama recognized the other red-head. "That means they're…"

"Yeah? Go on!" Yusuke urged, curious about the new team.

"They're famous, and rightly so." Kurama informed the ignorant detective. "'Shadow Channelers' is just a guise to throw everyone off. They're actually ninja demons, covert lurkers who maneuver in the shadows of the power struggles between demons. They live in and for carnage, and are greatly feared."

"I see. So they're not shadow demons, after all." Sayomi muttered under her breath. She couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed.

"Were you expecting Yasuhiro to show up?"

Sayomi looked over to her left and glared at Hiei. She took a slow breath before answering. "Not really, but you never know. He said he would wait until after the tournament."

"Were you hoping to see him sooner?" Hiei kept his eyes on the cloaked figures on the other side of the ring.

"I won't deny that the feeling was there, but I'm actually glad that isn't the case." She shifted her glare to follow Hiei's line of sight. "If he was here, I would want to be the one to fight him."

Back in the ring, Yusuke and Jin met at the center, in front of Koto. "Please determine the format of battle!"

Jin looked down at Yusuke, smiling with one of his pointed teeth poking out. Yusuke looked up at the demon and blinked. He couldn't decide how to judge the red-head since his smile threw him off.

"One-on-one elimination until one team runs out of members!" Jin suggested eagerly.

"Suits me!" Yusuke agreed, annoyed with the committee's manipulation.

"The teams have chosen one-on-one elimination!" Koto informed the cheering crowd.

Yusuke and Jin turned to walk back to their teams. Before taking two steps, Jin muttered quietly to Yusuke, "Yah, bring a hale breeze wit' yah."

Yusuke stopped short and watched the red-head in confusion. Once Yusuke made it back to his team, there was a brief moment of static coming from the stadium speakers.

"As scheduling has compelled Team Urameshi to fight two rounds in a row, Management has ordered that a medical check be conducted on the participants. Please stand by."

"A medical check?" Yusuke wondered out loud.

"That tent?" Sayomi looked back at the medical tent she had noticed before. So that's why they brought that out now? I don't know. That's too nice of them.

"This is bogus! Start the fight!"

"We want blood!"

Sayomi's glare darkened when she noticed a voluptuous red-head walking towards her teammates.

Her hair flowed down to her waist and veiled her left eye. Her exposed eye was a deep blue. She wore a typical white nurse outfit that exposed her long legs. With a swish of her hand, she quieted the crowd so she could address the wounded fighters. Then she pointed and said, "You and you… come with me, please."

Sayomi felt her body tense when she pointed out Hiei and the Masked Fighter. Huh? What about Kuwabara and the others?

"Why us?" Hiei asked bluntly. "Kuwabara's the one who needs attention."

The nurse glanced over at Kuwabara and Sayomi before sliding her gaze back to Hiei. "That's for me to decide."

Sayomi felt her aura begin to fluctuate around her and she began to focus on her breathing. Someone needs to show her a thing or two about treating wounds. And I'll be more than willing to give her a lesson.

If you don't calm down, you'll be no better than them. Hiei warned telepathically.

I just don't trust her sense of judgement is all. Sayomi turned away from him and resumed healing the rejected patient.

"Get on with it!"

"They'll die anyway!"

"Any aches or pains?" The nurse asked, looking down at her clipboard and ignoring the ruckus. Hiei and the Masked Fighter had followed her to the tent. "Nausea? Headache, perhaps?"

"Is this a joke?" Hiei asked with an amused smirk.

The nurse smiled and stared at Hiei. Her voice dropped an octave and became huskier. "This is no joke, believe me. You both need some rest."

"Go medicate yourself." Hiei began to make his way out from under the tent. Just as his foot was about to cross the threshold, a wall of electricity erupted around the tent.

"What the heck's that?!" Yusuke yelled.

"A force field," Kurama answered.

"Courtesy of me, Luka, the finest force field specialist in the Demon Plane." Luka stripped out of the nurse outfit and exposed green cords wrapping around her chest, crotch, arms and thighs. She kept the nurse hat on her head. "You two must stay here now. You'll be fit… once Round Two is over."

"A curse-binding cord! Dangerous to even move in there." Kurama cautioned, recognizing the enchantress's methods.

"I knew that tent looked sketchy!" Sayomi growled angrily. She settled Kuwabara to sit up against the stadium wall, then ran to the tent to confront the "nurse". "Yusuke, watch him for me! Make sure he doesn't die!"

"Isn't that you're job?!" Yusuke shouted, annoyed with being left to babysit his beaten friend.

"Hiei and the Masked Fighter have been declared medically unfit to fight!" The speaker's in the stadium blared. "They will be restricted to the sidelines until given a clean bill of health!"

"What the – " Yusuke growled, growing angrier with the committee with every scheme.

"That's not fair!" Ryo clenched his fist, unable to do more than watch beside his family.

Yusuke marched back into the ring and pointed an accusing finger at Koto. "This is nothin' but a dirty ruse! What're you tryin' t' pull?!"

Koto panicked and tried to defend herself. "I'm just the emcee! These things are entirely out of my hands!"

"Hey, Red!" Sayomi called out angrily when she reached the tent.

Luka turned to Sayomi and turned up her nose, looking down at the shadow demoness. "Well, if it isn't little Ms. Alternate. You're in no need of medical attention."

"Drop your force field and I'll only beat you half to death." Sayomi threatened with a deadly calm that she didn't feel on the inside.

"Stand down, Sayomi."

"Huh?" Sayomi turned to the Masked Fighter, confused with her order.

"All she can do is detain us. We're in no immediate danger." The Masked Fighter slid her gaze to the red-head and said, "I suspect she only chose us because we were all she could handle in our weakened states."

"You're not wrong," Luka agreed. "With only two capable fighters against five, it won't be long before all of you are dead."

"Did you already forget, Red?" Sayomi smirked at the medical imposter. Her eyes were almost black as she locked eyes with Luka. "If even one of them dies in that ring, I'll be free to step in and finish them off. Then I'll be coming for you."

Luka glared down at Sayomi hatefully, stepping back from the demoness.

"Heh… Three against five." The tallest fighter with five small dots across his hood chuckled. "Nothing you can't take care of… eh, Jin?"

Jin stared at the ring with a bored expression. Then he turned away and began to clean out his ear with his pinky. "Sure, Ah suppose, but ah've decided t' sit this one out."

"What?!" The tall cloaked fighter growled and clasped a large, dark hand on Jin's shoulder. "No way, Jin! Get out there and take 'em!"

Jin gripped his teammate's wrist so tight the bones began to pop. He glared over his shoulder and spoke in a low, dangerous growl of his own. "You know better'n that."

"Hmph!" The cloaked fighter stood down and watched as Jin made his way to the stadium wall. Jin simply sat down and leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and whistled a tune.

"Heh…" Another cloaked teammate chuckled lightly. There was a cross on his hood to tell him apart. "Jin's recognized a worthy adversary, and wants to be sporting."

"Well, then… Guess I'll go." The cloaked figure with a single circle on his hood raised a pale hand to remove his cloak. Under the wardrobe was a skinny, gray-skinned demon with narrow features and tapered ears. A colorful bandanna covered his head and a brown loincloth covered his crotch. Bandages covered his lower legs and feet. Two weapon sheaths hung at his left hip that looked like two daggers.

"Gama, Master of Ritual Adornment!" Koto introduced the first fighter for the Shadow Channelers.

"Ritual Adornment?" Sayomi could only wonder what this demon's powers were. So he does rituals?

"Kurama?" Yusuke stood back as his red-headed teammate stepped up to take the first match.

"I'd like to think I could take them all…" Kurama informed Yusuke. "…But I get the feeling that's not in the cards. I'll engage them, get them to reveal their strategies. The rest may be up to you."

Yusuke could only stand back and watch his friend step into the ring.

Sayomi watched Kurama worriedly. Be careful, Kurama.

"And now… Kurama vs. Gama! Begin!"

Gama reached for his weapons and unsheathed two large paint-brushes, tipped with purple ink. Kurama observed his opponent carefully, watching as the ninja began to paint himself.

"I use ritual body art known for its potent magic." Gama explained as he painted his lips and over his eyelids. "Humans use it in religious ceremonies and, as cosmetics, in daily life. But I'll show you much more than that! Wait until you see my special…" He finished painting symbols around his arms and his chest. His demonic aura began fluctuating once he finished his ritual. "Hrrrunnn… War Paint!"

"Gama has adorned his entire body with ritual patterns!" Koto announced for the benefit of the viewers at home. "And they seem to be boosting his demonic aura!"

"Hiyaah!" Gama dashed forward, raising his fist to attack. Kurama jumped out of the way as Gama's fist made a crater in the ring. Gama quickly followed through with punch after punch, unable to land a hit on the evasive red-head.

"Gama's not letting up! It's all Kurama can do to avoid getting clobbered!" Koto narrated enthusiastically.

"Kurama's problem is that he has to figure out an enemy first." Hiei explained to the Masked Fighter and Sayomi. His expression looked troubled by the red-head's strategy. With someone this fast, though, there's little time for that.

Well, it's not as though he has much choice in the matter. Sayomi had seen Kurama in tight spots before. He could make it out of this one too.

"See what you've taken on?!" Gama taunted. "Let's get this over with!" Gama threw two rapid punches, causing Kurama to jump back and land awkwardly on his right hand and foot.

"Hah!" Gama quickly drew out his paint-brushes and swiped at Kurama. By the time Kurama dodged and landed across the ring, there was a figure-eight pattern painted around his left leg.

"Eh?! My leg…!" Kurama looked down in shock, unable to lift his leg.

"Heh heh…" Gama laughed. "Feels like it's made of lead, doesn't it? Harder to move now, huh?!" Gama chased after Kurama, who was forced to drag his heavy leg as he tried to escape. "My art can also cause damage!"

"Gama's just demonstrated an artful curse!" Koto narrated. "By the looks of it, he's got Kurama on the ropes!"

"Gama's ink seeps through clothing and adheres to the skin, forming a receiver for the curses! Once marked, the victim's trapped!" The hood with the cross explained for the benefit of the others.

"Haah!" Gama was quickly able to paint identical symbols around Kurama's other leg and both of his arms. "I've got you now! Shackle Paint!"

Gama grinned sadistically, giving off the impression of an evil jester. "I've just robbed your limbs of all movement! It's like having 70 KG [154 LB] weights locked on each arm and leg!"

"Unh!" Kurama glared at Gama, unable to move freely.

"How's it feel carrying the weight of four men?!" Gama asked, jumping around the ring. He circled around Kurama, taunting his trapped prey. "Hard to wield your much-vaunted weapons now!"

"It's just gone from bad to worse for Kurama!" Koto announced, reading into the dilemma. "I'd say the game's over, folks!"

"Heh… Not bothering to struggle? Resigned to your fate?" Gama smirked, victory within his grasp. He charged Kurama head-on, reaching out with a clawed hand. "Then the match is mine!"

Just as Gama was closing in, Kurama pivoted on his foot and cut Gama several times with the weapon twisted in his hair. Gama coughed blood as he stared in shock at Kurama. "What? I'm hit!"

"I'm not limited…" Kurama glared at the bleeding demon over his shoulder, letting the Rose Whip settle around him. "…To what my arms and legs can do in a fight!"

"What an incredible reversal!" Koto yelled in shock. "Kurama's nailed Gama with a hair-borne whip!"

"Yeah! You got him, Kurama!" Sayomi cheered. I'm glad he made it through the match okay.

"Gluh…" Gama bled onto the stadium ring, losing strength as quickly as he lost blood. "…I was too hasty. I should've locked you down completely, however long it took."

"Don't waste your breath – or strength – talking." Kurama advised the demon as his Rose Whip receded back into his hair. "Release your curses and use the energy to heal yourself."

"Heh heh… You think… it's over?" Gama trembled as he made his way closer to Kurama. His breathing became strained as blood spilled from his mouth. "I don't!"

"Even cursed, I'm intact. You're not." Kurama reasoned. "Heal yourself. Your skills are worth preserving."

"You honor me!" Gama yelled as he ran towards Kurama. He threw a fist, his blood splattering on Kurama as he weaved out of range. "Aagh!" Gama coughed again, causing his wounds to pump out more blood.

"Stop!" Kurama warned. "If you keep moving, you'll die!"

"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Gama continued to swing empty punches at Kurama. All the red-head needed to do was step back to keep out of reach.

"Huff!" The momentum from a missed punch was enough to sever Gama's right arm. The blood loss was enough to make the warrior lose the strength to stand. He landed face-down on the ring, blood painting the tiles beneath him.

"Gama's down! Starting the count!" Koto declared. "1!"

"Not that it matters…" Kurama muttered to himself, disappointed with his opponent's choice.

"2! 3!"

"Heh heh…" Kurama snapped his attention to the fallen ninja. "Heh heh heh…"

"4! 5!"

"Heh heh heh heh…" Gama chuckled and glared up at Kurama. "It's done…"

"What?" Kurama asked, curious about Gama's words.

Gama weakly pointed at the red-head. "I'm not limited to what my paint-brushes can do! Blood spatters do just as well! My ink, in fact, is my blood!"

Kurama gasped and looked down to see more paint symbols covering his torso and limbs. His eyes widened when he belatedly noticed that Gama's blood matched the hue of his ink.

"Y'see, I figured defeating you might cost me my life." Gama confessed, smirking at Kurama. "My… ink… has completely bound up your demonic aura! It's the way of the shinobi… Give all for the team! My aura will linger for 10 minutes after my death. Your next opponent, however… won't wait…" Gama slowly rested his hand and head, his body shutting down completely.

"10!" Koto finished her count.

"Uh-oh…" Kurama realized how much trouble he was in.

"Next contestant, step forward!"

"Well done, Gama. Ten minutes will suffice to avenge you." The fighter with the cross on his hood discarded the large robes. The fighter had pale skin and ice-blue eyes. His hair was light blue and combed back with sharp green bangs hanging over his left eye. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with a long-sleeve fishnet shirt underneath. A white cloth was held up to his left shoulder and wrapped around his torso and waist. His pants were loose and light blue and he wore the same footwear as his teammates.

"I appear to be in deep trouble here." Kurama muttered to himself. "I got careless, and let Gama put me right where he wanted me!"

"Next up, Toya the Ice Master!" Koto introduced Kurama's next opponent.

"Your death won't be wasted, Gama." Toya watched Kurama with deadly eyes. "I will destroy him."

"No way they'll escape after they're defeated."

"The least they can expect is a lynching!"

"They won't leave this arena alive!"

Kurama could only stand and wait as Toya made his way into the ring. As soon as he was within easy hearing range, Kurama addressed the ninja. "Tell me something… What are you, the most powerful of the shinobi, doing here?"

At first Toya didn't answer. He just stared at Kurama, his expression giving nothing away. "Seeking light. We've lived in the most distant shadows of the Dark World, a realm devoid of illumination. At last we realized… We have the power to leave, to live where we like, and establish a domain where no one else dwells. This island is such a place. However, having emerged into the light, we intend to become the light, and spread ourselves over the entire world."

"Geez…" Sayomi scowled at the ice ninja. "Arrogant much? And what does he mean by the Dark World? Does he mean the Void?"

"A ninja revolt, then." The Masked Fighter concluded.

"Hmmph!" Hiei scoffed at their attitude. He was sitting on the table with his arms and legs crossed. He uncrossed his arms and legs and leaned forward, resting his arms on his lap. "When perilous missions loom, demon ninjas pass their techniques down to their star pupils, so their 'schools' won't die out. After a string of such requests, the 'schools' fall into the hands of 'unconventional' thinkers."

Sayomi turned from Hiei to the ring, watching Toya and the others behind him. So, they're just a bunch of rebellious students?

That's what we have here, from the looks of it. Hiei answered in her mind. The problem before us is how to defeat them. Seiryu, the ice demon I defeated, doesn't hold a candle to Toya. Of the ice demons, Toya holds top rank.

Always the epitome of optimism, Hiei. Sayomi thought sarcastically, earning her a glare from the fire apparition.

"Enough. We waste time…" Toya declared, clenching his fists. "…Time Gama gave his life to grant me."

"Begin!" Koto announced with a sweep of her arm.

"You're smart, Kurama… and demonstrably fatal to anyone who gets careless." Toya immediately began to focus his aura into his hands. The temperature dropped and ice clustered to form small spheres of frozen crystal. "I won't make the mistake of presuming you're entirely helpless…" He raised his hand to present his ammunition. "So I'll adopt the sniper approach."

Toya gently blew into his hand, using his aura to shoot the small crystals at Kurama. "Evil Flute Hailstorm!"

Kurama was still shackled by the weight from Gama's first curse, so he couldn't make a clean escape. He dropped down to his left hand, hoping to avoid the majority of the frozen bullets.

"Aagh!" Kurama was still struck with some of the ice shards. They cut into his skin and the cold temperature shocked his nervous system.

Kurama was still recovering from the first assault when Toya dashed around and blew another handful of shards. Fortunately, Gama's first curse timed out, giving Kurama the speed he needed to flip and avoid the attack.

"Yes! He can move again!" Sayomi cheered in relief.

"Maybe, but his aura is still sealed." Hiei reminded the optimistic demoness.

"It's more than he had a second ago." Sayomi countered.

"Unf!" Kurama was caught by another onslaught of ice bullets. Sayomi cringed as he continued to bleed out from his older injuries.

"Wait…" Kurama looked down to see his hand covered in his own blood. "…This ink is Gama's blood, so…" As he ran, Kurama began to wipe at Gama's blood curse with his own blood.

Toya watched the red-head curiously before he caught on and smirked. "Heh… Washing blood with blood… very good…"

Kurama stopped running so he could wipe the blood over his arms and chest. Toya calmly walked closer, a cluster of ice crystals gathering in his hand for another attack. Kurama gritted his teeth when he realized his aura wasn't returning. "Arr…"

"…But useless." Toya enlightened with finality. "Gama has that angle covered. You remember what he said, don't you?"

Toya triggered the crystals in his hand and said, "I still have five minutes left! As long as his aura lingers, you can't emit any aura yourself!"

"Urgh!" Kurama wasn't fast enough. The projectiles hit him in the arms and left leg. Kurama was covered in scratches and scrapes that continued to bleed the more he moved. His clothes were torn and stained with his blood and Gama's.

"Kurama's down!" Koto announced, about to start the count.

"Just stay down, Kurama!" Sayomi shouted pleadingly. "You'll bleed to death if you keep this up!"

Ignoring her advice, Kurama staggered back to his feet. His breathing was heavy and his vision was beginning to fade in and out of focus.

"He… He's up again!" Koto narrated in awe.

Toya hesitated, unable to believe his opponent's resolve. "You are formidable. You've avoided every mortal blow I've tried to inflict."

"Kurama…!" Yusuke called out in worry as he stood guard over Kuwabara's hunched body.

Toya began to sweat nervously as he realized Kurama's strategy. "And you're considering attack options this very moment."

"Tell me one more thing…" Kurama watched Toya's body language, taking advantage of his hesitation. "What do you plan to do out here?"

Toya thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Not sure, really. Light was our first priority."

"I see." Kurama rubbed a wound on his wrist, wincing in pain.

Toya noticed the curse beginning to wear off. He clenched his teeth and formed a sword of ice that covered his right hand and half his arm.

"Toya's summoned a sword of ice! Is he going for the ultimate stroke?!" Koto commentated excitedly.

"This is it!" Toya declared, rushing towards Kurama. "Without your aura, you have no way to parry my sword!" He leaped into the air, sword raised high. "Now suffer!"

The sound of pierced flesh never sounded so loud.

Sayomi, Yusuke, and Hiei were stunned to silence along with the rest of the stadium crowd. Toya stared at Kurama with wide eyes. Kurama stared back, the tip of the ice sword just centimeters from his head. At the last second, Kurama had caught the blade and stabbed Toya with vines that sprouted from his arms.

Toya blinked as he noticed Kurama's cuts. "Plants… From your wounds! You put the Deadly Vetch in them?!"

"Yes, where my aura flows freely." Kurama explained his sacrificial tactics, slowly retracting the vines from Toya. "You made that option available to me."

"You're… Too much…" Toya fell to his side on the ring floor, clutching his free hand around his stomach in pain.

"Toya's down! Starting the count!" Koto announced, using her raised hand to count.

"Unh..." Toya relinquished his ice sword and struggled to get on his right hand and knees. His stomach continued to bleed as he tried to apply pressure with his other hand.

"7! 8! 9! 10!" Koto finished her count and turned to address the victor. "Kurama's now beaten two of the Shadow Channelers!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Yusuke shouted authoritatively. Just watching his friend go through such a brutal fight was enough to make him sweat. "Step down, Kurama! I'll do the rest!"

Toya struggled to look up at Kurama. "You win…" His body trembled in pain from the fatal wound. "…Now end me…"

Kurama closed his eyes and said, "No."

Toya stared at Kurama in confusion. He was supposed to die, wasn't he?

Kurama opened his eyes, struggling to maintain focus, and stared down at his misguided opponent. "After light, what will you seek? I'd like to know. Anyway, it's obvious… I'm in worse shape… than you…" Kurama's body became lifeless as he closed his eyes.

"Kurama!" Yusuke yelled desperately.

Sayomi felt her vision blur and she clenched her fists to fight off the unshed tears. He can't be dead! It's only the second round!