Chapter 29: Raizen's Legacy and Yusuke's Sacrifice
The battlefield was still.
Smoke curled from the scorched earth, drifting aimlessly through the ruins of war.
Raizen stood at the center of it all, unshaken. Unmovable. The final, towering shadow of a legend.
Across from him—
Kageyami was gone.
His reign, his power, his very existence—erased.
And yet—
The silence felt wrong.
Like the world itself was waiting for something.
Yusuke's hands trembled at his sides. Not from exhaustion, not from battle wounds—
But because he knew.
Raizen was fading.
The once-mighty Demon King's form flickered, barely holding together, his spiritual energy unraveling into the wind.
Even as a ghost, Raizen had held himself together through sheer will.
But that fight—
That final war against Kageyami—
Had drained the last remnants of his soul.
Raizen chuckled, shaking his head. "Damn." His voice was lighter than it should've been. "Didn't think I still had that in me."
Yusuke's chest ached.
He swallowed hard, forcing out a smirk. "Yeah, well… I guess being a stubborn old bastard has its perks."
Raizen barked out a laugh.
Then his eyes softened.
"Listen to me, kid."
Yusuke stiffened.
That tone—
That wasn't his usual shit-talking tone.
That was the voice of a man who was saying goodbye.
"…Tch." Yusuke scowled, looking away. "Save it, man."
Raizen raised an eyebrow. "Save what?"
Yusuke clenched his fists. "The sentimental crap. You're not leaving yet."
Raizen didn't answer.
Because they both knew it was a lie.
The air around them shifted.
Raizen's energy was growing lighter, thinner, breaking apart.
And Yusuke—
Yusuke felt it in his bones.
This was it.
This was the last time they'd stand side by side.
Raizen sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Well, I guess this is where I give my last words, huh?"
Yusuke's jaw tightened.
Raizen smirked. "You did good, Yusuke. Better than I ever could've imagined. I'm proud of you. Proud that of all the punkass in the world, YOU were my legacy. My Son."
Yusuke's fists shook. "Don't do this."
Raizen continued like he hadn't heard him.
"Demon World's future ain't my problem anymore. It's yours now." His eyes locked onto Yusuke's. "Don't screw it up."
Yusuke felt something crack in his chest.
"…Raizen."
Raizen's smirk turned softer.
His last smirk.
"I'm proud of you, kid."
And with that—
He was gone.
His body dissolved into golden light, scattering into the wind, disappearing into the very world he had once ruled.
For the first time in centuries—
Raizen rested.
And Yusuke stood there, staring at the empty space where he had been.
Silent.
His throat felt tight.
His heart was heavy.
Then—
A sound.
A weak, shallow breath.
Keiko.
Yusuke whipped around so fast he almost fell.
She was still there.
Still pale.
Still barely clinging to life.
His chest seized.
He dropped to his knees beside her, gripping her hand.
"Keiko… Hey, come on, wake up." His voice cracked.
Nothing.
Her breathing was faint. Her heartbeat too weak.
Yusuke felt like he was drowning.
"Keiko, please…" He buried his face in her hair. "I can't— I can't lose you."
Shigure's voice cut through the haze.
"She's slipping."
Yusuke's blood ran cold.
No.
No, no, NO—
"I can still save her, right?" Yusuke's head snapped up. His eyes were wild, desperate. "Tell me I can still save her."
Shigure studied him, his gaze unreadable.
"…You can."
A pause.
"But it will cost you."
Yusuke's heart slammed against his ribs.
The price.
His lifespan.
He had to give up a portion of his remaining years to keep her alive.
Yusuke's hands clenched.
Shigure watched him closely. "If you do this, Urameshi… you might not have long left."
Yusuke didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
The blade glowed.
Shigure raised it.
"This will hurt."
"I don't care."
The dagger pierced his skin.
And Yusuke—
Yusuke felt his soul burn.
Pain exploded through his body, raw, blinding agony.
His life force—his very existence—was being ripped from him.
And through the haze, through the unbearable pain—
He saw her.
Keiko.
The woman he loved. The mother of his child.
His entire world.
And as his energy poured into her, mending her broken body—
Yusuke smiled.
Because if this was the price—
He would pay it again and again.
Even if it killed him.
And then—
Darkness.