Hanakaiin Ra was lying there face down.
Most of his face was surrounded by undigested food.
These were supposed to be delicious meals, yet at this moment, they were unbearably sour and foul-smelling. Thanks to Hanakaiin Itsuki’s brute force pressing down just now, a good amount of vomit had directly filled half of Hanakaiin Ra’s mouth.
Disgusting, nauseating.
Waves of discomfort began to spread throughout Ra’s chest.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t suppress it.
He wanted to get up right away, but the force of Itsuki’s heavy strike still lingered in his body, making it almost impossible for him to move.
Only after three to five seconds did Ra finally lift his head.
Once again, Hanakaiin Ra vomited.
The first time was due to Itsuki’s blow.
This time, it was his body’s natural response.
Moreover, compared to the first time, this time Ra emptied his stomach completely.
The young man even expelled stomach acid.
Immediately, he stood up to wipe his face quickly, but halfway through, he sank despondently back to the ground.
A wave of stronger emotions surged within him.
It was the feeling of defeat!
An unparalleled sense of failure.
Hanakaiin Ra was proud.
In fact, apart from Hanakaiin Tōru, Ra considered himself the strongest among the younger generation of the Hanakaiin Family.
Even the widely praised Hanakaiin Itsuki couldn’t compare to him.
Or, at least, he fell slightly short.
The gap in strength between them was astronomical.
Though that was his perspective toward Itsuki, not Itsuki’s view regarding him!
He had never imagined that there would be such a huge disparity between himself and Itsuki.
A disparity so vast, it made resistance futile.
"How could this happen?"
Hanakaiin Ra muttered softly.
Right now, the young man was deeply shaken, utterly lost in doubts about his own existence, completely oblivious to a shadowy figure inching closer to him.
The shadowy figure finally stood behind the young man and slowly drove a paper-thin dagger toward Ra’s back.
The approach was silent, but once it reached its range, the dagger suddenly accelerated.
The sound of a sharp weapon cutting through air reached Ra’s ears, snapping him out of his daze.
Instinctively, he tried to dodge.
But just then, an invisible binding force appeared around his body.
Immediately, Hanakaiin Ra froze, unable to move an inch.
Ra cried out in panic, his face turning pale, his eyes flashing with despair.
He didn’t know who had set the trap, but it was clearly aimed at him!
He was sure he would die!
Hanakaiin Ra closed his eyes, preparing to meet his end.
But the expected pain never arrived.
What came instead was a soft sigh.
"Ra, I’ve told you countless times before—not to act impulsively, and never underestimate your opponent."
A familiar voice came from nearby.
Ra opened his eyes and saw the calm, ethereal figure standing before him.
Ra immediately scrambled to his feet.
The binding force that had restrained him had vanished at some point.
Tōru smiled as he observed Ra standing up.
Facing that gentle smile, Ra lowered his head in shame.
"Tōru-nii, I’m sorry. I failed you."
Ra said, his face growing red, his eyes brimming with tears.
He looked just like a child who, after being wronged, had found comfort in a parent.
He felt both aggrieved and unwilling to accept his defeat.
"Disappointment isn’t the word."
"You did well enough."
"Itsuki... He’s certainly intriguing."
Tōru chuckled and shook his head.
"Was he behind all this?"
Ra’s fists clenched tightly at the mention of Hanakaiin Itsuki.
"Itsuki doesn’t use such trickery. He’s straightforward."
"Besides, his aura is completely absent from this."
Tōru said while handing Ra the paper-thin dagger.
The dagger was made of metal.
But the craftsmanship was exquisite; not only was it lightweight, it was razor sharp.
Clearly, such a knife wasn’t meant for humans.
But for Evil Spirits capable of wielding lightweight objects, it was an ideal weapon.
And as for the binding force just now...
That seemed to be a similar trick, typical of an Evil Spirit.
Analytical thoughts raced through Ra’s mind as he pieced together the events of moments ago. Gradually, clarity emerged in his thoughts, but at that very moment—
A cold snort rang out, and Hanakaiin Itsuki stepped out from the courtyard in the distance.
Moments earlier, he had sensed something was amiss upon hearing the sound of a blade slicing through the air.
Then, Tōru had dispersed the image of the Evil Spirit with a single strike, followed by their ensuing conversation, which Itsuki had overheard clearly.
Toward Hanakaiin Tōru, Itsuki maintained a guarded attitude.
It was the vigilance toward a formidable opponent.
One might even call it respect.
However, Itsuki wouldn’t phrase it that way.
That’s because he didn’t know whether Tōru liked milk tea.
If he did, then respect would be appropriate.
If he didn’t, Itsuki would continue to keep his guard up.
He was nothing more than a defeated mutt!
Beyond his barking, he served no purpose.
Thus, Itsuki sneered aloud.
Such a disdainful attitude made Ra feel enraged.
The young man glared, his anger sparking a surge of battle intent within him.
Though he had just experienced defeat, he still chose to fight once more at this very moment.