3rd Day of the 2nd Earth Cycle[1], 2000, g.c.
As twilight started folding into night, Talasi felt our match before anyone understood it. The ground trembled. Almost violently, yet not like an earthquake trying to split the city open. This was rhythmic. Pulsing, damn near. Like a heartbeat of something way too big to be contained inside Castle Midnight. Across the streets, crates rattled loose from stacked shelves, tipping over and cracking against stone. Windows buzzed in their frames. Loose tools slid off workbenches. Kids stopped mid-play, wide-eyed as their balance shifted under them, while adults grabbed onto whatever was closest to steady themselves.
"What the hell is that?" somebody yelled from down the road.
Magick-sensitive artists froze where they stood. They could feel it—a phantom pressure. Heavy. Divine. Suffocating in a way that didn't crush the body, but warned the soul. Some of them tried to trace it. Tried to understand it.
Then—
It vanished. Gone like it was never there. Leaving confusion hanging in the air like smoke after a blast.
Back in the dojo, that pressure had a name. Luda. The Star Lion of Braye stood at the center of the ring, but he didn't look like the same man who walked in. Broski looked like something carved out of faith. Golden-orange flames of ethereal energy swirled around him, built from magitons, spiritons, and raw God Qi, all colliding into one burning current. The aura wrapped tight around his frame, distorting the air like heat rising off desert sand.
His body shifted. Subtle at first. Then undeniable. Muscle thickened along his arms and chest, giving him that slight, clean buff that screamed functional strength. Not bulky. Not too heavy. Just optimized. Then the wings came. Two massive falcon-like wings burst from his back, formed entirely from Divinity Mana. Each feather carried a layered glow—gold, amber, white—like sunlight filtered through a divine prism. They spread wide, pushing air outward in a low, thunderous pulse.
Then—silence.
Next, above his head, a nemes formed. Clean lines of energy wrapped around his crown, draping like the ceremonial headdress of a pharaoh. The fabric wasn't cloth at all—it was living mana, shifting and flowing with his movements.
Finally—
The halo. A disk of light appeared behind his head. Not just glowing. Burning. A miniature sun suspended in place, radiating steady heat and pressure.
On the sidelines? Everybody lost composure for a second.
"Hot damn!" Alex leaned forward, eyes wide. "Luda learned Trance? Someone else besides Xiro has access to it now?"
Danica clapped her hands together, bouncing on her heels.
"Wow, they really have gotten this far already?"
Kimmi's jaw dropped as she pointed.
"Yooooo... look how cool his wings are! They're all angelic and pretty colored. That's so neat."
Roxy threw her fist up, tail lashing behind her.
"Wooot! Kick his ass, my king! Go, Master Allegretto!"
Omnia floated up slightly, crossing one leg over the other mid-air like she was taking a throne in the sky.
"I'm impressed he's handling such a large amount of magickal power..." Her eyes flicked toward me. "...but I'm not surprised."
She tilted her head slightly. "Luda's access to Trance was to be expected."
A small smile pulled at her lips. "And if I expected it... Then that would mean Moonlight did as well."
That line made everybody turn. All eyes landed on me. I didn't hide it. Didn't try to play it cool. A wicked grin stretched across my face. Sharp. Proud. Beyond excited. My nigga was cooking. And he was cooking with gas.
"I can't lie," I said, stepping forward slightly. "This is amazing."
My eyes ran over him, taking in the full transformation. "You're stronger than Orion was, that's for sure."
His aura pulsed like a star's surface. Flared. Then he spoke.
"Xiro... My brother..." His voice carried deeper now, layered with that divine resonance. "I need you to fight me at your full power."
The room shifted just a little.
"Ever since I awoke," he continued, eyes locking onto mine, "life has almost felt like a fantasy."
His wings twitched slightly, the light behind him flickering.
"Like I'm in a dream world or something."
His jaw tightened.
"I've gained this unimaginable new power after breaking my limits once more. But with new news on my creation, I can't fully accept it."
I tilted my head.
"The hell you talmbout? It's your strength." I tapped my chest. "Your magick. That's yours, alone. Nobody gave you that."
He shook his head slowly.
"If it's truly mine, then this shouldn't be my peak." His eyes sharpened. "This can't be."
"You think you've peaked?"
"I don't know."
His wings folded in slightly as he took a step forward.
"I feel unstoppable." A pause followed. "And that's a feeling I know would lead to my downfall."
He closed and tightened his fist as his voice steadied. "So I need you to show me my new limits. Show me where I still need to improve."
His gaze didn't waver. "Show me where the real Luda Braye still exists: the man still chasing the dream to have it all."
"The real Luda Braye?"
He exhaled slowly.
"Finding out that I was engineered by my Aeon of Oblivion has been fucking with me... if I'm keepin' it real."
His hand clenched slightly.
"Even the knowledge that the Archon of Fate and Orion drove the events of my life to position me to kill you..." His voice dipped. "...feels like I've never had agency with my own existence."
That hit me different.
"I don't know how it doesn't weigh on you the way it does me," he admitted, eyes narrowing slightly.
"But at least now…" His aura surged. "…at this moment…" He took another step forward. "I can take control of my life."
His wings flared wide again.
"And I'll do that by testing my new might against an M-Cee I truly look up to."
Then—he pointed at me.
"Fight me, Xiro."
His voice dropped. "And don't hold back. For my sanity, my brother."
I didn't answer right away. I just looked at him. Really looked at him. The way his aura bent the light around him. The heat distorting the space between us. The conviction in his eyes. My nigga meant every word.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Aight... say less."
My mana stirred. Deep. Ancient. Hungry.
"Beast of the Twilight Sage—[Trance: Ōkami]."
I stepped forward. This time? It felt different. No ripping pain. No tearing sensation as Divinity Mana flooded my Soul Core. Instead, something deeper answered. Something older. Purely primal. It flowed through me smoothly. Like it had always been there, like it was waiting for me to catch up to it. My aura exploded outward.
Deep crimson. Bright ultramarine. Colliding into a storm of color that wrapped around my body in violent waves. Surrounding me as it latched onto me. The energy crawled across my skin, thickening, forming into a fur-like layer that moved like it was alive. My dreadlocks whipped back, lifted by an unseen force before stretching into glowing strands of red and indigo light.
My body changed. Canine ears returned at the top of my head. Alert and sharp. My forehead split. My [Devil's 3rd Eye] opened. And behind me—three tails lashed outward. Beastly. Violent. Alive with energy. My form stabilized. Complete. Leaving a demonic beast standing in the center of a shaking dojo. Steam rolled off my body, my mana visible like heat pouring off metal fresh out of the forge. The air pressure doubled and gravity dipped. The entire structure creaked under the strain of holding both of us.
Omnia let out a low whistle, her eyes widening into heart shapes instantly. Her whole expression shifted. Predatory. Lustful. She loved this form.
Danica leaned over, laughing softly. "Big Sis is down bad for Big Bro Xiro more than normal."
Kimmi blinked rapidly, trying to process everything.
"Big Bro looks closer to a Wolven now." She pointed. "He even has three tails and three eyes."
Alex crossed his arms, nodding slowly. "I've always thought that since he was a Majin, he transformed into some kind of Daemon from Infernia."
He tilted his head. "But he has definitely grown more tails since I last saw this form."
Omnia didn't take her eyes off me. "His look is influenced by the Vessel Skill that he's fusing with during the Trance."
Her voice softened slightly.
"The lycanthrope-like transformation is powered by [Moon Sage: Tsukuyomi]." She grinned. "A Moon Deity Vessel Skill that was once worshipped by Lycan culture thousands of years ago."
Alex chuckled. "Xi surely loves his themes."
Across from me, Luda smiled. Slowly. Dangerous. Divinity Mana crawled up his face, forming into a smooth mask that covered everything below his eyes. The symbol of the [Eye of Ra] burned into the right side of it, glowing faintly as a falcon's face appeared on the mask.
"Xi..." His voice echoed slightly through the mask. "Strike with murderous intent, or you will end up hurt."
His grip tightened on his weapon.
"This is my first time using this form. I don't plan on going light."
I rolled my shoulders, flexing my fingers as Astral Mana gathered in my palm.
"Then don't disappoint me." A sinister grin stretched across my face again. "Ten days is a long time to think that I haven't learned something new with my magick."
The air split. My bastard sword formed. Black-bladed. Solid. Alive with mana. The Spirit Weapon version of the Twilight Goddess sang as it solidified in my hand.
Across from me, his double axe rotated once, the Meridian Goddess humming with power. We both lowered into a stance. Eyes locked. No more talking. Round two was about to start.
The crowd lining the dojo's edge leaned forward like gravity had shifted toward the center of the arena. Chairs creaked. Boots scraped. Nobody wanted to blink and miss whatever came next. Luda and I stood opposite each other, the air between us already heavy with intent, thick with swirling magitons that pressed against the barrier I had thrown up around the Wolfpak. That barrier shimmered like strained glass, flickering in uneven pulses as the pressure built. You could hear it whining—low, stressed, like it was one bad hit away from folding.
Then the smell hit. Ozone. Sharp and metallic. Like the sky itself had just been split open. A random crack of magickal lightning snapped across the arena—no warning, no caster, just raw energy popping into existence and vanishing in the same breath. That was all the signal we needed.
We moved. No wind-up. No hesitation. Just two blurs colliding at a point that barely had time to exist.
Our Spirit Weapons met with a violent clang that didn't sound like metal—it sounded like space getting punched in the throat. The impact detonated outward, a compressed burst of force that spiderwebbed cracks across the dojo floor and sent a ripple through the spatial reinforcement layered into the walls. The ground dipped under our feet, wood fracturing in jagged lines that spread like lightning veins.
I didn't even think about the damage. All I felt was that thrill. That raw, stupid excitement was bubbling up in my chest as I tried to take my brother's head off.
We broke apart for half a breath—then went right back in. Blades flashed. Sparks screamed. The next forty-four seconds stretched into something unreal. To anybody watching, it probably looked like we vanished, like the arena just started exploding on its own. But inside that pocket of speed, we were trading slashes.
Hundreds of times.
An attosecond was enough for us to exchange hundreds of cuts, parries, and counters. Spiritual steel rang against spiritual steel in a rhythm too fast to follow, each strike precise, intentional. Our bodies blurred past each other, twisting, pivoting, slipping through impossible angles. Light itself lagged behind us, struggling to catch up and paint an image for the world to see.
Tracking us took more than eyes. You had to feel us.
Luda adjusted first. I caught it in the way his swings sharpened—less wasted motion, more bite. His double axe carved tighter arcs, forcing me to shift my footing to keep up. I blocked low, felt the shock run up my arm, and before I could reset, he spun that same momentum into a kick that cracked against my guard. His wings flared open behind him, catching my follow-up slash and redirecting it just enough to keep it from landing clean.
"Damn bastard is really good," I muttered in my thoughts, sliding back a step.
He was learning mid-fight. Improving. When I brought my tails into play—using them to push off the air, to strike from blind spots—he answered with mana arts, quick casts that disrupted my balance just long enough to keep things even. Fire met water. Push met pull. Neither of us gave an inch, the fight hovering in that perfect, frustrating middle ground.
Luda's voice cut through the chaos, steady but edged with fire.
"Let's break this stalemate."
Before I could respond, he vanished.
I felt him before I saw him—pressure dropping from above. I snapped my head up just in time to catch him descending, wings tucked in tight as he raised the Meridian Goddess over his head. Solar Mana poured into the weapon, white flames roaring to life along its edges, bright enough to burn shadows out of existence.
"Art of Solvarion: Divine Star Slash!"
He brought it down like judgment, full of heat and destruction.
The weight behind that strike twisted the air, compressing it into a screaming funnel as it dropped toward me. That was enough force to crack a moon clean in half. If I ate that head-on, the dojo would clearly get erased.
So I didn't. I stepped in.
"Art of Xirotation: Lunar Reflection."
My blade rose to meet his, the old Crescent Moon Blade technique flowing through my arms like muscle memory was now refined to a new perfection. The moment our weapons connected, I redirected the force, guiding it along the curve of my strike and sending it screaming right back up at him.
The explosion that followed shook everything. Luda got blasted sideways, his body slamming into the wall hard enough to crater it, while my own barrier fractured under the strain. Cracks spread across it like shattered glass, glowing lines threatening to give out—but it held.
Barely. I didn't waste the opening. I stepped in and drove a punch straight into his masked face, putting my whole body behind it. The impact snapped his head back, sending him sliding across the broken floor, boots grinding against debris as he tried to stabilize.
His wings flared again.
His free hand moved.
"Angel/Solar Mixed Arts: El's Imprisonment!"
Spears formed instantly—long, radiant constructs of condensed Divinity Mana, their edges gleaming with a holy sharpness that hummed against my senses. They launched at lightspeed, cutting through the air with a chorus of piercing whistles, aiming to lock me down from every angle.
Too bad I'd seen it before. They tore through the space I had just vacated, shredding an afterimage that faded like smoke. I reappeared behind him, Blue Queen already drawn and aimed. I squeezed the trigger. The Devil Mana round slipped into a portal that snapped open in front of the barrel, vanishing for a fraction of a second before reappearing behind Luda. He turned, axe already moving to intercept—but he was just a hair too slow.
The shot landed between his wings. The force drove him forward—right into me. The Red Queen was already in motion. The slash came clean, precise, aimed to finish the sequence—
—and then reality flipped.
In less than an instant, the world twisted. My position shifted, my body dragged into a new vector before my brain could catch up. One moment, I was attacking. Next, I was falling straight into his axe. My chest met the descending blade. My [Auto-Defense] kicked in on instinct, a spatial barrier snapping into place just in time to try and stop the Meridian Goddess from carving me open. The impact still hit like a freight train, the barrier shattering on contact as the force drove me straight into the ground.
Wood and stone exploded beneath me. The crater swallowed my body, dust and debris blasting outward in a violent ring that knocked people off their feet at the edge of the arena. For a second, everything went quiet except for the settling rubble. On the sidelines, Alex just stared, eyes wide.
"What the hell just happened? I didn't know Luda could move like that or keep up with Xiro's speed."
Roxy crossed her arms, a smug grin tugging at her lips.
"Well, Grand, that's because Master Allegretto's [Eye of Ra] lets him see the truth in anything. Giving him sight close to Lord Xiro's [Kaleidoscope Eyes]."
Omnia let out a soft scoff, her gaze still locked on the arena.
"Not as powerful, since Moonlight's ability is an Ultra Subskill, and Luda's is a Vessel Subskill."
Danica tilted her head, watching the dust swirl.
"But he's in Trance right now. That power gap's gone for the moment."
Roxy shot her a look, grin sharpening.
"Exactly. Don't try to downplay him just 'cause he pressin' your Syn of Pride. My man stackin' my Ultra Skill with that Vessel ability? That combo was nasty."
Omnia's eyes narrowed just a little.
"My Moonlight mastered that long ago. It won't be enough for Luda to win."
They both turned away at the same time, tension snapping between them like a pulled wire.
Back in the crater, I lay there for a second, staring up at the fractured ceiling. My chest ached before the pain quickly faded. My body buzzed. And that realization hit me harder than the axe did. I was losing.
"...Son of a bitch," I muttered, pushing myself up.
That thought alone irritated me, crawling under my skin worse than the spiritual pain. I flipped to my feet, rolling my shoulders as dust slid off me, and looked up.
Luda hovered above, wings spread wide, Divinity Mana gathering in his hands.
Well, more than gathering—that shit was condensing.
A pentagonal prism of iridescent energy formed above him, spinning slowly, each face reflecting warped fragments of the dojo. The light coming off it painted everything in shifting hues, like a newborn star trying to decide what color it wanted to burn.
"You're still holding back, Xiro," he called down, voice tight with frustration. "Fighting down, pretending to struggle... and it's pissing me off!"
The prism grew. And grew. The air started spiraling toward it, dragged in by its gravity, as the entire dojo caught in that pull as the mana density climbed to ridiculous levels.
I exhaled slowly.
"Yeah, aight then."
My [Kaleidoscope Eyes] activated with [Appraisal], gankyil blooming across my vision as the world broke into layers of information. The prism lit up with data—density, output, projected blast radius. My stomach tightened just a little.
"What is that asshole planning?" I thought. "That shit alone is enough to turn my castle into dust, let alone half of the continent."
[Midnight Star: Belial]'s voice slipped in, calm as ever.
"Why hesitate? Absorb it. Remove the threat."
I shook my head slightly.
"He knows I can do that, so he must be planning for that. So instead, we're going to switch it up."
A different idea sparked. "Tsukuyomi, get that new skill we've been testing ready. Let's put an end to this."
Dark power surged through me.
The White Empress formed over my arms and legs, sleek and radiant. The Blue Queen dissolved into motes, fading out as the Red Queen settled into my grip, its weight familiar, grounding. I lowered the blade behind me, stance loose but ready, and tilted my chin up at him.
"Then witness my true power, little brother."
Luda didn't hesitate. "Divinity Mana Arts: Broken Raps!"
His fist clenched.
The prism shattered outward into hundreds of bolts, each one a concentrated dagger of Divinity Mana that locked onto me with perfect precision. They came fast, filling the air with streaks of blinding light.
I raised my hand.
"[Tokyo Diamonds], expand."
The sound cut out. The world froze.
Every bolt stopped mid-flight, locked in place as black ice crawled over them, swallowing their light and turning them into jagged sculptures suspended in the air. The temperature dropped instantly, frost spreading across the broken floor beneath my feet.
I stepped forward. One clean swing of the Red Queen—
—and the frozen bolts shattered into a storm of violet and black snow, drifting down in slow, glittering flakes.
Luda blinked. That was all I needed. I triggered [Heaven's Kaleidoscope], space bending around us as I swapped our positions in an instant, copying his ocular skill from earlier. He dropped from the sky into my previous spot, balance thrown off just enough.
I was already teleporting. I appeared beside him and drove the Red Queen straight into his shoulder. The blade sank in—silently—his body froze solid in a flash. Ice spread over him in a heartbeat, exposing a Water clone.
"Of course," I muttered, already turning.
I felt him behind me—his real mana signature flickering just out of sync.
My hand snapped out.
"[Love/Hate]."
The polarity locked him.
His body jerked as the force yanked him toward me, dragging him through the air like he weighed nothing. Before he could break free, I stepped in and drove the Red Queen into his shoulder again—this time, for real.
The resistance was different. The blood confirmed it. A sharp spray of red cut across the air as his face twisted in pain.
"Got you." I leaned in just enough, voice low. "[Separation Anxiety]."
His eyes widened. "Whhaauut—"
The rest of that question died in his throat. My copied version of Zero Tàiyáng's Ultra Skill disconnected Luda from his magick, proving that it worked on Archon-level beings as well.
His Trance collapsed instantly. All that power—gone. Magitons scattered. God Particles evaporated into the air like mist under sunlight. The aura around him flickered out, leaving him stripped down to his base state before he could even process what happened.
I pulled the blade free and drove a punch into his jaw. His head snapped to the side. His body went limp.
"I've learned a lot from myself," I said, watching him drop. "And you were right. I was bullshittin' just a bit."
Silence settled over the dojo.
I exhaled and let my own Trance fade, the power receding as I returned to normal. The tension broke as Omnia rose, her presence filling the space again.
That was the signal. The match was over.
"Whoa, shit," Alex said, letting out a breath. "I thought Luda had that for a second."
Roxy groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Rrrrggghh. That Moonlight is too damn busted."
Danica nodded, eyes still on me. "Yeah, Big Bro Xiro has some crazy abilities and tactics."
Omnia's lips curved slightly. "He is my greatest creation."
Kimmi clapped her hands together, beaming. "They were both really cool if you ask me!"
A new voice cut in, casual as ever.
"I'm glad I caught the ending of the rematch. But wasn't Luda still recovering?"
Alex blinked, turning. "Steez? When did you get here?"
I looked over—and yeah, he wasn't alone.
My moms stood with him.
Vericka and Billie Holiday clapped gently, while Grandma Fann leaned forward, adjusting her glasses, squinting through the fading dust.
"Honestly, I couldn't see a thing," she said. "They were moving too fast for my old eyes."
Vericka smiled softly. "I managed to see the ending."
Billie gave a small nod. "I struggled, but that final move was impressive."
Kimmi lit up. "Hi Grandma, Mom, and Momma! Welcome back from Hayneville!"
She jumped the barrier without thinking and ran straight into them, hugging all three at once. The rest of the crew started drifting over, the tension dissolving into warmth just like that.
And me? I just stood there, rolling my shoulder, watching Luda breathe.
The score was 2–1 now. I kept that count real close. Especially since I was still counting the time Destini almost killed me using his body before I tracked his spirit down. Petty? Yeah. But I ain't never said I wasn't.
Luda let out a low groan as consciousness settled back into his body, his shoulders tightening before he slowly pushed himself upright. His hand came up to his jaw, fingers pressing along the spot where I had rocked him, and I could see the irritation in his eyes even through the lingering haze. The sting was still fresh, sitting heavy in his expression as he rolled his neck and exhaled through his teeth.
"Damn. That shit still hurts," he muttered, voice rough.
I stepped forward without thinking and held my hand out to him. He looked at it for a second, then smirked before grabbing on. I pulled him up with a steady lift, the two of us rising through the thin cloud of dust and wood chips that still floated in the air around us. The dojo floor crunched under our boots as he brushed himself off, flicking debris from his blue long-sleeve like it offended him personally.
"That was crazy as fuck, Xi," he said, shaking his head while rolling his shoulder carefully. "What the hell was that skill? Did you learn Orion's ability or something?"
I gave a small shrug, watching the way the magitons in the air were still settling, drifting like faint glitter under the dimming light.
"Not really," I answered. "Orion shuts down systems completely. What I did was cut your connection for a moment. Your mind and mana weren't talking to each other. You'll feel it come back in about a minute."
He flexed his fingers, green eyes narrowing slightly as he tested his body. He could see the delay I was talking about—his mana flow stuttered like a bad signal, uneven and sluggish.
"Explains why my healing ain't kicking in right now," he said.
"My bad," I replied, already lifting my hand. "Hold on. I got you."
I gathered Yang Mana and Angel Mana together in my palm, weaving the two streams until they harmonized. The energy softened as it stabilized, shifting from raw power into something warm, controlled, almost gentle. A glowing orb formed in my hand, pulsing with a soft gold-white light that hummed like a quiet choir.
When I pressed it into his shoulder, the reaction was instant.
Motes of light broke off the orb and sank into his skin, spreading through the wound like tiny stars finding their place in the night. The torn flesh knit together in smooth layers, muscle fibers reconnecting, skin sealing over without a trace of damage. The scent of fresh ozone mixed with something cleaner, something like rain hitting sun-warmed stone.
Luda let out a breath and rolled his shoulder again, testing it fully this time. No hesitation. No lag.
"Hell yeah," he said, knocking his fist lightly against his chest before tapping my shoulder twice in quick succession. "Appreciate that."
I returned the dap, grip firm, the kind that said more than words needed to.
"So how'd you learn that lil' trick?" he asked, tilting his head.
I scratched the back of my neck, already knowing this was gonna sound wild.
"I got it from another Xero," I said. "Another version of me, basically. Back at the Sycamore Tree party, I fought a time ghost that actually killed me for a second."
He blinked. Then blinked again.
"Killed you?" His voice jumped up a notch. "What the fuck, Xi? What are you talking about?"
I waved a hand like it wasn't as insane as it sounded, even though it definitely was.
"I'll explain later," I said. "Short version, I had a revival mask on me. It brought me back. While I was dealing with all that, I picked up a few moves from... myself."
Luda stared at me for a second longer, then let out a short laugh under his breath, shaking his head like he didn't even know where to start with that.
"Yeah... nah, I need that full story later," he said. "But I ain't even mad about how this ended. Lowkey, it went exactly how I figured it would."
I raised a brow at that, folding my arms.
"Oh yeah? You knew you were finna lose?"
He smirked, but there was something thoughtful behind it now.
"I knew I wasn't stronger than you yet," he said. "And that matters more than winning right now."
His gaze shifted for a second, not unfocused, but turned inward. He paused, longer this time.
"That gap tells me I still have room to figure myself out," he continued. "My whole benchmark has been you from the start. Every level, every step, I've been measuring against you. But I still don't know where Luda ends, and all that other shit begins. The Syn of Greed… the Archon of Day… whatever else is layered on top of me."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I don't like the idea of not having control over who I am," he added.
I let that sit for a second. The air between us cooled now that the fight was over, the tension bleeding out into something quieter.
"I don't know too many people who would be cool with that," I said. Then I gave a small nod. "But I'm with you. Fuck fate."
That was when voices carried in from the sidelines, cutting through the moment.
"Moonlight! Good job, hunni!"
I turned toward the sound, and there they were.
"Moms?" I said, blinking. "Y'all back already?"
Vericka stepped forward with that easy smile, her presence warm in a way that filled the whole space.
"Distance doesn't really matter when your brother moves at his speed," she said, nodding toward Luda. "And with [By Your Side], we can pull up next to him in a breath."
Luda straightened slightly, giving a respectful nod.
"Good evening, Sensei Vericka and Sensei Billie."
"It's good to see you up and moving again," Vericka said, looking him over with a practiced eye. "And healthier too, Luda."
Billie stepped closer, her gaze sharper, more analytical.
"Was that a [Trance] form I saw you two using?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am," I answered. "We were testing how well he could use it."
Luda rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.
"We might've gotten a little carried away."
I glanced back at the floor, taking in the damage properly now that the adrenaline had settled. Craters, fractures, chunks of wood and stone scattered everywhere. The structure held, but it definitely took a beating. My mind was already picking out weak points, spots that needed reinforcement if we were gonna keep running tests like this.
"You two can control it well enough to turn it off at will?" Billie asked, impressed. "That's amazing."
Vericka folded her arms, her expression turning reflective.
"When I reached Trance, I couldn't shut it down," she said. "It locked me in. I stayed in that state longer than I ever intended."
Omnia's voice slipped in smoothly, calm but precise.
"Your transformation was forced," she said. "The Mikazuki artifact triggered it using external God Qi. That power wasn't truly yours, Vericka. It was your future first child. It was Master Xiro's. It only resonated with you because of that."
I frowned slightly, glancing at her.
"But for that to even happen," I said slowly, "I would've had to go back in time and give the clan my Guardian Armament so it could be passed down to her."
Omnia didn't answer right away. She looked away. That small movement was enough to set something off in my head.
"Omnia..." I said, narrowing my eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"
Before she could answer, my grandma's voice cut in, redirecting the whole moment with perfect timing.
"Grandson," Fann said, adjusting her glasses as she looked around. "Where exactly are we right now? This place feels like the old dojo, but there's something different about it."
I blinked, then let out a short laugh.
"Oh, right. Yeah, I built us something better," I said. "Castle Midnight. I was gonna send word about it, just ain't got around to it yet."
Vericka's brows lifted slightly. "We have a castle now?"
Alex stepped in from the side, already grinning.
"It's fire, too, Auntie," he said. "You're gonna love it."
Billie clasped her hands together lightly. "Well, are you going to show us around?"
I nodded, already turning toward the exit.
"Of course, Ma Dukes. Come on," I said, jerking my head for them to follow. "You too, Luda. You ain't even seen the full layout yet."
We started moving as a group, stepping out of the damaged dojo and into the open air. The shift in atmosphere hit immediately.
Night had started to settle over Gaia.
The horizon glowed with the last traces of daylight, fading into deep blues and violets as the sky stretched wider than it ever had before. The three moons climbed into position, each one casting its own shade of light across the land. Their glow reflected faintly off the planetary rings overhead, creating soft arcs that shimmered like distant halos.
Stars began to pierce through the dark one by one. And without Trappist hanging in the sky anymore, nothing was crowding the view. The expanse felt endless, like the universe had pulled back a curtain just to remind us how small everything really was.
I walked ahead of them, hands in my pockets, letting that quiet settle in after all that chaos.
"Welcome to Castle Midnight," I said, glancing back with a slight grin.
Once I wrapped up with the family and finished walking them through the last wing of Castle Midnight, a message slipped into my mind like a whisper riding on mana threads. Luvina. Zawa. Danni. They wanted me at the Talasi Inn. A room request. Late. Private.
I paused for half a second, staring out at the castle courtyard while the three moons of Gaia hung overhead like silent witnesses. The night air carried that cool edge, brushing against my skin while the city below settled into its nocturnal rhythm. Torches flickered along the walkways. Distant laughter mixed with the hum of mana constructs. Talasi was alive in a different way at night.
And somehow, I already knew what kind of "meeting" this was about to be. Honestly? I needed it. I exhaled through my nose and rolled my shoulders, letting the leftover aggression from the spar settle into something more controlled.
"Yeah... I could use a release."
With a thought, the Noir Empress shifted over my body.
The bioarmor peeled back like liquid shadow, reforming into something lighter. The hard edges softened into a loose, flowing robe that draped comfortably over me. I pulled my dreadlocks back into a clean ponytail, letting a few strands fall naturally along my face.
Casual. More relaxed. A King off-duty type fit. I lifted off the ground with [Axis Flight], gliding across Talasi in a smooth arc. The wind pushed gently against me as I moved, carrying scents from the city below—food, smoke, faint perfumes, and the ever-present trace of mana that soaked into everything here.
The Talasi Inn came into view quickly. Lights dimmed—front quiet. When I stepped inside, the lobby was empty. No Brandi. No additional chatter. No footsteps echoing off the wood. Just silence.
"She probably closed early," I muttered.
I didn't blame her. The town and her family had been through enough. I didn't linger. Just floated up the staircase, each step taken without touching the ground, until I reached the door. Danni's room. Before I even knocked—
I smelled it. Burning Elysian Trees. Strong as fuck. Thick. That slow-burning, hazy aroma that curled into your lungs and made everything feel just a little looser. Under that? Braye wine. Uncorked. Fresh and sweet. I raised my hand and knocked once. The door opened almost instantly.
Zawa stood there. Nothing on but a black G-string and a pair of gem-studded nipple rings that caught the candlelight and reflected it like a miniature city's lights. Her ivory skin looked even smoother under the dim glow of the room behind her, curves on full display with no attempt at hiding anything.
Her silver eyes lit up when she saw me. Cheeks flushed. Breathing slightly uneven. Tipsy.
"Master Xiro, you're finally here!"
Before I could even respond or react—
Zawa grabbed my hands and yanked me inside. The door slammed shut behind me. That click was far from subtle. The room hit me all at once. Heat. Then the scent and tension.
The air was thick with pheromones—sweet, intoxicating, heavy enough to feel like it was wrapping around my body. Candlelight flickered across the walls, casting slow-moving shadows that danced over the three women inside. This was definitely a different type of business meeting.
Next thing I knew—thrown. I was on the bed. My back hit the mattress with a soft bounce, and before I could sit up, Luvina was already on me. She straddled my waist, completely bottomless, her bare heat and labia pressing down against the growing dick print in my robe.
At the same time, Zawa climbed up behind me, grabbing my wrists and pinning them above my head. She sat on my hands, forcing my palms directly against her slick vulva without hesitation.
I blinked. Once. Twice. "Whaa tha...?"
Yeah.
I had pussy in my hands and on my lap out of nowhere.
Across from me, Danni stood at the side of the bed, sipping from a glass of red wine. Her robe hung loosely off her body, sheer lace barely pretending to hide anything. The fabric clung to her curves, nipples pressing visibly through as she watched us with a slow, amused smile. She took another sip. She didn't rush. Didn't interrupt. Just watched like a voyuer.
Luvina leaned forward slightly, her body glowing faintly as those bioluminescent patterns traced across her rich cocoa skin. Her hips started moving—slow at first, then building into a steady rhythm as she ground against me.
"So, Lord Xiro," she said, voice soft and teasing, "I know you've been busy lately… but I have a request that might help us both."
I raised a brow, letting my hands flex slightly under Zawa as she shifted against my palms.
"I didn't know you needed help," I said. "You seemed like you were finding your space in the town pretty well."
She let out a soft hum, pressing down a little harder.
"Since you can use creation magick… mmm… why not throw a party? A royal ball, maybe?"
Her hips rolled again, slower this time, more deliberate.
"Something fun. Something exciting. We can dress up… dance… mingle…"
Her eyes half-lidded.
"I've been bored to death with all the grieving."
Above my head, Zawa leaned down slightly, her breath brushing against my ear.
"I just want some more of your devil baby juice," she whispered. "But yeah, a party sounds fun too."
Danni chuckled softly, setting her wine glass aside.
"That is such a nice body," she said, eyes dragging over me openly. "I don't think I've ever seen you outside of that armor."
She blinked slowly.
"Oops... did I say that out loud? I must be buzzed."
She snapped her fingers lightly, igniting a small flame at her fingertip before bringing it to a blunt's tip. The Elysian Tree's smoke thickened instantly as she inhaled deeply, her chest rising before she exhaled slowly.
Meanwhile—
Luvina and Zawa weren't letting up. Their movements synced up. More grinding. Intimate pressing. Moans slipping out softer at first, then louder as the moist friction built. My hands were already slick, their bodies reacting to every shift, every touch, every subtle movement I made beneath them.
For a moment, I just watched. Felt them. Processed it all. I was being dominated. Pinned. Woman-handled by three fine-ass witches who clearly thought they were in control of the situation. And that? Didn't sit right with me. Not with Belial.
Something in me shifted. That edge from the spar? That aggression? It didn't fade. Instead, it quickly redirected. My eyes locked onto Luvina's.
And just like that—
[Midnight Star: Belial] synced in.
"If you're going to play this game..." I said slowly, voice dropping, "then let's play it for real..."
Her rhythm faltered for half a second. "...Why do you have that look in your eyes?"
I didn't answer. My [Form Polymorph] activated.
Two additional arms grew from my torso, sliding out smooth and controlled as if they had always been there. Before she could react, I grabbed Luvina by the waist, locking her in place.
Suddenly, my bioarmor opened at my crotch. Her body dropped just enough. Skin met skin. Meat to meat. The contact hit instantly. Her breath caught. Her entire body jolted as her clit brushed against the bottom of the hard shaft pressing up beneath her.
"Ahhh—!"
Her hips stuttered, then lost control completely.
Her [Dominus Luxuriae] exploded. Psions flooded the room—thick waves of lust pouring out of her and slamming into everything around us. The atmosphere shifted hard, turning heavy with desire, every breath tasting sweeter, hotter, more intoxicating. Luvina's heart rate spiked. Her breathing got shallow. Fast. Her body started trembling slightly as the pleasure took over.
Behind her, Danni's hand slid up her own chest, fingers circling her nipple through the thin lace before pinching lightly. Her lips parted as she exhaled, the blunt hanging loosely between her fingers.
Zawa leaned forward more, grinding against my hands now, her movements losing that teasing edge and turning needy. They looked at each other. Then back at me. Something clicked in them. Their hands moved across each other's bodies. Their breasts pressed together. Fingers tracing curves. Lips meeting in slow, hungry kisses. Then all three of them looked down at me at the same time.
Same expression. Same hunger.
"So, my Master..." Zawa whispered, voice thick with need. "Are you finally going to feed me again? It's been forever since my last taste."
I exhaled slowly, letting that control settle fully into my body.
"Since y'all are looking for a bit of fun..." I said, tightening my grip slightly, "I'll be your entertainment for the night."
My eyes flicked between them.
"But I'll be expecting a favor later."
Luvina smirked, barely able to focus now.
"Then I expect to be pleased, Mr. Demon Lord," she said, grinding down again. "I hope you can work that thing."
I slid up the mattress, fully relaxed now. "I hope you three can keep up."
Two Omnis Mana clones formed instantly behind Danni—slow, deliberate.
Almost perfect copies. Both were naked with a hemipenis. Both grinning and ready. She glanced back. Then grinned. Yeah. They all knew what time it was.
While their bodies moved, the room filled more with heat and sound and that intoxicating mix of mana and desire—
My mind still tracked one thing. Luvina's idea. A royal ball. A party. A controlled gathering. That did sound like fun. But it also sounded like a strategy and leverage. A way to bring in nobles. To build alliances with peace first. Show them that Velonica had something other than fear in its future.
Because whether they liked it or not—
This kingdom was getting unified under me. And tonight? I was just enjoying one of the perks of being king.
[Born Sinner] Activated.
[End of Chapter]
[1] May on Earth