The moment their circuit embodiments stabilized—
Kaelen moved first.
The ground beneath him exploded.
BOOM.
His dragon wings burst backward as he rushed Arata with terrifying speed, throwing a relentless combination of jabs directly toward his chest and head.
But Arata…
…didn't move.
His hands remained inside his pockets.
His eyes stayed closed.
Yet every punch missed him by mere centimeters.
A slight tilt of the neck.
A tiny shift of the shoulders.
Minimal movement.
Maximum efficiency.
Kaelen's pupils narrowed.
He's reading everything…
Kimotsu vanished.
"Kedo."
A sharp distortion split the air as he appeared directly behind Arata and swung vertically with monstrous speed.
SHING—
Arata ducked casually.
Then—
THUD.
A simple kick slammed into Kimotsu's ribs and launched him across the grassland.
Before Kimotsu even hit the ground—
Denma appeared overhead.
"RAAAAH!"
His fist descended with enough physical force to flatten mountains.
Arata slightly jumped backward.
The punch hit empty air.
BOOOOOOM.
The grasslands shattered beneath Denma's fist.
At the same moment—
Jess raised her hand.
"Lock."
The air around Arata froze.
For the briefest second—
His body paused.
Faith immediately reacted.
She rushed forward gracefully and spun into a kick aimed directly at Arata's temple.
But Arata smiled faintly.
He leaned backward effortlessly.
The kick passed inches from his face.
Jess's eyes widened.
"How is he moving?"
Faith attacked again instantly.
This time she changed the trajectory mid-motion and swept toward Arata's legs instead—
But Arata turned naturally.
Like he already knew.
Her kick missed completely.
Gene finally stepped forward.
The air around him darkened slightly as dream energy spread silently outward.
His mental interference invaded Arata's consciousness directly.
The world distorted.
Dreams.
Hallucinations.
Psychological disruption.
But…
Nothing happened.
Gene blinked slowly.
"…seriously?"
Kaelen rushed again.
This time—
Axiomfall unsheathed.
The blade glowed blue as he appeared in front of Arata and unleashed a storm of slashes.
SHING.
SHING.
SHING.
Each strike precise.
Each strike lethal.
Arata dodged every single one.
Jess joined immediately.
Her blade collided alongside Kaelen's attacks in seamless synchronization.
Kimotsu recovered and reentered the battle from Arata's blind spot.
Three sword users.
Three angles.
Three killing trajectories.
Relentless pressure.
Yet—
Arata flowed through every attack like water.
Not a wasted motion.
Not a single unnecessary step.
The heroes surrounded him completely.
Then all three swung simultaneously.
A perfect trap.
Or so they thought.
SHHHT.
Arata vanished.
Their eyes widened.
He now stood calmly atop the tips of their swords.
Balanced effortlessly.
Hands still in his pockets.
Denma reacted instantly.
The ground exploded beneath him as he launched himself toward Arata like a cannonball.
A surprise attack.
Pure overwhelming force.
His fist rushed toward Arata's face—
But Arata leaned backward again.
Then casually kicked Denma upward into the sky.
BOOM.
Before the others could react—
Arata stepped across their blades effortlessly.
Then—
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
A series of clean kicks landed against Kaelen, Jess, and Kimotsu simultaneously.
All three lost grip on their swords.
Axiomfall spun away through the air.
Kimotsu's blade embedded into the ground.
Jess crashed across the grass.
Then—
BOOOOM.
Denma finally fell back down from the sky and cratered the earth on impact.
Silence.
Denma laid flat on his back staring upward.
"…can I change my mind?"
Kaelen slowly pushed himself up while breathing heavily.
"Unfortunately…"
"…no."
Gene stood up sluggishly while rubbing his forehead.
"…fuuck."
"I'd rather sleep."
Then suddenly—
The Arata standing before them vanished into white smoke.
Everyone froze.
Kaelen narrowed his eyes.
"…huh?"
"What happened?"
His dragon eyes activated instantly.
Golden slits scanned the surroundings.
Then—
Jess pointed ahead.
"Huh…?"
"What's that up there?"
Far away—
A massive tree stood beneath the endless sky.
Its trunk pierced upward like a pillar connecting heaven and earth.
Under the tree sat a single chair.
And sitting on that chair—
Was Arata.
Reading his book calmly.
Even from impossibly far away—
His voice reached them clearly.
"Come to where I am."
The heroes immediately moved.
Kaelen flew forward with dragon wings.
Jess and Faith accelerated behind him.
Kimotsu used movement techniques.
Gene floated lazily.
Denma simply jumped.
But no matter how fast they moved—
They never got closer.
The tree still looked near.
Yet impossibly distant.
Denma landed hard and started sprinting instead.
Still nothing.
Hours seemed to pass.
The distance never changed.
Sweat formed.
Their breathing became heavier.
Faith's legs trembled.
Jess slowed down.
Kimotsu grit his teeth.
Even Denma looked exhausted.
Finally—
One by one—
They collapsed onto the grass.
The moment their bodies touched the ground—
The scenery changed instantly.
The heroes blinked.
They were now beneath the giant tree.
Arata sat before them calmly in his chair.
Book open.
Leg crossed casually.
"Good."
"You all made it."
Kaelen breathed heavily while staring at him.
"…since when were you here?"
Arata turned a page.
"I was here from the beginning."
"I merely allowed you all to perceive me."
Jess's expression froze.
"…then what were we fighting?"
"A clone."
Denma immediately sat upright.
"A CLONE?!"
"Since when did you make a clone?!"
"And how the hell didn't we notice?!"
Arata looked at him calmly.
"It was a clone from the very beginning."
Kimotsu's eyes narrowed sharply.
"…so the restaurant…"
Arata nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"That too was a clone."
"I already knew you all were coming."
Silence fell beneath the giant tree.
Jess and Faith looked completely stunned.
Even Gene was shocked.