Chapter —Ten nodes of Devil.
The following weeks were a blur of high-intensity training beneath the emerald canopy of the Indian jungles. The air in their clearing was constantly ionized, smelling of ozone and ancient power.
The partnership between the two masters was symbiotic; while Auron's shields became dense enough to withstand mountain-shattering impacts, Mizu's Aura Spheres evolved from simple projectiles into concentrated drills of pure blue energy.
"You are becoming truly formidable, Auron," Mizu said, wiping sweat from his brow as he dispelled a sphere of light. "A few weeks ago, I could see the vibrations in your shield. Now, it's like hitting a wall of solid diamond."
Auron adjusted his silver mask, his voice calm but appreciative. "If you are saying so, then it must be true. But don't undersell yourself. Your spheres are moving at twice the speed they used to. Your precision is terrifying."
"It's only because I have the world's greatest target to practice on," Mizu joked, offering a friendly grin.
Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the sharp ringing of Mizu's phone. He checked the screen—it was Kaizen. He signaled for Auron to stay quiet and answered.
"Kaizen? What's the situation?"
On the other end, Kaizen's voice was strained, the background noise filled with the frantic typing of Council aides.
"Mizu, our sensors have picked up a surge of corrupted aura near your sector. It's a devil—not one of the High Lords, but strong enough to cause a catastrophe if left unchecked. I wanted to handle it personally, but the Council management is a nightmare right now. Can you take it? I suggest you call the nearby regional masters for backup."
Mizu looked at Auron, who gave a slight nod.
"Don't worry, Kaizen. I've got it under control. And you don't need to worry about backup; I have a special partner with me."
"A special one?" Kaizen sounded intrigued. "Which master?Who Is it ? Tell me—"
Mizu clicked the phone shut with a mischievous glint in his eye. "He doesn't need to know yet. It's more fun to remain a mystery, don't you think?"
Auron sighed, though there was a hint of a smile in his voice. "You should have told him I was here. Now he's going to be restless."
"Let him wonder," Mizu replied, his blue aura beginning to swirl. "He said the devil isn't at full strength. Auron, let me take the lead on this. I want to see how much I've improved. This is my fight. You just guide me, okay?"
Auron folded his arms across his chest. "Fine. But I'm intermediate if I see even a 1% risk to your life. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
They took flight, two streaks of light—one silver, one blue—tearing across the rural landscape toward the coordinate points. They arrived at a massive, jagged fissure in the earth that looked like a scar on the world. The stench of decay rose from the depths.
"He's down there," Auron noted, his visor scanning the thermal signatures. "Waiting in the dark."
Without a word, they plummeted into the crack. At the bottom, a cavern opened up into a cathedral of jagged stone. In the center stood a devil, its skin like wet charcoal and its eyes glowing with a sickly violet light.
"So, you finally reached me," the devil hissed, its voice echoing like grinding metal. "The Auramasters"
Mizu stepped forward, his aura lighting up the cave. "Make your last wish, devil. You aren't leaving this hole."
The devil let out a cackling laugh. "You think I am the one in danger? We know your secrets, little humans. We know about the Aura Earth Shield you plan to build."
Auron's posture stiffened. "How? That information was kept within the human."
"Humans are creatures of greed, you Unique Auramaster forget that you ended up due to a greed of human only and fear is the another factor," the devil sneered. "We have a network. Some humans want power, others want to survive the coming storm at any cost. They have become our eyes and ears. Do you really think you can save a world that is already selling itself to us? Even if you build your shield, you will likely die in the process. Your 'heroes' are just succulent meat waiting for the slaughter."
Mizu growled, "I don't care about your riddles!"
But Auron held out a hand, stopping him. "Wait. He's telling us something important. Still I doesn't understand him whkle but,There are people among us—high-ranking people—who are being manipulated or controlled by the devils. If we don't find them, they will sabotage the shield from the inside."
The devil grinned, showing rows of needle-like teeth. "Intelligent. Very well, little kitten. I will give you a hint. There are ten 'nodes' in our network—ten influential humans near your precious Council. If you can't find them, your shield will be nothing but a glass cage."
"That's enough talk," Mizu shouted. "Auron, I'm taking him down!"
Auron stepped back, resting a hand on Mizu's shoulder for a brief second. "He's yours. Show him what we've been practicing."
The battle began with a roar. In the past, Mizu had struggled against devils of this caliber, often relying on luck or overwhelming force. But today, he was different. He moved with the fluid grace of a river, his auraspheres no longer just being thrown, but being placed with surgical precision.
Auron watched from the shadows of the cave, his arms folded. He was observing Mizu's every movement, but his mind was drifting.
"The future generations are safer with people like Mizu," Auron whispered to Auru and Koru. "Even if I don't survive the creation of the shield, I can rest easy knowing the world has Auramaster like him. I won't ask the other masters to help with the core manifestation. I won't risk their lives. They need to be the ones who protect the earth after I'm gone."
"Luke, don't talk like that," Auru whispered sadly. "We will find a way."
Suddenly, a golden light illuminated the cavern entrance. Kaizen had arrived, having finished his Council duties early. He landed beside Auron, his eyes immediately fixing on the intense battle.
"Mizu is... incredible," Kaizen whispered, stunned. "He's fighting a mid-tier devil alone and he's barely taking a scratch. Auron, you are the one special, what are you doing?"
"Just observing him" Auron replied, his eyes never leaving the fight. "He's not the same boy who lost in the battle with a devil. He's a Master now."
On the battlefield, the devil attempted to vanish into a cloud of black mist. "Find me if you can, boy!" its voice echoed from the walls.
Mizu didn't panic. He closed his eyes, expanding his aura until it filled the entire cavern. He sensed a tiny ripple in the air to his left. "Got you in the first attempt!"
He launched a high-velocity sphere. BOOM. The sphere hit the invisible devil square in the chest, forcing it back into physical form.
"Amazing," Kaizen breathed. "His sensory range has tripled."
With a final, devastating blast of blue energy, Mizu vaporized the devil's core. The creature began to dissolve into black ash, but it let out one final, haunting laugh.
"You can kill me... but you will never find the ten. The rot is already inside your house!"
As the devil vanished, Mizu wiped his brow and turned around, finally noticing Kaizen standing there.
"Kaizen! You saw that? I didn't even notice you arrived!"
"I saw everything," Kaizen said, walking over and clasping Mizu's hand. "You've improved more than I thought possible. But we have bigger problems."
Kaizen looked at Auron. "Auron, tell me about this 'network' the devil mentioned. Ten people? Near the Council?"
Auron walked toward them, his expression grim. "The devils have manipulated people, much like they did with Kael, but these ones are hidden in plain sight. They are giving information to the enemy. If we try to create the Aura Earth Shield while these ten are active, they will destroy it from the inside."
"What is the plan?" Kaizen asked.
"We need to gather all the Auramasters," Auron proposed. "Not for a meeting, but for a 'Mandatory Training Session.' We have teach all Auramaster how to use Aura purification so they can find devil manipulated human."
Kaizen nodded firmly. "I'll organize it immediately. We'll call it a global preparation drill for the shield. We have ten months, but we need to clear out the spies within one."
As they climbed out of the fissure and back into the sunlight, the tension eased slightly.
"I'm leaving for now," Kaizen said, looking at Mizu. "I just came to see if you were doing something foolish, but I see you're more than capable of handling yourself now."
"Hey! I'm not a child anymore!" Mizu barked back, though he was grinning.
They all laughed, a brief moment of levity in the face of the coming darkness. Kaizen gave a final salute and flew off to begin the preparations for the global gathering.
Auron turned to Mizu. "You fought incredibly today. Go home, rest. You've earned it."
"Thanks, Auron. See you at the training session," Mizu replied, heading off toward his village.
Auron lingered for a moment, watching the horizon. The day had started as a practice session and ended with the discovery of a shadow war within their own ranks.
Ten people, Auron thought. Ten spies hidden among us ,if any auramster got manipulated. And then... the shield.
He sighed, the weight of his secret sacrifice feeling heavier than ever. But as he looked at the sky, he felt a strange sense of peace. The pieces were moving. The battle for Earth was no longer a mystery—it was a countdown.
"Let's go home, Auru," he whispered. "We have a lot of work to do."
End of Chapter.