When Kael spawned, he saw nothing but chaos.
The battlefield was already collapsing. His teammates were falling one by one, their voices cutting off mid-call. The score stood at three versus four, and the enemy team was closing in fast. Smoke drifted through the shattered arena, and sparks flickered across the cracked ground.
Kael took a single step forward.
"Contract: Lightbringer!"
A sudden surge struck him. It was not strength. It was not speed. It was something else entirely.
His body moved on its own.
The Lightbringer Armor formed around him, radiant and blinding, casting waves of gold across the battlefield. Every movement he made felt guided, precise, as if something beyond him had taken control. Outside the arena, the crowd roared. Their voices echoed through the system, shouting his name, placing all their hope in him.
Kael raised his arm and pointed upward.
Two glowing gates appeared above his finger.
"Adrenaline!"
Energy surged through him as he launched forward.
"Hypermotion!"
The Lightbringer Armor erupted into motion, faster than sight. A burst of light swallowed everything. It blinded not only the enemies, but even the spectators watching from afar. The brilliance stretched far beyond the battlefield, reaching the very edges of the Dyson Sphere surrounding the arena.
No one could see what happened next.
There were no visuals. No sounds. Only silence.
When the light faded, the result was already decided.
No matter what had truly occurred, everyone was certain of one thing. Someone on the enemy team had ended the fight.
And just like that, Nixxin, Drei, Oniu, and Kael suffered their first loss in the tournament.
Nixxin woke up in their living room.
He gasped sharply, his body jerking upright. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to steady his breathing.
He was alive.
He touched his face, his arms, his chest, as if confirming it over and over again. Just moments ago, he was certain he had died. He remembered the light. It had been beautiful, warm, almost welcoming. Too real to be a dream.
Yet here he was.
The television continued playing in the background.
"Bullet News: A demon appeared earlier today. Witnesses confirm it is far stronger than any previously recorded. For the first time, a demon capable of sparing the lives of other demons has been seen in Jerusalem."
Nixxin froze, his eyes slowly turning toward the screen.
"The Gate of Hell opened briefly during the encounter. The demon engaged Paladin Peter in combat, but retreated before the battle concluded. Reports suggest the entity ensured the survival of other demons before fleeing. It has since escaped into space and is currently missing. The Hero Foundation is now contacting the number one hero, Skyline, to assist in tracking it."
Nixxin stared at the screen as tears began to form in his eyes.
He wiped them quickly, but they kept coming.
That light…
It felt too real.
His grandfather stepped out of his room, adjusting his glasses as he glanced toward the TV.
"No way a demon survives Peter and then gets chased by Skyline," he muttered.
Nixxin wiped his face again and tried to compose himself.
"What? What demon?" he asked, though he had already heard everything.
His grandfather picked up his phone and began dialing someone. The line rang, but no one answered.
"Did you not listen to the news?" his grandfather said. "A demon appeared in Jerusalem, fought Peter, and now Skyline is after it."
Nixxin turned to look at him.
"Who's Peter?"
His grandfather paused, then looked at him with mild disbelief.
"You mean Paladin Peter? One of the Twelve Apostles ranked Paladins. They are not actual apostles, just a title. His real name is Hadro. And Skyline… don't tell me you do not know Skyline. His face is everywhere. Posters, billboards, broadcasts."
Nixxin looked back at the TV.
Peter…
Is he really that strong?
Later that night, Nixxin walked alone down the street.
The city was alive, even in darkness. Buildings towered above him, glowing with lights. Cars rushed past in endless streams, and people moved quickly along the sidewalks, each lost in their own world.
He sat down on a bench beneath a streetlight.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then the light above him disappeared.
A shadow loomed overhead, swallowing the glow.
"Hey man," a voice said. "Do you have a problem?"
Nixxin looked up.
A tall figure stood before him, its face partially hidden in darkness. Only its eyes were visible, glowing a deep, unsettling red.
Nixxin narrowed his gaze.
"What about you?" he replied. "Do you have a problem?"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"Who are you?" Nixxin asked.
In an instant, the figure moved.
A hand shot forward and grabbed Nixxin by the throat.
He could not move.
Not even an inch.
His body froze completely, as if the air itself had solidified around him. Panic surged through him as he struggled to breathe.
Then, with the last bit of will he had, he summoned it.
"Blessed Eye Key… Datora!"
A gate burst open behind him.
Ardent emerged instantly, his fist already drawn back. He struck the figure with immense force, sending it flying across the city. The impact slammed it into a distant skyscraper, shaking the structure.
People screamed and fled the area, but somehow, no one was hurt.
Ardent turned back and helped Nixxin to his feet.
"Ardent… do you know that guy?" Nixxin asked, his voice strained.
Ardent did not answer immediately.
Instead, he lifted Nixxin onto his back and leaped upward. A gate opened in midair, and they passed through it before it sealed shut behind them.
They arrived inside Datora.
Ardent carefully set him down on a bed.
"Listen, Nixxin," he said. "Time here now matches the outside world. You cannot leave Datora for now. That man out there is not someone we can fight."
Nixxin touched his neck, wincing at the redness left behind.
"What? Why? Who the hell is that guy?"
Ardent walked toward the door. As he opened it, maids entered, carrying trays of food.
"That man," Ardent said calmly, "is the King of Envy. The adopted son of a god. Even if I were hundreds of times stronger, I would still lose."
Nixxin fell silent.
"But do not worry," Ardent continued. "Skyline is already approaching the planet."
Nixxin grabbed a cookie from the tray and took a bite.
"How do you even know who Skyline is?" he asked.
Ardent smirked slightly and gestured toward a massive screen that rose from the floor.
"Do you want to see how the strongest fight?"
Nixxin dipped the cookie into a cup of hot milk.
"Ow… that hurts," he muttered as the heat brushed his finger.
The screen flickered to life.
Skyline appeared, flying above the city, his gaze locked onto a single point below.
The King of Envy.
Skyline hovered in the night sky, his blue coat flowing behind him. His armor gleamed even in the darkness.
"Demon," Skyline's voice echoed across the city, "state your name before I speak the word that will exorcise you."
The demon stepped forward onto the empty street below.
"My name is Dia," he said calmly. "Son of Invidia. I only wish to return home, yet everyone seems eager to see me dead."
He smiled faintly.
"And you, knight in shining armor… would you introduce yourself to a king?"
Skyline descended slowly.
"I am Skyline, the number one hero of the Foundation."
Dia stepped closer, his massive hand reaching out. He lifted Skyline's head slightly, forcing him to meet his gaze. His hand alone was larger than Skyline's entire body.
"Are you number one because you are the strongest?" Dia asked softly. "Or is there someone stronger than you? Perhaps that man… Peter?"
Skyline did not move.
"Being a hero is not about strength," he replied. "It is about saving humanity from evil."
Dia's grip tightened as his hand expanded, wrapping around Skyline's body.
"You are fortunate," Dia said, glancing at the empty streets, "that there are no humans nearby."
The air grew heavy.
The battle was about to begin.