The world felt normal again.
But only on the surface.
Deep beneath it—
Something had shifted.
Leo stood in silence.
The vision still fresh in his mind.
The Ancient God.
The origin.
The truth.
"…Part of it…" he murmured.
Luna watched him closely.
"You saw more than just power, didn't you?"
Leo nodded slowly.
"…I saw where it came from."
Kai frowned.
"…And?"
Leo's eyes darkened slightly.
"…It's not something we can fight like before."
Silence followed.
Because everyone understood—
That meant things had gone far beyond normal danger.
---
A low rumble echoed.
Not from the sky.
Not from the ground.
From everywhere.
Ryu instantly turned.
"…Did you feel that?"
Milan adjusted his glasses quickly.
"…That wasn't natural."
The air grew heavy.
But not like before.
Not pressure.
Distortion.
Luna whispered,
"…It's starting…"
Leo looked up.
His expression changed instantly.
"…No…"
The sky cracked.
Not like a portal.
Not like Kael's distortion.
This was different.
A thin, glowing fracture stretched across the sky.
Like glass breaking.
But reality itself.
"…That's…" Kai stepped back.
"…That's not okay."
The crack spread slowly.
Silently.
Terrifyingly.
Leo's voice turned serious.
"…The seal…"
Ryu frowned.
"…What seal?"
Leo didn't look away.
"…The one holding something far worse than anything we've seen."
---
The crack pulsed once.
Then—
Something pushed against it.
From the other side.
A shape.
Not clear.
Not defined.
But massive.
"…Something is trying to come through…" Milan said.
Luna's voice dropped.
"…No…"
"…Something is already here."
---
The ground beneath them shifted again.
But this time—
Not from a creature.
From space itself.
A tear opened in front of them.
Small.
But unstable.
And from it—
A hand emerged.
Not human.
Not beast.
Something else.
Dark.
Cracked.
Covered in glowing lines.
Kai froze.
"…I don't like this…"
The hand grabbed the edge of the tear.
Pulled.
And the tear widened.
Slowly—
A figure stepped through.
Tall.
Distorted.
Its body unstable—
Like it didn't belong in this reality.
Its face…
Blurred.
Constantly shifting.
But its eyes—
Locked onto Leo.
"…Found…"
Its voice echoed unnaturally.
"…Fragment…"
Silence.
Leo stepped forward.
"…You're connected to it."
The creature tilted its head.
"…Return…"
"…To origin…"
Kai whispered,
"…Yeah… that definitely sounds bad…"
Ryu stepped beside Leo.
"…We fight?"
Leo's eyes didn't move.
"…No."
A pause.
"…We stop it."
---
The creature moved instantly.
Faster than anything before.
It appeared in front of Leo—
Its hand reaching for him.
Leo reacted instantly.
He raised his hand—
And stopped it.
But this time—
It wasn't easy.
The moment their forces met—
The space around them shattered.
"…This is different…" Leo muttered.
The creature pushed forward.
"…Return…"
Leo's arm trembled slightly.
For the first time—
Since gaining control.
"…It's stronger than the others…" Ryu said.
Milan's voice turned tense.
"…No…"
"…It's not just strength…"
"…It's connected to the same source as Leo."
---
Leo's eyes sharpened.
"…A fragment…"
The words echoed in his mind.
Then—
Understanding.
"…You're not here to destroy…"
"…You're here to take me."
The creature didn't deny it.
"…Merge…"
"…Complete…"
A chill ran through everyone.
Kai shouted,
"Yeah, that's NOT happening!"
---
The creature's power surged.
Dark energy spread outward.
Unstable.
Violent.
Leo pushed back.
Golden aura flared.
But this time—
Crimson mixed within it.
His eyes flickered again.
Gold and red.
Together.
"…If you're part of that…" Leo said quietly.
"…Then I'll control you too."
---
He stepped forward.
Instead of resisting—
He pulled.
The creature froze.
"…What is he doing?!" Kai shouted.
Milan's eyes widened.
"…He's not pushing it away…"
"…He's absorbing its energy!"
---
The creature struggled.
Its body destabilizing further.
"…Error…"
"…Conflict…"
Leo's aura intensified.
Not chaotic.
Not unstable.
Controlled.
"…You don't belong here," Leo said.
"…And you don't control me."
He clenched his hand.
The creature's body began to break apart.
Not violently.
But like it was being rewritten.
"…Return…" it whispered weakly.
Leo's voice turned absolute.
"…No."
The creature collapsed.
Its energy pulled inward—
And absorbed into Leo.
---
Silence.
Heavy.
Different.
Leo stood still.
His aura flickering.
Then stabilizing again.
But something had changed.
The crimson within his energy—
Had grown stronger.
---
Luna stepped forward slowly.
"…Leo…"
He looked at his hand.
"…That was another fragment."
Ryu frowned.
"…Meaning?"
Leo's voice was quiet.
"…There are more."
Kai sighed deeply.
"…Of course there are…"
Milan looked serious.
"…And they're coming for you."
---
Above them—
The crack in the sky spread further.
Slowly.
Inevitably.
---
Far beyond reality—
Another chain shattered.
The Ancient God opened its eyes wider.
"…Good…"
"…Gather them…"
"…And return to me…"
---
Back in the world—
Leo looked at the sky.
His expression calm.
But his presence—
Heavier than before.
"…I won't return to you."
A pause.
"…I'll surpass you."
The wind surged violently.
As if the world itself reacted to his words.
And somewhere—
Something smiled.