This was the first time Kazuma had experienced a real battle like this.
In front of him, Shuuki—the monsters that inhabited Mato—kept appearing without end. It was as if the barren land itself was giving birth to them one after another. The chaos he had created earlier only attracted even more of those creatures to this place.
And yet, strangely, Kazuma did not panic.
Even though this was his first direct combat experience against Shuuki, his body adapted quickly. Every movement felt more natural, every step more precise. All the brutal training he had gone through was finally starting to show results.
He moved without hesitation—dodging, deflecting, and counterattacking with efficiency.
Even while using his Ability, there was not the slightest disruption in his body.
His power operated through a very unique mechanism. Solar Genesis generated destructive energy from within by heating an energy core that resembled a stellar core. That energy then flowed through his muscles and bones before being released through physical attacks.
It worked almost like a miniature nuclear reactor operating inside his body.
When the energy activated, the heat became immediately visible. Kazuma's skin gradually changed color, reddening like heated metal, radiating heat that caused the surrounding air to ripple.
When combined with the martial arts techniques he had learned over months—every punch and kick he threw became deadly.
But that wasn't all.
In the middle of the fight, he even began testing various ideas he had long imagined—ways to maximize the destructive power of Solar Genesis.
One of them was the technique he had just used.
Hot Wave.
By concentrating thermal energy into one hand, Kazuma could release it in a single straight strike, creating a blazing path of energy that shot forward like a massive beam, sweeping across the land and incinerating everything in its path.
However, such techniques did not come without a cost.
Because the energy was concentrated to an extreme degree, his body required a cooldown period afterward. If he forced consecutive usage without cooling down, the accumulated heat would destroy his own body from within.
Even so, during that cooldown phase, Kazuma could still fight.
He could still move, attack, and evade without significant difficulty.
That capability was no coincidence.
Yamazaki Kudo had told him one thing repeatedly.
Kazuma Satou possessed a unique body known as The Extraordinary Body.
A body seemingly destined to become a fighter.
His physical structure had extraordinary compatibility with various martial arts. Both soft techniques like Aikido and hard styles like Karate could be mastered with efficiency rarely seen in ordinary humans.
That was why Yamazaki trained him harshly.
Harsher than any student he had ever had.
The old man knew very well that finding someone like Kazuma might never happen again in his lifetime. So he poured all his knowledge and experience into him without holding anything back.
And Kazuma wasn't just talented.
He was also intelligent and hardworking.
When faced with problems, he didn't wait for answers—he searched for solutions himself. He observed, analyzed, and found his own way forward.
As if he had been blessed with great potential.
Only… he was born in the wrong era—an era where societal norms had been reversed.
But now, everything had changed.
It was as if even fate itself refused to let him live an ordinary life.
The battle in Mato continued.
As the number of Shuuki began to decrease, something strange happened.
The remaining creatures started moving closer to each other.
Their bodies fused together.
Flesh, bone, and unnatural muscle merged into a single mass that continued to grow larger.
Within seconds—
a giant Shuuki stood before Kazuma.
Kazuma froze slightly.
This was the first time he had seen such a phenomenon.
"So they can fuse…" he muttered.
The giant raised its massive fist.
Then slammed it down toward where Kazuma stood.
BAAM!
The ground shattered, cracks spreading in all directions.
But—
the blow never actually touched him.
Kazuma stood his ground, taking on a strange defensive stance.
Around his body, the air shimmered like a mirage.
Corona Guard.
A new technique he had developed.
By emitting intense heat from within, Kazuma created an invisible layer of energy that functioned as a barrier. The heat was so extreme that anything touching it would immediately burn.
The giant Shuuki's fist, attempting to break through, instead charred under the heat.
Its flesh blackened, releasing thin smoke.
Kazuma didn't stop there.
Instead, he used the moment to keep experimenting.
He was evolving in the middle of battle—learning his Ability through real combat experience. Opportunities like this were nearly impossible in the human world, where Ability usage was strictly monitored.
Mato gave him freedom.
Here, he could try everything.
These techniques weren't created on the spot either.
For a long time, Kazuma had been imagining possibilities—visualizing how he should use his Ability in real combat.
And now—
everything was being tested.
Kazuma took a deep breath.
Thermal energy began gathering in both of his arms.
He opened both palms forward, aiming directly at the giant Shuuki, which now seemed to panic under the increasing heat pressure.
A reddish light gathered in his hands.
The air around that point began to vibrate violently.
Kazuma locked his gaze onto his target.
"This…"
His voice was low.
"…is the finishing move."
The energy was finally released.
Stellar Nova.
In a massive burst, the attack shot forward like a laser cannon from science fiction—a blazing path of light slicing through the air of Mato, sweeping straight toward the giant Shuuki.
The light was so intense it seemed to swallow the entire scene for a moment.
A few seconds later—
all that remained of the giant was its lower half.
The upper body had completely vanished, turned into ash drifting through the purple air of Mato.
Hot dust slowly settled onto the barren ground.
Kazuma let out a long breath.
He lowered his hands gradually, confirming there were no more Shuuki moving nearby. His body still radiated faint heat, but it was slowly fading.
By activating Mind Control, he calmed his emotions and regulated the energy flow within his body.
Little by little, the heat subsided.
His reddened skin returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
The previously raging energy stabilized.
"Okay…"
Kazuma rubbed the back of his neck.
"That was… impressive."
The words slipped out unconsciously.
He felt fairly satisfied with today's results. All the suffering he had endured to build his foundation—brutal training, a body pushed to the brink countless times, strict mental discipline—was finally paying off.
Thinking back on those difficult days, Kazuma let out a quiet breath of relief.
At the very least, if the Eden organization truly came after him…
they wouldn't capture him easily.
"Indeed. That was impressive."
Another voice suddenly responded to his mutter.
Kazuma immediately turned around.
Someone stood behind him.
A young woman with a confident posture, her dark blue coat fluttering gently in the wind of Mato. Several soft feathers drifted in the air behind her, creating a scene that felt almost dramatic.
Her bright blue eyes looked at Kazuma with undisguised curiosity.
Kazuma recognized her instantly.
He had learned many things about Mato… and about MDF.
Cheif of Unit 6.
Tenka Izumo.
Kazuma narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Damn…' he thought.