The battlefield trembled beneath their feet.
Smoke filled the sky. Fire spread across the broken Citadel grounds.
And in the center of it all—Royoshi and Ishara stood side by side, facing Maris.
Dark Shuryoku spiraled violently around Maris while endless anomalies roared behind her like an army from a nightmare.
The burning Citadel shook beneath the pressure alone.
Maris smiled faintly.
"So the two of you really intend to fight me?"
Royoshi tightened his grip on his blade.
"We're ending this."
Ishara stepped forward beside him. "No matter what."
Silence.
The wind howled across the battlefield.
Then—BOOM!!
Royoshi and Ishara charged forward simultaneously.
The ground beneath them cracked apart from the force alone.
Fast. Far faster than before.
Maris's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Anomalies rushed toward them instantly.
A massive creature lunged first—
SHHHK—!!
Royoshi cut straight through it without slowing down.
Dark blood scattered across the ruined battlefield.
Another anomaly descended from above toward Ishara.
BOOM—
A concentrated burst of Shuryoku erased it instantly.
Then another.
Then another.
The battlefield became a storm of movement.
Royoshi and Ishara fought together naturally. Perfectly.
Like they understood each other's movements without needing words.
Royoshi attacked forward relentlessly while Ishara covered every blind spot around him.
Anomalies kept pouring toward them endlessly—
But they were being destroyed just as quickly.
Royoshi moved like a storm through the battlefield.
Every slash of his blade erased another anomaly instantly. No wasted movement. No hesitation.
Ishara stayed perfectly in sync beside him.
Whenever an anomaly tried attacking Royoshi from behind—BOOM!!
She destroyed it before it could even touch him.
Maris watched silently.
Then—
"He's improved this much already…"
Royoshi tore through another wave instantly. Not slowing down. Not stopping.
His control over Shuryoku had become sharper. Cleaner. Deadlier.
Maris's eyes shifted briefly toward Ishara.
"And that girl…"
A pause.
"Interesting."
Then—
She laughed softly.
A low, unstable laugh echoed through the burning battlefield.
"This is getting entertaining."
Royoshi's eyes hardened. "We're not here to entertain you."
Maris ignored him completely. Dark Shuryoku gathered violently around her arm.
The air distorted instantly.
"You won't like this, Royoshi."
The moment she said it—
Royoshi felt danger.
"ISHARA—MOVE—!!"
Too late.
SLASH—!!
A gigantic blade-like wave of dark Shuryoku tore across the battlefield instantly.
Fast. Far too fast.
BOOM—!!
The attack struck Ishara directly.
Her body was launched backward violently through the air.
"ISHARA!"
Royoshi disappeared instantly.
BOOM—!!
He caught her moments before she crashed into a damaged building. The impact still forced both of them several meters back across the ruined ground.
Royoshi dropped to one knee. Breathing heavily.
Then—he looked down.
Blood.
Ishara's body trembled weakly in his arms.
Just moments ago—she had been fighting beside him perfectly.
Now—she could barely keep her eyes open.
Royoshi gasped softly.
"…Ishara…"
She forced out a weak smile.
"Don't worry about me… Royoshi."
A shaky breath escaped her lips.
"I'll be fin—"
Her voice stopped. Her body went limp.
Silence.
Royoshi froze. His eyes widened slowly.
"…Ishara?"
No response.
"WAKE UP, ISHARA!"
Nothing.
Far away—Maris laughed. Cold. Cruel.
"That was nothing."
A pause.
"I could've killed her."
Silence.
Then—
Something changed.
Royoshi slowly lowered his head.
Dark and pure Shuryoku began leaking violently around his body. The pressure around him rose sharply. Nearby rubble started lifting into the air. The battlefield itself trembled.
Maris's smile widened.
"There it is."
Carefully—Royoshi carried Ishara toward the shattered remains of a nearby structure. Away from the battlefield.
He gently lowered her against the broken wall. One shaking hand pressed softly against her shoulder. Streams of Shuryoku flowed slowly into her body. Healing. Supporting.
"Hold on, Ishara…"
A pause.
"I'll be right back."
He stood.
Then turned.
The moment he faced Maris again—the air changed. Heavy. Violent. Pure and dark Shuryoku spiraled around him simultaneously. Unstable. Powerful.
Royoshi walked toward the center of the battlefield again.
His eyes—cold. Heavy. Empty.
Dark and pure Shuryoku spiraled violently around his blade.
The air distorted around him with every step.
Maris watched carefully now. Still smiling but less confidently.
Royoshi stopped several meters away from her.
Silence.
Then—
"You could've chosen an easier way to be eliminated."
Another step.
"But you made the wrong choice."
The pressure exploded outward violently.
Nearby anomalies were crushed instantly from the release alone.
"You'll pay for this."
A pause.
"For hurting everyone here."
Maris laughed loudly.
"You wish."
Dark Shuryoku exploded violently around her body.
"This time I'm not holding back."
The ground beneath her cracked instantly.
"Even Rikishu won't save you."
Silence.
Royoshi slowly raised his blade. Pure and dark Shuryoku spiraled together around him violently.
Then—
"I DON'T REQUIRE HIS SUPPORT!"
BOOOOOM—!!
The battlefield shook violently. Nearby anomalies exploded apart from the pressure release alone.
Royoshi's eyes burned with rage.
"I'LL END YOU MYSELF!"
For the first time—
Maris looked genuinely excited. A crazed smile spread across her face.
"Now THIS is exciting."
A pause.
"You can always try, Royoshi."
Then—
Royoshi vanished.
BOOM—!!
He charged toward her instantly.
Maris immediately summoned another enormous wave of anomalies.
Hundreds.
The creatures roared and rushed toward him like a tidal wave of darkness.
SHHHK—!!
One slash. Gone. Entire rows of anomalies split apart instantly.
Another group descended from above—
BOOM—!!
Royoshi tore through them without slowing down.
More anomalies emerged from the ground.
Another slash. Another explosion. Gone.
His blade moved faster and faster across the battlefield.
Dark blood scattered through the air like rain.
Maris watched him destroy wave after wave of anomalies. Too fast. Far too fast.
Her smile slowly weakened.
"…What is this monster…?"
Royoshi kept moving. No hesitation. No wasted movement. Only rage.
Another wave rushed him—
SHHHK—!!
Gone.
Another descended from above—
BOOM—!!
Erased instantly.
The battlefield itself was beginning to clear around him.
Maris's eyes widened slightly.
"He's adapting during the fight…?"
Royoshi suddenly vanished again. FAST.
Maris barely reacted in time—
CLANG—!!
His blade crashed violently against hers.
The impact shattered the ground beneath them.
BOOOOOM—!!
Shockwaves tore across the battlefield. Nearby anomalies exploded apart instantly.
Maris was forced backward several meters.
Royoshi didn't stop.
Another slash.
Another.
Another.
Each strike heavier than the last.
CLANG—!!
CLANG—!!
CLANG—!!
Maris blocked desperately now.
Every collision shattered the ground beneath them further. Shockwaves tore through the battlefield violently, destroying nearby anomalies instantly.
Royoshi's attacks kept accelerating. Faster. Sharper. More brutal.
Maris's arms trembled slightly from the impact.
A small cut opened across her cheek.
Then another across her shoulder.
Her eyes widened.
"…He's breaking through my defense…?"
Royoshi said nothing.
That silence felt heavier than the battlefield itself.
CLANG—!!
Another strike slammed against her blade. The impact forced Maris backward violently. The ground shattered beneath her feet.
Royoshi vanished again. Too fast.
Maris barely tracked him—
BOOM—!!
A kick slammed directly into her stomach.
Her body launched backward through multiple ruined structures before crashing across the battlefield.
CRAASSH—!!
Dust exploded everywhere.
Nearby anomalies were flattened instantly from the shockwave alone.
Silence.
Then—
Maris slowly stood from the rubble. Breathing harder now. Blood dripped from her lips.
And yet—she laughed. Wildly.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA—!!"
Dark Shuryoku exploded around her uncontrollably.
"THIS IS AMAZING!"
Royoshi slowly walked toward her through the smoke. Every step cracked the ground beneath him. Maris stared at him almost crazily now.
"You've changed so much in such little time…"
A pause.
"Rikishu really created a monster."
Royoshi's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Don't talk about him."
BOOM—!!
He charged again.
Maris immediately summoned another massive wave of anomalies between them. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. The battlefield darkened under their numbers. Royoshi didn't even slow down.
SHHHK—!!
One slash erased dozens instantly.
BOOM—!!
Another explosion vaporized an entire section of the mass.
An anomaly lunged toward him from behind—
Royoshi grabbed its face casually.
Dark Shuryoku exploded outward from his palm.
The creature disintegrated instantly.
Maris watched in disbelief.
"He's destroying them faster than I can summon them."
Royoshi burst through the remaining anomalies like a storm tearing through paper.
Nothing could stop him now.
Maris immediately fired another gigantic blade of dark Shuryoku directly toward him.
SLASH—!!
The attack struck Royoshi head-on.
Then—
It vanished. Absorbed completely. Dark Shuryoku spiraled violently around Royoshi's body before merging into his own Shuryoku.
No damage. No hesitation.
Maris froze.
"…Again?!"
Royoshi finally spoke.
Cold.
Quiet.
"These tricks don't work on me anymore."
BOOM—!!
He appeared directly in front of her instantly.
His blade stopped inches away from her neck—
CLANG—!!
Maris barely blocked at the last second.
The impact split the battlefield apart.
For a moment—their faces were only inches apart.
Maris smiled faintly despite the pressure crushing around them.
"The real fight starts now, Royoshi."
Royoshi's eyes remained empty.
Then—
He pushed harder.
BOOOOOM—!!
The force blasted both of them backward across the battlefield.
Far above the Citadel—
Hidden within the smoke-filled sky—
Rikishu silently watched the battle.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes—concerned.
Soft streams of Shuryoku spread throughout the battlefield from around him like invisible rivers of light.
Wounded soldiers slowly healed. Broken bodies recovered. Even Pasithea's injuries began disappearing rapidly.
Pasithea slowly stood again.
Her emerald eyes lifted toward the sky.
She could feel it clearly now.
That Shuryoku. That presence.
After all these years—
There was no mistaking it.
"…Rikishu…?"
Far above—
Rikishu kept his gaze locked on Royoshi because his Shuryoku was becoming increasingly unstable.
Too much rage. Too much dark energy absorbed too quickly.
And if Royoshi lost control now—
The battlefield would no longer have a winner.