Royal Complex, 2 years ago
"How did you get into the top 10, Zora?"
A dumbfounded look invaded Zora's face. "Azul, you were there when I fought Gaian alone."
"Yeah, but there's one thing about you that catches my eye…" Her finger rose from the soft mattress, tapping against Zora's sparkling nose. "There's people like Trey, Ellis and Richard known for their unwavering responsibility… You're a strong fighter and all, but I'm surprised you got in…"
Zora leaped from Azul's dot-patterned blanket, stumbling backwards across the room's thin carpet. "The top 10 hunters are the strongest in Nahata," he mumbled, turning towards the door. "Soon enough, you'll see what we're capable of."
---
Azul's dilated, crimson eyes illuminated the room with their devilish glow. For a moment, her human body thrived, her blood boiling from the extensive fusion. "Shit… why the hell is my stomach burning!?"
That same moment, a frenzy of devilish flames filled the room, drowning out Azul's helpless cries. Their evil radiance climbed Azul's body until Pyron's flames swallowed her whole.
Volume 13, Chapter 79 - Product
"We transition across the Great Reza Bridge into the prestigious streets of Uraview, home to landmarks such as the Temple of Ancientism and Royal Complex!" Vani, surrounded by her camera crew, strolled through Uraview's streets with an excited smile. "How many live viewers do we have now, Clyde?"
"Let me check," Clyde mumbled, narrowing his eyes onto the camera's screen. "About 20,000."
A sensation of overflowing happiness formed a large grin across Vani's face. "I told you guys livestreams were better than normal videos! Now, we can record our videos li-"
The laughter of Uraview's streets began to fade as a growing tremor rippled beneath the concrete. Vani's gaze shot downward, captivated by the pristine signature emanating from the ground. "There's a weird power coming from underground… Guys, we have to mo-"
A blast of satanic fire erupted in Uraview's heart, spreading a thick layer of dust through the populated streets. Among the chaos sounded fearful screams - "What the hell is that!?" "Can the professionals even defeat something as big as that?" "If they can't save us, who will!?" Watching the entity in utter disbelief, Vani's arms shot outward with a mischievous smirk. "Don't think about fleeing, boys! We're going closer!"
—
An overflowing waterfall of realization washed through Trey's mind as the strain within his gut faded. Almost immediately, his Advanced Senses resurfaced, observing fragments of the unfolding chaos across the city. "Riley," his voice trembled under the surging pressure, "are you feeling what I'm feeling?"
"The distance power surges have faded," he mumbled, "substituted by one in Uraview's heart. This new signature of power is about two- no, five times stronger than earlier. However, it feels familiar in some way…" Before Riley could say another word, Trey blasted through the complex's windows with a hissing scoff. "Evacuate the people, Riley! I'm going to try and restrain the threat, if it's the last thing I do!"
Trey rushed across Uraview's multicolored rooftops, seven bubbles of blood shimmering behind his back as his eyes shot towards the unmistakable stench of destruction. His eyes trapped the entity in a fierce glare, pushing higher into Uraview's power-rich skyline with an upward blast. Trey descended in a heartbeat, his slippers dragging across the patterned marble with a sharp pivot, dust spiraling upward from the immediate entrance. "So this is where you've been hiding, Princess Azul!"
In the distance, a swarm of cameras filmed every second of Trey's climatic entrance. "That's Nahata's #7 hunter Trey," Vani narrated behind the cameras, "meeting the entity's bloodshot eyes with a sharp pivot!" The metallic scent flooded Trey's nostrils faster than he could adapt. "Fire Moon transformed her into a pristine vessel, huh? In that case, they must be firepower fanatics…" A compilation of fragmented memories - from viewing Azul's files in the Grand Archives to the moment Trey's Advanced Senses returned, flashed through his mind. "Azul has EBC type blood. It'll take extremely long to cast Temporary Paralysis…" His feet drew apart, the halo of bloody orbs boiling as a light-red aura swallowed him whole. Then, without another second of hesitation, he broke into a fierce sprint. The cameras focused as Azul's rock-hard fists slammed against the vibrant marble, forming an expanding web of cracks across the surface. Trey didn't halt at the striking rumble - his sprint continued above the jagged edges with an observant frown. His right fist tightened at his waist, veins bulging as sloshing blood masked them in a crimson armor. The orbs across his back ruptured at his soaring fist, unleashing a vortex of aura trapping his fist in its epicenter. A torrent of flames ripped from Azul's mouth, approaching Trey like a bullet speeding towards its target. For a quick moment, Trey's aura dimmed within the surging flame, leaving nothing but Azul's beastly roars in its wake.
"Blood Style - Vein-Armored Punch!" The flaming shroud dispersed in Trey's presence, fading into thin air as the crushing impact of Trey's fist emitted short but painful tremors within the entity's body.
"He just ran into those flames like it was nothing!" Vani shouted in awe. The entity's scattered cries dominated the scene, ceasing with another radiating wave of flames. Within its rock-hard skin, Trey could hear Azul's muffled cries: Where the hell am I? Why is my body moving on its own? Trey, is that you!?
He twisted mid-sprint, his body shooting into a fierce rotation. The halo trembled as his elbow shot outward, confronting the entity's leg in a darting collision. "Blood Style," his voice mumbled, blasting towards the entity like an unbreakable spear. "Armoring Clot - Left Leg!"
A hardened shell of dark crimson coated Trey's leg as it drove into Azul's. Forcing his prey to stagger yet again, the halo of orbs around Trey's body raced up her shaking limbs. Stretching his arms into the vast sky, Trey's palms opened, fighting his building stress with utter relaxation. Then, about three seconds later, a mumble escaped Trey's mouth: "Blood Style - Imprisoned Limbs."
The gushing shackles constricted, veins tightening like iron chains. With a clench of Trey's arms, the entity's limbs bursted outward, ripping apart like a thin, jagged sheet of paper. Each severed limb crashed onto the marble, withering into the vast skies above.
"HE DECAPITATED THE ENTITY'S LIMBS WITHOUT HARMING AZUL!?" Vani's crew shouted in unison. "This entity's a feisty one," Trey grumbled, absorbing the puddles of blood scattered across the street. "If my current fighting strategy isn't enough, I'll have to change it quickly." A deep hum rippled through the street. The limbs twitched, shooting upright as if guided by invisible hooks. Vein by vein, the limbs reattached, uniting with an intermittent series of muffled snaps. Trey watched the unsettling phenomenon with a cautious glance, the halo of bloody orbs rupturing as his fists clenched. "This one has regeneration powers as well, huh? This won't be as easy as I thought." The weak pulse of energy within the creature's skin waned alongside Trey's perception of Azul's presence, substituted with the devilish aroma of unstable firepower.
"It has regeneration," Vani spectated through the cameras, "and he hasn't broken character at all…"
Trey's leg inched back, caressing the marble with his shoe's patterned sole. The halo of bloody orbs ruptured as his fists clenched, preparing for another series of attacks. Once again, he pushed forward, the light-red ring in his eyes shining under the muffled sunlight. "I'll have to destroy its insides without harming Azul!" His fist drove into the entity's skin, emitting a fierce rattle through its body. Trey's arm recoiled, its force leaving a swelling bump beneath its skin. "Blood Style," he began, his voice raising as he raced towards the expanding wound. "Clotted Hemostasis - Rumble!" His fist pierced the swelling clot, and a ray of fire blasted outward from the jagged hole, ripping through the air with its volcanic pressure. That same second, the entity's skin layered with a bubbling cloak, surging downward in a ruthless strike aimed straight at Trey's skull.
Vani's fists clenched at the gut-wrenching sight. "Come on, don't let that counter sabotage you!"
Trey twisted his body sideways, his feet dragging against the marble before he launched upward onto a nearby roof. Just as his head shot upwards, Azul was already attacking, triggering a short rupture within the bloody halo. Pushing his arms against the scorching arm, Trey melted into the creature's rock-solid palms. For a single heartbeat, his pulsing aura climbed its hands, splitting upward in a crimson burst as he zipped into the vast skies. "Blood Style - Temporary Resonation!" Recalibrating his gaze with a smooth backflip, a crimson shell encased his fists as he approached its orange, dilated pupils. "Double Vein Armored Punch!" Trey's fists crashed downward in a double burst, pushing the entity backwards with his persistent, forward lean. In a heartbeat, its head crashed against the patterned marble, accompanied by Trey's soft landing beside its iron flesh.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" shouted every single member of Vani's crew.
Each orb of blood still intact, Trey rose from the ground with his controlled expression. His gaze averted away from the entity and onto the wide stretch of buildings to his nine-o'-clock. "Another familiar scent." Before Trey could fully turn, the metallic scent of ripping flames captured his attention. The entity's arm soared, approaching Trey with a sideways slap - strong enough to not only burn, but rattle his skull.
In the blink of an eye, a series of glittering fragments rocketed towards the scene, instantly trapping the entity's arm in a thick coat of blue crystal. The sudden save was followed by a screech, then a voice, casting a proud smile across Trey's face. "So you've been watching everything, Zora?"
"Hell yeah I have," he responded, returning Trey's smile.
"THIS IS INSANE!" Vani narrated, her voice cracking at the building tension. "ZORA, REPORTED MISSING LAST NIGHT DURING THE ROYAL COMPLEX INCIDENT, HAS ARRIVED AT THE SCENE!"
"So, Zora, are you gonna help or sulk?"
Zora chuckled at Trey's teasing remark. "I'm Zora of the Grand Province." An immense surge of building power embraced him like a thriving ember. "When my duties merge, I fight for both."