The Phantom King grabbed his scythe and leapt toward the overworld, known as Eclipsia, with intentions still shrouded in mystery. As he descended, he resembled a falling star, catching the attention of the children below.
"Look at that star! It looks cool!" Elijah exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.
But Yuna, her sharp instincts already on alert, narrowed her eyes. "Guys, that star's trajectory is dangerously close to us, but that's not what's bothering me."
Seraphine turned, confused. "What do you mean?"
Yuna's gaze remained fixed on the sky, her tone grave. "Stars have almost no chance of falling during a solar eclipse. That has to be some sort of danger. We've got to go."
Before they could act, phantoms materialized, surrounding them from all sides. The group quickly realized they were trapped.
"Well, this isn't good," Jayden muttered, momentarily forgetting about his sister, who was still vulnerable.
Elijah smirked devilishly, eager to show off. "What do we do about this?"
Jayden, feeling the weight of the situation, glanced around. "Guys, this is bad. Focus."
But before they could engage, the Phantom King landed with a thunderous crash. The force of his impact sent nearby buildings crumbling, knocking the four back. Elijah and Seraphine were knocked unconscious instantly, getting hit by the phantom king's energy draining daggers to the gut, and Yuna was blown off her feet by the sheer air the phantom king emitted from his throw. Jayden managed to grab her arm just in time, keeping her from being thrown too far.
Yuna yanked her arm away, her face flushed with frustration. "Don't touch me, perv."
Jayden, maintaining his composure, raised an eyebrow. "I'm no perv; I'm a gentleman."
Yuna rolled her eyes. "I don't need a gentleman right now. I need a fighter. Did they teach you that much at least?"
Jayden grinned, eager to prove himself. He launched a powerful air kick, sending a group of phantoms flying. "Does that answer your question, madam?"
Yuna's frustration boiled over. She ran into the fray, tearing through the phantoms, her movements swift and precise, leaving Jayden to chuckle behind her.
But then his laughter died as he saw a familiar sight: a little girl running toward the Phantom King, wielding an air blade. The air blade... only his sister could create one.
"Lyra!" Jayden shouted, his voice thick with panic. He gathered every ounce of his power and unleashed a forceful air blast to push her back, but it was too late.
Yuna's tattoos flared to life, glowing a vibrant green. Her suppressed telekinesis surged uncontrollably, colliding with her earth magic. Boulders flew in every direction, one of which slammed into Jayden, crushing his legs and knocking him unconscious.
Jayden awoke to find Lyra stumbling toward him, her face bloodied and her body broken. "Brother... save me..." she whispered before collapsing, her head resting in front of him.
Anger like he'd never felt before surged through Jayden. His tattoos ignited, breaking his aura seal, but only enough to form on his right arm. Power coursed through him, destroying the boulder pinning him as he air-blasted toward the Phantom King, landing a devastating right hook.
But the Phantom King didn't flinch. He grabbed Jayden by the arm, slamming him into the ground like a ragdoll, knocking him out cold.
Yuna watched in horror, feeling her heart shatter. The guilt consumed her—she believed it was her loss of control that had caused Jayden's injuries and, ultimately, Lyra's death.
As despair threatened to swallow her, a blinding lightning bolt crashed to the ground in front of her. A figure emerged from the light, his mask gleaming with energy.
"NEVER FEAR, THE SAINT IS HERE!" the man bellowed, his voice manic, his laughter echoing like the sound of thunder.
Yuna blinked in shock. "Who... are you?"
The man chuckled, his aura suffocating. "Just a fool doing what needs to be done. Now get your friends and get out of here."
Yuna scowled, shaking her head. "I don't trust you."
The man shrugged. "Fine. Stay here and die. Your choice." With a wave of his hand, he obliterated a hundred phantoms in a single strike.
Yuna realized she had no other choice. She used her telekinesis to lift Jayden, Elijah, and Seraphine, quickly retreating from the battlefield as the man made sure they remained unscathed.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" the Phantom King roared, swinging his scythe to stop them. But the stranger appeared in front of the scythe, effortlessly stopping it with his bare hand.
The Phantom King glared at the stranger. "Why do you fight me, masked one? Join me. With your strength, we could rule together. Forget about this realm—"
The man cut him off. "Now that the kids are gone, I have no reason not to end you right here. Stop with the bribery and don't piss me off."
The Phantom King sneered. "You think a lowly mortal like yourself can defeat me? Get through my servants first, and maybe I'll entertain the idea of fighting you."
The man charged up his power, blitzing through the sea of phantoms in under 20 seconds. "Well, that was easy," he said nonchalantly, despite the electricity surging through his heart, paining him every second.
The Phantom King's sneer faltered, and he tried to defend himself, but Hajime's lightning-fast punches shattered the king's scythe and his arm. The man didn't let up, hitting the Phantom King with a barrage of lightning strikes that snapped his remaining arm.
When he finally stopped, he leapt off the Phantom King, who was barely able to defend, and raised his hand. "Judgment Day."
With a devastating downward strike, the man unleashed a torrent of lightning, obliterating the entire festival ground.
When the blast zone cooled down, the Phantom King was barely clinging to life, his body on the verge of death. The man limped toward him, his right arm immobilized from the exertion.
"Alright, this was fun, but it's time to end it," he said, charging up one final lightning blast. But before he could fire, two shadowy figures appeared, whisking the Phantom King away.
"Damn, they got away," The mysterious man muttered, pulling off his mask showing electric tattoos in the form of tears under his eyes to catch his breath. The electricity in his heart still surged, forcing him to take a moment to calm himself. The monstrous man clutched his chest as electricity arced uncontrollably from his body. "This heart of mine… it's a ticking time bomb," he muttered, staggering slightly.
Hajime glanced toward the horizon after the surges stopped. "The elders are next."
With a flash of lightning, he disappeared, leaving behind only the smell of scorched earth.
Back at the Elders' Council...
"Who's going to save the kids?" the Stoneclad elder asked, his voice paralysed with concern.
The Light Veil elder chuckled. "Don't fret, gentlemen. That fool will save them. There's no doubt about that."
"I may not like him, but I can't deny his effectiveness," the Stoneclad elder continued. "He's stupid, lazy, unreliable, and downright useless at times. But when he's needed... we must all praise the fool Hajime Sasaki."
Hajime appeared in an instant, his laughter ringing through the air as he teleported to the elders' council. He kicked through the Centaynium Wall with ease. "Childish. Even a toddler could break this thing. Have the elders really lost their touch that much?"
The elders stared at him, wide-eyed. The Light Veil elder was the first to speak. "About damn time," he said, standing to greet Hajime, but the man shoved him aside, turning his attention to Sir Nerith.
"You're that bastard's brother, aren't you?" Hajime said, causing the room to fall silent. Nerith, unimpressed, walked out. Nerith stopped at the door, turning his head slightly. "You know nothing about my brother, fool. Pray it stays that way."
Hajime glanced at the elders. "You all need to get your kids home. I'll take Seraphine myself." knowing the situation after seeing the rotting corpse on the floor
With that, Hajime vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving only the faint crackle of lightning in his wake.