A suffocating silence blanketed the battlefield. The underground prison trembled, cracks crawling up the stone walls. Dust drifted from the ceiling. The air thickened—heavy, alive, oppressive.
David, Saponu, Peter, and Randy felt it.
An overwhelming force had entered the room.
Then—without a sound—seven figures appeared atop the ruins, each standing like a god returned to claim dominion.
Monica Kwashi led them. Her golden amulet pulsed faintly. Her warm brown eyes, now cold and sharp, swept across the scene.
Beside her, Joseph Obuko crossed his arms. His eerie white eyes, constantly shifting with numbers, analyzed every corner with surgical precision.
Richard Mawunyo let out a low laugh. His albino skin shimmered in the dim light.
"So, this is it?" he said, cracking his knuckles. "I expected more."
Thomas Mills stood silent, white hair sharp as needles. His deep brown eyes locked onto Saponu. His fingers twitched. He was seconds away from violence.
Helena Gyan sighed and brushed her robes as if the dust offended her. "You've made quite a mess," she said—calm, but laced with disapproval.
Epson Nii Nortey narrowed his glowing green eyes at David. The sigils in his arms pulsed like restrained beasts.
"That prisoner…" he muttered. "He's mine."
And at the rear stood Wisdom Wokata. He adjusted his dark research coat. His deep blue eyes were tired—yet unwavering. He didn't speak. He simply studied.
Then Monica stepped forward. Her gaze met Saponu's.
"You," she said, her voice razor-sharp. "You've done enough."
Saponu smirked, unfazed.
"Oh? And what exactly are you going to do about it?"
Monica raised her hand. Golden light flared to life, forming ancient symbols midair.
"Kill you," she said, without hesitation.
But before she could strike, Saponu raised his hand. His Copyeyes flared like spotlights.
"David. Peter. Randy."
His voice was calm, commanding.
"Get out of sight. Now."
David blinked. "What?"
"This isn't your fight," Saponu said. You've done enough. Let me handle the rest."
Peter clenched his fists. "But—"
"No buts!" Saponu snapped. "You'll die here if you stay."
Randy hesitated, then nodded. He grabbed Peter and David, dragging them into the shadows.
Hidden in the cracks of the broken prison, David's heart pounded in his ears.
"He's facing them alone…"
Peter leaned forward, knuckles white. "There's no way he'll survive this."
"He's not alone," Randy whispered. "Look."
They watched as the six clones emerged—silent, synchronized, and deadly.
Six perfect clones of Saponu stood beside him.
He smirked. "Let's see if you can handle this."
Seven Against Seven.
The ancestors didn't wait.
Monica lunged, golden energy crackling from her hand.
Joseph's eyes flickered—already calculating strike paths.
Richard charged forward, fists glowing.
Thomas vanished.
Helena raised her hands, distorting the air.
Epson summoned his cursed chains.
Wisdom… stayed still.
Saponu noticed.
He's not moving?
But he had no time to think. The battlefield erupted.
Dust choked the air. Cracks widened across the ceiling as energy surged through the ruins. Faint blue sparks danced on the stone floor. Each footstep echoed like thunder, each blow reshaped the prison's bones.
The temperature fluctuated—burning hot near Monica's light, bone-chilling near Epson's seals.
Monica's strikes tore through the air, her opponent barely keeping up.
Joseph's clone tried to move unpredictably, dodging precision.
Richard's brute force clashed with brutal counters.
Thomas and his clone blurred into a high-speed dance.
Helena twisted reality itself, and her clone opponent struggled to hold on.
Meanwhile, the real Saponu and one of his clones advanced on Epson.
"You're trying to double-team me?" Epson scoffed. "A mistake."
"No," Saponu said. "The mistake was underestimating me."
Chains exploded from the ground—but Saponu and his clone dodged with eerie synchronicity.
"You—" Epson gasped.
"I know your tricks now," Saponu said. "And they won't work twice."
Epson launched another barrage of chains. Saponu countered with a black flame slash, cutting through them midair.
"I'm getting my powers back," Saponu growled, "by killing you."
He dashed forward, his clone mirroring the movement.
Epson tried to react, but he was a step too slow.
The clone struck from behind. Epson blocked it, but left his chest open—
BAM!
Saponu's punch landed squarely on his ribs.
Epson staggered. Blood in his mouth. But his hands moved fast—drawing glowing sigils midair.
Saponu's eyes narrowed. "More tricks?"
Black mist erupted from Epson's body.
"This is where you fall."
Saponu's Copyeyes flared. "We'll see about that."
Watching from afar…
Wisdom Wokata still hadn't moved.
He watched everything. The clones. Saponu's dodges. His technique. His adaptability.
"Interesting," he whispered.
Still… he didn't lift a finger.
Back in the chaos, Saponu and his clone focused only on Epson.
Epson's sigils exploded.
Spatial distortions cracked the floor. The clone took the hit.
BOOM!
Half its body was crushed. It flickered, struggling to hold form.
"You're fast," Epson said. "But my seals don't miss twice."
Saponu's lips tightened. These weren't ordinary seals. They warped space itself—bending the battlefield against him.
Epson lifted both hands. Six glowing seals formed a twisted cage around Saponu.
"Spatial Entombment!"
A ripple rolled across the battlefield. Then—
Snap.
The world twisted.
Up stretched sideways. Gravity pulled in all directions. The light itself bent like glass under pressure.
Saponu floated inside a warped bubble of madness. His breath fogged. His limbs trembled slightly—not from fear, but strain.
"Impressive," he muttered. "But flawed."
Even in the chaos, his Copyeyes never blinked. They scanned, calculated, and found the fault line.
Epson smirked. "Struggle all you want. You won't escape."
Saponu didn't struggle.
He analyzed.
His Copyeyes locked onto a small crack in the distortion. He fired a black flame slash.
The flame twisted—then curved back toward him.
Epson grinned. "Told you. You'll only hurt yo—"
BOOM!
The flame struck a fragile distortion point.
CRACK!
A chain reaction. The entire cage shattered like glass.
"No!" Epson shouted.
Saponu was already moving.
His clone had recovered. They dashed forward together.
Epson raised his arms—
TOO LATE.
WHAM!
Saponu's punch landed clean.
SLASH!
The clone's blade followed, aiming for Epson's shoulder.
At the last second, Epson vanished into black mist.
He reappeared meters away, clutching his chest.
"Dammit…" he gasped.
Saponu stood tall, eyes glowing.
"Looks like your little tricks don't work on me anymore."
Epson's face twisted with frustration.
"You're adapting faster than expected."
He raised both hands again—drawing larger, more complex sigils.
The sigils glowed brighter than before. Cracks pulsed around Epson's feet.
Saponu took a slow step forward, flames licking his arms.
Neither spoke.
The air tightened.
One more clash—
And everything would change.