Kazimir stood silent at the edge of the battlefield, his silver hair tousled by the wind, eyes narrowed beneath his blindfold as he gazed toward the violet sky above.
Kazimir: (calmly) "So… there's a timer, huh? Guess that means it's about to begin."
A pulse of dark energy answered him.
Ingress: (coldly) "I'm going to put an end to you."
Kazimir didn't flinch. Instead, he took a step forward, the ground beneath him humming with his power.
Kazimir: "My story's only just beginning."
Ingress: "Don't think that just because you took down a Dynasty you deserve this praise. You're not even close to our standard."
Kazimir: (tilting his head) "You seem obsessed with me… but I barely even know you."
Ingress: (snarling, charging forward) "BEGIN!"
The clash was instantaneous.
Ingress's blade came screaming down, but Kazimir blocked it effortlessly—with his sword still sheathed. The impact rang out like thunder, wind exploding outward. Ingress vanished and reappeared behind him—only to be met with the back of Kazimir's sword, stopping his strike blind, clean, and without a glance.
Kazimir: "Quit testing me."
Ingress: (mocking) "Had to make sure I wasn't about to accidentally kill Jessie's little brother."
Kazimir's gaze hardened.
Kazimir: "So death's on the table, then?"
Dark energy surged in Ingress's hand, forming spectral blades that shot toward Kazimir like darts. He dodged with precise steps, deflecting what he could, until their blades clashed again—an eruption of energy sending gusts howling across the arena.
But just then—Kazimir's eyes sharpened. He noticed something… off.
Slice!
Ingress appeared from the shadows, slashing Kazimir's back. He grabbed the back of Kazimir's coat and yanked, but Kazimir slipped from it smoothly. Still, Ingress seized his face and slammed him into the ground, cracking stone and earth.
Ingress: (grinning) "That stupid blindfold of yours… annoying. That Dynasty must've been weak. I could've beaten it."
Kazimir: (gritting his teeth) "Tch… my fault. I let my guard down."
Ingress: "This is fun. Embarrassing you in front of the entire academy."
Kazimir: (calmly) "You think so?"
He stood up.
With a breath, he removed his blindfold.
Lightning crackled instantly.
BOOM!
His knee connected to Ingress's stomach like a divine hammer, the force of it blasting him across the island in a streak of sparks. The thunderclap of the strike echoed across the sea. Kazimir chased, kicking Ingress into the sky, vanishing and reappearing as he struck him from every direction—fists, elbows, lightning-enhanced strikes.
Above them, the sky turned white.
With a final roar, Kazimir plunged downward, slamming Ingress into the ground. The explosion of electrical energy shattered the earth and sent a shockwave so intense, it made the ocean tremble.
From the warships offshore:
Tyrone: "Gyatt damn… that projection energy's off the charts!"
Mia: (wide-eyed) "So… this is the power of a Vandor?"
Gendai: (sipping boba casually) "Hm."
Raijin: "COOK HIM, KAZIMIR!"
Evelyn: "In Ingress we trust!"
Sera: "This is so exciting!"
Back in the arena, Ingress rose, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His smile was gone.
Ingress: (growling) "I'm done playing."
But Kazimir didn't give him a chance.
"Moon Crescents!"
Twenty arcs of pure lightning energy screamed from above, pelting Ingress before he could react, knocking him off balance. Kazimir leapt onto his own blade like a springboard, using it to vault toward Ingress and slam his shin into the man's back.
Kazimir: "Thunder of Misfortune."
The blast came instantly.
A colossal surge of electricity engulfed the battlefield, screaming across the island in a golden arc. Ingress barely dodged—but the aftermath was catastrophic.
CRACK!
The island split.
Forests evaporated in an instant. A jagged line carved itself across the terrain, still sizzling.
Back on the ship, everyone felt it in their bones.
Everyone: (staring, pale) "…"
Mia: "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?"
Lihanna: (quietly) "…Okay then."
Tyrone: "That's… that's actually insane."
Raijin: (cheering) "NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"
Sera: "He killed the island. What the fuck?"
Felicia: (in awe) "Woaahhhh…"
Gendai: (deadpan, sipping again) "Not even the first time he's tortured this island…"