A storm of raw Imaginary Essence spiraled in the air.
Kazimir stood alone, the winds parting around him as if the world itself refused to touch him. His sword—Twilight Deliverance—crackled with spatial lightning, glinting with a brilliance that seemed to fold dimensions. Across from him, Ingress smirked, his expression painted in mockery, but his hands trembled.
"You've turned this entire area into a wasteland," Ingress spat, eyes twitching. "Don't you care? What if civilians were caught in that blast—like before? Aren't you supposed to be their hero? You've proven my point, Kazimir. You never gave a damn about humanity."
The accusation lingered in the static-choked air.
Kazimir's voice came slow, steady, and cold."Those who want to live… already fled." He tilted his head. "And if I truly intended to kill you, you'd be gone. But since you're still standing... maybe I held back too much."
That struck deep.
Ingress clenched his jaw, his eyes wide with frustration."Don't patronize me, Kazimir! You think that power-up puts you above me? I have the weapon—this sword was forged to kill you! To erase the disciples of Nullity. Once I slaughter you and your little comrade, the world will finally understand who they should fear!"
Suddenly, Riah and Vanessa darted past, clashing with Barrack in the distance—steel on steel, myth clashing against monstrosity.
But Ingress charged forward, howling. His blade came down in a wide arc—but it met nothing.
Kazimir had activated his Distortion Field.
To Ingress' horror, the world twisted. The atmosphere itself warped as if space was rejecting his presence. Then he met Kazimir's gaze—those eyes, glowing like collapsed galaxies, exhaling Imaginary Essence like dark smoke.
"What—what is this…?" Ingress stumbled back, panic surfacing. "This ability… it wasn't in your data! I should have it too! Why don't I—!?"
Kazimir's silence was louder than any battle cry.
Then—he moved.
The air cracked. Space bent. A massive pulse erupted the moment Twilight Deliverance left its sheath.
"WHERE IS HE?!" Tyrone shouted, looking around wildly.
"I—I can't see him!" Lihanna cried. "I only see the lightning—he's everywhere at once!"
Felicia stood frozen, eyes wide."This… this is the strength of a true Disciple of Nullity."
Even Gendai, usually quiet and calculating, was shivering with adrenaline."He's… beautiful," she whispered, biting her finger unconsciously.
Above them, Kazimir reappeared, slamming a brutal kick into Ingress' chest. Ingress went flying into the sky—before Kazimir flashed again, disappearing into streaks of light, slashing from every direction. The air rang with sonic booms that split mountains.
Kazimir appeared—standing on Ingress' stomach mid-air.
His blade rose.
"This is the descent."
He brought the sword down.
The impact split the heavens. A roar of Imaginary Essence thundered across the battlefield, the shockwave nearly knocking Kamaki, Lihanna, and Felicia off their feet.
"DAMMIT, KAZIMIR!" Kamaki screamed, tumbling. "WE'RE RIGHT HERE, YOU MANIAC!"
Felicia scrambled, yelling, "We need to evacuate! Give him space or we're toast!"
Tyrone grabbed the unconscious Neve and Jessie. Kamaki picked up Raijin, and the team retreated from ground zero.
On the crater's edge, Ingress—bloodied, broken, limbs torn—still stood.
But the sky… it changed.
A colossal eye opened in the clouds. A wormhole. Lightning streaked from it like serpents. Across the globe, cyclones erupted. Thunderstorms consumed nations. Landslides devoured cities.
Tyrone gawked. "This can't all be him... right?!"
Lihanna lowered her head."He gave the world what it begged to see—true power. Now they must pray to survive it."
Neve awoke, her expression turning pale. "...What is happening?!"
Jessie's senses flared."The energies—Kazimir… and Vanessa—they're together. But why...?" Then the sirens screamed. Tsunamis, four of them, converging on the coasts.
Neve's eyes hardened. She soared. "ETERNAL WORLD!"
Ice exploded from her body. Glaciers bloomed across the nation. The waves froze mid-rise—then shattered into dust. She landed, breathless, collapsing to one knee.
Kamaki exhaled. "Damn. Good thing you're on our side."
Neve, pale and shaken, responded quietly."But I never thought… he had this much power. This is why he hides it."
Then—
Jessie pointed skyward.
Kazimir hovered, high above the battle, his blade lifted. The dying starlight swirled around him.
Jessie's eyes trembled."That's… Twilight Severance…? No—it's different. It's his version."
Lihanna felt her feet begin to lift. The air was being drawn into him.
Raijin tried to activate his lightning. Nothing."WHAT?! No way—he's stealing control over the entire element?! THAT'S—THAT'S CHEATING!"
Felicia looked on grimly."This is the Kazimir Vanessa admires. The Disciple of Nullity unrestrained. And this… this is only the beginning."
Kamaki clenched his fists."Bro, these Disciples of Nebula need a serious nerf."
Tyrone narrowed his eyes at the dying Ingress."Look at that light… there's no surviving that. Rest in hell."
Elsewhere, Vanessa cleaved Barrack's head from its shoulders with a dimensional cut, the battle echoing in cosmic silence.
Riah raised her hand—the sky filled with Spears of Judgment.
The spears rained down, targeting both Ingress and Barrack's remains. Explosions followed—blazing, divine retribution.
And yet—
Ingress still breathed.
Barely.
His body trembled, drenched in his own blood. And then he howled.
"I WON'T DIE! IF I GO—I'M TAKING THIS WORLD WITH ME!"
He raised a crimson orb into the sky—a catastrophic sphere pulsing with world-ending energy. The ground trembled. Seas roared.
Jessie and Neve both readied themselves to join.
But then—
Kazimir spoke.
Voice calm.
Cold.
Unshakable.
"Eye of Oblivion."
His sword shimmered. Imaginary Essence coalesced at its tip. A collapsed star—black as oblivion—formed along the blade's edge. The sky split open. The stars themselves turned away.
"You chose envy, Ingress. You could've stood beside us. But now…"His sword glowed like the death of time."I'll escort you to a fast land. One without light. One without escape."
Kazimir swung.
The slash was reality-shattering.
A cleave so vast it carved a line across the world, touching even the distant land of Bruswa. Radiation and devastation etched into the crust of the Earth—a scar that would never heal.
The world held its breath.
And in that silence—
Ingress was gone.