The arena was chaos incarnate—energy rippling across the shattered ground, voices drowned beneath the thunder of battle. The crowd had long since evacuated. Only the warriors remained.
Kael gritted his teeth as he clashed again with Veyron. Their wills collided—Kael's glowing with controlled fury, Veyron's cloaked in suffocating darkness.
"You've improved," Veyron admitted, his dual blades dancing with shadow. "But you're still behind us."
Kael activated Voidstep, blinking behind him. "Then I'll just have to catch up in real time."
He struck—but Veyron caught his arm mid-swing. They spun into a brutal exchange, fists and feet, shadow and force.
Not far off, Ryuu ducked a sonic slash from Raven, whose grin had only widened.
"Come on, scream for me!" Raven yelled, slamming the ground with a sound burst that shattered stone.
Ryuu coughed from the pressure, aura flaring in defense. "You really are insane."
Kaede struck Raven from the side, using precise force to disrupt his frequency. "Stay focused, Ryuu!"
Together, they managed to push Raven back, but only slightly. Raven's speed was still relentless, his laughter ringing with chaos.
Elsewhere, Hana and Tetsu were fighting for their lives. Lilith was like a ghost—phasing between moments of time.
Tetsu swung—missed.
Hana blasted her with a wind-imbued strike—time bent and the attack rewound mid-air.
Lilith struck back, a distortion tearing across Hana's arm. She winced, blood dripping.
"This isn't working," Tetsu muttered. "We need to sync!"
They nodded, exchanging a silent look. Hana surged forward, drawing Lilith's attention, while Tetsu gathered all his strength.
Then—
WHAM!Tetsu landed a solid blow into Lilith's side the moment she focused on Hana. She coughed, staggered—time stuttered.
"Finally got you."
In the center of it all, Kyoushiro and Azrael continued their duel. Their blades were blurs. Neither used full power, but every strike shook the air.
Azrael's expression was no longer calm—it was furious.
"Why can't I read your moves?!"
Kyoushiro didn't answer. His eyes held the wisdom of decades, movements silent as wind, sharp as fate.
"You're not just some old man," Azrael growled. "What are you!?"
Kael, catching his breath for a moment, watched them—heart pounding. Kyoushiro was still a mystery. But seeing him fight…
Something deep in Kael stirred.
It felt like watching destiny itself move.
The battlefield raged on.
And none of them knew…
The war was only beginning.