Chapter 59: The Lion's Shadow and the Hunter's Return
The air was heavy with silence after the storm. The ruins of the ancient bridge smoldered faintly beneath the fractured moonlight. All around, shards of stone hovered midair—caught between the echoes of two titanic auras that had once clashed there.
Moro stood amidst the debris, chest heaving, his knuckles bruised and glowing faintly blue. His breath came in low, measured gasps, the fusion energy pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Opposite him, Kiro stood tall, his cloak tattered and eyes burning with golden fire. Even without moving, he emanated the authority of a king—a lion that ruled through terror and respect alike.
Kaya watched from a distance, frozen between fear and awe. Her mind couldn't grasp what she was seeing: father against son's ally, blood against chosen fate. The bridge where they stood was sacred—no mortal had ever fought here before. And yet tonight, the heavens bore witness to the kind of battle that could fracture creation itself.
Kiro's eyes glowed faintly as he lowered his sword, letting the tip drag against the cracked earth. "You've grown," he said evenly. "Your aura doesn't tremble anymore. You finally understand what it means to stand alone."
Moro's lip twitched into a grim smile. "If standing alone means fighting people like you, I'll carry that burden gladly."
Kiro tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering across his hardened expression. "Then show me if you're ready to bear it."
Before Moro could reply, Kiro vanished.
The air behind Moro screamed before his instincts caught up. He spun, blocking a blinding golden strike with his forearm. The impact rippled across the air, warping space itself.
Then the battle began again.
Kiro was faster—far faster than before. His every movement left trails of molten gold, his Lion Aura now fully awakened. The lion's spectral head roared behind him, its voice shaking the heavens. The ground cracked beneath each of his steps.
Moro countered, his Ultra Fusion aura reigniting. The blue flames flared brighter, forming the phantom of a celestial wolf behind him. Its eyes blazed white, its fangs bared in defiance. When the wolf howled, the clouds above split apart, lightning lancing downward like divine spears.
The two met in the center of the wasteland with a thunderclap that shattered the sound barrier.
Each punch from Kiro carried the weight of a collapsing star; each counter from Moro carried the precision of an immortal's wrath. Their blows sent waves of energy that flattened the surrounding terrain. Towers crumbled, sand fused into glass, and time itself seemed to slow from the force of their duel.
"Too slow!" Kiro shouted, dodging Moro's rising uppercut. He swung his sword downward, flames cascading like a comet. Moro barely sidestepped and retaliated with a double kick that sent shockwaves bursting in every direction.
Dust and light filled the air. Kaya shielded her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
"Please stop… please…" she whispered. But neither heard her.
Kiro smiled grimly between attacks. "You remind me of someone… of a younger me."
Moro's fist shot forward, striking his chest. "Then let this be the day the future beats the past!"
The strike exploded with blue light. Kiro staggered back a step, laughing through the pain. "Good. Very good."
But then, something changed. The golden glow around Kiro darkened, flickering like a dying sun. His aura deepened into crimson-gold, more violent and unstable. His breathing slowed—but the intensity in his gaze sharpened to something lethal.
Kaya's heart dropped. "No… not that mode…!"
Kiro raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. The air distorted violently, sucking in energy from the surroundings.
"Lion's Dominion: Apex Form."
The golden lion behind him transformed—its mane turned black and its roar grew metallic, shaking reality itself.
Moro's pulse quickened. He could feel the power shift, the sheer pressure pinning his body down like gravity had multiplied a thousandfold. "He's serious now," he muttered under his breath.
But he refused to kneel.
"ULTRA FUSION—SECOND IGNITION!"
His aura flared tenfold, creating a blue vortex beneath him that tore chunks of the earth into the sky. Energy bolts arced across the air, the celestial wolf at his back growing larger, its eyes glowing like dying stars.
The world turned white as their powers collided once again.
When the light cleared, the battlefield was gone. Only a wasteland remained—a crater large enough to swallow cities. Moro was on one knee, panting, bruised but alive. Kiro stood opposite him, his armor cracked, blood trailing down his jaw.
For a moment, both men stared at each other—no hatred, no mockery. Just mutual acknowledgment. Warrior to warrior.
Then, without warning, Kiro moved.
Moro's instincts screamed. He barely managed to cross his arms before a golden fist slammed into him, sending him flying through a boulder. Pain exploded across his ribs as he coughed blood.
Kiro appeared behind him again, this time silent, his blade ready. "You thought it was over?" he said quietly. "I told you—until one of us falls, the hunt never ends."
Moro's eyes widened. He's not retreating this time.
The Lion roared again, and the final exchange began.
Kiro unleashed everything—the Lion's Aura morphing into countless golden slashes, raining destruction in waves. Moro countered with blinding bursts of blue fusion, shielding Kaya from the stray blasts.
Their energies intertwined—gold and blue, fire and storm—devouring everything around them. The shockwaves reached even the outer edges of the bridge, where guards had long since fled.
The entire region trembled under their wrath.
Then—
An echo of metal boots clicked against the wet ground miles away.
A shadowy figure stepped into the ruins of San Juan, the faint glow of his rifle illuminating the darkness. His voice, metallic and calm, drifted through the wind.
"Power readings confirmed. Two meta-signatures detected… Kiro and Moro."
The figure adjusted his scope, the crimson lens zooming onto the distant flashes of light from their battle.
The Wolf Hunter had returned.
His mechanical mask flickered with ancient runes. His breath was steady, cold.
"Target locked," he murmured. "Time to finish the hunt."
As his rifle charged with dark plasma, thunder rumbled in the distance—marking the convergence of fates.
The Lion.
The Wolf.
And the Hunter.
Three shadows destined to cross paths again… and when they did, one world would burn.
End of Chapter 59: The Lion's Shadow and the Hunter's Return