As the spirit strode toward the sword, flames spilling from its body blazed ever brighter. Each step it took seemed to scorch the cavern itself, painting the stone walls in a deep, crimson light.
Arisawa spoke in a calm, even tone:
— Are you going to try wielding the sword?
The spirit laughed, a chilling sound echoing through the cavern.
— Of course not… If I'm not the chosen one, my hand will be torn off the moment I draw it from its sheath.
Arisawa nodded.
— That's correct.
Akira and Raiga shouted in unison, shock written all over their faces:
— What!!
Akira's expression fell; his morale plummeted.
— So… my dreams were in vain…
Raiga crossed his arms, a mocking smile curling on his lips.
— Fool… the sword wasn't going to choose you anyway.
The spirit turned its gaze on them, eyes filled with scorn.
— Why have you come here? The sword would never choose pathetic beings like you.
Arisawa kept his composure, replying steadily:
— We're here to take the sword.
The spirit's flames flared violently, crackling with raw power.
— I, too, am here to deliver it to its rightful master… Lord Rion.
Arisawa's brow furrowed.
— How do you know it will choose him?
— What are you saying? Lord Rion is one of the strongest fragments of Chaos!
The words echoed through the cavern. Everyone froze in stunned silence.
Akira stepped forward, determination burning in his voice.
— Chaos?! Arisawa… we can't let this man take the sword!
Arisawa turned to him.
— Why not?
Akira lowered his gaze.
— …I'll explain later.
Just as the spirit reached for the sword, Arisawa moved with a single, fluid motion, snatching it away. His eyes blazed with unyielding seriousness.
— If you want the sword, you'll have to get past us first.
The spirit laughed loudly.
— You dare underestimate the power of Chaos?! How bold!!
Flames gathered in its hands, scorching the air as it surged toward Arisawa. The cavern seemed to burn around them.
But instead of engaging the spirit, Arisawa merely lay down on the ground.
Raiga shouted:
— Hey! What are you doing?!
Yui's eyes widened as they focused on Arisawa.
— Arisawa… a real fight is about to begin.
Arisawa calmly closed his eyes, stretching lazily.
— Not my problem.
Akira erupted in anger.
— Not your problem?! Weren't you supposed to fight? Weren't you supposed to stop it?!
Arisawa shrugged.
— Sorry… I'm just too lazy to fight.
Everyone froze.
The spirit muttered in disbelief:
— Is this guy serious?..
Raiga gritted his teeth.
— Forget it! We can handle this without him.
Akira clenched his fists, red energy like molten fire flaring from his eyes.
— It's going to be tough… but we have no choice! Yui, Raiga, let's take this spirit down!
Red energy erupted from Akira's arms. Raiga's flames surged, and Yui's telekinesis made stones and sand whirl violently around them.
Akira grinned, gripping his sword.
— Perfect chance to test my new blade!
He lunged at the spirit.
The spirit formed a sword from the flames in its hands. Its strikes were instantaneous, deflecting blows and knocking Akira back with a single swing.
Raiga attacked from behind, but the spirit turned, catching him and hurling him like a spear toward Yui.
— You are weak! — it roared. — How dare you oppose the power of Lord Rion?!
Akira staggered to his feet.
— Shut up! Why does everyone wielding Chaos power turn crazy like you?!
The spirit paused abruptly.
— Another Chaos wielder, you say?
Raiga thought for a moment.
— Yeah… it kept calling her… Rosa, was it?
Akira frowned, trying to recall.
— I think it was Sora…
The spirit's eyes widened.
— So… you are the ones who defeated Lady Sora's soldiers!
Then it laughed, dark and sinister.
Akira growled in fury.
— What's so funny about that?!
Yui stepped forward.
— Stop arguing! We need to attack as a team!
Raiga nodded.
— Normally, I'd handle this alone, but… this one's pretty strong.
Akira laughed.
— So you can think, huh!
— Shut up! — Raiga snapped back.
Just as Yui began to explain the strategy, the spirit suddenly appeared before Akira. Reflexively, he pulled back.
— No time to think! — he shouted. — Come on, Raiga, Yui!
The three of them moved at once. Akira and Raiga clashed in close combat, trading rapid strikes while the spirit countered them all. Yui unleashed a storm of stones and sand from afar.
But the spirit unleashed a massive eruption of flames, sending both of them crashing to the ground simultaneously.
The spirit bellowed:
— Volgrath Technique: Colossus!!
Then its body was engulfed in flames, transforming into a colossal figure.
Akira's eyes widened.
— This… just like before…
Raiga clenched his fists.
— Absolutely.
The Flame Giant slammed its fist into the ground. The cavern shook violently, stones shattering into fragments.
— The cave won't hold!! — Yui shouted.
Every strike brought down walls until, finally, the cavern was completely destroyed. After the explosion, the group found themselves outside.
Yui coughed, calling out:
— Akira! Raiga! Where are you?!
Through the rubble, Akira and Raiga emerged, covered in dust.
Akira staggered.
— Uh… what about Arisawa?
Yui let out a small laugh.
— Still sleeping.
Raiga clenched his fist in anger.
— Once this fight's over, I'm punching that blue guy.
But the spirit emerged again from the ashes. Its eyes burned with deadly rage. It lunged at Raiga, who leapt back.
Akira quickly returned to the fray. The clash resumed.
Raiga shouted:
— Akira! Fall back! I have a plan!
Akira gritted his teeth.
— Got it!
Raiga turned to Yui.
— When I hurl Akira, accelerate him with telekinesis!
Akira panicked.
— W-what—
Before he could finish, Raiga spun him and launched him forward. Yui propelled Akira like a bullet with her telekinesis.
Akira thought to himself: Makes sense…
Gripping his sword tightly, he aimed for the heart of the spirit.
— AAGHHHHHHHH!!!
The spirit pressed its arm against its chest, defending itself. The collision of their powers set nearby trees and grass ablaze.
Akira couldn't pierce its heart, but he managed to sever the spirit's left arm, causing it to recoil.
— …Even pure fire… can be cut… — it muttered, bloodied.
Yui shouted with excitement:
— We can win!!
Raiga nodded.
— Then… I'll use the dragon!
Yui's eyes went wide.
— Dragon? What are you talking about?!
Raiga gathered his energy, and a massive fire dragon formed behind him.
— DRAGON, ATTACK!!!
The dragon surged toward the spirit, roaring. The spirit defended itself with massive fire shields. The force of their clash turned the surroundings into a whirlwind.
Raiga gritted his teeth.
— Hey, idiot! My dragon can't hold it!
Akira raised his sword.
— Then… let's do it again!
Raiga groaned.
— No, never!
— Come on, we'll lose!
After a tense pause, Raiga relented.
— Ugh… fine, hold my sword!
Akira sheathed his sword and gripped Raiga's. Together, they gathered energy.
— Let's go!!
They charged forward, loading their legs with power. The sword became half dragon fire, half crimson energy.
They aimed for the spirit's heart. When the sword's glow merged with Raiga's dragon flames, a dazzling light enveloped everything. The explosion was so immense it could light up the sky for miles.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Akira and Raiga were thrown to the ground, breathless, arms trembling.
Yui used telekinesis to lift stones, preventing them from crushing her allies, but she collapsed onto her knees.
— I-is it… over?
Through the dust, a massive shadow emerged. The being still stood among the flames, its semi-transparent body shattered yet still grinning.
The spirit's voice was deeper, more feral this time:
— Beautiful… beautiful. You are the first humans to wound me. But that also means the game is over.
Its body trembled. The flames retracted, then suddenly erupted again. Its form reshaped, now covered in darker, denser fire. Its eyes burned with pitch-black flames.
Akira stepped back.
— This… this is another level!
Raiga gritted his teeth.
— Still standing after our attack… impossible!
Yui's voice trembled.
— It… it's fueled by the pure power of Chaos. We can't stop it like this!
The spirit suddenly lunged. A fiery fist sent Akira flying meters away. He crashed to the ground, coughing blood.
Raiga roared in anger, cloaking his fist in fire to attack. The spirit, with a single motion, grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.
Yui tried to stop it with telekinesis, hurling rocks like spears. But the spirit vaporized them with a single wave of flames.
The three lay on the ground, seemingly defeated.
At that moment, Arisawa, still seated on a rock, stood up. Brushing off dust, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Akira and Raiga staggered to their feet, bloodied from head to toe.
— We… can still… fight…
Just as they were about to strike again, Arisawa rose, stopping them.
Raiga shouted in anger:
— What are you doing?! Let us kill this spirit!
Arisawa smiled, placing his hand on both their heads.
— You fought well. Far better than I expected… Now sit. I'll finish this.
Arisawa's expression turned serious as he began walking slowly toward the spirit.
The spirit laughed upon seeing him.
— Ha… you're going to try? The thing they couldn't accomplish…
Arisawa closed his eyes. Suddenly, a white-blue light radiated from his body, so intense it pushed back the spirit's dark flames.
Akira's eyes went wide.
— This… this power…
Yui whispered in awe.
— So this… is why he entered the council…
Raiga gritted his teeth, reluctantly admitting:
— Damn… strong.
The spirit roared in fury.
— You think you can resist me?!
It unleashed a towering column of fire, a strike that could destroy a massive building.
Yet Arisawa did not retreat. He met the attack with his hands. Light collided with darkness, producing an explosion that split the sky.
Arisawa was not pushed back. Instead, the spirit's flames weakened.
— I'm synchronizing with your fire. Your strength fuels me.
The spirit's eyes widened in terror.
— W-what?!
Arisawa's body began to take on the same color as the spirit's flames. Slowly, he absorbed its power, adapting to its attacks.
Akira whispered:
— This… is incredible…
The spirit could only think one thing:
Who is this guy? Could he… really match Chaos?! Impossible!!
In desperation, it unleashed massive waves of fire. Arisawa raised a protective barrier of positive energy for his team. The spirit suddenly moved behind him, attempting to shatter it.
His uniform tore, freezing everyone in place.
Arisawa's body… was covered in burns from head to toe.
Akira's voice trembled.
— W-what is this…
Raiga clenched his fists.
— Did this happen during the previous fight?!
Yui shouted in shock.
— N-no… this can't have just happened!
Even the spirit froze.
— I… I didn't do this… What are these wounds?!
Arisawa turned to his students, attempting a smile.
— Don't worry. I'm fine. I got these burns in a fire when I was young.
Akira lowered his gaze.
— Now I understand why you always wear that uniform…
Yui was still in shock.
— B-but even with burns like that… how are you still alive?!
Arisawa took a deep breath.
— I've only told a few people this until now. But since you are my students, I trust you.
Akira asked eagerly:
— Trust us with what?
Arisawa narrowed his eyes, explaining:
— My real power… is not positive energy.
Yui's breath caught.
— Then… what?!
The spirit's eyes widened.
— His real power isn't positive energy?! Could it… be Chaos?!
Arisawa's voice rang out, deep and heavy:
— My true power… is the incredible adaptability of my body.