Nightfall descended over Karveth City like a dark velvet curtain, broken only by the faint glow of magical wards and lanterns flickering across the streets. The city itself seemed to hold its breath as the ten Kings and Queens of the Kurogami organization spread across the battlefield. Each was a living tempest of power, ready to challenge the elite of the world—the Circuit Guardians mobilized from every corner of the continent, each handpicked for strength, skill, and the ability to match a King or Queen in a duel that would shape the night.
John Merciless, standing high above the city on a tower that seemed impossibly tall, observed with his usual detached, calculating calm. His left hand rested on the hilt of a black slime sword—crafted from nuclear pasta—while his eyes, the Koketsu, glimmered faintly beneath his mask. He had already issued his orders. Everyone but the ten Kings and Queens had been dispatched to a secondary hideout. Karveth would be his chessboard tonight, and each move was carefully orchestrated.
The streets of Karveth were transformed into a maze of magical wards, reinforced buildings, and invisible barriers meant to funnel the attackers toward their chosen opponents. Each King and Queen stood poised at their assigned dueling grounds.
Number 1 King, Reiji, leaned casually against a shattered wall, a faint smirk under his mask, his aura radiating icy dominance. "Let's see who's bold enough to try and kill me tonight," he muttered, eyes glinting with challenge.
Number 1 Queen, Selara, floated lightly above the ground, her hair fanning around her like a dark halo. Calm, calculating, deadly precise—the kind of fighter who could annihilate a battalion alone, yet always kept a playful, almost mocking tone in her voice.
Kael, Number 2 King, laughed low and rough, sparks of uncontrolled fire dancing across his body. "I've been waiting for someone interesting," he said, cracking his knuckles, already exuding chaotic energy.
The remaining Kings and Queens mirrored them: some aloof and elegant, others rough and violent, all supremely confident, all with their own flair.
Across the city, the Circuit Guardians arrived, moving like shadows, each representing the finest strength the association could muster.
Masahiro Tenma, master of spatial manipulation, capable of isolating opponents in alternate dimensions. Akihiko Naruse, a void circuit user who could erase matter in his immediate vicinity. Hikaru Minazuki, a beast transformation specialist with speed rivaling any mount. Fumika Saegusa, barrier and environmental illusion user, her walls able to crush a squad in seconds. Tetsuya Kurohane, hand-to-hand prodigy, his martial arts enhanced with anti-matter circuits.
Each one stepped into the night, confident yet wary, sensing the overwhelming aura of the Kings and Queens.
Reiji's duel began almost immediately. Masahiro Tenma stepped forward, manipulating space to strike from multiple angles at once. Reiji, however, didn't move conventionally. He used a combination of martial arts and spatial warping, bending his strikes just enough to avoid Tenma's attacks while landing precise blows of his own. The impact of each strike shattered stone, tore through reinforced walls, and left the air shimmering from the shockwaves.
Selara's opponent, Akihiko Naruse, attempted a void strike, his hands glowing with destructive energy that could erase matter in seconds. Selara floated effortlessly, her blade weaving through the void attack like a needle through silk. Each slash redirected energy, her precision turning his power against him.
Kael charged at Hikaru Minazuki, igniting the streets with fire and chaos. Hikaru leapt with incredible speed, claws raking the air, his circuits enhancing his agility beyond human limits. Kael countered with raw explosive energy, fire clashing against beast claws, sending shockwaves down the city streets.
While these duels raged, the other Kings and Queens engaged in cinematic combat with precision and flair.
Aika, Number 3 Queen, relied on her environmental illusions, blending her presence with shifting shadows and walls of light. Her opponent, Fumika Saegusa, countered with crushing barriers. The two collided in a storm of magic and raw strength, each strike shaking the street and leaving magical scorch marks.
Ryouji, Number 4 King, faced Tetsuya Kurohane. Hand-to-hand combat exploded in a symphony of punches and kicks, enhanced with circuit energy. Every strike and block sent tremors through the nearby walls. Ryouji smirked through the blows, laughing as Tetsuya tried to anticipate his unpredictable rhythm.
As the battles intensified, something remarkable began to occur. The strain of combat pushed certain Kings and Queens past their usual limits, triggering circuit evolution—a process Arata knew all too well:
A circuit, when pushed to its absolute limit, can integrate fully with its user, reshaping the body, enhancing reflexes, and creating a form based on the type and nature of the circuit. This transformation amplifies the user's natural abilities and often grants a temporary—but devastating—power spike.
Reiji's spatial circuits began to flare violently, wrapping his limbs in shimmering patterns of energy that bent reality slightly around him. With a sudden burst, he teleported behind Tenma, landing a strike that sent shockwaves radiating through the battlefield.
Kael's fire circuit fused deeper with his nervous system. His flames became living extensions of his body, moving as if they were conscious. He could control the trajectory of every fireball mid-air, deflecting attacks while creating new offensive openings.
Selara's sword became semi-corporeal, infused with her circuit's integration. Every slash left trails of lethal light, capable of cutting not only matter but energy flows.
Some Kings and Queens struggled to maintain control. Ryouji, pushed to exhaustion, staggered under a barrage of blows, but the stress triggered evolution. His muscles and circuits synergized, granting him enhanced reflexes and resilience, allowing him to counterattack with brutal precision.
Others, like Aika, maintained full control, but her illusions became sharper, faster, and more consuming, creating near-impenetrable zones that disoriented her opponent.
The streets of Karveth were alive with the chaos of battle.
Reiji's spatial warps created openings in walls, sending opponents tumbling into alleys. Selara's blade traced arcs of light that ignited the magical wards, creating shockwaves that shattered barriers and injured anyone too close. Kael's flames erupted in controlled explosions, melting stone and searing the night air. Ryouji's hand-to-hand strikes shook the ground, sending splinters of concrete and magical debris flying in all directions. Aika's illusions shifted constantly, turning streets into labyrinths of mirrors, shadows, and traps.
Every strike, dodge, and counterattack was amplified by circuit integration, pushing the Kings and Queens to limits that few mortals could survive. Yet, none faltered, each reveling in the thrill of combat, the subtle arrogance and pride of absolute confidence radiating from every movement.
While the battles raged, Arata's mind observed. From his Northern Continent base, he monitored each duel, recording every detail. He noted the moments where evolution occurred, predicting which Guardians might struggle against the Kings and Queens, and which might need additional pressure.
Perfect, he thought. The battles themselves are teaching them. Every evolution, every adaptation… recorded, analyzed. And this is only the beginning. Once the strongest Guardians fail, the others will be predictable.
John Merciless' persona remained distant in Karveth, overseeing from strategic positions, but Arata's mind orchestrated the flow of combat. Every King and Queen had a calculated opponent—a perfect match that would push them to extremes, forcing evolution, forcing adaptation, forcing them to display their full capabilities.
Hours passed. The city became a storm of light, shadow, fire, and destruction. Kings and Queens were pushed beyond limits. Some were beaten down temporarily, only to surge again with evolved circuits that reshaped their combat forms.
Reiji's form now shimmered with bending space, making him almost untouchable. Selara's sword glowed