The world returned to Noa in fragments.
Voices first.
Low. Calm. Calculated.
When his eyes snapped open, the ceiling above him was carved with ancient sigils glowing faint crimson. The air smelled of iron—of blood.
Two silhouettes stood before him.
Aristal.
And beside him—
Lxn.
Noa's breath hitched.
For a moment, he thought he was still unconscious. Lxn had retired. She had stepped away from leadership. She had vanished from sight.
Now he understood.
It was never retirement.
It was concealment.
They had planned this.
Noa roared, veins flaring across his skin as his eye began to glow—
—but a violent force slammed through his body.
Chains.
Black metallic chains wrapped around his wrists, torso, and neck. Symbols crawled across them like living parasites.
The moment he tried to channel power—
Nothing.
His regeneration… gone.
His eye… silent.
Aristal clapped lightly, smiling.
"Oh my! Seems like you are angry. Come on, control yourself. Nothing will happen."
"You bastard!" Noa spat.
Lxn stepped closer, her eyes colder than he had ever seen them.
"He has regeneration powers, right?"
Aristal nodded. "Yes he does. And is perfect for our plan now."
"He sure is."
Noa's heart pounded. "I will not help you in anything!"
Aristal chuckled softly. "Oh my God! You are so innocent. You don't have to do anything."
He leaned closer.
"Your eye has to."
Noa froze.
"What…?"
Lxn's voice was steady. "We will use your eyes for our ultimate plan."
Aristal's tone shifted, darker now.
"The power inside you is unimaginable. Your eye contains the power of past great leaders… their souls… their will."
Noa's mind raced.
Jiraci.
The Seventh.
The tyrant who tried to rule the Earth.
The one who slaughtered thousands.
Stopped only by Water—the current Sovereign leader.
Lxn spoke the name.
"Jiraci. Or… you can call him the Seventh."
Cold dread wrapped around Noa's spine.
All he could do was watch.
Aristal struck him down with a precise blow to the head. The world tilted as he fell into the center of a ritual circle carved into the ground.
Symbols ignited.
Soldiers were dragged forward.
Their screams echoed—
—and were silenced.
Blood spilled.
It crawled like living veins across the ritual lines.
When it touched Noa's skin—
It burned.
The blood sank into him.
Something ancient answered.
Something hungry.
The air exploded.
A violent shockwave shattered the chamber walls as crimson light tore upward like a pillar connecting heaven and earth.
From within the explosion—
He emerged.
Tall.
Calm.
Smiling faintly.
Jiraci.
Lxn and Aristal bowed slightly.
"Welcome back," Aristal whispered.
Jiraci said nothing.
He simply stepped forward—
—and placed his hand into Noa's chest.
Noa screamed.
Not from pain.
But from being torn apart.
Jiraci pulled.
And from Noa's body—
a glowing, trembling soul emerged.
Noa could see his own body falling limp as Jiraci ripped his existence free.
With casual indifference, Jiraci threw the soul into the corpse of a fallen soldier.
The body convulsed.
Bones cracked.
Skin reshaped.
Hair turned white.
Eyes opened—
Noa gasped.
He was alive.
But weaker.
Much weaker.
His original body now stood upright—controlled by Jiraci.
The Seventh looked at his new vessel, flexing his fingers.
"Hmm. Strong potential."
He glanced at Noa's transferred body.
"Pathetic."
Noa staggered to his feet.
Even without his original body, even without full power—
He charged.
The Battle
Noa launched forward with a desperate punch.
Jiraci caught it effortlessly.
The sound of bone cracking echoed.
Noa screamed as his arm twisted unnaturally.
Jiraci moved faster than sight—
A knee to the ribs.
A punch to the stomach.
An elbow to the spine.
Each hit landed with crushing precision.
Noa crashed through a stone pillar.
He tried to stand—
Jiraci appeared in front of him instantly.
A kick.
Noa flew across the chamber like a broken doll.
Blood poured from his mouth.
His regeneration in this body was weak. Slow.
Every breath hurt.
Jiraci stepped over him calmly.
"You are merely a container. Do not mistake yourself for power."
He lifted Noa by the throat.
Noa clawed at his hand, vision fading.
"Even without my eye…" Noa growled weakly, "I'll… stop you…"
Jiraci smiled faintly.
"You cannot even stop yourself."
He slammed Noa into the ground so hard the ritual circle shattered completely.
Noa lay broken.
Bones shattered.
Body trembling.
Jiraci raised his hand—
"Die."
A massive surge of energy gathered—
—and then—
An arrow pierced through Jiraci's shoulder.
He paused.
Another explosion shattered the chamber entrance.
Smoke filled the air.
"Move away from him!"
Hisano's voice rang like steel.
Elysium troops stormed in, led by Hisano and Rose.
Energy blasts filled the chamber.
Jiraci stepped back slightly, analyzing.
"Ah… interruptions."
Hisano knelt beside Noa quickly.
"You idiot… what did you do this time?"
Noa coughed blood, barely conscious.
"He… he's Jiraci…"
Hisano's eyes widened.
Rose fired a concentrated blast toward Jiraci, forcing him to retreat further.
Aristal and Lxn exchanged glances.
"This isn't the right time," Lxn said.
Jiraci nodded calmly.
"This body requires adjustment."
With a wave of his hand, a massive shockwave threw everyone back.
When the dust settled—
Jiraci, Aristal, and Lxn were gone.