Suzie carefully made her way toward Hikaru and Juxo, her polished boots crunching softly over shattered branches, broken bark, and scorched earth left behind by the relentless pursuit. The sharp determination that had filled her eyes moments ago gradually faded with every step she took until it was replaced by quiet embarrassment. She lowered her samurai sword with both hands wrapped firmly around its hilt, bowing her head slightly as strands of her short hair drifted across her face in the cool morning breeze. She struggled to meet either of their eyes before finally forcing the apology from her lips. "I… I'm sorry. I missed the target…" Her voice carried genuine regret, making it obvious she blamed herself more than anyone else possibly could.
Juxo stared at her for a moment before letting out a loud snort that echoed through the forest. Without saying anything immediately, he reached over with his massive hand and roughly patted the top of her head. Despite his intimidating appearance and sharp teeth, the gesture carried an unexpected warmth that completely contrasted his rough personality. "It's fine, Suz," he said with a dismissive wave of his free hand. "That cowboy's slippery as hell. Anybody would've missed him. We'll catch that idiot sooner or later." Suzie looked up with a small, relieved smile before nodding quietly.
A few meters away, Hikaru groaned as he rolled onto his side, pushing away several branches that had fallen across his back during the collapse. Leaves clung stubbornly to his jacket while his glasses hung crookedly across his face. He reached up with one hand, adjusted them back into place, and slowly climbed to his feet despite the aches spreading throughout his body. His eyes immediately searched the direction Kyoya had disappeared without wasting a second on his own injuries. "We should keep moving," Hikaru said calmly while brushing dirt from his sleeves. "He's fast enough to disappear if we give him even a few minutes." His voice remained steady despite the bruises beginning to bloom beneath his clothes.
Juxo clicked his tongue in annoyance before hoisting his enormous sword back onto his shoulder. "Don't start ordering me around, Archer Boy," he muttered with a scowl before turning toward the deeper part of the forest. "Come on, Suz. Let's go." Without waiting for another response, Juxo burst into a sprint, disappearing between the trees with surprising speed despite carrying such a massive weapon. Suzie immediately followed after him, her tuxedo fluttering behind her as she effortlessly kept pace with his long strides.
Hikaru watched them disappear before exhaling quietly through his nose. The sound of hurried footsteps soon approached from behind, and moments later Ren, Ryuji, and Yuumo emerged from the winding forest trail. All three looked noticeably worse for wear. Dirt stained their clothes, cuts decorated their arms, and bruises had already begun forming beneath torn sleeves and ripped pant legs. Ren narrowed his eyes toward the direction Juxo had disappeared before looking back at Hikaru with visible confusion. "…Was that Juxo?" he asked.
Hikaru nodded once while beginning to jog forward again. "Yeah. Looks like he's been dragged into this stupid game too." His gaze never left the path ahead as he tightened his grip on his bow. "Come on. If we're lucky, we can catch Kyoya before he disappears again." Ryuji cracked his knuckles with an eager grin. "About damn time," he muttered while breaking into a run beside him. Ren rolled his shoulders as faint streaks of electricity danced around his legs before his Lightning Sword materialized once again. Brilliant arcs of blue lightning wrapped around the sleek blade as he lifted it over his shoulder with practiced ease. Yuumo silently tightened her grip on her Proto Weapon, her eyes remaining locked forward as the four of them rushed deeper into the forest.
Far ahead of them, Kyoya gradually slowed his pace from a sprint to an effortless jog. His breathing remained perfectly calm as though the chase had done little more than entertain him. He casually glanced over one shoulder with a lazy grin, clearly amused that everyone was still trying to catch him. "Persistent little brats," he muttered with a chuckle. "Guess I made too many friends today."
Without warning, the ground beside him exploded.
Juxo erupted from the side of the trail like a charging beast, launching himself high into the air while raising his enormous blade overhead. Muscles bulged beneath his sleeves as he swung downward with overwhelming force. The instant the blade struck the earth, a colossal wave of compressed water erupted upward, roaring through the forest like a tidal wave unleashed from nowhere. Massive trees bent beneath the pressure while the forest floor disappeared beneath crashing torrents.
Kyoya reacted instantly. His boots slid backward across the soaked earth as he twisted his body away from the surging attack, narrowly avoiding the violent explosion of water. His sharp eyes immediately shifted toward his left.
Suzie was already there.
She glided across the flooded ground with elegant precision, her body remaining low as her samurai sword flashed toward Kyoya's neck. Her strike was impossibly clean, executed with flawless discipline, but Kyoya's reflexes were equally terrifying. He reached out at the very last instant and caught the wooden scabbard hanging from her waist before snapping it upward with incredible force. Steel collided against wood with a piercing metallic crack that echoed throughout the clearing. Suzie's blade was knocked harmlessly away while the impact threw her completely off balance. Rather than panic, she tucked her body into a controlled roll, flipping backward across the ground before landing safely several meters away.
Kyoya casually tossed the scabbard aside before turning to continue running.
He never got the chance.
Blue lightning detonated behind him.
Ren appeared in an explosion of electricity, his Lightning Sword dissolving instantly as he shifted into close combat. His entire body accelerated beyond human perception while brilliant bolts erupted beneath his feet. Drawing one leg backward, he launched a devastating kick directly toward Kyoya's head with enough force to shatter stone.
Kyoya ducked beneath it at the last possible moment.
Ren flew straight over him.
Instead of looking surprised, Ren grinned.
"Gotcha!"
At that exact moment, Ryuji came charging from the opposite direction like an unstoppable freight train. Ren reached downward while still airborne, grabbed Ryuji by the shoulder with perfect timing, and used his own momentum to hurl him forward with tremendous force.
Ryuji became a human missile.
Kyoya barely managed to straighten himself before Ryuji's fist collided directly against his own.
The impact erupted like thunder.
The ground beneath both fighters fractured instantly as a violent shockwave exploded outward, flattening nearby bushes and shaking towering trees. For a brief instant, neither of them moved as pure physical strength collided head-on.
Before Kyoya could recover from the clash, another threat descended from above.
Yuumo dropped silently from the forest canopy, her Proto Weapon shifting as metallic plates unfolded around her arm. Mechanical components clicked rapidly into place until the weapon transformed into a massive cannon. She fired immediately.
An enormous blast of concentrated energy screamed downward.
Kyoya vanished a split second before impact.
The blast tore through the exact space he had occupied, obliterating everything behind him in a violent explosion that reduced several ancient trees into splintered debris.
Kyoya had barely landed when he felt another overwhelming pressure descend upon him.
The sky itself darkened.
Thousands upon thousands of arrows spiraled together overhead as Hikaru stood with his bow fully drawn. Juxo's flooded battlefield became the perfect catalyst as every arrow absorbed the surrounding water, merging into one enormous serpentine dragon that twisted violently through the air. The creature roared with enough force to shake the forest canopy while its massive body coiled above the battlefield like a living natural disaster.
Hikaru calmly released the bowstring.
The Water Dragon surged forward.
Its enormous jaws tore through the air as it charged directly toward Kyoya with unstoppable momentum.
Kyoya laughed.
Instead of retreating, he leaped directly onto the dragon's head.
His boots landed effortlessly atop the roaring construct as though he had stepped onto solid ground. Maintaining perfect balance, he sprinted across the dragon's twisting body while the enormous creature thrashed wildly beneath him. Every movement carried him farther away until he finally launched himself into the air just as the dragon lost control and crashed violently into the distant forest, flattening countless trees beneath its tremendous force.
Kyoya flipped gracefully through the air before landing lightly upon the ground. He spread his arms wide and tilted his face toward the beautiful orange morning sky while laughter escaped his lips.
"I've never felt so ali—"
His voice stopped.
Tiny white fragments drifted gently downward.
Kyoya blinked in confusion.
"…Huh?"
A massive shadow tore through the clouds overhead.
Black flames ignited the atmosphere itself.
Something was falling.
No.
Someone.
Shoto Kazami descended from the heavens like a blazing meteor. Torn pieces of a shattered white space suit burned away around his body while black scales rapidly spread beneath his dull gray eyes like living ink. Dark flames wrapped around both of his arms as an overwhelming pressure crushed everything below. His expression no longer resembled the gentle boy everyone knew. What stared down from the sky possessed only instinct, rage, and something ancient buried deep within his soul.
No one had time to react.
Shoto struck the ground directly before Kyoya.
His fist exploded forward.
The punch drove completely through Kyoya's stomach.
Blood erupted into the air.
The atmosphere screamed beneath the force.
Every single person froze.
Juxo.
Suzie.
Hikaru.
Ren.
Ryuji.
Yuumo.
Not a single one of them could believe what they had just witnessed.
Kyoya staggered backward as blood poured freely from the enormous hole in his abdomen.
Then…
He smiled.
Shoto slowly pulled his blood-covered fist free while breathing heavily. Before anyone could process what had happened, flesh began crawling back together around Kyoya's wound. Torn muscles reconnected themselves. Bones rebuilt. Skin sealed flawlessly until not even a scar remained. It was as though the devastating attack had never happened.
Kyoya stretched his shoulders before exhaling with genuine amusement.
"…Oh," he said with a grin. "Now this is getting interesting."
The tremendous force from Shoto's strike finally finished launching Kyoya into the air. His body crashed violently back to the earth several dozen meters away, bouncing once before landing awkwardly upon his neck. A sickening crack echoed across the battlefield as his head twisted into an impossible angle.
Silence settled over the forest.
Nobody moved.
Nobody even breathed.
Then Kyoya's fingers twitched.
A low groan escaped his throat before his broken neck slowly began twisting back into place. Vertebrae slid together with disturbing grinding noises while torn flesh seamlessly reformed around them. Within seconds, he calmly stood back up and dusted dirt from his coat as though he had merely stumbled over a loose rock instead of suffering a fatal injury.
Ryuji stared with his mouth hanging open.
"…H-He…" he muttered weakly. "…He just died twice…"
Shoto landed nearby in a controlled skid, the black flames surrounding his arms gradually fading as his boots dug trenches into the earth. His breathing remained uneven while his dull gray eyes stayed fixed upon Kyoya's impossible recovery.
Juxo looked from Kyoya to Shoto before scratching his head in disbelief.
"…Somebody tell me I'm hallucinating," he muttered. "That bastard literally died twice."
Ryuji finally snapped out of his shock and spun toward Shoto.
"SHOTO!" he shouted. "Where the hell have you been?!"
Shoto didn't answer.
He remained perfectly still with the Zamroak Sword hanging loosely at his side. His expression looked completely empty, as though part of his consciousness remained somewhere far away. Only after Kyoya casually cracked his neck did Shoto slowly lower his gaze toward his own trembling hand.
"…I didn't…" he whispered quietly. "…I didn't mean to…"
Everyone looked toward him.
"I punched him…" Shoto continued, staring at the blood still covering his fingers. "It felt like… none of it mattered. He just… came back." His voice trembled with confusion. "What… was that?"
Kyoya burst into loud laughter.
Still smiling, he drove his own hand directly into his chest before slowly pulling out a strange colorless orb. The transparent sphere shimmered faintly while the surrounding air warped unnaturally around it.
"Courtesy of a little gift from Ayato," Kyoya said cheerfully while holding the orb high for everyone to see, "I'm practically immortal!" He laughed loudly before crushing the orb in his palm. Instead of breaking, the sphere dissolved into shimmering particles that flowed directly back into his chest. "And now that you've finally shown up, Shoto…" His grin widened excitedly. "I can finally unlea—"
"It is time to leave, Kyoya."
The unfamiliar voice echoed calmly across the battlefield.
Everyone turned.
A man slowly emerged from the lingering smoke. His black hair featured a striking streak of white at the front, while his sharp eyes remained unreadable. The pressure surrounding him instantly changed the atmosphere of the clearing, making the forest itself seem quieter simply because he had arrived.
Kyoya clicked his tongue in disappointment before tipping his cowboy hat toward Shoto and the others with a playful grin.
"Guess we'll be seeing each other again sooner than you think."
Hikaru reacted instantly.
"WAIT!"
His Water Sword materialized in one fluid motion before he hurled it with every ounce of strength remaining in his body. The blade spun violently toward Kyoya with tremendous speed.
The white-haired man merely flicked his wrist.
A tiny grenade arced gracefully through the air.
It exploded before Hikaru's blade could reach its target.
A blinding flash consumed the battlefield as thunder erupted through the forest. Smoke, dirt, shattered branches, and overwhelming force swallowed Kyoya and the mysterious man entirely. The resulting shockwave blasted everyone backward while leaves spiraled endlessly through the air.
Several seconds later, the smoke finally began to clear.
They were gone.
Hikaru's Water Sword fell harmlessly to the ground with a dull metallic clatter.
The silence that followed felt almost unbearable.
Hikaru remained kneeling where the explosion had thrown him, his fist buried deep within the earth as frustration boiled across his face. Water seeped from his discarded blade and slowly disappeared into the soil while his breathing grew increasingly heavier. Ren finally broke the oppressive silence as weak sparks continued dancing around his legs. His Lightning Sword gradually dissolved before reforming into its normal shape within his grasp, and he stared blankly toward the empty clearing with complete disbelief. "…Immortal?" he muttered while wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "We… we seriously spent the last hour playing tag with an immortal man?"
Yuumo quietly crouched down and retrieved her Proto Weapon as its mechanical components folded neatly back into its compact form. Although she maintained her usual calm appearance, uncertainty lingered within her eyes as she processed everything she had witnessed. "So even if we accidentally kill him," she said slowly, "he can simply regenerate because of that strange orb." She swallowed hard before letting out a nervous laugh. "…I honestly think I'm going to be sick."
Ryuji rubbed the back of his head while glaring toward the scorched battlefield where Kyoya had disappeared. "Fantastic," he groaned. "First we meet some cowboy that literally refuses to stay dead, and then another guy shows up, throws one grenade, and vanishes." He scratched his head in confusion before looking around at everyone else. "Seriously… what exactly was that other guy supposed to be?"
Juxo let out an annoyed scoff as he slid his gigantic sword back into its sheath across his back. His sharp eyes swept across the group before he shook his head in complete disbelief. "You dumbasses seriously don't have the slightest clue what kind of mess you've stumbled into, do you?" he muttered while folding his arms.
Suzie slowly stepped closer to Shoto, her expression hesitant as she carefully studied the damaged remains of the white space suit still hanging from his body. "…You really came from space…" she whispered softly. "…Didn't you?"
Every eye turned toward Shoto.
He hadn't moved.
Faint black scales continued flickering beneath his eyes before fading and returning again like dying embers refusing to disappear completely. His hands trembled uncontrollably, not because of exhaustion, but because of the overwhelming storm of emotions raging inside him. Fear, confusion, anger, guilt, and countless unanswered questions collided endlessly within his heart.
"…Ayato…" Shoto whispered so quietly that it was almost lost beneath the wind.
Hikaru silently watched him without saying a word.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed across the clearing.
Yumiko burst through the trees from the direction of the crashed capsule before rushing straight toward him.
"Shoto!"
She grabbed his arm without hesitation, overwhelming relief filling her face the instant she realized he was alive. "You're okay… thank God…"
Almost immediately, the black scales beneath Shoto's eyes disappeared completely. The remaining black flames surrounding his body faded away as though embarrassed to exist in front of her. His exhausted legs nearly gave out beneath him, but Yumiko caught him before he could collapse.
"…I'm sorry," Shoto whispered hoarsely while leaning against her for support. "I didn't… mean to scare you."
Ryuji crossed his arms before raising an eyebrow.
"An apology's nice and all," he said, "but it doesn't exactly explain why you literally fell out of orbit like a meteor."
Shoto closed his eyes for several long moments before finally steadying his breathing. When he opened them again, the last traces of black fire had disappeared entirely.
"…That man mentioned Ayato," he said quietly. "If he knows him… then he's probably working for my father."
The statement settled over the clearing like a heavy weight.
Ryuji frowned in confusion.
"…Ayato?"
Ren tilted his head.
"Hold on," he interrupted. "Who's Ayato supposed to be?"
Yuumo remained silent, but her grip tightened around her Proto Weapon while she carefully studied Shoto's face. Everyone shared the exact same question, yet none of them fully understood why his expression had suddenly become so heavy.
Hikaru slowly adjusted his glasses before speaking.
"…Ayato," he repeated thoughtfully. "You mean… your father."
Shoto never looked up.
He simply nodded once.
"…Yeah."
Hikaru released a slow breath as countless pieces suddenly fell into place inside his mind.
"…I see."
Behind them, the sound of footsteps echoed once again.
Juxo had already begun walking away with Suzie following closely behind him, one hand resting quietly upon the hilt of her sword.
Ryuji immediately called after them.
"Hey! Where the hell are you two going now?!"
Juxo stopped walking before violently turning back toward the group. His razor-sharp teeth bared as anger flashed across his face.
"WE ARE NOT ON THE SAME TEAM, SHITHEAD!" he roared. "And besides…" He jabbed his thumb toward the deeper part of the forest. "I've gotta find Zan-Xi and tell him everything that happened today before this entire situation turns into something even worse."
Suzie glanced back one final time, her eyes briefly lingering on Shoto before she quietly lowered her gaze. Without another word, she turned around and followed Juxo into the forest until both of their figures disappeared among the endless trees, leaving the remaining group alone with more questions than answers and a future that had suddenly become far darker than any of them had imagined.