The barrage of fire arrows closed in, their scorching light reflecting in Kairyuuha’s unreadable, smirking eyes. Just as the magic was about to consume him—he moved.

  A dome of swirling inferno erupted from beneath his feet. Purple flames laced with chaotic lightning spun outward, forming a spiraling cyclone around him. The fire arrows collided, but the summoned inferno devoured them whole. The sky ignited. A blast of smoke and searing heat blanketed the battlefield below as the very atmosphere trembled.

  And then—light pierced through the smoke.

  From within the swirling chaos, two auras surged like burning stars.

  Kazuki and Kairyuuha shot out of the smoke like rockets, their auras trailing behind them—red and purple, like two divine comets tearing through the sky. The world below could barely register their movement. They clashed mid-flight, their blades sparking with a sound like shattering galaxies. Each impact sent out gravitational ripples that distorted space for miles.

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  Reality itself warped around them.

  Their swords collided again and again as they launched upward, still fighting, still locked in that endless spiral of fury and power. The sky darkened. The clouds below scattered from the sheer pressure of their flight.

  Kazuki broke off, putting distance between them. His body blurred as he charged his next move—his hands burned with red-hot magic circles, twisting and layering into a dense spiral of power.

  “Atomic Vortex—300% output!”

  The spell burst forth like the birth of a star—blinding and enormous. A beam of concentrated destruction ripped through the sky at light-speed, headed directly for Kairyuuha.

  A massive explosion of light swallowed the heavens.

  But… something was wrong.

  The smoke cleared—and Kairyuuha was gone.

  Kazuki’s eyes narrowed. His heart skipped.

  He spun around—and there he was.

  Floating behind him.

  Kairyuuha, shrouded in a dense shell of pure dark energy, hovered calmly. The space around him fractured like shattered glass. His eyes glowed brighter than the sun—one red, one blue. They weren’t eyes anymore; they were beacons of cosmic terror.

  Kazuki’s breath hitched. His grip tightened.

  For the first time in a long while… he felt fear.