Chapter 4

  The silence after Kaien’s revelation still lingered like a fog in the room.

  Sera stood still, her mind spinning from the truth: Rei Archlight… the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse.

  Her fists clenched. Her face, usually calm, held a storm behind her eyes.

  Rei noticed.

  He stretched casually and let out a yawn. “Well… since the mood’s officially killed, how about we lighten things up?”

  Kaien arched an eyebrow.

  Rei’s lazy grin returned. “How about a spar, General? Just fists. No weapons. No killing. I wanna see if I’ve rusted after two years of peace.”

  Kaien crossed his arms, the corner of his mouth twitching into the ghost of a smirk. “Trying to relive your glory days, Reaper?”

  Rei shrugged. “Just making sure I’m still worth the scary title.”

  Sera glanced at both of them, her expression finally shifting — a flicker of curiosity replacing tension. She tried to look indifferent, but her eyes lit up slightly.

  She wanted to see it — just how strong one had to be to earn a seat among the Horsemen.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ---

  Moments later, the three of them entered a massive enclosed training room. Reinforced walls, impact-absorbing floors, and dozens of deep scars from previous duels told stories of power that had once clashed here.

  Rei and Kaien stood across from each other in the center.

  Sera stepped closer to the edge, but Kaien called out without looking. “Back up, sweetheart. Farther.”

  Rei chimed in. “Unless you want a cracked rib from the shockwaves.”

  Sera scowled. “I’m not that weak.”

  Rei raised an eyebrow. “You’re not. But this isn’t a spar between students.”

  Annoyed, she stepped back — arms crossed — but a tiny part of her wondered… was she underestimating them?

  ---

  Kaien rolled his shoulders, his presence shifting into something heavier. “Ready?”

  Rei smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Want me to unleash the bloodlust?”

  Kaien’s gaze flickered toward Sera and then back. “Tone it down. She's still here.”

  Rei’s grin widened — and then, his eyes closed.

  Silence.

  Then they snapped open—burning red.

  The room darkened as if the very air thickened. A wave of crimson aura erupted around Rei, like a pulse of raw pressure. It wasn’t just ki. It wasn’t magic. It was something primal. Suffocating.

  Bloodlust.

  Sera staggered, a wave of nausea hitting her like a punch. Her knees buckled slightly. What is this…?

  She backed up further, heart hammering. She hated to admit it, but—they were right. Standing too close would’ve been a mistake.

  Kaien’s expression remained steady, but his words held weight. “Still as viscous and oppressive as ever.”

  Then, to Sera’s surprise, Kaien reached up and took off his coat.

  Her breath caught.

  The General never removed that coat unless he was facing someone on his level.

  She stared at the two of them now — one wrapped in blood-red aura, the other standing calm like a grounded mountain.

  And for the first time in years, Sera felt it again:

  Awe.

  This wasn’t a simple spar.

  This… was the clash of monsters.