New World, Vafflard.
A mysterious pale yellow beam of light pierced the sky from the island's heart. Ancient stone towers, tall and uneven, stood guard around it like sentinels—the whole arrangement an altar, ancient and strange.
Sephiroth stood on a cliff, surveying the layout below.
*Squeak, squeak, squeak!*
A flood of black bats tore from his form, scattering in all directions to map the island's terrain and structures.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*
Drawn by the disturbance, a cylindrical stone statue—six meters tall—soared into view. An eye-like relief marked its front; two scarlet shields hovered at its sides.
Circular gaps punctured its top, bottom, left, and right, bleeding a viscous orange-red energy that radiated blistering heat.
*Rumble!*
The statue slammed down beside Sephiroth. An orange-red tornado of flame erupted outward from its base.
The shockwave shook the cliff, scattering gravel into the sea below.
Sephiroth watched, intrigued, as a fiery red head and a halo of firelight extended from the statue's top. A black-and-white Yin-Yang mask covered its face. From the glowing energy, it forged legs, hands, and a red spear tipped with flame.
The ground beneath the guard's feet blackened and scorched. Grass nearby caught fire, curling into ash.
Sephiroth slowly drew the twin blades at his waist, eyeing the nine-meter-tall construct.
"Interesting… a technology that materializes elemental energy."
His voice was a low murmur.
"If I unravel its secrets, perhaps I could forge a natural-type Devil Fruit."
Beyond the ancient weapon, *Breaths of the Gods*, he wanted this island's knowledge.
This world had regressed. Incompetent, the World Government had scrubbed away civilizations and technologies, leaving a gap of five hundred years between the present and that lost ancient epoch…
This stone guard was a surviving relic of that forgotten sky civilization.
The statue guard swung its flaming spear—a fiery arc in the air—slashing diagonally toward Sephiroth.
*Clang!*
The black blade of his butcher knife met the spear. A wave of scorching heat washed over him, uncomfortable and dry.
With his left hand, Sephiroth swept the Nether Flame Blade upward, releasing a testing slash of fire toward the statue's head at a vicious angle.
The next moment—
*Boom!*
The flame slash exploded on impact. But instead of damage, tendrils of fire energy scattered into the air… only to be drawn swiftly into the orange-red firelight ring on the guard's back.
The ring glowed brighter. Flames surged.
Fireballs erupted from it, raining down toward Sephiroth's position.
His black wings snapped open behind him. He shoved the flaming spear back, leaping away in retreat.
Wings beating hard, he ascended. Weaving between falling fireballs, he swung the Nether Flame Blade once more, hurling another fiery slash downward.
As expected, the energy from the flame slash that hit the guard statue was absorbed into the ring of firelight again, becoming its reserve energy.
"Oh? It can absorb the flame's energy?"
Sephiroth sheathed the Nether Flame Blade. Instead, he swept the butcher knife in a wide arc, unleashing a slash of blood-red sword qi straight at the stone guard.
This time, the statue didn't just stand there. It raised its spear to block.
*Boom!*
The crimson qi shattered against the spear in a shower of sparks. In the same motion, the guard swung back with a flaming counterattack. Sephiroth beat his wings and dodged.
He'd meant to keep testing the thing's limits, but a flicker in his senses stopped him. Several of the black bats he'd sent to scout the sky had just disintegrated—struck by lightning near a distant stone tower.
"Hmm. Enough games," he muttered. "Time for business."
He swung the butcher knife, tore a spatial door into the air, and stepped through.
Once he was gone, the stone guard stilled. Its limbs and head retracted, sealing back into a simple cylinder. It resumed its patrol, a silent sentinel against intruders on the island.
This guard commanded fire. Three others patrolled separate zones, wielding wind, lightning, and ice. All drew their power from the same source: the Breaths of the Gods, hidden somewhere on this island.
In the very heart of Vafflard, at the foot of a colossal stone tower, the air shimmered.
A flash of scarlet light. A ripple in space. Sephiroth emerged from the folded void, butcher knife in hand, and landed before the tower's main entrance.
Before him stood a massive stone door, etched with intricate patterns that glowed with a harsh, purple light. This was the entrance. This was where the Breaths were hidden.
"Who are you?"
The voice was cool, female. It came from his side.
"What is your purpose at the Sky Gazing Tower?"
He turned. A short distance away stood a girl in a white hooded dress. Her black hair brushed her ears; her eyes were a sharp sapphire blue.
Sephiroth's mouth curved into a wicked smile. His tone was casual, matter-of-fact.
"I'm here for the ancient weapon hidden inside."
"What? Are you with the World Government?" Her sapphire eyes narrowed. "Have you come to steal the Breaths of the Gods as well?"
"I do intend to take the Breaths," he said. "But let's be clear—I am not with the Government."
As he spoke, the girl in white drifted closer. She reached out with her right hand, aiming to touch him.
"Sorry. I'm not in the mood to play."
He sidestepped, letting her hand sweep through empty air.
The next moment.
The butcher knife in his right hand drew a graceful arc in the air, severing her neck in one clean motion. Her head toppled from her shoulders.