The universe was silent.
Arata Kurogane had been sent flying through two planets before his body slammed into the surface of a third. The impact drove him deep into the planet's crust, and the ground beneath him collapsed in an expanding wave that continued for thousands of miles.
The planet shook. Mountains crumbled. Oceans surged. The atmosphere twisted around the point of impact as the force of Kitakim's technique tore through the world.
Then everything stopped. For several seconds, nothing moved. The distant stars remained silent witnesses to the destruction, and the planet's trembling gradually subsided. A few moments later, a figure rose from the enormous crater.
Arata emerged from the planet's surface without a scratch on his body. He floated into space, glanced briefly at the destruction beneath him, and turned toward the distant blue world that was once again coming apart.
Kael'Ar.
He began walking...There was no ground beneath his feet, yet his steps carried him forward as naturally as though he were strolling down a quiet street. Each movement brought him closer to the distant planet, but his pace remained almost leisurely. His hands rested at his sides. His expression was calm. Then his voice echoed throughout the surrounding cosmos.
"A single bad imagination, and everything is over." He continued walking. "I'm trying really hard not to end this quickly." The words traveled across the void, carried through the universe by a force that did not depend on ordinary sound.
Far away, Kitakim raised his head. The Constellation Circuit responded to his will, translating his thoughts into a signal that could travel through the emptiness of space.
"Then why are you smiling?" Arata stopped. He slowly raised his head, his crimson eyes settling upon the distant figure. For a brief moment, he seemed to consider the question. Then he smiled.
"I thought of something fun." The instant those words reached Kitakim, a chill passed through his body. It wasn't the cold of space. It was instinct. Something deep within him had recognized a danger that his rational mind had not yet measured.
"I have to use more power before he adapts." His expression hardened. Whatever he's thinking about, I cannot afford to give him the time to complete it. Kitakim moved. "Winter Hexagon!" Space folded.
The distance between the two men vanished, and Kitakim appeared around Arata in six successive positions. His right foot struck from the first angle, followed by the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.
Each kick carried enough force to destroy a planet but none of them landed.
The attacks passed through the space where Arata stood without making contact. eyes widened. Arata hadn't dodged. He hadn't blocked. He hadn't even shifted his weight. Instead, the space surrounding him had changed.
The distance between Arata and every approaching object had become something he could manipulate. The relationship between position and contact no longer behaved according to the rules Kitakim had used to construct his technique.
No matter how quickly Kitakim crossed the distance, no matter how precisely he calculated his angles, the space separating his attacks from Arata adjusted itself to prevent contact.
It was as though the final distance between them could never reach zero. Kitakim's six attacks became meaningless. Arata inhaled. No one saw him move. One instant, he stood where Kitakim had attacked. The next, he was behind him.
There was no visible trajectory, no distortion that Kitakim could follow, and no interval between the two positions that his perception could properly register. Arata was simply there. As if distance had never applied to him in the first place.
Nine impacts struck Kitakim. The first landed against his back. The second struck his ribs. The third caught his shoulder. The remaining six followed so rapidly that they seemed to arrive as a single event.
Kitakim's body shot forward. He crossed the vast distance between star systems and plunged directly into a sun. For one brief moment, his silhouette was visible against the brilliant surface. Then the star exploded.
The eruption consumed the surrounding region in an immense sphere of energy. Nearby planets were engulfed, their surfaces disintegrating beneath the expanding wave, while other celestial bodies were torn from their orbits and destroyed by the force of the explosion.
The surrounding darkness became a sea of light and beneath it, Kael'Ar suffered once again. The shockwave swept down from space.
It struck the planet like an invisible wall, flattening everything in its path. Mountains disappeared beneath the force, forests were reduced to scattered fragments, and the remaining land formations collapsed under the pressure.
The oceans rose in enormous waves before being forced back into their basins. The sky itself seemed to buckle. Yet amid the devastation, one building remained untouched.
The rooftop where Lord Zenith, Queen Nullis, John, Tessandra, and the others stood was protected by a barrier that held firm against the incoming force. The shockwave passed over it. Not a single stone shifted. Kaelen stared at the ruined world below. His face had gone pale. "That was..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
There was nothing to compare it to. The force had descended from an explosion occurring in another solar system, yet its consequences had reached their world with enough power to flatten the landscape.
And this was only the aftermath of a few exchanges. Beside him, Denma had stopped breathing for a moment before forcing himself to inhale.
Kimotsu's hands were clenched. Faith stared at the devastation, while Gene remained unusually quiet. Jess looked toward the heavens, trying to follow the distant movements of the two combatants.
Britanya stood still, her expression solemn. She had seen powerful people fight before but this battle was taking place on a scale where entire planets had become little more than the terrain between two opponents.
Tessandra's perception threads stretched outward, following the remaining waves of energy. Her gaze narrowed. "He's still alive," she murmured. John stood beside her, his ocean-blue eyes fixed upon the distant explosion.
"Of course he is." His voice held no surprise. He had fought enough powerful beings to recognize when an opponent had been struck by an attack that was devastating but not decisive. Still, his attention remained sharp.
Kitakim had been forced to reveal more of his power, and Arata had begun moving in ways that even the Constellation Circuit's spatial techniques could not easily counter. This was no longer a battle in which one man was merely testing the other. Both were beginning to adapt and that was precisely when things became dangerous. The explosion gradually faded.
Fragments of destroyed planets drifted through the darkness, illuminated by the dying light of the star that had once occupied the center of the solar system. Among the debris, Kitakim floated motionlessly. Blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
He raised one hand and wiped it away with his thumb, studying the red stain for a moment before lowering his arm. His expression had changed. The confident smile that had accompanied his earlier attacks was gone. "That movement..." He replayed the exchange in his mind.
He had sensed Arata behind him, but the sensation had arrived after the attacks had already landed. There had been no proper warning, no discernible acceleration, and no path that he could reconstruct. Reality didn't even register his movement. The thought unsettled him more than the physical damage.
Speed was something that could be measured. Space could be manipulated. Time could be accounted for through the relationships between events but what was he supposed to do against someone whose movements appeared to bypass the very interval that connected one position to another?
Kitakim slowly clenched his fist. "I can't delay any further."
He had intended to learn more about Arata before revealing the full extent of his abilities. The Soul Circuit was unpredictable, and giving an opponent too much information could be a fatal mistake but the situation had changed. Arata was learning from every exchange.
If Kitakim continued fighting at this level, he would eventually lose the advantage he had spent so long cultivating. "I have to show him my true power. Or at least establish enough leverage to prevent him from controlling the entire battle." His eyes narrowed.
The Constellation Circuit awakened within him.
"Circuit Embodiment — The One of Constellations."
The universe trembled.
Kitakim's hair turned white, each strand illuminated by the power gathering around his body. His presence expanded, and behind his head appeared a white halo bearing nine brilliant stars.
The stars rotated slowly. Each one radiated a distinct pressure, yet together they formed a unified pattern that seemed to reflect the structure of the heavens themselves. The surrounding darkness brightened.
Distant regions of space, previously untouched by the light of nearby celestial bodies, were illuminated by Kitakim's presence. The remains of the destroyed solar system shimmered beneath the radiance, and the surrounding planets that had survived the earlier attacks began to shake.
His Circuit Embodiment was not simply a transformation.
It was the manifestation of his understanding of the constellations, elevated into a state where the principles governing celestial arrangements could be expressed through his own existence.
Kitakim lowered his head. Then he stepped forward. The air shattered. A sound like glass breaking echoed through the surrounding space, and Kitakim appeared behind Arata with his left hand already descending toward his face.
Arata turned. He did not appear to move his body in any conventional sense. His position shifted at the precise moment Kitakim's attack arrived, and his crimson eyes settled upon his opponent.
Kitakim's left hand passed through empty space. He immediately stepped backward. His right hand swept to the side.
An invisible force tore through the surrounding region, destroying distant stars and planets in a broad arc. For a fraction of a second, Kitakim believed he had redirected Arata's attack. Then he realized what had actually happened.
The destruction had not originated from his own strike. Arata had attacked him. So quickly that the motion had never become visible. Kitakim had only reacted in time to redirect the incoming force away from himself.
His expression tightened. "He's attacking while I'm moving". Arata stood several meters away, his hands relaxed at his sides. He looked almost disappointed. "You've improved your reaction speed." Kitakim didn't answer.
The compliment was more insulting than an outright taunt. Arata had noticed his defense, understood what he had done, and evaluated it in the brief interval between their movements. Kitakim raised his right palm. "Authority of the Constellation — Star Overlord." The surrounding space erupted with light.
Millions of stellar bodies manifested around Arata. They were not ordinary stars drawn from distant regions of the universe. Each was a celestial manifestation formed through Kitakim's authority, carrying the destructive energy and heat associated with stellar existence.
They surrounded Arata from every direction. Above him, below him, in front of him and behind him. The stars arranged themselves into a vast formation, leaving him trapped at its center. Kitakim closed his right hand.
"Star Explosion."
Every star detonated. The universe disappeared beneath the light.
An immense explosion expanded through space, swallowing Arata in a storm of stellar energy. The surrounding region became a sea of white radiance, and the shockwaves tore through the remaining planetary debris.
For several minutes, the light continued to burn.
Kitakim remained suspended beyond the explosion's center, his white hair drifting around his face. The nine stars behind his head rotated steadily, maintaining the authority that held his technique together.
He watched the destruction without blinking. Then, slowly, the light began to fade. A figure emerged from its center. Arata stood amid the dissipating radiance.
His posture remained straight, and his expression was unchanged. Only his right sleeve had suffered any visible damage, the fabric slightly burned along its edge. Thin wisps of steam rose from his clothes before disappearing into the surrounding void.
Kitakim's eyes narrowed.
"As I thought." He examined Arata carefully. "Star energy is effective because its heat is conceptual. Given the right conditions, it can burn almost anything. Even space itself can be annihilated."
He smiled. "Let's see how long you can keep pretending that nothing affects you."
Kitakim dashed forward. His fist shot toward Arata's face.
Arata blocked with his right hand. The impact sent a ripple through the surrounding space, but neither man was displaced. Arata's fingers closed around Kitakim's wrist, and he pulled his opponent toward him.
His left fist drove toward Kitakim's stomach. Kitakim reacted in time. He blocked the punch with his free arm and immediately rotated both arms, using the movement to redirect Arata's momentum.
Arata's body spun upside down through the air but before Kitakim could capitalize on the opening, Arata bent his leg and kicked him squarely in the right shoulder. The impact sent Kitakim downward through space. He twisted his body, regained his balance, and extended his right hand.
Then he grasped the space around Arata. Not metaphorically. His fingers closed around the region Arata occupied, and the surrounding spatial structure responded as though it had become a physical object.
Kitakim swung his arm downward. The space around Arata moved with it. Arata was dragged toward Kael'Ar. His body shot through the void, accelerating toward the planet below.
For the first time in the battle, Kitakim had successfully used the surrounding space itself to control his opponent's position. Arata's eyes narrowed. So he can literally hold space and use it. The observation came with a hint of satisfaction.
Kitakim's authority was more versatile than he had initially assumed. He wasn't merely manipulating distances or creating stellar attacks. Through his Circuit Embodiment, he could interact with the structure of space as though it were an extension of his own body.
It was a useful ability. Potentially dangerous, too. But Arata had no time to explore the idea. Kael'Ar rushed toward him. He struck the ground with tremendous force.
The impact destroyed an enormous stretch of land, sending fragments of the surface into the atmosphere. A crater spread outward beneath him, and the shockwave tore through the surrounding terrain.
Arata remained within the crater for a moment. Above him, Kitakim stepped out of the space he had manipulated, appearing in the air with his white halo shining behind his head. He looked down at Arata.
"I noticed something a while ago." His voice carried across the ruined landscape. "The civilians are in another space. You've hidden them in a separate dimension so they wouldn't suffer the consequences of this war."
Arata remained still. Kitakim's smile widened. "They're all asleep, aren't they? Completely unaware that the world they live in is being torn apart." He tilted his head. "That's considerate of you." The nine stars behind him brightened.
"But perhaps I should make this more interesting." His eyes sharpened. "Maybe I should slaughter them." For the first time since the battle began, Arata did not immediately respond. He slowly raised his head. The dust around him settled.
Kitakim watched from above, seemingly pleased with himself for having discovered a way to provoke his opponent but Arata was not looking at him with anger. He was thinking…"He's right." The realization was unpleasant, but there was no point denying it.
He had placed the civilians in a separate dimension and ensured that no outside force could interfere with their safety. He had designed the space with safeguards that should have prevented even the most powerful beings from reaching them.
He had accounted for the possibility of dimensional interference. He had accounted for spatial manipulation.
He had accounted for the ability to locate hidden worlds but he had underestimated how much Kitakim's authority could reveal about the structure of the universe. "I didn't think he'd be able to locate them in a separate dimension…." Arata slowly rose from the crater.
His clothes shifted in the wind. "I'll admit it," he said. "I was too laid-back about their situation." Kitakim watched him. Arata lifted his gaze toward the man hovering above the ruined land.
"I didn't think you'd be able to locate them in a separate dimension."
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Arata's thoughts turned inward. "Do I really have to take a stand in the spotlight?" The question had followed him since the beginning.
He had reincarnated into a world that had assigned him the role of a powerless side character. At first, he had found the arrangement amusing. He could remain unnoticed, observe the people around him, and enjoy the freedom that came from being underestimated.
Power had made that possible. The Soul Circuit had made it easier.
And over time, he had built a life around the idea that he could stand outside the main story, influence events when necessary, and avoid becoming the center of attention but the world had never been willing to leave him alone. His existence had become a source of fear.
The First Circuit Beings had feared the Soul Circuit long before his arrival. Their fear had become part of the history of the world, shaping their choices and the conflicts that followed. The First Circuit War had not begun simply because powerful beings desired greater strength. It had also begun because they feared what another power might become.
That fear had survived the centuries. It had passed from one generation to the next, embedded within the circuits of the First Circuit Beings and carried into the present by those who inherited their power.
Now Kitakim stood before him, prepared to threaten innocent people because he could not guarantee victory through strength alone. The same fear, the same instinct and cycle.
Arata lowered his head. "If I keep standing behind everyone else, will my actions as a background character eventually become meaningless?"
He had wanted to remain unnoticed.
But what was the point of that desire if the people he chose to protect could still be threatened by the consequences of his existence?
His fingers slowly curled. For several seconds, Arata remained silent. Then he looked up at Kitakim.
"I should destroy you."
The words were quiet. They carried no theatrical declaration, no raised voice, and no elaborate technique.
They were simply a conclusion. And the moment those words left his lips, existence itself seemed to reach its end. There was no explosion. No flash of light. No visible wave of energy spreading across the universe.
Instead, reality itself seemed to disappear for an immeasurably brief instant. Every possible future collapsed into a single image. An image of nothing. No stars, planets, dimensions, no Shadow World, No Heaven or hell.
No living beings to observe the silence. Even the laws that allowed existence to continue seemed to have been erased, leaving behind a state in which nothing could remain—not even the concept of nothingness itself. Arata saw it.
For a fraction of a moment, his mind had followed the implication of his own words to their absolute conclusion. If he truly decided to destroy Kitakim without restraint, if he allowed his imagination to pursue that decision without limitation, then the consequences might not stop with a single opponent.
The possibility expanded. It swallowed everything and then Arata rejected it. The image vanished. Reality returned but the universe remembered. Across the vastness of existence, every living being felt a shudder of fear.
In Heaven, beings who had witnessed the ascension of Supreme Light suddenly froze. Within the Shadow World, creatures that had challenged their returning sovereign lowered their heads without understanding why.
In distant dimensions, powerful entities paused in the middle of their pursuits, their instincts reacting to something that their minds could not comprehend. On Kael'Ar, Lord Zenith's expression changed. Queen Nullis's eyes widened. John Merciless became completely still.
Tessandra's perception threads faltered for a fraction of a second, and she pressed one hand against her chest. Kaelen, Jess, Kimotsu, Denma, Faith, and Gene felt their hearts stop for a single instant. Nobody moved or spoke. Even Jaotsu and Reinhart, standing far below the rooftop, nearly dropped to their knees.
The world itself seemed to fall silent. For that single moment, every being in existence experienced the same impossible sensation. They had died and somehow, they had returned. Then the pressure disappeared.
The universe continued as though nothing had happened but those who had felt it could not dismiss the experience as an illusion. John's gaze remained fixed on Arata. His expression was unreadable, but his fingers had curled slightly at his side. He understood his master better than almost anyone.
He knew what the Soul Circuit could do.
And he knew that what had just happened was not an ordinary display of power. Arata had briefly perceived a possibility that should never have been allowed to become reality. Worse, he had almost accepted it. Arata raised his right hand and placed it over his face.
He remained in that position for several seconds, breathing slowly. Then he lowered his arm. "No," he murmured. "I shouldn't get so worked up." His voice was calm again, but there was a faint tension in his expression.
He looked toward Kitakim. "He can sense the dimension where I placed the civilians, but he can't interfere with it. I made sure of that." Arata's eyes narrowed. "Finding something and reaching it are two entirely different matters." The distinction was important.
Kitakim had identified the existence of the hidden dimension through the authority of the Constellation Circuit. That did not mean he could break through the protections Arata had established around it.
Still, Arata had made a mistake. He had underestimated his opponent's ability to perceive the larger structure of reality. He would not make that mistake again. His hand fell to his side.
The atmosphere around him changed. A low vibration spread through the crater, and the broken ground began to tremble. The fragments of stone suspended in the air stopped moving, held in place by an invisible authority.
Arata raised his head. "Soul Circuit Authority — Godhead Manifestation." The world went silent. His black hair began to change.
White spread through it, transforming its color until half remained black and the other half became pure white. His crimson eyes glowed with an intensity that made the surrounding darkness appear deeper by comparison.
Behind his head, a halo manifested. Unlike Kitakim's white halo, this one was divided into two distinct halves. Black and white.
Nine black stars revolved around its circumference, each one carrying a presence that seemed to reach beyond the limits of the visible universe.
The air trembled.
Space itself appeared to bend beneath the pressure of Arata's existence, and the shattered landscape around him grew unnaturally still. This was no longer the relaxed young man who had stood with his hands in his pockets. Nor was it simply another Circuit Embodiment.
The Soul Circuit had assumed a form that expressed its authority through Arata's existence itself. Godhead Manifestation. Kitakim's smile vanished. For the first time, he felt the full weight of the power standing before him. Arata lowered his right hand.
He glanced toward the ground and pointed downward. An invisible force descended upon Kitakim. The space around the First Circuit Being compressed, dragging him toward the planet with overwhelming pressure. Kitakim's body dropped.
He twisted in midair, adjusted his posture, and forced his feet beneath him before landing on the broken ground. The impact shattered the surface around his feet, but he remained standing. His white hair moved in the turbulent air. The nine stars behind his head continued to shine. Arata began walking toward him. One step. Then another.
His pace was unhurried, and his expression remained calm. Yet every step seemed to carry a declaration that the rules of this confrontation had changed. Kitakim watched him approach, his eyes fixed on the black-and-white halo behind Arata's head.
He had spent the battle trying to force his opponent to reveal more of his power. Now he had succeeded and for the first time, Kitakim wondered whether that had been a mistake. Arata stopped several paces away. His crimson eyes met Kitakim's. The ruined planet trembled beneath them.
Neither man spoke but the next exchange would decide whether Kitakim had awakened the power necessary to defeat Arata Kurogane or merely given the man who wished to remain a background character a reason to stop holding back.