The word didn't echo.
It pressed.
"…return…"
The sky answered.
Fragments that had been drifting—
Now rushed.
Not gently.
Not slowly.
Violently.
— Impact Begins —
Juvy felt it first.
A pressure in her chest.
Like something inside her was being pulled out.
"…Ghh—!"
She dropped to one knee.
Lina grabbed her.
"…Juvy!"
The fragments above them twisted—
Then dived.
Not just toward the Vessel—
Toward her.
— Maxruell —
Across the field—
Maxruell stood still.
Watching.
Feeling it.
His hand trembled.
Not from fear.
From reaction.
"…So this is what you want…"
The ground beneath him cracked.
Not from power—
From pressure.
Kael stepped forward.
"…Don't fight it directly."
Maxruell didn't look at him.
"…I don't take orders."
— The Crowd Breaks —
The fragment users—
Stopped walking.
Then—
They screamed.
Not in pain.
In overload.
Their fragments activated all at once.
Light burst.
Shadows warped.
Energy tore through the air.
Chaos.
Instant.
— Juvy's Struggle —
Juvy gripped her chest.
"…It's pulling… something…"
Lina held her tighter.
"…Don't let it take you!"
A fragment shot downward—
Straight at Juvy.
She tried to move—
Too slow.
Then—
It hit.
— Reaction —
Light exploded around her.
Not controlled.
Not clean.
Wild.
Juvy's eyes widened.
"…My light—?!"
For the first time since Volume 4—
It returned.
But wrong.
— Maxruell's Turn —
A shadow fragment struck near Maxruell.
It didn't hit him directly.
It merged with the ground beneath him.
The shadows rose.
Responding.
Maxruell smirked slightly.
"…Heh…"
"…There you are."
His shadow flickered back.
Unstable.
But real.
— The Vessel Moves —
At the center—
The Vessel watched everything.
Calm.
Observing.
"…yes…"
"…return to form…"
It stepped forward.
Each step—
Pulled more fragments into it.
Growing stronger.
More complete.
— Clash Begins —
Juvy stood.
Her light unstable around her.
"…This isn't right…"
She looked at the Vessel.
"…You're forcing it."
The Vessel tilted its head.
"…correction…"
Maxruell stepped forward from the other side.
"…Call it whatever you want…"
A faint shadow formed around him.
"…I call it control."
Their eyes met briefly.
Juvy and Maxruell.
Different sides.
Same target.
— First Strike —
Juvy moved first.
Light surged forward.
Unstable—
But powerful.
Maxruell followed.
Shadows striking from another angle.
The attacks hit—
Directly at the Vessel.
— Result —
Nothing.
The Vessel didn't block.
Didn't dodge.
The attacks passed through it.
Like it wasn't fully there.
Juvy froze.
"…What—"
Maxruell clicked his tongue.
"…Annoying."
— The Truth —
The Vessel raised its hand.
"…incomplete attacks…"
A pulse released.
Both Juvy and Maxruell were thrown back.
Hard.
They hit the ground.
Their unstable powers flickering again.
The Vessel looked down at them.
"…you resist…"
A pause.
"…but you will return…"
Fragments swirled faster.
The crowd behind them—
Completely out of control now.
The battlefield—
Had begun.