CHAPTER 85 — RETURN TO REALITY
The library was still trembling.
Pieces of stone were falling from the ceiling.
Zayn was leaning against an overturned bookshelf, one hand resting on Borealis.
Beside him, Yojuro was breathing slowly.
His vision was blurry.
— Can you see anything? Zayn asked.
— A little.
— How many fingers?
Zayn raised his hand.
Yojuro looked.
— Two.
Zayn slowly lowered his eyes.
He had raised five fingers.
— Oh yeah… you're really messed up.
— Shut up.
In front of them, Kai was facing the two Djinns.
Vera was standing on one of the remaining bookshelves. Her eight arms were stretched out around her.
Herco was floating slightly above the ground.
The space behind him began to distort.
— You're tired, Vera said.
She looked at Zayn and Yojuro.
— Your friends can't help you anymore.
Kai looked behind him.
— I can.
Herco sighed.
— You…
A black circle appeared in the air.
Then a second.
Then a third.
The portals opened.
Inside…
A black sky.
Stars.
The emptiness of space.
Zayn looked up.
— He's doing it again.
Herco raised his hand.
— ASTRAL GATE.
Several objects passed through the portals.
Rocks.
Metal fragments.
Pieces of debris floating in space.
They began to spin around Kai.
Vera smiled.
— And me…
Her body disappeared.
FWOOSH!
She reappeared in front of Kai.
BOOM!
Her fist struck his face.
Kai didn't move.
Vera disappeared again.
FWOOSH!
To the left.
BOOM!
To the right.
BOOM!
Behind him.
BOOM!
Her eight arms struck with increasing force.
With every teleportation…
Her blows became more powerful.
— EIGHTFOLD SHIFT!
Vera disappeared again.
Then again.
Then again.
Her energy increased.
Kai blocked a blow.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Zayn opened his eyes.
— She hits really hard.
Yojuro slightly nodded.
— Yes.
Vera appeared above Kai.
Her eight fists were joined together.
— FINISH!
She struck.
BOOOOOOM!
A huge shockwave tore through the library.
Dust filled the room.
Vera landed.
She smiled.
— There.
Then a voice echoed behind her.
— Not bad.
Vera froze.
Kai was standing behind her.
— But you make too much noise.
Vera turned around.
Too late.
Kai grabbed two of her arms.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
He slammed her directly into the ground.
The impact created a crater.
Before she could get back up…
Kai was already in front of her.
One punch.
BOOM!
A second.
BOOM!
Then a third.
BOOOOOOM!
Vera was sent flying through several bookshelves.
She tried to teleport.
Her body disappeared.
But Kai simply looked around him.
— There.
He turned his arm.
Vera reappeared.
And his fist was already in front of her.
CRAAAAACK!
The blow sent her crashing into a wall.
This time…
She didn't get back up.
Zayn remained silent.
Then he looked at Yojuro.
— Did he really just guess where she was going to appear?
— I think so.
— How?
— I don't know.
— Great.
Herco clenched his teeth.
— VERA!
The portals behind him grew larger.
A rain of rocks began to fall.
Kai looked up.
— Finally.
The meteorites fell.
BOOM!
Kai avoided the first one.
BOOM!
He struck the second.
It exploded.
A third one came.
Kai extended one hand.
A huge amount of energy from the impact moved toward him.
It was absorbed.
His arms began to glow.
Herco frowned.
— What the…
A new energy arrived.
Kai absorbed it as well.
The spatial energy from the portals.
The explosions.
The attacks.
Everything disappeared into his body.
Zayn smiled.
— Ah.
— Now, he's angry.
Kai looked at Herco.
— You control space.
Herco remained silent.
— Me, I take the energy.
Kai raised his hand.
A glowing sphere appeared in his palm.
It grew.
Again.
Herco stepped back.
— Wait—
Kai disappeared.
BOOM!
He appeared in front of him.
His fist sank into Herco's stomach.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Herco was sent flying through the library.
He went through one wall.
Then another.
The last portal disappeared.
But Kai wasn't finished.
He raised his hand.
All the absorbed energy concentrated in his palm.
Zayn straightened up.
— Oh no.
Kai looked in Herco's direction.
— Catch.
He released the energy.
FWWWWWWOOOOOOOM!!
A gigantic beam tore through the already destroyed walls.
An explosion shook the library.
Then…
Silence.
Smoke.
Stones fell.
Tap.
Tap.
Zayn waited a few seconds.
— Is it over?
Aurora answered.
— Two signatures detected. Extremely low energy.
Yojuro exhaled.
— They're alive.
— Good.
Kai returned to them.
As if nothing had happened.
Zayn looked at him.
— You could really do that from the beginning?
Kai shrugged.
— Yes.
— And you watched us struggle for how long?
Kai thought.
— A long time.
Zayn sighed.
— I hate you.
— No.
Kai smiled.
— You adore me.
Yojuro slowly sheathed his sword.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
— We should leave.
Zayn looked at him.
— Already?
Yojuro opened one eye.
— The tournament.
Silence.
Zayn looked at Kai.
Then Yojuro.
Then Borealis.
— …
His eyes widened.
— THE TOURNAMENT!
He immediately stood up.
— How long have we been here?!
Aurora answered.
— Forty-seven minutes and thirty-two seconds.
— FORTY-SEVEN MINUTES?!
Kai began walking toward the exit.
— Calm down.
— CALM DOWN?! I HAVE A TOURNAMENT TO WIN!
— You already won your fight.
— Yes, but there are other matches!
Yojuro walked behind Kai.
— No one is going to give you the crown because you're yelling in a library.
— I know!
Zayn looked behind him.
The library was completely destroyed.
— And no one is going to ask us why the library looks like this?
Kai looked around.
— It was already old.
— Kai…
— What?
— There wasn't a hole in the walls before.
Kai thought.
— There is now.
Zayn sighed.
The three began to leave the room.
Behind them, Vera and Herco were unconscious among the rubble.
The danger had passed.
For now.
Zayn looked at Borealis.
Beep.
— Time remaining before transformation becomes available: sixteen hours and twelve minutes.
— Great.
He continued walking.
Then a smile appeared on his face.
— Alright.
Kai looked at him.
— What now?
Zayn sped up.
— We're going back to the tournament.
Yojuro followed.
— Finally, a good idea.
Kai smiled.
— The next fight starts soon.
Zayn looked straight ahead.
The Ashen Crown was waiting for no one.
And after surviving Echo…
Vera…
And Herco…
He had only one thing on his mind.
Win.