BOOOOOM—!!
The battlefield continued tearing itself apart.
Royoshi and Maris collided again and again across the ruined Citadel grounds. Every clash shattered stone. Every shockwave instantly flattened nearby anomalies.
Dark purple Shuryoku exploded violently around Maris as she blocked another strike.
CLANG—!!
The impact shattered the ground beneath her feet.
Royoshi didn't stop.
Another slash came instantly. Then another. Then another.
Every movement carried an overwhelming force behind it now.
Maris was being pushed backward continuously across the battlefield. Her expression twisted slightly.
"Why…"
CLANG—!!
Royoshi's blade slammed against her again.
"…won't you BREAK?!"
A violent shockwave erupted outward from the collision. Nearby ruins collapsed instantly.
Royoshi's eyes remained empty. Cold. Focused. Raging.
Dark and pure Shuryoku spiraled violently around his body. The pressure leaking from him alone crushed weaker anomalies nearby before they could even approach.
Maris gritted her teeth.
For the first time since arriving—she was losing ground.
Royoshi vanished again. FAST.
Maris barely reacted—
CLANG—!!
Another strike slammed against her blade hard enough to split the battlefield beneath them.
BOOOOOOM—!!
Dark purple lightning cracked violently across the sky above.
Maris was launched backward several meters again. Her arms trembled from the impact now.
Royoshi didn't slow down.
Another slash. Another. Then one more.
CLANG—!!
CLANG—!!
CLANG—!!
Each attack carried more force than the last.
Nearby anomalies exploded apart from the pressure waves alone.
Maris blocked desperately while dark purple Shuryoku spiraled wildly around her body.
For the first time—
Fear flickered across her face.
"…What ARE you…?"
Royoshi said nothing. That silence felt wrong now. Empty. Like the rage inside him had consumed everything else.
BOOM—!!
Royoshi appeared beside her instantly.
Maris barely turned—
SLASH—!!
A deep cut tore across her shoulder. Blood scattered through the air. Her eyes widened.
Royoshi attacked again immediately.
CLANG—!!
Maris blocked at the last second, but the impact still shattered the ground beneath her feet.
She was being overwhelmed.
No—
Crushed.
Then—
Something inside Maris finally snapped.
"FINE, KID—!!"
BOOOOOOM—!!!!!!
Dark purple Shuryoku erupted violently from her body.
The battlefield shook instantly.
Nearby anomalies twisted unnaturally beneath the pressure leaking from Maris alone. Some exploded apart completely.
Pure lightning spread wildly across the sky.
Even Royoshi paused for half a second.
Maris slowly rose into the air. Dark purple Shuryoku spiraled around her body endlessly now like a storm consuming reality itself.
Her glowing purple eyes locked onto Royoshi. Wild. Unstable. Dangerous.
"If you want to eliminate me—!!
The pressure exploded outward again.
"THEN I'LL ELIMINATE YOU FIRST!!"
BOOOOOOOM—!!!!
An enormous shockwave blasted across the battlefield.
Ruined structures collapsed instantly. Even distant soldiers were forced backward.
Far away, Pasithea's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Her Shuryoku increased again."
Maris slowly lowered her head toward Royoshi. A dark smile spread across her face.
"I opposed Sevran's order for this."
A pause.
"He wanted you to be captured."
Dark purple Shuryoku crackled violently around her fingers.
"But now…"
Her smile widened crazily.
"I'll kill you myself."
Royoshi stared silently.
Then—
BOOM—!!
Both of them vanished simultaneously.
CLAAAAAAANG—!!
Their blades collided midair. Dark purple and black Shuryoku exploded outward violently from the impact point.
The sky itself cracked with purple lightning. Shockwaves tore through the battlefield in every direction, flattening remaining anomalies instantly.
CLANG—!!
BOOM—!!
CLANG—!!
Royoshi and Maris moved so fast they became nothing more than flashes of light tearing across the ruined Citadel.
One second above the battlefield.
The next—
BOOOM—!!
An entire tree collapsed from their collision.
Maris slashed downward violently.
Royoshi blocked instantly before counterattacking toward her neck.
CLANG—!!
Sparks and Shuryoku exploded between them.
Now—
For the first time—
Maris matched him equally.
Her final form had changed everything.
Dark purple Shuryoku spiraled endlessly around her body like a living abyss. Her glowing eyes looked almost inhuman now.
And Royoshi's rage only kept growing stronger. More Shuryoku leaked violently from his body.
Too much. Far too much.
The ground beneath him cracked continuously just from existing near him.
Maris laughed wildly as they exchanged blows.
"YES—!!"
CLANG—!!
"THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!"
BOOOOM—!!
She fired a kick directly toward Royoshi's ribs. Royoshi blocked with his blade, but the impact still launched him backward through multiple ruined pillars.
CRAAASH—!!
Dust exploded everywhere.
Royoshi burst out of the smoke instantly again. FAST.
SLASH—!!
Maris blocked at the last second.
CLANG—!!
The impact split the air itself.
Shockwaves erupted violently around them as both blades locked together midair.
Dark purple and black Shuryoku spiraled wildly between Royoshi and Maris.
For a moment—neither moved.
Then—
BOOOOOOM—!!
Both of them blasted backward simultaneously. Maris flipped through the air before stabilizing herself instantly. Royoshi landed across the shattered battlefield hard enough to crack the ground beneath him.
And immediately—
Both charged again.
BOOM—!!
CLANG—!!
Another collision shook the Citadel violently.
Maris attacked first this time. A storm of dark purple blades formed behind her instantly.
"LET'S SEE HOW LONG YOU LAST, ROYOSHI!!"
SLASH—!!
SLASH—!!
SLASH—!!
The blades rained toward Royoshi endlessly. Explosions tore across the battlefield.
Royoshi blocked some. Dodged others and absorbed the rest.
But now—
Each absorbed attack visibly affected him.
Dark veins spread further across Royoshi's arms.
His breathing grew heavier.
"Ghh…!"
Maris noticed instantly. A crazed smile spread across her face.
"There it is."
BOOOOOM—!!
Another dark purple blade slammed directly into Royoshi.
He absorbed it again instinctively—but staggered backward this time.
The corruption inside him pushed back violently now. Dark purple Shuryoku twisted unnaturally around his body. Trying to consume him completely.
Royoshi gritted his teeth painfully. His vision flickered. The battlefield around him blurred.
Still—he moved forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Toward her.
Maris laughed wildly.
"Your body can't handle this much power anymore!"
Then—
BOOOM—!!
BOOOM—!!
BOOOM—!!
Multiple spheres of dark purple Shuryoku slammed into Royoshi one after another. Each impact shook the battlefield violently.
Royoshi absorbed them again. And again. And again.
But now—
His body trembled uncontrollably. Dark and pure Shuryoku spiraled chaotically around him.
The corruption spread even further.
"GHHHH…!!"
Royoshi nearly dropped to one knee.
Maris's smile widened crazily.
"YES!! BREAK!!"
Another sphere collided against Royoshi.
BOOOOOOM—!!
Royoshi screamed painfully as corrupted Shuryoku surged violently through his body. His control was collapsing.
Far above the battlefield—
Rikishu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Too much."
Pure Shuryoku. Dark Shuryoku. Corrupted Shuryoku. Every type of energy inside Royoshi was now colliding uncontrollably.
Back on the battlefield—
Royoshi tried forcing himself forward again. His legs trembled violently.
But even then—
He kept moving.
Toward her.
Maris slowly stopped laughing.
"…Why are you STILL standing?"
Royoshi raised his blade weakly.
His eyes remained empty. Consumed by rage.
Then—
Everything suddenly went silent.
For one terrifying second—
The battlefield froze.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!!
A colossal eruption of Shuryoku exploded from his body.
Black.
Silver.
Purple.
Every ounce of Shuryoku Royoshi had absorbed erupted outward simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!!
The explosion swallowed the battlefield instantly. The sky cracked violently above the Citadel. Shockwaves tore through ruins like hurricanes. Remaining anomalies exploded apart immediately upon contact.
Maris's eyes widened completely.
"WHA—?!"
BOOOOOOOOM—!!
The eruption slammed directly into her body. She was launched backward violently across the battlefield before crashing into a massive tree.
CRAAAAAASH—!!
The tree shattered apart instantly.
Dark purple Shuryoku scattered wildly through the air.
Silence followed. Smoke covered everything.
And in the center of it all—
Royoshi stood trembling violently.
Dark purple veins spread across his body now.
Black, silver, and purple Shuryoku spiraled around him uncontrollably like a broken storm.
His breathing sounded distorted.
Unnatural.
Far above the battlefield—
Rikishu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…He's losing control."
Back below—
Royoshi slowly lifted his head. His glowing eyes flickered violently between silver, black, and purple.
The Shuryoku around him twisted chaotically like it was alive.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He slowly walked toward Maris again.
But now—
Something felt wrong.
Even the battlefield reacted differently around him. The ground decayed beneath his footsteps. Nearby rubble floated unnaturally into the air before crushing apart instantly.
Maris slowly pushed herself out of the shattered remains of the tree. Blood dripped from her mouth. Her final form flickered unstably now.
The eruption had weakened her heavily.
But when she saw Royoshi still approaching—
Her eyes widened.
"…Impossible…"
Royoshi kept walking. No emotion remained on his face anymore. Only rage. Only destruction.
Dark purple Shuryoku leaked from his body uncontrollably while silver Shuryoku tried desperately to suppress it. The energies inside him were tearing him apart.
Still—
He moved toward her.
Maris slowly backed away.
For the first time—
She looked afraid.
"W-What did you become…?!"
No response.
Royoshi raised his blade slowly.
The air screamed around it.
Then suddenly—
His body staggered violently.
The Shuryoku around him flickered out of control again.
BOOM—!!
A pulse of chaotic energy exploded outward accidentally.
Royoshi grabbed his own chest painfully.
"GHHHHHH—!!"
The corruption inside him surged violently. His vision blurred completely now. Memories flashed through his mind.
His family.
Ishara.
The Citadel.
Rikishu.
Then darkness. Too much darkness.
Royoshi tried taking another step forward—
But his legs failed.
BOOM—!!
He collapsed hard onto the battlefield.
Silence.
The Shuryoku storm around him weakened instantly.
His fingers dug desperately into the broken ground as he tried forcing himself back up again.
"I…"
His arms trembled violently.
"…can't give up…"
He pushed upward again.
Failed.
His breathing became uneven. Painful.
Tears slowly formed in the corners of his eyes now.
"…I'm sorry…"
A weak breath escaped him.
"…everyone."
Far away—
Maris stared silently for a moment.
Then—
She laughed. Weakly at first. Then louder.
"HAHA…"
Dark purple Shuryoku gathered around her hand again.
"About time."
Her smile twisted cruelly.
"DIE, ROYOSHI—!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!
A gigantic Shuryoku claymore slammed directly into Maris from the side.
Her eyes widened.
"WHA—?!"
CRAAAAAAAAAAAASH—!!
The impact launched her violently across the battlefield through multiple ruined structures.
Smoke exploded everywhere. Heavy footsteps echoed slowly through the battlefield.
A figure emerged from the dust calmly.
Master Devrik.
Still wearing his black suit. Completely composed.
His enormous Shuryoku claymore rested against one shoulder.
"No one harms the Citadel's students."
The pressure around him sharpened instantly.
"And anyone who tries…"
His eyes hardened.
"Will face severe consequences."
Maris slowly forced herself back up again while laughing angrily.
"NO ONE CAN STOP ME NOW—!!"
"Oh, yes, we can."
Golden light illuminated the battlefield.
Pasithea stepped forward calmly beside Devrik.
Golden Shuryoku flowed around her weapon once more. Fully healed.
And beside her—
Ishara arrived too.
The moment she saw Royoshi collapsed against the ruins—
Her expression broke instantly.
"Royoshi!"
She rushed toward him immediately.
Royoshi didn't respond. His body barely moved now. Dark veins still spread across his skin.
Ishara quickly placed both hands against his chest.
Soft Shuryoku flowed gently into him. Healing him softly.
"Please wake up…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
She carefully moved Royoshi against a nearby broken wall before brushing some hair away from his face gently.
Then—she stood again.
Her eyes hardened immediately toward Maris.
Now—
Devrik.
Pasithea.
And Ishara stood against her.
Maris laughed despite her injuries.
"I may be weakened…"
Dark purple Shuryoku spiraled violently around her body again.
"But I'm STILL stronger than all of you!"
"You wish."
Ishara stepped forward coldly.
Pasithea raised her weapon—
But suddenly—
"Stay back, Ms. Pasithea and Ishara.
Devrik stepped forward alone.
"I don't want any more Citadel students or teachers getting harmed."
Pasithea frowned immediately.
"But—"
"It's my instruction."
Silence.
Devrik slowly lifted his claymore.
The battlefield trembled slightly.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM—!!
He launched toward Maris instantly.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG—!!
Their weapons collided violently midair.
An enormous shockwave exploded across the battlefield.
Maris's eyes widened slightly.
"…You're stronger than before."
Devrik's expression never changed.
"And you're weaker."
BOOOOOOM—!!
He kicked her backward violently through the battlefield.
Far above the burning Citadel—
Hidden within the shattered sky—
Rikishu slowly stepped forward. Silver and white Shuryoku flowed endlessly around him.
Calm.
Infinite.
The clouds themselves began parting around his presence.
Below him—Royoshi lay unconscious.
The battlefield continued collapsing.
Rikishu closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
He opened them again.
"…It's time for me to enter the battlefield."
After several years—
It was time for the battlefield to witness him again.