The moment the platforms stopped—
Silence.
Not ordinary silence… but the kind that pressed against the ears and sank into the bones.
Each member of the group stood alone.
Separated.
Tested.
---
Lumei
Lumei's platform slowed… then halted in the center of a barren clearing.
The sky above him burned red—unnatural, heavy. No wind. No birds. No insects.
Nothing lived here.
He turned left.
Nothing.
Right.
Still nothing.
Then—
Something formed.
A figure.
Dark… completely dark.
Its body wasn't solid. It moved—like liquid ink constantly shifting across its form. Its shape resembled Nent… but its face was empty. No eyes. No mouth.
Just a faint glow of aura buried beneath the darkness.
Lumei's breath stayed steady.
But his body… betrayed him.
Fear.
It screamed through his veins.
If Master Ozaki… could shake…
Then what is this?
His eyes dropped.
Sharp.
Focused.
The ground.
The feet.
No shadow.
His pupils shrank.
For someone like Lumei—a Vessel of the God of Shadow—that meant one thing:
Unknown.
Danger beyond reading.
His stance lowered. Knees bent. Fists tightened.
Sweat rolled down his face.
I don't know its speed… its power…
Weaker? Stronger?
Damn it…
His thoughts spiraled, clashing over each other.
Then—
Decision.
"I move first."
He exploded forward.
His fist cut through the air—aimed clean for the jaw.
The clone tilted its head.
Effortless.
Then—
It moved.
A kick from below.
Lumei felt it before he saw it—the air pressure rising violently.
He twisted—
Too slow.
BOOM.
The impact detonated against his torso. The force dragged him backward, feet carving deep lines into the sand as debris burst outward.
Dust lifted.
The ground cracked beneath him.
He steadied himself, chest bruised—but his eyes sharpened.
A grin flickered.
"A-Rank… huh."
Clarity replaced fear.
"Good."
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Now I understand."
He rolled his neck.
"Hey… ink thing."
His aura began to rise.
"Tell Nent something for me."
Dark energy gathered around his fists, thickening.
"I've already won."
He vanished forward.
---
They clashed.
Air screamed as both surged toward each other.
The clone leapt—its leg raised high.
Then—
THOOM.
Its kick crashed into the ground, detonating dirt and stone into the air.
But Lumei—
Gone.
He slid back just out of range, watching.
Waiting.
The clone moved again.
A sweeping kick.
Lumei dodged—
Then caught it.
Perfect timing.
His grip locked around the leg.
He felt it—
Energy building.
An explosion about to trigger.
He smiled.
"Got you."
Shadow surged across his arms, wrapping tightly around the limb.
BOOM.
The explosion went off—but the damage was contained, compressed into his shadow grip.
The ground beneath him cracked under the force.
But he didn't let go.
Instead—
He lifted.
With a roar, he hurled the clone high into the air.
Still unstable.
Still primed.
A ticking bomb.
Lumei crouched—
Then launched upward.
"Take it back—"
His fist rose overhead—
"—with interest!"
He slammed down onto the falling clone with crushing force.
Impact.
Shockwave.
The air split.
…And then—
Nothing.
No explosion.
No recoil.
No body crashing down.
The clone… vanished.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Lumei dropped to one knee, breathing heavy, eyes wide.
"No… explosion…?"
He looked around, confused.
"…Is it dead?"
Silence answered him.
---
Sora & Chella
Different locations.
Same instinct.
Sora stood ankle-deep in a still lake. Water circled her slowly, responding to her presence.
Her eyes narrowed.
"My field…"
Behind her—
A clone formed.
At the same time—
Chella stood in a jagged, rocky terrain. Her breath came fast, steadying herself.
"Then I end this fast."
Another clone appeared.
Neither saw the other.
Yet both moved the same.
Sora lifted her hand.
Water obeyed—rising, shaping, sharpening—
A blade.
Chella stomped.
Stone erupted upward, compressing midair before forming into a rough, solid blade that dropped into her grip.
Different elements.
Same intent.
They charged.
Their voices echoed in separate spaces.
Blades met kicks—
BOOM.
Shockwaves rippled through both environments. Water splashed violently. Rocks shattered outward.
They were faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
One strike—
Clean.
Decisive.
They cut through.
The clones—
Vanished.
No resistance.
No aftermath.
Just… gone.
Sora froze.
Her blade lowered slightly.
"…Dead?"
Chella stepped back, unease creeping into her face.
"One slash…?"
Her grip tightened.
"…That's not A-Rank."
---
Yamato
Calm.
Too calm.
His space looked normal.
Clear sky.
Still air.
But his mind wasn't there.
Ichiha…
What are you hiding?
If I knew… we could calculate… improve our chances…
His thoughts spiraled—
Until—
A presence interrupted.
The clone appeared—
And attacked instantly.
A kick aimed at his neck.
BOOM.
The explosion erupted violently, tearing apart the ground and blasting debris into the air.
Dust swallowed everything.
From afar—
Lumei paused.
"That explosion… it isn't mine!."
Sora and Chella both turned instinctively.
"That was bigger…"
"…way bigger."
Back in the dust—
The clone's leg remained extended.
Pressed against Yamato's neck.
Ink dripped from its body.
Something was wrong.
It reacted—
Not with emotion…
But instability.
Yamato hadn't moved.
Not even slightly.
The dust cleared.
His eyes were cold.
Slowly—
He turned his head.
"I'm thinking…"
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
"…and you're playing with me?"
His fist clenched.
The air warped around it.
He swung—
A brutal, direct strike aimed at the clone's face.
The force alone bent the air before impact.
But—
The clone disappeared.
No sound.
No resistance.
Gone.
Yamato's fist cut through empty space.
He stopped.
Blinking once.
"…That's it?"
His expression flattened.
No anger.
No confusion.
Just cold focus.
"…Waste of time."
He turned—
And walked away.
---
Ichiha
No battlefield.
No enemy.
Just a room.
Ancient.
Silent.
Walls covered in carvings—symbols layered over time.
In front of him—
A construct.
Stone and metal.
A puzzle.
No—
A system.
His fingers moved across it carefully.
Eyes scanning.
Reading.
Understanding.
"…This is a plan."
Pieces shifted under his touch.
Patterns revealed themselves.
His expression darkened.
"So that's why…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…no clone."
His hands paused.
"…Kaku."
His eyes sharpened.
"What are you setting up?"
---
Ozaki
Far away.
Still.
Watching.
Thinking.
"How…?"
His voice was low.
"How is Kaku speaking through Nent…?"
His grip tightened around his blade.
"…Is it because the power is his?"
Then—
The voice returned.
Through Nent.
Clear.
Cold.
"Just one more piece, Ozaki…"
"…and you'll understand."
Ozaki's eyes widened.
"…your plan won't work."
His teeth clenched.
"Where did your power come from?"
Silence.
Then—
A voice deeper than before.
"I was nothing."
The air grew heavy.
"My family laughed at me."
"I lived like a failure… because my magic was ink."
A pause.
"I hated everyone."
"I hated the world."
"Even the Gods that put me in it."
Ozaki didn't interrupt.
Didn't breathe.
"I was ten."
"Walking to my usual spot… by the river."
His voice softened—
But only slightly.
"Then I saw it."
"A light in the sky."
"I thought… that was the end."
A pause.
"But it spoke."
Ozaki's heart pounded.
"'I am here for you.'"
"'Kill every potential God Vessel on this planet.'"
A beat.
"'Start with Ozaki.'"
Silence pressed in.
"I asked… if there were others like me."
"He responded…"
"'Many.'"
Ozaki's fingers twitched.
"I told him no."
"I told him that I was nothing."
"Useless."
Another pause.
"But it gave me something."
"Hope."
"Purpose."
"His exact words…"
"'Then I will give you a drop of my power.'"
A faint, dark chuckle echoed.
"…2%."
Ozaki's eyes widened.
"…Just magic."
"That 2%…"
"…made me what I am."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
Ozaki's voice barely came out.
"…2%…?"
No answer.
Only laughter.
Low.
Endless.
Then—
Nothing.
---
The battlefield remained quiet.
But something greater, far greater than Nent was watching.