Sosuke stepped onto the cliff's edge. Wind tore past him, howling into the endless void below.
He reached into the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out a battered notebook. Its cover was torn, edges curled. He flipped it open. Page after page. Names. Descriptions. Faces he'd forced himself to remember.
People he'd killed.
His eyes lingered on a few. Some were short entries. Others had whole paragraphs. He had once cared enough to write everything down. To keep track. To carry the weight.
But now—
Now the names blurred together.
His grip tightened.
They were real.
Sosuke took one last look, then slammed the book shut. He raised it slowly, held it out over the void—
—and let go.
The notebook vanished into the abyss. The names gone with it.
"Are we going to get on with this?" Julius's voice echoed behind him, light and playful.
Sosuke didn't turn. "How much longer are you going to toy with me? How long before you understand I'm the one who's going to kill you?"
Sosuke raised his arm to the side. Fingers spread.
A low hum filled the air as mana surged through him.
"I only gave you a moment to finish what you were doing," Julius said coolly. "Now that I have your full attention, we can begin."
A flicker of violet light sparked in Sosuke's palm. His sheathed katana materialized in a pulse of energy—weightless and waiting. His fingers curled around the hilt. Steady. Sharp.
"I just killed two of your lieutenants," Sosuke said, voice cold. "And I didn't even try. You won't walk away this time."
"Maybe," Julius replied, twirling a strand of his dark-pink hair with a playful grin. "But that's the sweetness of it, isn't it? No pleasure in a slaughter. I prefer a fight with bite. Like the last time—three of you, still couldn't bring me down."
"You and your kind are vile. You shouldn't exist." Sosuke stepped forward, lightning crackling at his heels. "Your death will be a mercy."
Julius's smile twisted. "Funny. Is that what your father said when he and his kind stormed my world? I didn't go looking for war. They came, blades drawn, thinking they could take what wasn't theirs. I simply made sure they never left."
Sosuke's jaw clenched.
"I don't care for your lies, creature!"
He swiped his hand upward—lightning tore through the earth, erupting in a sharp wave beneath Julius.
The blast flung him into the air. He twisted mid-flight, then landed in a crouch, digging his fingers into the dirt to halt his momentum.
"Now that," Julius chuckled, "was an improvement. I might actually enjoy this."
Sosuke exhaled through his nose, calming his heartbeat.
Keep your focus. Win here, and everything changes.
"I won't make any careless mistakes," he muttered.
He raised his katana—and summoned a card. Thin, floating, inscribed in an ancient tongue. It hovered above his palm, radiating a pulsing light.
A grin crept across his face.
"If you want me to use a weapon too…" Julius shrugged. "I'll oblige."
"Shut it, blight."
Sosuke clenched his fist and shattered the card like glass. A shockwave of mana burst outward.
The sky groaned.
Dark clouds spiraled overhead, drawn to the battlefield. They churned, hungry, twisted by his will.
Then—rain. But not water.
Blood-red liquid poured from above.
Thunder screamed. Bolts of raw lightning slammed into the ground at random, scorching the earth. The pressure in the air tripled.
"I stored a year's worth of mana inside that card," Sosuke said, his voice drowned under the roar of the storm. "Waited for this moment. Everything's in place. Now we see if the rest holds up."
Julius gave a slow clap. "I'm genuinely impressed. You planned for this. You knew we'd cross paths again." His tone darkened. "Then no more stalling."
His body blurred.
Sosuke moved.
Lightning pulsed at his heels as he vanished from sight and reappeared behind Julius, blade slashing in a wide arc. Sparks flew.
Blood sprayed.
Julius staggered forward, a deep gash carved through his ribs. But he didn't cry out. Didn't flinch.
Instead, he turned, the wound already starting to mend.
Sosuke struck again—another flash, this time from above. He brought the katana down like a falling star.
Julius raised an arm, letting the blade dig into his flesh.
A sickening hiss as muscle split.
Then, seconds later, the skin began stitching itself back together.
"You are stronger than before," Julius admitted, flexing his fingers. "Good."
Sosuke's eyes narrowed. "We'll see how long you can keep healing."
He stepped back as thunder split the sky again—ready for round two.
Julius reached into the air, fingers slicing through the fabric of reality like silk. Space itself bent at his touch. From the tear, he pulled a long, silver blade—its edge rippled like liquid mercury, impossibly smooth, curved and jagged at once. An eerie hum followed its every motion, and dark light flickered along its length like it was feeding on the air.
He gave it a lazy swing, then pointed the tip at Sosuke.
"Tell me, Estrella," he said, voice dripping with mockery. "What made you come here alone? Did your little friends abandon you? Or did they finally realize you're not worth dying for?"
Sosuke didn't answer. His boots dug into the cracked stone. The muscles in his jaw tightened. Then he moved.
A roar tore from his throat as he stepped forward and brought his blade down in a brutal arc. Sparks exploded on impact. Julius caught the blow with one hand, raising his sword in a casual block.
"Hmm." Julius yawned. His golden eyes met Sosuke's unflinchingly. "That all you've got? Show me something worth fearing."
He shoved forward. Sosuke's boots skidded back across the ground, heels digging ruts into the stone.
Damn it.
Without a word, Sosuke slammed his katana into the earth. Lightning surged through the terrain in a brilliant blue burst, racing like a viper toward Julius—who hovered suddenly, unnaturally, above it.
Sosuke blinked.
"What…?"
Julius floated, arms outstretched, a bored look in his eye. The lightning passed harmlessly beneath him, fizzling out on scorched rock.
The smile on Julius' face vanished.
"If you won't fight with purpose, I'll give you one."
Sosuke tore his katana from the ground and tried to raise it in time—too slow. The blade vanished in a flash of purple light.
Julius lunged forward, wrapped a hand around Sosuke's throat, and launched skyward.
Wind howled past. The world blurred into streaks of color. Sosuke clawed at Julius' arm, but the grip was unmoving. Like iron.
"I'll show you something real special," Julius snarled. "I've been waiting for an excuse to kill them."
Sosuke's eyes widened. Below, a twisted base stretched across the landscape—a sprawling nest of rusted metal, pulsing veins of blight weaving through the architecture. The structures twisted at impossible angles. Alive. Wrong.
"What are you doing?!" Sosuke choked out, fingers digging into the monster's arm.
Julius gave no answer. He dove.
They plummeted toward the largest building—a jagged spire stitched together from bone-white stone and black steel. Its glass ceiling shattered as they crashed through, shards slicing across Sosuke's face.
Still Julius didn't stop.
The impact tore through the first floor, sending debris flying as they drilled downward. Walls cracked. Beams bent. The ground finally gave way, caving into an underground chamber beneath them.
They landed hard.
Stone shattered beneath Sosuke's back. His lungs seized. Every breath was broken.
Julius stood, dusted off his coat, and turned—eyes scanning.
Sosuke forced himself up on trembling arms. Blood ran down his temple. His katana shimmered nearby, half-buried in rubble. He reached for it.
Julius snapped his gaze back and grinned.
He lunged.
Sosuke barely had time to rise before Julius grabbed the blade, still embedded in the ground, and used it as leverage to hurl Sosuke through a wall of solid stone.
The impact stole his breath. He crumpled onto the floor in a heap.
Groaning, Sosuke opened his eyes—and froze.
It was a prison.
Rows of rusted cages lined the walls. Inside them, dozens of frightened humans—bloodied, starved, terrified. Some children. All watching.
"No…" Sosuke whispered.
He knew what was coming.
Julius stepped toward one of the cages, the floor cracking beneath each step. The prisoners screamed, scattering into corners. He reached out, gripped the iron door and tore it clean off the hinges.
"If I'm not enough to bring out your real strength," Julius said, stepping inside, "then a few meaningless lives should do the trick. Are you watching?"
"Wait! Don't—!" Sosuke shouted. He tried to move. His body screamed in resistance. He knew it was pointless.
Julius grabbed a young woman by the collar and drove a fist into her stomach. She hit the floor coughing blood, unconscious.
"See how quick it is?" Julius said. "Every second you hesitate… another dies."
Sosuke's fingers clawed into the dirt. His breath was ragged, mouth dry. Rage boiled through his veins—but his body still refused to rise. The edges of his vision pulsed.
His star eyes lit up—wild, unstable energy crackling through them.
Why… can't I move? What's missing?!
His eyes flicked toward his katana, half-buried in rubble just beyond reach.
He reached.
Inches.
Centimeters.
This blade… it was never just a weapon. It's a part of me. I though lt it was a coincidence, but it was fate.
His fingertips touched the hilt.
In that instant, the katana dissolved into pure energy—blinding violet and electric blue.
It didn't just vanish—it exploded.
The entire chamber shook. Mana surged outward in a storm of lightning and pressure. The ground cracked. Prisoners screamed. Julius stumbled back, shielding his face from the sudden wave.
Sosuke stood.
Aether wrapped around his body like a second skin. Lightning danced across his arms and shoulders. The air rippled with heat and static. Every heartbeat echoed like thunder.
His hair crackled with energy. His eyes—now pure starlight—burned with violent clarity.
The pressure in the room dropped. Even Julius stopped smiling.
The stone beneath Sosuke's feet began to float, fragmented by the sheer weight of his power.
He took one step forward.
Julius broke into a slow, deliberate clap.
Each strike of his hands echoed like distant gunfire.
"Good," he said, voice laced with satisfaction. His grin widened as he stretched out his arms. "This… this is what I've been waiting for!"
He pivoted, eye catching something across the chamber. His smile didn't fade, but his tone dipped just enough to chill the air. "But look at you. Still incomplete." He tilted his head, almost curious. "And more importantly…"
He turned toward the prison cell.
Smoke curled from the mangled door. Stone cracked. Metal groaned. Inside—bodies lay scattered, motionless, their blood painting the floor in streaks of red and black. Limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The last traces of breath had already vanished.
Julius stepped forward, hands behind his back like an observer at an art gallery.
"You've just taken innocent lives, Estrella." He turned back slowly. "How will you live with that?"
The chamber vibrated.
Sosuke didn't move at first.
Shoulders hunched, hair dripping with red-tinged rain, his fingers flexed once, then curled into trembling fists. Sparks leapt from his arms. His chest rose and fell with uneven, heavy breaths. The whites of his eyes vanished under starfire.
His silence was a storm waiting to break.
Crackling energy hissed off his body, raising dust and bits of rubble from the floor. Then his jaw clenched—hard enough that a faint line of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. A deep breath in. A snarl escaped.
And then he roared.
The sound tore through the room—raw, animal, alive.
A blast of lightning surged from his body, snapping through walls and pillars. Stone exploded. Chains melted. The chamber shook. Julius' cape whipped wildly behind him in the wind that followed.
By the time his eyes adjusted, Sosuke was already there.
A blur of light and force—he blitzed past Julius' guard and slammed a hand around his throat.
The impact cracked the ground beneath their feet.
Julius' eyes widened slightly.
"What the hell—?" he muttered, caught between shock and amusement. He reached for Sosuke's arm, attempting to peel it away, but the grip didn't budge. It wasn't desperation in his actions—just confusion at the sudden, brutal shift in pace.
Sosuke didn't blink. His stare drilled through Julius like a spear. Veins of electricity danced across his skin. Even the air seemed to fracture around him, bending under the pressure.
His fingers tightened.
"You should've realized your mistake," Sosuke's voice was low, breathless, burning. "The second you let me get serious."
Julius' lips curled into a sneer. "Don't get cocky, brat."
His pupils narrowed. The veins near his temples pulsed—and heat erupted from his gaze like a furnace igniting. Twin beams of concentrated flame tore through Sosuke's shoulder, burning flesh and muscle in an instant.
Sosuke didn't scream.
He slammed his forehead into Julius' face. Bone met bone. Blood sprayed.
Then, with one clean motion, Sosuke hurled him upward.
Julius crashed through the ceiling in a burst of stone and flame.
Sosuke's form flickered. Lightning cracked. One blink—and he was gone.
Above, Julius landed lightly on his feet amid falling debris, brushing the dust from his coat with a sigh. "See? You could've done this from the beginning," he muttered, voice loud enough to carry through the hole in the ground. "Would've saved those poor souls, too. Their blood's on your hands."
He looked down, eyes glowing faintly.
"Your fault, you know."
Lightning snapped.
Sosuke stepped into view, framed by sparks and smoke. His fists clenched at his sides, and raw mana poured off of him in waves. The storm around him had grown louder—cracks of thunder shook the foundation, and the air turned heavy, thick with the scent of ozone and ash.
One of the marble pillars cracked and collapsed behind him, smashing into the ground. Another followed. The whole structure shuddered under the weight of his energy.
Sosuke's lips barely moved.
"I have no more words for you."
Lightning flared again, this time brighter—whiter.
His eyes didn't blink. His gaze never left Julius.
"It would be wasted breath."
Rain sizzled on his skin.
"All I have to say…"
He raised one hand, open-palmed, and the storm answered. Thunder raged across the heavens. The wind cut sideways. Sparks rained from his fingertips.
"…is that your end is here and now."
Lightning spiraled up his arm, coiling like a serpent ready to strike.
"You're not getting in my head anymore."