“Even Emperor Adonis is present for the finals,” Grace said, sitting among the many people present.

“Well, it’s no wonder seeing how his own son has made it this far,” Tux said. “I’m surprised you closed the shop for the day.”

“Seeing Rai come home each night from training to become an apprentice, all for his little sister… How could I not,” Grace said, smiling. “The shop can survive being closed for a day.”

“He’s sure come a long way,” Tux said, recalling the many lectures he gave him as a troubling kid within the slums of Nitehood.

Sitting elsewhere with the other apprentices, “I wonder if it was a good idea to host the match here?” Alan said, gazing at the expansive arena the previous fights were held.

“Yeah, the arena’s huge, but it barely contained some of the other fights,” Rina said.

General Kur, standing in front of the emperor as usual, gazed over the crowd, skimming for someone. “He’s late.”

“Coming!” Otto shouted, rushing around the corner. “Sorry, Shen wanted to make sure it worked as intended before delivering it.” Otto walked toward the narrow seating area in which only Elites and the emperor sat. The first elite’s seat he had to awkwardly squeeze by was Eloise’s. She was seated, eyes shut with one leg crossed over the other. “Um.. E-excuse..” He didn’t know how to proceed without brushing against her leg.

“Hurry along,” Eloise said.

“Right, t-thank you,” Otto said, quickly squeezing by. The other elites present were Tanabe, Knox, Marco, Han and Mu. “Here you go,” Otto said, pulling out a strange small square device. “I’ve got one more just like it,” he said handing one to Han as well.

“Are you certain they’ll work?” Han asked.

“Has Shen ever delivered a product without it functioning perfectly,” Otto shot back, but seeing the serious look of Han, “Uh—yes, I’m sure… Ahem. The rest of the flux shields have been updated to respond to either of them. All you have to do is insert some flux force, similar to how you may spark a dying luminite back up. Once you’ve done so, the shield will remained locked at that level, meaning you can’t put any more flux into it.”

“How do these devices differ from the previous models?” Marco asked curious.

“The more flux you give, the stronger the flux shield you’ll create, and these ones can hold quite a lot. It’s miles more advanced than the previous flux shields which only stopped lingering effects like poisonous fumes or heat; if given enough flux force, these will stop even attacks from elites themselves.”

General Kur nodded at Han and Han infused his flux into the device, in a matter of moments, a flux shield like the ones from earlier matches was produced, shielding everyone in the stands. It flickered in the same green color as luminite’s before becoming transparent, as if it were never there. “That should be plenty enough,” Han said.

“Shen’s really outdone himself this time. The funds should already be making their way into Rahel as we speak,” Emperor Adonis said.

“Already?” Otto said.

“Of course, I’ve never doubted Shen’s inventions; he is a remarkable man,” Emperor Adonis said.

Rahel was one of the four great deserts of Sheemak, a vast landmass east of the Illuminus Empire. The four great deserts are as follows: Behar, Jamil, Tariq and Rahel. LuluTech HQ was situated within Rahel and maintained a partnership with the empire, rather than being directly allied under the banner of the empire like the five surrounding kingdoms were.

Giving a slight bow, “Emperor Adonis,” Otto said. “Now, I’ve got to get back to recording this fight!” he said enthusiastically. Rushing toward the opposite side he came from, while barely squeezing past Knox’s large frame, moments before he was about to zip into the corridor and disappear, he stopped in his tracks as someone happened to be in the way.

“Y-Yukio,” Otto said. “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“Shen wants me to gather battle data for the suit,” Yukio said, his voice emitting through a tech transmitter, making it come off slightly robotic.

“Guys look!” Alan said. “It’s Yukio!”

The crowd erupted as the most promising apprentice to ever come out of the apprenticeship appeared.

Tanabe glanced at Yukio, the apprentice who beat him in the finals of the last placement exam, and it wasn’t even close…

“He’s the apprentice that jumped straight into the seventh seat!” someone shouted.

“Yukio!” many girls hollered.

Yukio had ghostly white hair and wore a silver and black battle suit produced by Shen, CEO of LuluTech. His entire face was mostly hidden behind a black mask which mechanics caused a blue glow to emit over one eye, though the other eye had an opening, revealing his actual eye color, which was red.

“Please sign my book!” Alan pleaded standing on his seat to hopefully get recognized; it was still the only signature of the elites he had yet to get.

“Still trying to get the autograph?” Lily said, appearing beside the rest of them.

“Lily,” Ayame said, swinging by and wrapping her arm around her. “Say Lumi,” she said, snapping a shot of the two of them with the badge’s camera feature. “Zach will love this,” she said, quickly posting it to her social media.

“Lily!” Tofi shouted, jumping off of Tamarri’s shoulder and into her arms for a hug.

“Hey Tofi,” Lily giggled.

“Feeling better?” Tamarri asked.

“Yeah, the Nefarian in me allowed for a speedy recovery,” she said, flexing her arm.

“We almost thought you were going to miss Rai’s match,” Rina said.

“I spent all day trying to get Eiji out of bed, but no luck,” Lily said with a sigh.

“What, one too many drinks?” Fu said, he was sitting on Tamarri’s other shoulder.

“He spent all night cleaning after Aegis’s celebration from the knighting; he completely forgot it was his job…” Lily said.

In the night of Aegis's celebration, Eiji, having had many drinks and eaten his fill, steadily wobbled out of the ceremony with the last remaining people. “Hic—I wonder where Lily went?” he said, gazing around. Toward the exit he saw her exiting the building with others. “Lil—”

“Ahem…” a voice muttered from behind.

Turning, he saw his boss with a broom, tapping his foot. “I expect it to be all gone before the festivities begin tomorrow,” his boss said, tossing the broom his way while walking past Eiji.

Broom in hand, Eiji glanced at the large room where the party took place, it was a disaster… Slumping over he dragged the broom behind him while he sniffled, tears forming in his eyes.

“What a drag…” Peon uttered.

“Hanabi couldn’t make it either,” Suki said.

“She’s still exhausted from helping Rai train, so she’s staying home,” Becca said.

“Becca, Suki,” Lily said, pleasantly surprised.

“Mind if we join you guys?” Suki asked.

“Course,” some apprentices replied.

“Lily!” a few Nefarian’s shouted from the stands.

“We love you!”

“You did great!”

“Way to represent us!”

Lily placed a finger to her cheek, her cat-like ear’s curling inward, slightly embarrassed. She didn’t expect to have fans around.

Stomach grumbling, “I’m starving,” Seppe said. Gazing at the sleeping Kiku, then up at Daichi eating a bag of chips, “Do you think I could have some,” Seppe said, drooling.

“Sure,” Daichi said, handing the bag over, exciting Seppe.

Upon looking into the bag, there was hardly even crumbs… Gazing up, Daichi was eating another bag of chips. Seppe sighed, drooping his head before a hand of flux-berries were displayed before him.

“Here, try these,” Tamarri said.

Propping his head up joyfully, tears welled in his eyes, “You’re a,” sniffling, “true friend.”

“Hey Daichi, where’s Jack?” Alan asked.

Munching on chips, Daichi said, “He couldn’t make it. Neither could Neptus. Apparently they were sent on a mission.”

The previous day, Knox had informed them both of the mission.

“WHAT?!” Neptus said. “But, but…” Neptus slumped over, head almost touching the floor in disappointment.

Sighing, “Guess it can’t be helped,” Jack said. “It would have been nice to see those two duke it out.” Jack gazing at Neptus, flexed his arm, “Let’s do this Neptus!”

“I don’t want to…” Neptus said, sliding to the ground, now lying face first. “I want to watch the match.”

“Hey, if we finish fast enough, perhaps we can catch it on TV?” Jack said.

“Mmmmm,” Neptus mumbled, causing Jack to scratch his head, unsure of what to say.

Staring at the crowd of people gathered for the finals, “Guess that means the only apprentices missing are Inari and Chloe,” Lily said, “if you don’t include Haruki who’s still recovering.”

“Don’t forget me,” Mr. Briggs voice resonated from behind everyone. Per usual, he sported the ball of flowers atop his head.

“Master Briggs,” Becca said. “What’re you doing here?”

“Being around you youths revitalizes me,” he said with a smile.

“Where’s Mochi?” Tofi, who was back on Tamarri’s shoulder asked.

All the apprentices looked down, unable to respond.

“He’s on vacation,” Tamarri said, with a smile. “He won’t be back… for a while.”

“Awh, I miss him,” she said.

Suddenly, the lights shut off.

As the arena was plunged into darkness, the crowd grew silent. The lights flickered back on, illuminating the coliseum with a brilliant display of colors and spotlights that danced around the entire stadium.

A charismatic voice boomed over the loudspeakers as lu-cams soared through the air, capturing many of the spectators’ bright smiles, displaying them on the big screen.

“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and avid competitors, welcome to the grand finale of this year’s tournament!” Otto’s voice resonated through the coliseum. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Lights then shun at where Otto was, located high above the arena, instead being within the center of the arena like he was to start the previous matches. “Tonight, we witness the culmination of months of fierce competition, dedication, and unparalleled skill. Our final match promises to be a spectacle of epic proportions as two of the most formidable talents face off in a battle that will define their legacies.” Otto’s voice shifted to a more personal tone, “But first, a word from Emperor Adonis himself.”

Standing, Emperor Adonis spoke, “Thank you all for coming today. It amazes me, how far we’ve come... Truly, we are a people of strength and resilience. Five years after the Shattering, we incorporated the apprentice tournament and the placement exam in order to seek out warriors who would help defend us against the Minus, and all while simultaneously igniting our spirits and thrilling the people from these competitions. Our apprentices brought joy to many in those dark times. Since then, we’ve held one every two years, and as a result, the Empire and its kingdoms have never been more united; and this is only the beginning. With advances in Lulutech, and the cooperation of LuminaCo, we will also begin to tackle the pandemic of those mysteriously falling into commas. We will continue to strive to support one another, growing into the safe community that accepts both human and Nefarian alike.” Everyone cheered as Emperor Adonis sat back down.

“Now, let’s commence the finals of the 6th apprentice placement exam!” Otto shouted. “In the red corner we have the emperor’s own son, a warrior whose formidable skill stands second to none. Though he has seen limited combat this tournament, his single decisive blow against a dangerous adversary showed his immense power and control. Please welcome the calm and resolute, Gaius!”

The crowd’s cheers intensified as a large door opened below.

Boooo! Lily jolted up, looking to her left. She had imagined Eiji being present, booing Gaius; it caused her to smile.

Gaius appeared, arms crossed, steadily walking towards the center.

“In the blue corner, we have the tenacious fighter whose journey through this tournament has been nothing short of extraordinary. Despite facing formidable challenges, he has shown remarkable resilience and strength. Known for his fierce determination and relentless spirit, please welcome the indomitable, Rai!”

The crowd erupted, their cheers resonating throughout the coliseum as they acknowledged Rai’s journey and his intense match against Inari.

Slowly the door to his side opened.

“Go Rai!” Lily said.

“Wooo!” Alan shouted, as did many other apprentices.

A minute passed, but strangely, Rai had yet to enter.

“Um… Rai?” Otto said, looking at the door which he was supposed to be walking out of.

After a moment, murmurs began to rise within the crowd of people waiting patiently.

“Where’s Rai?” Tofi said.

“I’m not sure,” Tamarri said.

“HAH! He totally bailed,” Fu said.

“He would never,” Lily said, giving Fu a sharp look. Rai… Where are you?

Otto gazed at the general who was frowning.

Marco, flipping his badge closed, said, “He doesn’t seem to be picking up either…”

Eyes closed, Gaius remained still, not saying a thing.

“What should we do?” General Kur asked the emperor.

“Hmm… It would be rather disappointing if the match were forfeited. Let’s give him some time to show,” Emperor Adonis said.

Elsewhere, Rai was running down a corridor, “Shit, we’re totally late!” While running, he recalled an earlier conversation.

Wrapping his arms in bandage tape, Rai left the medical room located beneath the arena, but when turning the corner, someone called out, “Hey kid…”

Rai turned around, and to his surprise, it was the Calle family, Tina, Adrian and Tommy. Along with them was Chloe, possibly the reason they were able to get past the guards below to see him.

“Rai!” Tommy ran up, we came to watch you.

“Really?” Rai said.

“Mhm,” Tommy said.

Rai glanced up at Tina and Adrian.

Tina nudged her husband forward.

Adrian was glancing at the floor when his fists started to shake, “I… I’m sorry!” Tears fell from his eyes. “I was upset… I didn’t know how to react. I had no right to put my hands on you… a kid… no, a hero.” Adrian fell to the ground, “Please forgive me,” he said, his body trembling.

A smile formed on Rai’s face, “Don’t sweat it,” he said, turning to leave.

Adrian looked up to see Rai walking away, holding his hand up to signal goodbye. Slightly turning his head, enough for Adrian to see, Rai showed a bright smile his way, making him smile.

“Rai,” Chloe said.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Rai said, still facing away.

“Hanabi told me what Gaius did…” Rai had only told Hanabi of what happened. “Rumor has it, Gaius intends to take his place as emperor, if he wins…”

“Is that right…” Rai said.

“Someone like Gaius... Someone like him can never be emperor! You have to beat him,” Chloe said.

Rai paused for a moment, “You’re talking to the future number one elite, of course I’m going to win,” before continuing to walk off into the dark alley way, disappearing around the corner.

“Come on everyone, let’s head up and cheer him on,” Tina said, and they nodded.

“Well Plu, you ready?” Rai said.

Plu wiggled out of the pocket stitched under the hood of his coat, plopping beside him on the floor. “Plu,” it responded, before poofing into an apple.

Rai picked the apple up from the floor, taking a large bite of it. Tossing it aside, the rest of the apple disintegrated into dust and flux. Checking his badge, Rai said, “What time is it anyways?” Upon seeing the time, he shouted, “Crap!” Quickly he took off to the place he was supposed to wait, prior to the match starting. Sprinting down the hallway, he noticed the light in the distance to the door he was meant to head through.

“Rai?” someone spoke, causing him to halt.

He looked down a corridor to his left. From the shadows a woman stepped out. It was the woman he saw at Adrian’s, Meriam…

“Hey…” he said.

“I’m glad I caught you in time,” she said, a sorrowful smile on her face.

Rai, frowning, tilted his gaze slightly to the floor, but Meriam placed her finger under his chin, lifting his head up.

She gazed into his dark green eyes. “I always told my fiancé to keep his head held high,” she said. “Though, he also had trouble keeping a straight posture, perhaps from all that time spent playing card games,” she said with a smile. Removing her hand, she said, “If it’s okay for me to ask… did he have any last words, before he died…”

“No… But, he was smiling up until the end,” Rai said.

“I see…”

“I’m sorr—”

“Please, I have more to say,” Meriam said. “I loved Olaf, more than anything. I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life; and this pain,” she said, hugging a coat she held, “I’m sure that will be with me for a long time, if not forever…” Rai stood quiet, watching the woman slightly tearing up. “Even so, I know he would want me to be strong and live happily.” Unraveling the coat she held, she revealed it to Rai. It looked just like his, with the exception that there was a red line that stretched the side of it, and it had designs on the back that resembled the Tulip Tempest card description he was given; a storm patten like that of a hurricane. “Will you wear this, in honor of my late fiancé? I think it would mean a lot to him. I’ve fashioned it as close as I could to your coat, even with the pocket under the hood and within the jacket, according to what Chloe said…”

Rai smiled, removing his coat and grabbing the coat she held, saying, “You bet I can.” Turning away, Rai walked towards the entrance to the arena.

Now unable to hold back the tears anymore, moments before Rai left her sight, she shouted, “Show him what happens when you underestimate your opponent!”

Rai stopped for a brief moment before entering the arena, her cries fading as he left.

“There he is!” Alan said.

The crowd roared!

“I knew he’d make it,” Lily said.

Otto, at first distracted, quickly stood up, “It would seem Rai has made it to the arena!”

“About time,” General Kur said.

Marco smiled from his seat as Rai made his way to the center.

Gaius opened his eyes, smirking, “That’s a nice look in your eyes.”

“You’re going to pay for what you did,” Rai said, staring fiercely at Gaius.

Gaius, staring at his father, “Once I win this match, I’ll ascend to emperor.” Gazing back at Rai, “Then, the empire will climb to new heights where all serve under its banner, heralding a new age, with me as its ruler.”

“I imagine the rest of the world won’t take so kindly to that,” Rai said.

“They don’t have a choice in the matter,” Gaius said.

“The rule you want will lead to nothing but bloodshed,” Rai said. “Countless of innocent lives would be lost!”

“If it leads to the prosperity of the empire, then so be it,” Gaius said, turning around, heading to his corner.

Clenching his fists, Rai also turned around, walking to his corner.

The dome above the arena opened up. By now the sun was setting, painting the sky in a beautiful orange and red tint, almost as if they were in Aurahelm.

The speakers boomed with Otto’s voice, “The time has finally come! Both of these apprentices have earned their place here tonight, but only one can claim the ultimate victory. Get ready for a clash that will be remembered for years to come. The arena is set, the fighters are ready—let the final battle of the tournament begin!”

Almost immediately, a giant root burst through the earth before Gaius, blasting an enormous beam at Rai.

“Ikken!” Rai shouted, and an equally enormous blast emerged!

The attacks clashed, neither one moving an inch.

“The two have started off with signature attacks of an epic proportion!” Otto said.

Like last time, Gaius poured flux into the root, pulling from below as a large lump worked its way to the tip of the root where it fired out, doubling the power of the blast to overtake Rai.

“Not this time!” Rai shouted, forcing even more flux into his attack. Unlike last time, he matched Gaius’s attack. A huge explosion rocked the stadium and dust expanded across the entire arena, making the lu-cams, which could pick up footage with the tech in them, the only way to see as the fight appeared on the big screen of what was happening. “I’m not letting you out of my sight!” Rai said. “Plu!” Plu wasn’t blinded by the dust, appearing under the ground and carrying Rai, almost as if he was riding a wave directly towards Gaius.

Smoke obscuring his view, Gaius closed his eyes, readying himself in a fighting stance. “If you think this will help, you’re wrong.”

Nearby a shadow that was Gaius appeared, so Rai jumped, slamming his fist down.

Catching his fist, Gaius redirected it, but Rai swiftly turned aiming his leg at where his head should be.

Gaius tilted his head back, avoiding the hit.

Plu then burst through the earth aiming at Gaius, but then smaller roots of Gaius also tore through the floor, countering Plu.

From further away, a large root ruptured a portion of the arena from deep below, swinging towards Rai, but Plu launched him over it just in time, simultaneously, Plu bent its root body down, ducking under the root, before pulling back within the earth. The large root sent out by Gaius however was able to swipe away the blinding dirt floating around, making them visible to everyone again.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Not giving in leeway Rai charged Gaius, swinging at him, meanwhile, Plu emerged at about the same height, lashing out at Gaius as well.

Gaius deflected both Rai with his hands and Plu with roots he summoned. It turned into a dance between the opponents as many attacks were exchanged and blocked by both competitors. Gaius front flipped, slamming his foot over Plu, smashing it to the ground as many other roots emerged, holding Plu in place.

“Got you!” Rai shouted, slamming his fist into Gaius, but he blocked it with one hand.

“Did you?” Gaius said, behind him one of his roots shined incredibly bright, blinding Rai. Unable to see, he aimed a kick at Rai’s ribs, but Plu broke away from the roots containing it, emerging in time to take the brunt of the kick. The impact cracked the root that was Plu, but the sheer power of the kick still sent Plu crashing into Rai, propelling him through the air.

“Damn, if that would have hit, he would have crushed my ribs!” Intertwining his hands as he soared away, Rai shouted “Ikken!” A giant blast emerged from Rai’s fists, but Gaius summoned many larger roots in response; one by one they were demolished until the last was able to stop Rai’s ikken. As Rai continued to soar towards the arena walls, Plu emerged from the ground behind him, gently bending backwards to catch him. Landing on the root, Plu flung him back at Gaius!

Gaius’s smaller roots twisted together before swinging at Rai like a baseball player up to bat, however Plu appeared again, blocking the attack! It dragged Plu back many feet until coming to a halt.

“Way to go Plu!” Lily said, pumping her fist.

Slapping his hand on top of the twisted root aimed to hit him, Rai pushed off high into the air, firing multiple ikken bullets.

Infusing his smaller roots with his flux, Gaius’s roots glowed in a white-yellowish color, and the roots moved at an incredible pace, leaving behind a blur of light as they smacked away each of the rapid ikken bullets.

The second Rai landed on the ground a bunch of glowing yellow dots began to emerge all over the arena floor they were fighting in. “This can’t be good,” he said, and many lasers tore through the earth, beaming straight into the sky, each swaying slightly left or right, similar to a slowed pendulum. One managed to nick Rai, slicing his back shoulder and leaving a burned gash. He hunched over gripping it, revealing blood on his hand. The beams never faded—instead staying their permanently, a deadly obstacle.

The audience ducked, holding their hands up in self-defense as the beams ripped through the arena walls their way; some lasers even blasted directly at them, but the attack was met by the invisible flux-shield which flickered from the impact, protecting everyone.

Plu charged Gaius as Rai struggled to swerve around the lasers beneath the ground that changed directions every so lightly, though they mostly maintained shooting skyward.

“Hm,” Gaius leaped over Plu the moment it tried to pierce him, then, using the strength of the Nephilim, he smashed the root that was Plu, heavily into the ground, causing it to go limp, then using the root as a base, he propelled himself straight to Rai.

“Dammit,” Rai said, swaying backwards as a fist missed his head, but doing so, the coat of his left arm sizzled against one of the many light beams, causing him a bit of pain.

“Gaius has taken the offensive! With all the lasers, Rai could be in deep trouble!” Otto announced.

Rai held his guard up as Gaius thrusted his fist forward and a small cracking sound echoed in his ears. “Tsk.” His punches are so strong! Gaius followed up with another heavy attack, smashing his fist down, crushing the earth as Rai barely leapt out of the way in retreat, but his opponent quickly followed. They swiveled around the arena, avoiding lasers when a root emerged from behind Rai, but sensing it, Rai swayed left as its stabbing tip scraped by, narrowly missing, but then he fell into another laser which rebounded him back to Gaius who aimed a kick at him. Once again, Rai held up his arms, but this time his guard was completely dismantled! Attempting to reform his defenses, a fist slammed into his gut. “Gah!” Rai spat blood onto the floor.

“Gaius’s Nephilim blood-line gives him quite the power boost,” Eloise said.

“Indeed,” Knox said.

Rai ducked a quick kick, hastily side-stepping his opponent, but a root beside him emerged, smacking him back to Gaius, who in turn kicked him away. With hardly enough time to breathe, yet another root emerged behind Rai, whacking him in a direct line towards Gaius who had already summoned a small root that seemed to be charging a beam aimed at his heart/core. Before it shot out, Rai quickly fired a smaller version of ikken, propelling him up and over the beam, suspended in the air directly behind Gaius, surprising him. “Try this!” Gripping the backside of Gaius outfit, Rai flipped forward, planting his feet on the ground and tossing Gaius directly over his shoulders into his own beams, however, Gaius went right through the beam without harm. “No way?!”

“Nephilim are immune to their own element Rai…” Tanabe said.

A root quickly broke through the earth catching Gaius, immediately he launched off of it, darting straight through the laser he was thrown through, continuing his attack. Sweeping the floor with his leg, Rai lifted his foot to avoid being tripped, however, a root emerged behind Gaius, pushing him forward; he followed it with another low sweeping kick, tripping Rai. Snatching his coat, Gaius swung him a full three-sixty, before tossing him away. At the same time, Gaius stretched his arm out directly in front of him, lifting his palm upward a much larger beam many feet wide erupted from the earth.

“Rai!” Lily shouted.

The ground burst open again and Plu emerged, catching Rai moments before he fell into the blast.

Laying him down gently a couple of feet away from the beam, Rai said, “Thanks Plu... That was a close one.”

The beams subsided as Rai and Gaius took a moment.

The arena was silent, even the announcer. Everyone was in shock of the display before them.

Far away watching on TV, the prism brothers Nasir, Hamza and Amir were fully invested in the fight, mouths open in shock. Hamza had a scoop of ice cream, but stunned by the intense battle, it fell from his spoon onto the floor.

Back in the coliseum, Ayame muttered, “This battles.. something else..”

“No kidding,” Rina muttered; the badge she had in her hand to record the fight slipped out, landing at her feet.

The match had Daichi cramming down chips faster than ever, until he began to choke.

“Daichi?!” Seppe said, smacking his back to get the food out.

With a big gulp, Daichi head drooped over, before reaching for another bag. “I’m glad I didn’t fight him…” he said, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“I figured the fight would have ended much sooner,” Mu said. “But it would seem Rai is pretty capable in his own right.”

Knox nodded in agreement.

Rai, pulling out a card from the card game Minus Wars, looked up at Gaius, “You knew nothing about him... His family, his goals... The pain his loved ones have to feel now. That is the world you want...” Gaius didn’t respond. Rai flicked the card where it spun in the air until landing at Gaius’s feet. The card read, ‘Kings Excess.’ It revealed a greedy king reaching into a pot for numerous Minus cards. “It’s a card game known as Minus Wars. You could probably learn a thing or two from it,” Rai said, referring to the title of the card game.

Gaius smirked, seconds later the entire stadium started to shake and from it, the ground erupted, but nothing could be seen.

“Gaius must be bending light in order to make his roots invisible…” Mr. Briggs said.

Contemplating his next move, Rai gritted his teeth, “No matter what I do, he keeps countering everything I throw at him…” Gazing at Plu, he remembered his conversation with Inari, after the incident in Northwood.

Inari, gazing at Rai who had just finished burying Olaf, said, “Rai, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What is it Inari…” Rai said, his head held low as clouds began to form, casting shadows over them.

“It’s about Gaius, I may have figured something that can help you in your match against him,” she said.

“Really?” Rai said, looking up.

“When it comes to raw power, he has the edge, but I think that is where Gaius’s weakness is. He doesn’t pay any heed to those without power; in fact, I don’t think I’d be wrong to say he considers them the same as insects among the floor… In battle at least, he won’t even acknowledge them. Which explains how Olaf was able to hit him back there when neither of us could do a thing. It’s just a theory, but perhaps…” Inari gazed at the floor contemplating it, before gazing back up at Rai.

Back in the coliseum, Rai took a deep breath, before exhaling, “Plu, let’s kick it up a notch.”

The root next to Rai nodded before digging back into the ground and emerging at his feet as baby root that split apart, each wrapping around his legs, however, this time it also stretched to his arms as well. The in between, being his torso, is where the root was stretched incredibly thin, so it couldn’t be seen.

Gaius sent all his roots at once, creating trenches as they tore through the earth, however Rai was able to sense them. Immediately, Rai appeared in front of Gaius. “Ugh!” Gaius said, swiftly holding his arms up to block as Rai’s leg came crashing down, forming a crater under him.

“Here’s another!” Rai twisted mid-air, aiming a second crushing kick with his other leg at Gaius’s guard, but Gaius’s body flashed in a bright light, vanishing and appearing elsewhere.

“Almost like blinking…” Peon uttered in a soft dull tone.

“Yeah except Nephilim can’t blink, only Abminus,” Alan said.

“Gaius seemed to move at the speed of light, narrowly avoiding Rai’s powerful kick!” Otto shouted, thrilling the audience.

“You’re mistaken if you think that technique will be enough to beat me,” Gaius said. Even more giant roots emerged, most still invisible as he was carried high into the sky. Many of the large roots looming high above Rai burst beams towards the ground, causing a scene of destruction as explosions rocked the arena.

Rai burst forward, smashing roots and dodging the lasers. Landing on one root, another beam ripped towards him, but Rai hastily rocketed off it toward Gaius as the beam obliterated it seconds later.

In turn Gaius launched off his invisible root to meet Rai mid-air where they both swung a fist at each other. A large impact between the two of them sent them both flying backwards.

Flipping around, Plu swiveled from his arms to Rai’s right hand, forming the same short spear, although this time he pumped more flux into it, making it larger than it was when he tossed it at Inari. “Go!” Rai shouted, thrusting it forward. It tore through every single root Gaius had placed in front of him to block the attack.

Touching a large bright glowing root nearby, Gaius absorbed into it, reappearing out of another large glowing root beside Rai, smacking him directly to the floor. The moment Gaius landed on one of his roots, he held his hand out and many other roots shot glowing wooden spears aiming to skewer Rai.

The second Rai hit the ground, sensing the incoming attacks, he rolled across the floor in a straight line as each one smashed into the ground, stabbing halfway into the earth. As they hit, their light faded, reverting back into normal spear-shaped wood.

“Close one,” Tux muttered from the stand. “Um… Are you going to watch?” Beside Tux, Grace had her head dug into his shoulder. Only every once in a while would she separate a finger covering her eyes, before shutting it again when Rai seemed to be in danger.

“Are fights always like this?!” she blurted in disbelief.

Rushing forward Rai gripped the spear roots that were in a straight line from the pattern he rolled away. He used the momentum from a full twisting turn of his body and thrusted the first spear-root at Gaius, but he didn’t stop there, instead continuing to spin and grab each spear launched at him, back at Gaius.

Gaius ran down the large root he was on, dodging each spear that stabbed into the root right behind him, but with the last spear thrown, he summoned a smaller root infused with his flux right in front of him from the larger root he was running down, smacking the wooden spear into the air. Jumping after the twirling spear, he snatched it, now hovering high in the air directly above Rai; activating his flux, he came rocketing down in a blur of light. The spear in his hand reignited, becoming a glowing blade of sorts.

“Plu!” Rai shouted and the roots on his legs traversed to his arms; pumping flux into them, the roots became larger, further supporting his flux guard as a heavy collision sent waves of flux and air throughout the audience.

Gaius jumped backed, waiting for the dust to settle.

The roots along Rai’s right arm migrated to his right leg while the other stayed on his left arm. Pushing heavily off his right foot, he darted directly for Gaius.

Infusing his roots with flux, Gaius’s roots once again became a blur of light, rushing to shield him as Rai came flying over.

“Move it!” Rai shouted and his fist crushed the large invisible roots, splintering them everywhere.

Beams from roots pre-set by Gaius blasted in a circle pattern around him as a means of deterring his attacker, but to his surprise, Rai pushed right into it, taking a direct hit from the beams. “How!?”

“I’m stubborn!” Rai shouted, as the root on his right leg shifted back up to his right arm. Thrusting his arm forward with all his might, his fist smashed heavily into Gaius’s cheek, launching him into the arena wall far away.

Hanabi, back at her home with her parents watching on TV, shouted, “Yes! Achew…” She was wrapped in blankets with a hot cup of tea in her hands.

Haruki in a hospital bed smiled seeing the hit.

“Looks like Rai’s punch really uprooted Gaius’s defenses!” Otto shouted.

“Damn that hurt,” Rai said, breathing heavily while holding his chest where his core was. If I hadn’t raised my flux guard all over my body to its max, I’d be a goner… “Hey Plu… let’s reinforce.” The roots that were only on Rai’s arms, grew in size before a portion spread down his body, thinning at his torso before they grew larger as they once again wrapped his legs, just like his arms were.

“You dare,” Gaius said, appearing from the shadows of the debris.

“What’s wrong, having trouble keeping up?” Rai said.

Whenever Nephilim roots break through the earth, after the flux in them disperses, they usually disappear, fading into dust and flux, except for what remains in the earth. Any holes that would be left behind are instead filled with the wood of the world tree from the roots summoned, just as if the holes were never there. Because of this, the arena, apart from the trenches dug out from attacks, including the craters from heavy impacts, was basically completely back to its flat ground as Gaius recalled his flux force. Closing his eyes, Gaus’s arms swayed down to the waste as the tips of his fingers lightly touched one another, forming a diamond.

“This feeling…” Tanabe said.

A gust of air rushed into the audience, causing many to shiver.

Thin, elongated roots slowly emerged from the ground, swiveling around before coming to a halt. At the very ends, they started to glow in the same light as they normally would before lasers burst forth, however this time they were aimed at Gaius, hitting him from all angles. As a result, his body slowly become filled with the same glow, kind of like pouring ink into a body of water. Eventually, Gaius’s entire being was enveloped in light, but his bodies shape was still present.

“It can’t be?!” Han said.

Eloise even had a look of shock, as did Knox and Marco.

“Is this some sort of trick...” Mu stated, biting his lip.

“Your son…” General Kur said.

“Perhaps he is worthy of being the next emperor after all,” Emperor Adonis said.

Rai clenched his fists. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but it couldn’t be good.

In the Holy Land of Cronos, the man with long white hair, was sitting in a throne room as large as the Illuminus Empire’s. He was watching the fight on a hologram that stretched halfway to the ceiling. He wore all white with silver and gold lining his outfit. “Impressive,” King, leader of the Axien Church stated. Beside him, a large figure, perhaps nine feet tall stood, also clad in white with silver linings; unlike King, their face was covered with a white mask showing a peculiar design and the letter Q on their white robe around the chest area. “And at such a young age,” King said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lip.

As the light around Gaius faded, he wore a new outfit, this one, instead of being royal robes decorated in yellow and black, was lined with robes with streaks of glowing light on them, and wrapped across his forehead was a dazzling diadem; the elegant circlet glowed with a pearly white aura emitting from the two small gems in the center.

“Evolution…” Marco said in awe.

“Evolution?” Tanabe said.

“Evolution is a technique that only the most skilled warriors are able to accomplish; a technique that belongs to Abminus and Nephilim alone,” Eloise stated.

“But it’s not something any normal person can achieve…” Knox said. “To be frank, even I haven’t a clue how to access it.”

“In the elites, only myself, along with ranks one, two, and Han over there have accomplished it. Apart from us, there aren’t many other people in the world who have reached such a pinnacle state of their understanding of flux force when achieving this state,” Eloise said.

“How does one access this power?” Tanabe asked his grandfather, General Kur.

“Nobody knows… Determination? Luck? Perhaps it’s even a matter of being chosen. But there is one thing each of us have in common,” General Kur stated, switching his gaze from Tanabe to Gaius. “We’ve all put in the work to become indomitable warriors, and no one can take that away from us.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your seats and brace yourselves for the most electrifying moment in tournament history! What we’re witnessing right now is beyond anything we could have ever imagined!” Otto shouted.

Energy swirled around Gaius, crackling in flashes of light as a faint glow of yellow and white wrapped his body. Gaius, his gaze colder than ever, calmly held his arm straight out, palm down in a claw shape. He then twisted his outstretched arm so his palm of his hand would be facing skyward.

Immediately the roots along Rai’s arms and legs expanded rapidly, “Plu what’re you doin—?!”

The floor erupted and a beam the width of the entire arena floor burst skyward, clearing the clouds high above and disintegrating any birds flying by while also obliterating all the lu-cams. The shield set up by Han, shattered instantly. There was nowhere for anyone on that arena to run…

Lily eyes revealed a look of shock, as did the rest of the apprentices.

“Rai!” Tanabe shouted, leaning forward from his seat with terror-filled eyes.

At home, Hanabi held her hand to her mouth, a look of horror in her eyes as well.

Tux gritted his teeth seeing the scene unfold, his grip squeezing tighter around Grace from what could be a terrible outcome…

As the beam subsided, dark clouds cluttered everyone’s view, and a hush fell over the stadium. The walls of the arena were scorched. No one could see the outcome as every lu-cam was destroyed.

Then, they caught sight of Gaius. He was bent on a knee catching his breath. His form known as an evolution had disappeared. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he stood up, controlling his breathing and returning to his normal calm demeanor. “Thus is result of those who challenge the strong. Now, the new era begins.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the arena is left in stunned silence. That overwhelming display of power from Gaius has obliterated everything in its path. As the dust settles and the smoke clears, it’s hard to ignore that this might mark the end for our brave combatant…” Otto said.

“No…” Lily said, tears forming in her eyes.

Gaius began to walk towards the exit.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Gaius paused, a look of shock on his face. “Impossible?!”

“Hold on! Can it be?!” Otto said.

As the smoke dispersed, there looked to be a severely damaged wooden cocoon wrapped like a giant twirling ice cream. Most of it was falling apart, scorched with many holes as pieces crumbled to the ground. As the smoke passed, within it, Rai eventually could be seen. His legs were spread apart, possibly to keep himself standing as he was hunched over, one arm sagging forward, revealing blood trickling down it that dripped off his fingers. The left leg of his pants was torn up to his knee and his hair hung over his forehead, blood steadily seeping down his face, tracing his cheek till it dripped from his chin onto the floor; but his gaze, fierce and determined, was still directly focused on Gaius. “This… This isn’t over yet. I’ve still got a score to settle with you.”

The crowd roared!

Yukio, not saying a thing, studied the fight, his mechanical masks blue eye recording it in real time for Shen.

Back in Hanabi’s home, her parents asked, “Hanabi, where are you going?”

“He’s going need me after this!” she said, rushing out the front door while snagging a small coat on her way.

“That girl…” her father said with a smile.

“In a miraculous act, Rai has somehow managed to survive Gaius’s devastating attack!” Otto shouted, thrusting his fist to the sky.

Rai felt around for Plu’s presence, but it was nowhere to be seen. “You did well Plu…” Gazing at his bloody hand, he remembered his time spent with Olaf in Northwood.

“Not bad!” Olaf said. “It’s all about practice. Once you’ve cast, you wait. Patience is key. You’ll feel a tug on the line when a fish bites.”

“I think I’ve got something!” Rai said.

“Remember to stay calm and keep the tension on the line,” Olaf advised. “You don’t want to yank too hard.”

Rai gazed at the holographic card given to him. ‘Tulip Tempest…’

“My wife Meriam gave me that card. She wanted to remind me to never underestimate yourself, or others. I hope your opponent doesn’t underestimate you, or they’ll be in for a world of pain.”

Standing upright, Rai got into a fighting stance, blood still slowly seeping from all over, he shouted, “I’m going to show you what happens when you underestimate someone!”

In the stands, Meriam teared up, smiling as she placed her hands to her chin, praying for his victory.

“I don’t underestimate…” Gaius responded. “I dominate,” he stated firmly as roots one by one burst through the ground.

Rai rushed forward avoiding many ripping through the earth beneath him. Colliding with Gaius, Rai spun mid-air this time delivering a three-spin kick, aiming to break Gaius guard. The third kick caused a crater to form under Gaius, but it was unable to break his guard.

A small root appeared and smacked Rai away, before he landed on his feet, quickly gazing up for his opponent. One giant root lit up near Rai and Gaius phased out of it; he traversed through another he ignited with flux without Rai’s knowledge. “Shit!” Rai held up his guard as Gaius slammed his fist into it, sending him flying back into a large root and causing it to crack and splinter. With a look of panic, Rai placed his hands over his head, pushing off and flipping up and backward toward the sky as Gaius’s fist smashed into the place he was just at. “Ikken!” A blast detonated from Rai’s fists, enveloping them both! Gaius held his guard above his head while Rai was launched higher into the air from his own blast.

Tanking the attack, blood seeped down Gaius’s mouth. Gritting his teeth, “You…” he muttered before launching upward.

Meanwhile, Rai was still soaring upward along the side of the large vertical root before flipping himself around to be able to look down. His feet skidded against the root while Gaius raced directly up it after him.

They were both barely able to grab footing on the root beneath their feet as they began exchanging blows with one another during their upward ascension.

Rai, still struggling to use his injured arm had trouble keeping up with Gaius’s onslaught, getting punched in the face, the stomach, then the rib, but even so, he fought on.

Suddenly, Gaius pressed against the root with his foot, exiting the close combat with Rai.

“Where’s he going?” Suddenly, the root beneath Rai's feet retracted toward the ground, leaving him with no means of getting back down except by falling. “Not good!”

Gaius, landing on another of his roots, aimed two large ones at Rai who now began to fall down when his upward momentum had died. The two large roots glowed, preparing to fire since Rai could only fall straight down.

“He has nowhere to go?!” Chloe said from the stands.

Coughing up blood, Rai bit his lip. I can’t just keep using ikken, I’m already way past my limit…

“Begone,” Gaius said, and the beams ripped through the sky in an X-like pattern.

Instantly appearing in front of Gaius, Rai swung a kick, smashing it into him and sending him hurdling off his high root directly to the floor!

“He blinked?!” Neptus said, watching on TV far away. He was covered in dirt, looking pretty scuffed up. They had just finished their mission and were able to catch the end of the fight.

“I told you if we left right away we’d be able to finish,” Jack said, he also looked pretty beat up.

In the Kingdom of Atlas, Chancellor Plut shouted, “Won’t one of you kill each other already!”

Sater, standing beside the chancellor, smiled. These youths sure are something.

In the hidden village of Kalumi, the Elder and the rest were also watching the fight on a hologram, each carrying a smile full of pride.

“Let’s go Rai!” Pinet shouted jumping up and down.

In the slums of Nitehood, many people listened on the radio. “Did you know? Rai grew up around these parts!” someone said. News quickly spread throughout the area.

“I thought Rai didn’t know how to blink?” Seppe said. Gazing to his left, he noticed Kiku was awake watching the fight. “KIKU?! You’re actually awake...”

Though she had sleepy eyes with a little drool hanging from the corner of the mouth, Kiku’s gaze stayed glued on the fight.

In the arena, there were still many large visible roots around the area, though they were frozen stiff.

The second Rai landed on the ground he fell to a knee, spitting up blood while grabbing his chest.

When the dust cleared, Gaius was also on a knee, this time breathing a little more heavily than he had ever before.

“Both Rai and Gaius are down on one knee, each fighter battered from this epic clash! How will this incredible tournament unfold!?” Otto said. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

Rai, gazing up at Gaius, smirked.

Seeing his smirk, Gaius frowned and beneath Rai, the ground trembled.

“Crap!” Rai said jumping away and rolling off the ground as a medium size root tore through the floor. Quickly, Rai retreated behind a bundle of thick roots where Gaius couldn’t see him, gasping for air. “Give me a break…” Rai leaned against the root for support, his legs were shaking. I decided to blink, but I had no idea where I’d end up, however, anywhere was better than falling like a sitting duck. Dumb luck that I happened to appear right in front of Gaius…

Standing to his feet, Gaius pat himself off, before saying, “I must admit, you’ve put up quite the effort... But we both know your core is way past its limits. Whereas mine, is not. Any further—”

“Will you shut up already!” Rai hollered from behind the tree. “If you think I’m giving up, you’re dead wrong.” Behind the root, Rai felt his core; the cracks were starting to become pretty severe... “Guess this is it… all or nothing,” he uttered to himself.

Emotionless at first, soon a smile appeared on Gaius’s face. “Then let’s finish this.” Two thin yet lengthy roots emerged beside him, about twice his height. Most of their body remained the color of regular roots, being a brownish green, but at the tips, they glowed in the familiar bright light as they had most the fight. Lasers burst forth from them, slicing the root Rai hid behind in half, but Rai had jumped out just in time.

Screaming, Rai rushed Gaius! The lasers, a constant flow of power, tore through the earth, slicing every large root they came in contact with as Rai continued to dip, lung and jump over them. Larger roots fell down like timbering tree’s causing Rai to have to slide under one, while racing by others. Inch by inch he closed the distance to Gaius.

“Tsk,” Gaius, gritting his teeth, summoned two more similar roots to shoot lasers at Rai.

Rai, seeing a piece of bark on the floor, snatched it up, using it as a shield as he charged directly at the lasers. The laser smashed into the shield, but it held up as Rai infused it with flux and continued to run toward Gaius; it had a higher resistance due to it being of the same material of Gaius’s light roots.

“Insolent...” Gaius muttered. He’s using my own roots against me. If I recall my roots, the shield he’s holding will disappear, but so will my light roots. Gazing at the roots blasting the lasers beside him, he said, “So be it.” Pouring more flux into the lasers he coughed up blood, cracking his own core, however, it successfully chipped away at the shield, forcing Rai to a slower pace as his only means of defense slowly disappeared.

“GAIUS!” Rai shouted, struggling as he inched closer. In a final push against the many powered up lasers, the shield was about to shatter, but Rai front flipped over them, letting go of the shield merely a couple feet away from Gaius. Placing two hands together, he shouted, “Ikk—!” Gaius smirked, from another angle Rai hadn’t noticed, a larger root glowed. Quickly turning Rai held his guard up as a laser burst out, enveloping Rai and sending him hurdling back into a giant root where a loud crackling sound reverberated throughout the coliseum.

Gaius looked in the direction of Rai, a smile forming on the corner of his lip, “The victory is mi—” From behind another thick root beside him, Rai emerged! Turning, Gaius’s eyes widened, attempting to raise his guard as light from a building ikken flickered against his face and the coliseum quickly illuminated in the force of an upcoming ikken.

From Rai, a super-sized ikken, his biggest yet, shot forth. The swirling air flux-filled blast smashed into Gaius, carrying him directly into the coliseum wall where an enormous explosion shook the entire place.

Not long after, the Rai that had fired the ikken slowly lost its shape, his body revealing many shades of green before turning into a dried-up root.

Within the crater of the tree, Rai’s body was being held up by the bowl shape of the damage from his impact with the tree…

A few days before the match, during his conversation with Inari after Olaf’s passing, she gazed up at Rai after contemplating something. “In our battle, I was unable to sense Plu as a root. Even now, I’m still unable to sense it…” Inari said, gazing down at Plu beside Rai. “Is it the same with others?”

“Marco did say something about not being able to sense Plu’s core… He mentioned Plu might be concealing its core, perhaps even unknowingly,” Rai said, thinking it over.

“Perhaps if you can create an opening, Plu may be able to catch Gaius off guard, and it can deliver the final blow.”

“Yeah, but Plu can only do things as a root,” Rai said. “Not much different than yourself, and that didn’t even phase Gaius.”

Turning to leave, Inari said, “After my match against you, I learned there are many things I have yet to find out… about myself, and about the power that is Root Root,” she said, gazing at her hand. “The roots of the world tree have no limitations, and neither should we,” Inari said. “Reezo taught me that, and you helped remind me.”

Rai thought it over, before seeing Inari depart, “Hey, where you going?”

“To find purpose,” Inari said. “And… to learn how to support those I care for,” she said, smiling at Rai.

Rai smiled as she left, however, gazing back at the grave, he sighed, departing to the family he knew wouldn’t take the news lightly…

During his training in the days before the match against Gaius, he tried all sorts of things with Plu, hoping to find some sort of secret technique of his own, rather than ikken. After a large argument with Plu over its lack of effort, Plu, being in its root form, morphed into a version of Rai, stomping its foot angrily and kicking Rai’s shin lightly before turning to leave.

“What the hell?!” Rai said, falling to his butt.

Hanabi turning the corner, noticed two Rai’s, immediately confused.

The Rai that was Plu ran toward Hanabi before dropping to his knees behind her, wrapping himself around her waist while sticking his tongue at Rai angrily.

Hanabi immediately blushed, her face boiling up to her hairline.

“What’s going on...” Hanabi said, gazing at the other Rai further away.

“I’m not too sure…”

The Rai that was Plu, happened to lean back, poking Hanabi’s butt curiously with his finger.

“RAI!” Hanabi shouted, slapping the Rai that was Plu, who now lay on the floor dizzy.

They soon learned that Plu had learned how to become a wooden clone of Rai, and could even use Ikken, however Plu was unable to say a word in this form.

Within the the arena, the smoke cleared around Rai. His body was badly injured, even so, he removed himself from the thick root, limping towards the giant hole Gaius was in. He recalled the moment he hid behind the bundle of roots for protection.

Hidden within the bundle of roots, Rai thought to himself, dumb luck that I happened to appear right in front of Gaius… Suddenly a root emerged from the ground looking up at him, startling him. “Plu?!” Rai whispered. It nodded. His voice still a whisper, “I thought you were done,” and Plu nodded no. Quickly thinking it over, “Hey… I think it’s time to try that,” and the root nodded, slowly growing bigger and forming arms. Not long after laser cut through the root as Rai jumped out and Plu ducked under, waiting for its time before darting off in the opposite direction Gaius couldn’t see.

Rai limped closer to the smoke in which Gaius was in. “Stay down…” Rai muttered, gripping his waste, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“What a twist we’ve witnessed here today! Just when it seemed like Gaius had the upper hand, Rai’s unexpected ally, Plu, has pulled off a stunning surprise! Could this be it?!” Otto said.

Suddenly, light started to flicker from the hole Gaius was in.

“No,” Rai said. “Just give up already...”

Bit by bit, Gaius stepped out, his eyes were glowing a bright yellow, hunched over holding his stomach. Blood seeped from his arms and legs, and his royal robes were torn.

“How can he still be standing…” Lily said.

Everyone was silent watching the scene unfold.

Hanabi happened to appear under the arena, watching from the open entrance below as the conflict was coming to a conclusion.

“I’ve had enough,” Gaius said, coughing up blood.

Han’s eyes widened, “His power is rising even higher than when he was in his evolved form?!”

“I will… not tolerate such disobedience!” Gaius said, fury in his eyes, but then explosions echoed from outside the coliseum.

The crowd, slightly panicked, gazed around, wondering what was happening.

An alarm sounded as guards from the Illuminus Empire came running into the stands where the audience was located, shouting, “The Vanguard have invaded! We’re under attack!”

The light within Gaius’s eyes faded as he gazed up, hearing the guards claim of an invasion.

General Kur shouted, “Get everyone to safety!”

“Elites!” Emperor Adonis said. “Go! Protect the people!”

The elites nodded, quickly taking off in separate directions.

“Rai!” Hanabi said, running over to him.

“The Vanguard are attacking?” Rai said, falling into her embrace. He looked up at Gaius, who caught his gaze, before Gaius also quickly departed into the fray.

“Do not panic,” General Kur said. “Please exit according to the safety protocols.”

Otto, fearfully gazing left, and then right, slowly slipped away with the rest of the crowd.

“The Vanguard…” Ayame said.

Mr. Briggs, gazing at the apprentices said, “You lot, come with me,” and the apprentices followed Mr. Briggs.

“I have to go,” Chloe said to the family she was with, before running off.

Landing beside Rai, Marco said, “I don’t have much time, but it seems the Vanguard have positioned their attacks not only in the empire, but also in two of the kingdoms. One happens to be Aurahelm, steer clear of it,” Marco said, disappearing.

“Aurahelm?!” Rai said. “Taka!” Gazing up at Hanabi, Rai grasped her arms, “Hanabi! Please, heal my core!”

“But Rai,” she said, looking at his current state.

“Hanabi!” Rai shouted.

After a moment, Hanabi nodded, placing her hands on his back.

Meanwhile, Emperor Adonis stared off into the distance where multiple clouds of smoke appeared, “Why have the Vanguard shown up at a time like this...”

Elsewhere, in one of many jail cells located deep under the empire, Dr. Metzuki, calm as ever, stared ominously into the distance as many guards rushed left and right past his cell. The flickering lights of torches along the walls revealed a sly smile on his face.