Chapter Fifty-Seven: Breach

A breeze stirred the desolate ground beneath them, but it carried an unusual scent—metallic, cold, and foreign, threading through the air with a heavy, ominous energy. The realm itself seemed to recoil, as though it sensed an intruder. Yozora glanced around, his senses sharpening, feeling the weight of the intrusion pressing on him like a dense fog.

“What could break through here?” Yozora muttered, gripping his katana tightly, his gaze darting across the dark landscape. He’d faced plenty of opponents, but this presence was different.

Ignarok’s expression darkened, his gaze distant as he scanned the horizon. “It’s no simple intrusion, Yozora. Only a rare few possess the strength to penetrate the barriers of Ember’s Depths.” His voice was laced with a hard edge. “This realm isn’t just territory—it’s fortified with layers of defenses, each more potent than the last. Whoever’s managed to break in isn’t here by accident. They came prepared.”

The tension between them grew, unspoken but deeply felt. Moments ago, they were on opposite ends testing each other’s strength. Now, they shared a silent understanding, their instincts shifting from sparring partners to protectors of the realm. Ignarok’s fierce protectiveness was clear in the hard line of his jaw.

A faint, rhythmic sound pierced the silence, a pulse, like a heartbeat, but twisted and unnatural, reverberating across the darkened landscape and vibrating through the ground.

“Who would have the strength to break in here?” Yozora whispered, his unease growing.

Ignarok’s jaw clenched, shadows flickering in his crimson eyes. “Someone who should never have been allowed to enter.”His gaze shifted to Yozora, intense and foreboding. “Stay close, Yozora. I’ve ruled Ember’s Depths for a long time, and this has never happened. If I had to guess, they’re here for you.”

Just then, a suffocating wave of Hindo pressure crashed down on them. The air thickened, buzzing with sinister energy as an unfamiliar voice echoed around them, mocking in its tone. “Found them. Talk about an unlucky guy.”

Ignarok’s face hardened, fury simmering beneath his calm exterior. “Six rats have come to die. Who dares breach my realm?”

The voice answered, smooth and arrogant. “Lord Ignarok, I presume? I am Zephiron. We come seeking a boy recently arrived here. We mean your realm no harm.”

Before Ignarok could respond, Yozora had already moved, materializing beside Zephiron with a smirk. “So this boy you’re after, does he have a name?” he asked, catching Zephiron off guard.

Zephiron’s surprise quickly turned to irritation. “Didn’t anyone teach you it’s rude to sneak up on others?”

“Didn’t anyone teach you that I don’t give a damn?” Yozora replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “You interrupted my lesson, so I assume you’re looking for me. Name’s Yozora.”

Zephiron’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at Yozora. “You must be an idiot to come willingly to your own death.”

Ignarok’s voice interrupted, his tone laced with disdain as he floated up beside Yozora. “And you must be mere sacrifices or mindless puppets, to dare breach the realm of a lord.” Ignarok’s eyes glinted with malice. “You should know better than to set foot here uninvited.”

Zephiron sneered, unfazed by the threat. “We are only after the boy. We have no interest in your realm, Ignarok.”

Ignarok shook his head, a mock sigh escaping his lips. “That’s unfortunate. I’ve grown fond of him and recently became his teacher. Allowing him to be taken isn’t exactly on the table. You may try again in a few days. if you leave now I’ll allow one of you to live.”

Zephiron and his companions let out a collective laugh, their arrogance filling the space. “It will be us who take both the boy and your head, Ignarok. And before we leave, I’ll personally glass this pathetic realm,” Zephiron sneered, his voice thick with pride.

The air shifted, Hindo pressure escalating as Yozora and Ignarok readied themselves. Yozora smirked, giving Ignarok a sly glance. “Yo, Iggy, two against six… feels a little unfair for them, doesn’t it? These idiots should’ve brought at least twenty.”

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Zephiron’s pride flared at the taunt. “Are you calling us weak?”

Yozora’s smirk only grew, his tone laced with mock innocence. “I don’t know. That sounds like something a weak person would say.”

Ignarok chuckled, a rare laugh that rumbled through the air. “You’ve got a sharp tongue, Yozora. Now, enough banter, focus up. This is as good a time as any to master your Ice Hindo. Let’s give them a reason to regret coming here.”

Yozora grinned, pulling Ignarok slightly to the side as if sharing a secret. “Funny thing, I was saving this one for you.”With a dramatic flourish, Yozora clasped his hands together, then drew them apart to reveal a katana crackling with icy lightning. “Ice Fumi: Blue Lightning.”

Ignarok’s eyes widened, intrigued. “That’s… a new form of Hindo I’ve never seen before, Yozora. What is that?”

Yozora puffed his chest with a satisfied grin. “Because of you, I learned how to attune my Hindo. I simply combined Ice and Lightning Hindo into one.” He held out his hand, forming a small cube of ice, its surface crackling with streaks of lightning. “See? It might look like normal ice, but look closer, there’s lightning Hindo surging through it.”

They both turned back to Zephiron and his group, sharing a grim.

“Let’s have some fun,” Yozora said, his voice filled with a thrill only battle could bring.

Yozora’s hand blazed with a fierce fusion of Ice and Lightning Hindo, each element dancing along the blade in brilliant, crackling arcs. Frost and sparks swirled around him as he locked his gaze onto Zephiron, wasting no time before lunging forward with lethal intent. Cold, electrified tendrils shot from his blade, filling the air with a static hum that chilled to the bone.

Zephiron, seeing the oncoming attack, smirked, his ghostly form shimmering as he sidestepped with a fluid ease. “Nyra, Vossir, Thyrex, Lyria, Caelum,” he called out with a low, mocking tone that echoed through the space. “Take care of the Lord. I’ll handle this fledgling myself.” His voice seemed to ripple in the air, sinister and melodic, as he refocused on Yozora, muttering, “Specter Fumi: Vanishing Step.” Zephiron’s form flickered, dissolving into wisps of shadow that danced in spirals around Yozora’s blade.

Yozora’s eyes narrowed, tightening his grip on his katana as he pivoted, swinging the blade in a blur of speed. He struck through the shadows, but they slipped past his strikes, reappearing around him with ghostly laughter that seemed to taunt him with each missed attempt. Zephiron materialized behind him, a dark, ethereal blade extending from his palm. Yozora barely had time to twist out of its path, feeling the chill of its hindo just inches from his skin.

Meanwhile, Ignarok confronted the other five figures with a power that shook the earth beneath him. His towering form was wreathed in volcanic fire, a ferocious aura radiating as he threw a blast of magma toward Vossir, who charged at him with a ravenous grin. The searing impact staggered Vossir, his grotesque figure sizzling, but he seemed to feed off the energy, his grin widening as he absorbed the heat, drawing strength from the very attack that should have crippled him.

“Is that all, Lord Ignarok?” Vossir sneered, his twisted grin revealing sharpened teeth as he steadied himself, licking his lips.

Before Ignarok could retort, a vortex of storm clouds swirled on his left as Thyrex, rushed in, arms raised and crackling with lightning. Ignarok met the oncoming assault with an expanding shield of volcanic Hindo, deflecting the vortex in a dazzling clash that sent lightning bolts scattering in every direction.

"You’re all sorely mistaken if you think you can bring my realm to its knees,” Ignarok growled, his voice a deep, thunderous echo that rolled through the battlefield.

His eyes flickered as he assessed his opponents. “Vossir’s an augmenter, Thyrex is a bender... Let’s see what else these rats have to offer,” he thought.

From the shadows, Lyria watched with a sinister smile, her hands weaving illusions that warped the battlefield into a nightmarish landscape. Shadowy creatures materialized around Ignarok, their gleaming eyes flashing malice, each illusion layered with such skill that it was nearly impossible to discern reality from trickery.

Back with Yozora, the duel with Zephiron continued, their battle one of speed and elusive attacks. Zephiron’s vanishing assault persisted, his form blinking in and out around Yozora, each strike aimed with precision at any exposed angle. But Yozora wasn’t shaken; his Lightning and Ice Hindo surged with each swing. With a swift spin, Yozora unleashed a torrent of icy shards and lightning bolts that radiated outward in all directions.

The barrage forced Zephiron to halt, a few of the shards embedding themselves in his ethereal form. A flash of irritation crossed his face. “Impressive, little bird. But let’s see if you can keep up with the real hunt.” His tone was taunting, though a flicker of genuine frustration hinted in his gaze.

Yozora steadied his stance, breathing hard yet grinning, a glint of defiance in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I haven’t even warmed up yet.”

They squared off again, each preparing to unleash their next move. Zephiron’s spectral aura glistening as he prepared to strike, while Yozora’s icy lightning pulsed around him, ready to counter.

But then, everything stilled.

An oppressive force pressed down on the entire battlefield, halting each movement, each breath, as if the world itself were pausing in fear. Yozora’s body tensed, I know that frequency anywhere.

A voice, deep and resonant, filled the air, echoing through the realm with a power that silenced everything in its wake.

“Hawks.”