Taki stood motionless under the gray sky, the sand beneath his feet shifting with a subtle breeze. The desolation of the barren battlefield was now pierced by radiant beams of light emanating from his very being. His face was serene, a calm smile playing on his lips as he looked upward, eyes fixated on something beyond the physical realm.

"God... thank you," Taki whispered, his voice filled with a newfound sense of peace and conviction. "For this blessing, for your forgiveness. I feel reborn, as if I’ve just awakened from eternal darkness." His voice grew softer, almost reverent, as he spread his arms wide, welcoming the light. "The sunshine... it has erased the shadows within me and replaced them with your light. This light makes me feel like... a king."

From atop the stone bridge, Kenji, Tony, and Olorun watched in stunned silence. Eleo, standing several meters away from Taki, clenched his fists, visibly confused and frustrated by his opponent’s sudden change.

“What is he talking about?” Eleo muttered, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of Taki’s cryptic monologue.

Taki slowly lowered his gaze, his serene smile still in place. “Bunny kid,” he said, pointing casually at Eleo. “Come at me."

Before Taki could finish his sentence, Eleo had already vanished from his sight, appearing behind him with terrifying speed. His fist aimed directly at Taki’s head, ready to deliver a punishing blow. But instead of reacting with panic or surprise, Taki remained utterly calm. His eyes glowed with divine light as he muttered under his breath, “Air reflection.”

Eleo’s punch connected—but not with flesh. Instead, his fist seemed to bounce back, as if he had struck an invisible wall. The force of his own blow rebounded, sending a shockwave through his arm. Eleo stumbled back, eyes wide, disbelief etched across his face.

“What the hell just happened?” Eleo spat, shaking his hand as if trying to rid himself of the strange sensation.

From the bridge, Olorun's eyes widened in shock, whispering under his breath, “Jesus Christ... he’s one percent god.”

Kenji, who had been silent until now, raised an eyebrow, his analytical mind already at work. “So, when he’s at one hundred percent... what then?”

“No, no, you misunderstand,” Olorun corrected quickly, his voice filled with awe. “He’s not on God’s level, but he has godlike abilities. Powers like these come from divine intervention... not mortal limits.”

Tony, still nursing his wounds from their previous skirmish, shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “Forget that for a second. Shouldn’t we help Eleo?”

Kenji gave Tony a knowing look, shaking his head. “Me and Olorun can’t. Your necrotic didn’t heal us fully.”

“Hey, sorry, man. It was only my second time using it,” Tony retorted, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.

Olorun sighed and rested his back against the bridge’s stone wall. “We might as well watch. Let’s see just how strong Taki has become.”

Down below, Eleo's frustration was mounting. He rushed Taki again, launching a barrage of punches—left, right, left, right—his movements a blur. But Taki dodged each attack effortlessly, his expression tranquil, as though he were barely paying attention. His eyes continued to gaze upward, smiling at something only he could see.

Eleo growled in frustration, swinging a right hook aimed directly at Taki’s temple. But before his fist could land, Taki’s hand shot out and grabbed Eleo’s wrist in mid-air. Still gazing skyward, Taki whispered softly, “I will use this power to protect Master Babalawo.”

With a swift, brutal motion, Taki twisted Eleo’s arm, forcing him to his knees. Eleo barely had time to react before Taki’s foot slammed into his chest, sending him flying across the battlefield. Before Eleo could regain his bearings, Taki teleported behind him, his hand gripping the back of Eleo’s head like a vice. In a single fluid motion, Taki slammed Eleo’s face into the ground, the impact sending ripples through the sand.

Taki stood over Eleo’s prone form, his expression calm yet resolute. He raised his hand, and from his fingertips erupted beams of radiant, holy light, each one streaking toward Eleo with terrifying speed.

Eleo, still disoriented, barely managed to raise his arms in time. “Ink shield!” he shouted, summoning a dark, shimmering barrier in front of him. The beams collided with the shield, the clash of light and dark energies creating an explosion that shook the ground beneath their feet. Sand was thrown into the air in great clouds, obscuring their forms for a moment.

But Taki wasn’t finished. His eyes gleamed with divine power as he lifted both hands into the air. “Wrath of Heaven,” he intoned, his voice filled with the weight of divine authority.

Above, the clouds churned and darkened, swirling with ominous energy. Bolts of divine lightning crackled through the sky, illuminating the battlefield in blinding flashes. A hurricane began to form around them, winds howling as they whipped through the desert, picking up sand and debris.

Olorun, Kenji, and Tony watched in awe as Taki unleashed the full fury of his new abilities. Massive whirlwinds spun across the desert, tearing up the ground in their wake. Divine lightning rained down from the heavens, striking with unrelenting force, each bolt aimed at Eleo.

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Eleo, gritting his teeth, stood his ground amidst the chaos. “Ink shield!” he cried again, reinforcing his defense. The barrier held for a moment, but each strike of lightning weakened it, cracks forming in the dark shield.

Taki’s voice echoed across the battlefield, serene yet filled with power. “You will understand, Eleo. This power isn’t for destruction. It’s for protection.”

With a final gesture, Taki summoned a colossal whirlwind that descended upon Eleo. The sandstorm enveloped him, lifting him into the air, helpless against the sheer force of nature itself. Eleo struggled, summoning all his strength to resist the pull of the wind, but it was too much. He was flung across the battlefield, slamming into a rocky outcrop with enough force to shatter the stone.

Taki slowly walked toward Eleo, the storm calming behind him as he approached. His footsteps left glowing imprints in the sand, each one radiating divine light.

From atop the bridge, Tony looked at Olorun, worry etched across his face. “Should we intervene now?”

Olorun shook his head. “We can't; we just get in the way. Taki hasn’t reached his limit.”

Kenji watched the battle intently, analyzing every move. “Eleo’s holding his own, but Taki’s powers are... overwhelming. He’s not just stronger. It’s like he’s not even human anymore.”

Down below, Eleo staggered to his feet, panting heavily. His body was bruised and battered, but his eyes blazed with determination. “This isn’t over,” he growled, wiping blood from his lip.

Taki stopped a few feet away from Eleo, his face calm and peaceful. “It never was about winning or losing, Eleo. It’s about understanding your place in the light of God’s will.”

Eleo clenched his fists, glaring at Taki. “I don’t care about your god, Taki. I care about winning!”

Taki’s smile didn’t falter. He raised his hand once more, summoning a final bolt of divine lightning, aimed directly at Eleo’s heart. The air was thick with tension as Eleo faced Taki, his mind racing for a way out of this impossible situation. He was moving as fast as he could, but Taki was relentless sending more and more divine lightning,, his abilities too overwhelming. Each step Eleo took, each dodge, was barely keeping him ahead of the onslaught, and he knew it. He wasn't fast enough, and even if he were, Taki was operating on a different level entirely. Eleo clenched his teeth, gritting through the strain.

In a desperate attempt, Eleo activated *Ink Cannon*, launching powerful, concentrated bursts of ink from his stomach, hoping to catch Taki off guard. The black, viscous fluid shot through the air like a battering ram, the sheer force behind it enough to level most enemies. As the ink blasted toward Taki, it collided with his raised fist.

But instead of stopping the ink or getting consumed by its thick embrace, Taki’s fist moved through it, and the ink exploded, trying to engulf him in a sticky, consuming trap. For a moment, it looked like Eleo had succeeded. He could feel a glimmer of hope as the ink cloud thickened around Taki’s body.

Then came the shimmer of holy light. In an instant, the ink vanished as though it had never existed. Taki had used his *Holy Eraser*, the divine light wiping away Eleo's ink completely.

Eleo grunted in frustration. He couldn't heal. His body was aching, and he knew that asking for help was useless—none of them, not even with their combined strength, could face Taki. They were all outmatched. He could feel the weight of his own weakness bearing down on him, but he couldn't afford to give up. Not yet.

With no other options, Eleo called upon his *ink mist*, a dark, swirling fog of ink that covered the battlefield, hoping to obscure his movements. The mist would create confusion, and within its murky depths, he planned his next move. Taki, however, was unfazed, his expression calm and indifferent as the ink thickened around him.

For a moment, it looked like Eleo had managed to disappear into the mist. Taki paused, his head tilting slightly, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“You can hide your presence, but not your desperation,” Taki muttered. Within seconds, he felt not one but many Eleos within the mist. He wasn’t fooled.

The mist began to clear, and Taki, seeing the numerous clones Eleo had created, raised an eyebrow. *“Really? You’re creating clones now?”* he asked, his voice full of disappointment.

Eleo’s voice echoed back, a note of resignation in his tone. “Yeah, I can’t beat you. I know that now. Even if I got everyone else to help me, we’d still lose.” *

Taki nodded slowly, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. *“Good. It’s important to know your limits.” *

Eleo’s clones surged forward, launching themselves at Taki in a coordinated attack. They aimed to overwhelm him through sheer numbers. Punches, kicks, and strikes rained down on Taki from every angle. But Taki remained unmoved, his eyes closed as he whispered, “Wind of Revelation.”

A powerful gust of wind suddenly erupted from Taki, swirling around him with divine energy. The wind cut through the air like a blade, instantly dispelling Eleo’s mist and clones. The clones disintegrated before they could even land a hit.

Taki opened his eyes and glanced in Eleo’s direction. *“Your clones don't have your full strength, Eleo. They're nothing but shadows. And with my ability, I already know where you are.” *

Before Eleo could react, Taki was in front of him in a blur of motion. In a single, devastating strike, Taki punched a hole straight through Eleo's stomach, blood splattering across the ground as Eleo’s body was sent flying backward. He hit the ground hard, blood pouring from his wound, his vision darkening.

Up above, Kenji, Tony, was in, and Olorun stood on the stone bridge, watching the battle unfold with a mixture of awe, horror, and shock. None of them had expected Taki’s power to be this overwhelming. Kenji couldn’t stop staring at Eleo’s body. His breath was shallow, and his knuckles whitened as his grip on his sword tightened. The blade trembled in his hand, but not from fatigue—it was rage, the kind of rage that consumed everything in its path. "Damn it," he muttered, his voice hoarse and low. "Damn it, Eleo!" He wanted to scream, to break something, to fight anything that would make him feel like this wasn’t real. But nothing came. All that remained was the crushing weight of guilt. He had failed to protect his friend. He failed to save him. Tony’s reaction was different. He stood a few feet away, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his face unreadable. But anyone who knew him could see the cracks forming in the mask he wore.Now there was nothing he could say. Tony let out a long breath and leaned against the wall. His eyes flickered over to Kenji, who was visibly struggling to keep it together. "Eleo didn’t deserve this," Tony finally said, his voice quieter than usual. "None of us did." Taki flew up to the bridge, hovering above them. With a menacing glare, he pointed at them and said, "You’re next."

Below them, Eleo lay on the ground, coughing up blood. His vision swam as he stared up at the gray sky, the sound of wind echoing in his ears. His thoughts were muddled, his body wracked with pain. “Man, I guess this is it,” he thought bitterly.

The faces of his friends flashed through his mind—Tony, that demon girl, her friend Kenji, Olorun, and Kuma. He had wanted to be the strongest. He had wanted to prove himself, but now it seemed like all of that was slipping away. “Goodbye... to the people I met. And goodbye to you too, Kuma. ”*

His eyes slowly closed as the darkness started to claim him, his body growing cold.

“Wake up, fool.”*

A voice cut through the void, sharp and commanding. Eleo’s eyes snapped open, and he found himself standing in a dark, empty space. In front of him was a tall, imposing figure—Death himself, his presence cold and overwhelming.

“Come on, boy. You’re really going to die just like that? After everything you’ve done?” *

Eleo stared up at Death, his voice trembling. *“I... I died. I can’t do anything about that. I can’t heal this wound.” *

Death narrowed his eyes. *“Not yet. Why haven’t you transformed into your true form yet? That Taki guy will have a better shot at becoming the strongest if you give up now.”*

Eleo shook his head weakly. *“No… I’m the one who’s going to become the strongest.” *

A grin spread across Death’s face. *“Good. Then I’ll give you one last chance. Don’t waste it.” *

With that, Eleo’s soul was pulled back into his body, the darkness fading as the real world came rushing back. He gasped as air filled his lungs again, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.he looked at his wound on his stomach that was healed

“I’m alive," he muttered, still in shock.

His thoughts raced as he tried to figure out what to do next. His wound was still there, but he knew he couldn’t waste this second chance. He needed to transform to harness all of his power. An idea struck him—he would push all of his ink into one side of his body, concentrating it into a single form.

As he gathered all of his ink, it flowed into the right side of his body, both inside and out. His skin darkened, his muscles bulging as the ink transformed him, covering half of his body in a jet-black sheen.

Up above, the air around him is crackling with energy. Kenji tightened his grip on his sword, Olorun clenched his fists, and Tony readied his necrotic ability.

Before they could move, Eleo suddenly teleported in front of them, his transformed body radiating power. The battle wasn’t over yet.