The dragon sighed deeply before his voice echoed simultaneously in everyone's minds:
"What a show-off..." Miya, surprised, frowned slightly.
"You know each other?" Merphis gave a small, wry smile.
"Ah... you're talking about that albino lizard? Yes, indeed... I know him."
A silence.
Then, the dragon's voice suddenly grew heavier:
"Call me 'albino lizard' again... and I'll throw you all into the void." A shiver ran through the group. Daru raised his hand slightly, uneasy.
"Uh... we didn't tell you anything, did we? Why throw us out because of him?" The dragon suddenly burst into laughter, a powerful laugh that vibrated through the air.
"Don't worry... I was just kidding." Yamero crossed his arms, an amused smile on his face.
"So, Merphis?" You went to live with a tribe of dragons and brought one back as a pet?
Merphis chuckled softly.
"I'll give you the details later... but let's just say that dragon trained me. Thanks to him, I was able to become stronger... and above all, completely master my dragonification." Aika's eyes widened.
"He trained you... for over a year?" Merphis frowned slightly, clearly surprised.
"Over a year? ...Wait." He looked around, as if realizing something.
"I was gone... for a year?" Suka, flustered, took a step forward.
"Why are you asking? Weren't you aware of the passage of time?" The dragon replied calmly, his voice echoing in their minds once more:
"We were in a dimension where time doesn't flow like it does here." Over there… two days can feel like months in your world.
He lightly clenched his fist, his aura shimmering around him.
"So… while I was training… you guys were fighting alone." Aika lowered her gaze slightly, but a faint smile played on her lips.
"Yeah… but look, you came back at the perfect time." Yamero cracked his knuckles, gazing at the floating island in the distance.
"Perfect timing, even. Because now… things are about to get serious."
Merphis stared at the floating island, arms crossed, suspended in mid-air, his gaze cold and piercing.
"So... this is where they planned to bring about the end of the world?" Miya nodded slightly.
"Sort of, yes. But you've already destroyed their city... and especially their teleportation point. You've drastically reduced their chances." Maki narrowed her eyes.
"What's your plan now, Merphis?" Merphis didn't look away from the island and replied calmly:
"The plan is simple. I'm going to take them all on... alone." He paused.
"While you guys stay here. Nice and quiet."
Silence.
Then Yamero burst out laughing, a genuine, almost mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! You really think we're going to let you do this all by yourself? I want my share of the fun too." Suka frowned, visibly worried.
"You can't be serious... you really plan to face all these monsters alone?" Daru crossed his arms in turn, a provocative smile on his lips.
"Even if you've gotten stronger... you're talking about the three leaders plus their entire army. Don't push your luck." Aika stepped forward slightly, looking Merphis straight in the eyes.
"We've been waiting for you... we've fought this far... and now you want to leave us out?"
Merphis's eyes changed abruptly.
Their hue became golden yellow, slit like that of an ancient predator.
An invisible aura swept through the space.
"[Dragon Eyes]" The world around him seemed to slow down. Each presence became a distinct, vibrant flame, revealing its power, its stability… and its vulnerabilities.
Merphis watched silently.
Yamero—an explosive aura, unstable yet terrifying.
Daru—dense, sharp, almost crushing.
Maki—electric, fluid, precise.
Miya—calm… but lethal, like an invisible blade.
Suka—balanced, solid, grounded.
Then…
His gaze fell on Aika.
An aura… weaker. Fragmented. Unstable.
He looked away slightly.
"I see you've evolved since last time… it's impressive."
Silence.
Then he stared at Aika more seriously.
"Aika… you're not fit to fight on the front lines. You should stay back." Aika didn't protest. She lowered her eyes slightly, then answered honestly:
"You're right… I haven't fully mastered my power yet. And I tire too quickly." Merphis nodded, pleased with his clear thinking.
He then settled onto the dragon's back, his aura already beginning to rise.
"Well… are you ready?" He looked up at the floating island, now more menacing than ever.
"We've wasted enough time." A few seconds of silence… then:
"LET'S GO!" Suka, Miya, Maki, Daru, and Yamero launched themselves forward simultaneously.
In an instant—
Disappearance.
Their presence teleported directly to the heart of the floating island.
The wind calmed slightly.
Aika remained alone… on the dragon's back.
With Merphis at their head, the group advanced at breakneck speed. He ran in the front line, sometimes hovering slightly above the ground, his vibrant aura literally clearing the path before him. Behind him, Yamero, Daru, Maki, Miya, and Suka followed without slowing down.
The floating island was bathed in an oppressive reddish atmosphere.
Giant cables crisscrossed the ceilings and walls, some dangling in mid-air, others crackling with unstable energy.
Walls were shattered, rooms opened, gutted by recent battles.
They crossed a vast field of ruins.
Collapsed platforms.
Half-destroyed metal walkways.
Gigantic machines overturned.
But they didn't stop.
Suddenly—
Soldiers burst from a side corridor.
"STOP THEM!" Heavy robots sprang to life, their red eyes flashing brightly.
Then, further on, a gigantic monster emerged from a destroyed chamber, shattering the floor beneath its weight.
But Merphis didn't slow down.
His dragon-like eyes shone faintly.
A colossal wave of power exploded around him.
BOOM! The very air warped.
Soldiers were violently hurled against the walls.
Robots were ripped from the ground, crushed against the ceilings.
The giant monster was swept away like a leaf, hurled off the platform into the void.
Yamero smiled slightly as he ran.
"He's become monstrous..." Daru frowned slightly, impressed.
"Even without attacking directly... he obliterates them."
They continued running.
Left.
Then right.
Straight ahead again.
They crossed an open chamber, leaped across a gigantic chasm, landed on another platform, and continued onward.
Lights flickered everywhere.
Alarms blared.
The floating island seemed to tremble beneath their feet.
But the group didn't slow down.
Merphis accelerated even further.
His gaze was fixed straight ahead.
"We're getting closer..." The corridor widened.
The heavy aura intensified.
Then...
At the end of the passage...
An immense door appeared.
The great hall.
Where the relic of the Heart of Shadow lay.
Merphis slowed slightly.
The rest of the group did the same.
The decisive moment... was approaching.
Merphis placed his hand on the gigantic metal door.
An invisible pressure was exerted.
BOOOOOOM
The door opened slowly, creaking heavily under the force.
The great hall appeared.
Immense.
Circular.
Bathed in a dark red light.
In the center, suspended in the air, pulsed the relic…
The Heart of Shadow.
A dark energy beat like a true heart, sending dark waves throughout the entire room.
And before them…
The three leaders of the extremist organization.
Griselda.
Oswald.
Har'arm.
They were waiting for them.
Griselda tilted her head slightly, a sinister smile on her lips.
"I see that your leader is not dead after all… it gives me an… inexplicable feeling to see him still alive."
Her eyes shone with an unsettling light.
Oswald, for his part, flashed a broad smile.
"The Dragon of Shibuya... it's been a long time since we last fought."
He cracked his neck slightly.
"You owe me a rematch. I was wondering when you'd finally show up... and give me a proper fight." A subtle smile appeared at the corner of Merphis's lips.
His aura flickered slightly.
"You two don't waste any time, do you..." He took a step forward.
"Don't you want to savor your last moments... before you pass on to the afterlife?"
Silence.
Then Har'arm, his mouth covered in bandages, let out a low, stifled laugh.
"Hey... you're way too arrogant, little bugger..." His dark aura began to flicker.
"You really think you can take on all three of us... all by yourself?" Maki stepped forward slightly, irritated. "Hey… we're here, I'll have you know."
But before Har'arm could reply, Griselda raised her hand slightly.
"Now then… my dear…" She glared at the group with utter contempt.
"You're nothing but pathetic little creatures… waiting to be freed from your miserable lives."
Her gaze then fell on Merphis.
"The only problem here… is Merphis." A monstrous tension filled the room.
Merphis smiled slightly, her cold gaze fixed on the three leaders.
"You are making a grave mistake by underestimating my friends." Griselda burst into laughter. A sickening, almost disturbing laugh that echoed throughout the great hall. She then looked at Maki, her eyes gleaming with a deliberate cruelty.
"Do you remember what happened during our last confrontation, my dear?" Maki's expression changed immediately. Her fists clenched. The veins on her arms became slightly more prominent. An unstable aura began to surround her, a sign that her anger was rapidly rising.
"You…" Her voice trembled slightly with anger.
But Miya gently placed her hand on her clenched fist, stopping her immediately. She leaned slightly closer and whispered in her ear.
"Don't let her control you… she's deliberately provoking you to prevent you from concentrating." Maki closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Her unstable aura gradually calmed.
Then she opened her eyes again, a cold stare replacing her anger.
"I see… you haven't changed, Griselda."
Griselda smiled wider, amused.
"Oh… but you have… I have changed. I've become even more cruel."
Suka stepped forward slightly, her eyes calmly fixed on the three extremists.
"Everything you're saying… these are the last words of souls who sense their death approaching."
Oswald gave a faint, amused smile.
"I like your confidence… but it's misplaced." Yamero, meanwhile, glared at Har'arm with burning hatred. His aura was becoming heavy, almost oppressive.
"You there… disgusting mummy… you owe me a fight." Har'arm tilted his head slightly, amused behind his bandages.
"Oh?" He slowly placed his hand on her shoulder, slightly cracking her knuckles.
"You surely want to avenge the death of that incompetent I killed last time, I presume." A heavy silence fell.
Yamero's eyes grew even darker. Har'arm continued, a cruel smile hidden beneath his bandages.
"You want to suffer the same fate as him?"
The ground trembled under the influence of Yamero's ever-increasing aura. Gigantic veins bulged on his arms, swollen with raw energy that seemed ready to explode at any moment. His muscles grew exponentially, his breath became heavier, more bestial… then, in an instant, he vanished.
A loud bang rang out.
Yamero charged toward Har'arm with terrifying speed.
Oswald immediately intervened, his sword already drawn, the air ripping with the speed of his blade, destined to slice Yamero in two.
But before the blade even touched its target—
Merphis disappeared.
A moment later, he appeared behind Oswald.
"Not so fast."
His circular foot slammed violently into Oswald's ribs.
A titanic impact reverberated. Oswald's body was hurled like a projectile, shattering through an entire wall in a shower of debris, then a second, before vanishing into another chamber with a deafening crash.
Meanwhile—
Despite Har'arm managing to block Yamero's assault with his arms crossed, the impact was monstrous.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
His heels sank in.
Then—
BOOM.
Har'arm and Yamero were propelled backward, the two crashing through the wall behind them in a massive explosion.
They landed in an immense chamber, kilometers wide, completely empty. The ceiling was so high it disappeared into the darkness, while gigantic pillars supported the floating island's infrastructure.
Har'arm slid for several hundred meters before coming to a stop.
He slowly raised his head.
His bandages fluttered slightly in the effect of Yamero's aura.
Yamero, for his part, advanced slowly.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His aura made the air around him vibrate.
Har'arm straightened calmly, cracking his neck slightly.
"I see… you've come a long way since last time…"
The ground still trembled slightly, cracked from previous clashes. The immense room was bathed in a heavy, almost suffocating aura.
Griselda stood motionless, a sinister smile on her lips, observing the group before her like a predator surrounded by prey.
Meanwhile, Merphis stared at the gigantic crater his blow had left against Oswald. The wall had been completely pulverized, revealing a gaping passage to another section of the floating island.
He watched for a few seconds, silent.
Then he turned back to the group.
His gaze was cold. Determined.
"I'll take care of Oswald. Do what you can... and give it your all to kill them without remorse." A heavy silence fell.
Even Griselda's smile broadened, excited by the intensity of the situation.
"How brutal..." she murmured. Merphis didn't reply.
His aura rose slightly.
Then—
He vanished instantly.
A wave of air swept through the room, a testament to the speed at which he had just moved.
Suka spoke immediately, his serious gaze sweeping the group.
"Alright... here's the plan."
He briefly met Daru's gaze.
"Daru and I are going to help Yamero against Har'arm."
Then he turned his head toward Maki and Miya.
"Miya... Maki... you're facing Griselda. Take her out for good."
Griselda burst into a soft laugh, almost delighted.
"What attention... you really think you can beat me with just the two of you?" Maki clenched her fists, her aura beginning to crackle around her.
"We don't intend to beat you..." Miya finished calmly.
"We intend to kill you." A heavy silence followed these words.
Maki and Miya nodded simultaneously.
"Understood."
Suka nodded slightly in turn.
"So... let's go."
Suka and Daru vanished instantly, leaving behind a slight shockwave. Their presence quickly faded, heading towards the room where Yamero was facing Har'arm.
The group was now separated.
Three battlefields.
Three decisive battles.
Maki and Miya slowly took up their positions facing Griselda.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Metallic fragments began to vibrate around them, emanating from their auras.
Yamero almost vanished from sight, accelerating toward Har'arm with uncontrollable rage. The air around him cracked under the pressure of his power, the ground shattering with each step. His fist charged with brutal energy, a violent aura enveloping his arm.
"I'll crush you!" He brought his fist down with titanic force.
But Har'arm, perfectly calm, simply raised his bandaged arms. At the moment of impact, a gigantic shockwave erupted around them, cracking the ground for hundreds of meters.
Har'arm blocked the attack. Without the slightest expression, he brutally seized Yamero's arm with its bandages, which coiled like snakes around his forearm. In one fluid motion, he violently hurled him away.
Yamero streaked through the air at breakneck speed, but Har'arm gave him no respite.
A sphere of dark energy formed in his palm, condensing a terrifying aura, and then he unleashed it.
"Disappear." The dark wave sped through space.
But Yamero, still airborne, gritted his teeth and deflected the attack with a brutal slap.
BOOM! The dark energy exploded in the distance, creating a massive crater in the empty room and raising a dust storm.
Yamero tried to reposition himself in the air, his aura still fluctuating.
But suddenly—
Har'arm vanished.
The next instant, he appeared behind Yamero.
"Too slow." His fist slammed violently into Yamero's abdomen.
The impact was monstrous.
The air buckled under the pressure, a circular shockwave sweeping through the entire room, cracking the floor for kilometers.
Yamero's eyes widened.
"Ghh...!" The blow was devastatingly powerful.
Yamero was propelled toward the ground like a meteorite.
BOOOOOOM! He crashed violently into the ground, creating a gigantic crater. The metallic floor buckled under the impact.
Blood spurted from his mouth as he lay motionless for a few seconds at the bottom of the crater. Har'arm landed calmly on the ground, his bandages floating slowly around him.
"Pathetic..." The dust settled slowly.
But in the crater...
Yamero's aura was already beginning to rise again.
Yamero slowly rose, wiping away the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth. A raucous laugh escaped his throat as he glared at Har'arm with a look burning with hatred.
"This is getting more and more interesting..." Har'arm raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly amused.
"Interesting, you say...?" His bandages began to stir. They slowly rose into the air, gradually stiffening, before taking on sharp, spear-like shapes. A dozen... then twenty... soon dozens of spikes surrounded Yamero. Without hesitation, the bandages shot out.
Some plunged violently into the ground, blocking any retreat.
Others came straight at him.
Some erupted from the right, from the left, from above... Yamero found himself surrounded, with no way out. But suddenly—
FLASH
The bandages were slashed.
CRACK
Some were electrocuted.
BOOM
Others were reduced to ashes before even reaching their target.
Har'arm slowly raised his head.
In the air…
A majestic white tiger, with imposing wings, floated above them. A pyramid-shaped mark shone on its forehead, radiating an impressive mystical aura.
On its back…
Suka and Daru.
The tiger descended slowly before landing on the ground with a powerful snort. Dust rose around it.
Suka and Daru jumped to the ground.
Har'arm calmly observed the scene.
"I suppose… you were the ones who neutralized my attacks?" Yamero turned his head sharply toward them, visibly annoyed.
"What are you doing here?! This is my fight!" Suka approached calmly and placed a firm hand on Yamero's shoulder.
"Azaku wasn't just your friend... he was a friend to all of us." His gaze turned cold.
"We want to avenge his death too... as much as you do." He lightly squeezed Yamero's shoulder.
"Let's fight side by side, brother... and exterminate this vermin." A silence fell. The rage in Yamero's eyes flickered slightly... then he broke into a ferocious smile.
"...Very well." Daru cracked his knuckles, a predatory grin spreading across his face.
"I've been wanting to vent for a long time." Facing them, Har'arm's bandages began to regenerate, wrapping themselves around his body, slowly regaining their shape, ready to attack again. Har'arm tilted his head slightly, still calm. "Three against one… interesting."
His dark aura exploded slightly.
"I hope you don't die too soon." The trio took their positions.
Yamero in the center.
Suka on the right.
Daru on the left.
The white tiger slowly beat its wings behind them.
The confrontation…
was about to begin.