The battlefield opened like a raging ocean.The ground trembled, the walls vibrated under the pressure of colliding auras, and the air itself became dense enough to cut through.At the center of the dimensional arena, Eliara Myne and Zen Kagetsune faced each other — two opposing forces, ready to test the very limits of what it meant to be human.
She moved first.Eliara shot forward like a comet of pure chaos, the floor cracking beneath her feet.The Blade of Chaos spun in her grip, her dark aura — rimmed with crimson — exploding outward in a storm of living energy.Each strike tore glowing fissures across the ground, slicing through the air as though reality itself were yielding to her fury.
Zen didn't react.His eyes — two golden fragments of the Eye of Djehuty — analyzed her.Every step, every breath, every shift in her aura was mapped, measured, dissected.He moved with methodical calm, dodging at the exact limit — as if he could predict the future.
"You've got talent, girl…"His tone was low, almost a predatory purr."But chaos is noisy. Predators hunt in silence."A brief pause. A smirk."Besides… I've grown used to chaos. Thanks to Ethan."
Eliara roared and struck faster.The impact of the Blade of Chaos made the ground implode under the weight of her power.Zen leapt back, his cloak tearing through the air, spinning mid-air as he drew the Whispering Death Dagger.Every time he switched weapons, the tempo of the fight changed — and yet, she adapted.
She absorbed.
The Human Singularity within Eliara pulsed like a stellar heart.Every strike she received, every technique she witnessed — was assimilated, refined, and unleashed with double the efficiency.Even weapons that nullified aura — the dagger, the cursed chains — were recreated in moments, reshaped and infused with her chaos.
"Nothing I touch can defeat me," Eliara said, breath heavy but eyes glowing crimson."I evolve, Zen Kagetsune."
Zen landed, straightening.His eyes gleamed in reply — cold and calm.
"And that's exactly what kills you."
Then he changed.
The air grew heavier.Time seemed to slow.Zen activated the Whispering Death Dagger, the Eye of Djehuty, and the Chains of Mother Ruin — all at once.But not to win.To study.To measure how far her Singularity could go before it broke.
Outside the barrier, the others watched in awe.
"Unbelievable…" Ryu muttered, eyes wide.Lorien, in the back, crossed his arms and smiled."Now I see why Kelvin forced this guy to become a hero."Darius nodded quietly."Yeah… Zen's one of the few I'd actually trust with my back."
The clash intensified.Eliara began to understand his rhythm, adapting to every feint, every trap.But something was wrong.No matter how much she absorbed, something didn't fit.Zen's form was shifting — like he no longer had a fixed essence.
He was rewriting his own energy pattern.
Zen, in Absolute Predator Mode, was a living creature made of instinct, fluctuation, and calculation.No strike followed the same rhythm. No aura repeated itself.Fighting him was like facing a mirror that shattered and rebuilt itself every second.
"Go on… try to copy me," he murmured, dodging a lethal slash and countering with a diagonal thrust."Let's see your Singularity comprehend what even I don't."
Eliara gritted her teeth.Her Singularity reacted — but in disarray.Her body trembled; her aura wavered, struggling to imitate something beyond reason — a logicless instinct. A chaos that followed no rule.
"He's tricking her system…" Ryan whispered, clutching his worn notebook."He's becoming unpredictable on purpose."
Zen leapt backward.He drove the chains into the floor, bowed his head, his body vibrating with dark energy, and whispered:
"Predator's Trap — Hunting Zone."
The world dissolved.
Color vanished.Sound died.Everything was swallowed by a shroud of gray spiritual mist.Reality itself seemed erased and rewritten by invisible hands.
Eliara looked around, breath ragged.No aura. No chaos. No sound.Her Singularity sought energy — and found nothing.
"What… is this?" she gasped, panic flickering in her eyes.
Zen stepped forward, his silhouette forming out of the haze.His golden eyes cut through the void.
"Welcome to my den."His voice echoed everywhere, nowhere."Here, you don't learn. You survive — if you can."
Eliara charged.She slashed, spun, tried to summon chaos — but her aura evaporated before it could manifest.Zen moved like a ghost.A crack — and she was thrown to the ground, not even understanding what had hit her.He was everywhere and nowhere.
He was the predator.She, the prey.
Zen didn't win through strength.He won through the hunt.Every blow was surgical. Every step, a trap invisible to the eye.Until, in a frozen instant, he appeared behind her —the blade's edge grazing her neck.
"It's over, Eliara Myne."
Silence.She gasped, fury in her eyes — then slowly lowered her weapon.
"Tch… fine. You win."
Zen exhaled deeply, deactivated the Zone.The world returned — color, sound, warmth.He reached out a hand.
"Get up. You fought well."
Eliara hesitated… then took it.Their handshake echoed with respect.
From afar, Lorien clapped, grinning wide.
"Bravo, kids. That was beautiful."
Zen turned, panting but grinning ear to ear.
"Hey, old man Valtier — where's my money!?"
Lorien laughed, pulling out his holo-phone.
"It's already transferring, you greedy bastard."
Zen whooped as a holographic alert flashed in front of him.
"Hell yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about!"
Ryan, Ryu, and Dante burst into laughter.Even Darius chuckled under his breath.For a moment — just one — joy returned to the base of the New Dawn Heroes.
But far away…the universe moved in a different rhythm.
Planet Eryon — The Awakening of the Emperor
Thunder tore through the skies of a dead world.Eryon — the planet of forgotten warriors — was a black desert, cloaked in ash and gravitational lightning.Ruins floated through the air, suspended by lingering energy.Echoes of ancient wars still haunted the winds.
Then the space split open.A crimson portal spiraled into being, like a hole carved into creation itself.From it emerged Kai — cloaked in an imperial mantle pulsating with living energy.Behind him followed Reiv, Arcanis, and Bhor.Kai's eyes — deep violet — reflected a new consciousness.He was no longer merely a warrior.He was the Universal Emperor.
He inhaled slowly, the heavy air of Eryon filling his lungs like buried memories.
"Old Eryon…" he murmured. "It's been a long time."
The wind bowed before him.
From the planet's depths, a pillar of blue light pierced the heavens.From within it, Zarkon emerged — silver hair, eyes blazing like condensed suns.His aura made the rocks float, warping the space around him.
"Didn't expect another usurper wearing the Emperor's mantle," he growled.Kai simply smiled."I'm no usurper. I'm the successor."He took a step forward."The Empire still lives, Zarkon. I carry it."
"You carry it?" Zarkon scoffed. "There's only one voice I obey in this universe — Kairon."
Kai tilted his head, gaze cold.
"Then come closer. See what remains of him."
Zarkon hesitated.But the energy radiating from Kai… was familiar.The same ancient pressure. The same terror once wielded by Kairon himself.He approached, tense, every muscle vibrating.
Kai raised his hand — placed it on Zarkon's chest.
A flash.
Memories detonated in Zarkon's mind.
Kairon and Inavy, clashing across dimensions.Worlds collapsing.The Blade of Chaos tearing through reality's fabric.Light and shadow colliding in a divine symphony.Inavy falling first.Kairon bleeding for days, sealing himself within a capsule, barely alive.
"Inavy's strike shattered my soul… but the legacy… must endure…"The voice echoed in memory.
Zarkon staggered, eyes trembling.
The vision faded.Back on Eryon, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"So… Kairon… is dead."Kai nodded, emotionless."Yes. But his Empire lives — through me."
The wind stilled.Silence pressed down.Zarkon lifted his gaze — not with hatred, but reverence.
"And the ones responsible… were the humans. They destroyed him."Kai looked toward the horizon, lightning dancing in his eyes."They brought chaos. Now, we bring judgment."
Zarkon clenched his fist, blue fire wrapping around him.
"Then tell me, Emperor… what do you ask of me?"
Kai smirked faintly.
"Join us. Together, we'll erase the human plague… and build the Empire Kairon dreamed of."
Silence.
Then Zarkon stepped forward.The ground cracked beneath him.
"Destroy the humans…"The fire in his eyes burned brighter."Heh. Finally, a cause worth fighting for."
Kai extended his hand.Zarkon grasped it.
The impact unleashed a gravitational shockwave that tore across the planet — splitting continents, raising mountains, reigniting the heavens themselves.
And from the ashes of Eryon, a new alliance was born.
The Pride and the New Emperor united under one vow.
The universe trembled.
Kai looked toward the infinite void and murmured — almost prophetically:
"Five years…"His gaze was that of a cold god."In five years… it all ends."