The silence that followed Kitakim's declaration of war lasted only a heartbeat.
High above Arkion, every warrior from the First Circuit Being Era remained suspended in the sky, their overwhelming presences pressing against the world.
Then Jaotsu calmly stepped forward.
His mismatched eyes swept across everyone before finally resting on Kitakim.
"I will not be fighting."
Without another word, he turned and jumped off the building. Reinhart smiled faintly.
"I won't be fighting either."
He followed after Jaotsu without hesitation. Kitakim watched the two leave.
"I hope you don't regret this decision."
Neither of them looked back. They simply continued walking away.
Kitakim slowly shifted his gaze toward Arata.
"Now…I declare an all-out war with you, Soul Circuit user…until that person gets here. To change the scale…It all depends on her."
Arata remained expressionless.
"By that person…You mean the Pen of Creation Circuit user?"
A small smile appeared on his face. Kitakim slowly spread one arm.
"Destroy them."
The Ancient Circuit Beings disappeared. One after another…Their figures vanished from the sky like streaks of light.
Arata looked toward John and the others.
"Go and have your fun, guys."
Everyone smiled.
The next instant…John vanished and then Alzwalt disappeared. Britanya, Tessandra, Kaelen, Jess, Denma, Gene, Kimotsu, Kaelven and Faith all left in flashes of light.
Within seconds…Only Arata and Kitakim remained standing atop the ruined rooftop.
Kitakim laughed.
"Finally…I got this opportunity. So I won't waste it."
His silver eyes slowly scanned the planet.
"You prepared well. I can't feel any humans on the planet."
Arata answered calmly.
"Of course you don't…You're too weak to sense them. They would only amount to casualties in this war."
Kitakim's expression darkened. His jaw tightened.
Meanwhile…In city Virelia. John stood silently in the middle of an abandoned street. Standing opposite him…Sinai.
Far away…Within a vast mountain range…Alzwalt stood before Ferax. The wind whipped through the cliffs as both men silently measured one another.
High above the clouds…Britanya floated in the open sky. Across from her…Serene smiled gracefully.
Within an enormous open plain…Tessandra faced Megan. Neither woman spoke. Their eyes alone conveyed everything.
Elsewhere…Jess stood calmly before Genesis. White wings fluttered gently behind her.
Denma stood before Leo. His fists were already clenched. Leo merely smiled.
Within the forests surrounding the city of Norn…
Kimotsu and Kaelven stood side by side.
Waiting for them…Yamamoto. Gene quietly faced Champ. The two simply stared at one another.
Kaelen stood before Urah. A gentle breeze swept across the empty land between them.
Far above every battlefield…Faith floated silently through the sky.
Her hands remained folded together.
She observed every battlefield simultaneously. Ready to heal anyone the instant they needed her.
In The Forest of Norn…Leaves drifted gently through the air.
Ancient trees stretched endlessly across the forest. Standing quietly beneath them…Yamamoto. His eyes remained closed. He slowly smiled.
"They sent two youngsters to fight this old man?"
Kaelven rested his sword upon his shoulder.
"We decided this on our own…You look like a true swordsman. So we will have the honor of fighting you."
Yamamoto laughed.
"You do have guts…and the proper sword form."
He slowly rested his right hand upon the hilt of his sword.
"Let's see what you've got."
The atmosphere instantly changed. Kimotsu and Kaelven immediately lowered themselves into their stances.
Their swords left their sheaths simultaneously.
Then Yamamoto disappeared. He instantly appeared before them. His blade flashed downward in a vertical slash.
CLANG!
Both Kimotsu and Kaelven barely managed to block.
Even so…The impact blasted both of them backwards. They flew several meters before crashing through multiple trees. Wood exploded into splinters. Dust filled the forest.
Without pausing…Yamamoto dashed after them.Kimotsu wiped blood from the corner of his mouth as he stood.
Kaelven quickly regained his footing beside him.
Both looked around. Yamamoto was nowhere to be seen. Kimotsu tightened his grip.
"His strength is incredible."
Kaelven immediately activated his Superior Perception.
His senses expanded throughout the entire forest.
Nothing. He couldn't detect Yamamoto's presence anywhere.
Kaelven's eyes widened.
"His speed is also insane."
A calm voice suddenly echoed behind them.
"Don't get distracted."
Both of them turned.
Too late. Yamamoto had already appeared behind them.
His sword descended. Kaelven instinctively twisted his body. The blade narrowly missed him.
Instead…Its slash continued past him. A distant mountain bordering the forest…
Split perfectly in half. The upper half slowly slid away before collapsing with a deafening roar.
Kimotsu's eyes sharpened.
"Kedo."
He vanished. Appearing directly beside Yamamoto. His sword sliced toward the old swordsman.
Just before the blade connected Yamamoto disappeared again.
He reappeared behind Kimotsu. Already beginning another slash. Kaelven's eyes narrowed.
"Double Count Release."
A glowing 4 Billion DC appeared across his right hand.
Power surged through his body. His speed and strength multiplied instantly.
Kaelven disappeared. He arrived beside Yamamoto just before the slash landed. His right leg shot forward.
BOOM!
Yamamoto calmly blocked the kick with his forearm. Using the impact, he flipped backward through the air before landing lightly several meters away.
Silence returned. The three swordsmen faced one another once more.
Yamamoto slowly smiled.
"Interesting…a foreign power system?"
Kimotsu stepped forward.
"If we don't go all out from the start…We'll never stand a chance."
A brilliant white light erupted around him.
"Circuit Embodiment…Futsunushi — The Sword God."
Kimotsu's hair turned pure white. His eyes glowed with radiant white light.
Even his sword shone brilliantly as divine energy coursed across its blade. Yamamoto remained completely calm.
"You didn't stand a chance…from the very beginning."
Kaelven stepped forward beside Kimotsu. A confident smile crossed his face.
"Let's see about that, old man."