The Elarion Forest Village had become a wasteland.
Ancient trees lay uprooted across the ground, their trunks shattered as though giants had trampled through the forest. Flames consumed the remaining houses while thick smoke swallowed the once-blue sky. The desperate cries of villagers echoed from every direction as the surviving warriors fought with everything they had left.
At the center of the destruction stood Goro.
His black cloak fluttered gently as if the wind itself answered only to him.
He slowly raised one hand.
The air immediately became heavier.
Leaves stopped falling.
Smoke froze for only an instant before being violently pulled toward him.
Then—
BOOOOOOOM!!
A monstrous hurricane burst outward.
The shockwave ripped houses from their foundations, snapped enormous trees in half, and hurled dozens of warriors across the battlefield. The roaring wind became so violent that breathing itself turned difficult.
Several warriors tried charging through the storm.
The moment they entered—
SLASH!
Invisible blades of compressed wind carved across their armor, throwing them backward before they could even reach Goro.
"...Too weak," Goro muttered quietly.
With a slight movement of his fingers, the wind changed direction. It spiraled around the battlefield like countless invisible serpents, lifting rocks, broken buildings, and entire trees into the sky.
Then, with another gesture...
Everything crashed back down.
The earth shook violently.
Far away, inside Reikosha Academy, the tremor reached the campus.
Students stopped training.
Teachers looked toward the western horizon where enormous clouds of smoke climbed into the sky.
Shougo narrowed his eyes.
"So... that's where you are."
Within minutes, Shougo, Kairo, Kimimaru, Yura, and Tyouro arrived at the ruined village.
The sight before them made everyone fall silent.
Kairo tightened his grip around the Black Spartan.
"...This wasn't a battle."
"...It was a massacre."
Yura slowly scanned the battlefield.
"There are still survivors."
Shougo nodded.
"Protect the civilians first."
The four immediately moved while Shougo walked calmly toward Goro.
The latter smiled without turning around.
"So..."
"...more guests."
He slowly faced them.
"I was beginning to get bored."
Without another word, Yura vanished.
She appeared directly above Goro, delivering a devastating axe kick aimed at his head.
Before her foot could connect—
The wind exploded upward.
BOOM!
The sudden pressure threw Yura high into the sky before she managed to regain her balance in midair.
"...What?"
She had never been touched.
The wind itself had intercepted her.
Kairo rushed in next, Black Spartan glowing with Reikou.
He swung with all his strength.
Goro calmly stepped aside.
A violent current of wind slammed into Kairo's side before he even reached him.
BOOOOM!!
Kairo crashed through several broken houses before rolling across the ground.
"Damn it..."
Kimimaru didn't hesitate.
He gripped the Zweihander with both hands and unleashed a massive slash that split the battlefield apart.
Goro simply lifted his hand.
A wall of compressed wind formed in front of him.
The enormous slash struck it—
—but instead of breaking through, its momentum slowed until it completely stopped.
Kimimaru's eyes widened.
"My attack..."
The wind wasn't blocking it.
It was crushing it.
Tyouro unleashed a torrent of blazing energy that illuminated the battlefield.
For a brief second, the flames pushed through the storm.
Then Goro closed his hand.
Every current of air converged at once.
The flames scattered in every direction before vanishing completely.
The battlefield grew silent.
Even the smoke obeyed him.
Shougo finally stepped forward.
Dense black Yami gathered around his right arm, not enough to destroy everything, but enough to distort the air around him.
He thrust his fist forward.
A concentrated wave of darkness shot toward Goro.
The wind and darkness collided.
The impact shook the entire forest.
Dust exploded into the sky.
When it settled...
A thin cut had appeared across Goro's cheek.
He slowly touched the blood with his fingers.
For the first time...
He smiled.
"...Interesting."
His gaze locked onto Shougo.
"So you're the strongest one here."
The wind around the battlefield became even more violent.
Trees bent nearly in half.
The clouds above twisted into a massive vortex.
Kairo slowly stood, breathing heavily as he stared at Goro.
"...This guy..."
"...He's been holding back."
The storm answered with a deafening roar.
And the real battle...
Had only just begun.