The sky had completely disappeared.
What remained above the Elarion Forest was no longer a storm—it was a sea of spinning black clouds stretching beyond the horizon. Countless tornadoes merged into one colossal vortex that reached high into the heavens, swallowing everything in its path. The earth shook relentlessly as mountains cracked under the pressure. Rivers reversed their flow, forests bent toward the center of the storm, and every living creature fled in terror.
At the center of it all...
Goro stood with both arms lowered, his hair dancing wildly as the wind obeyed every thought that crossed his mind.
"This..." he whispered, "...is freedom."
His voice was almost peaceful.
For the first time in years, there was no one ordering him, no one controlling him, and no chains holding him back.
Only the wind.
And himself.
Shougo stared upward, his expression finally growing serious.
"If we let that storm expand any further..."
Kimimaru finished the sentence.
"...the country won't survive."
Kairo slowly stood, using the Black Spartan to support himself. Blood dripped from his forehead, and every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
"So we stop it."
Yura looked at him.
"With what?"
Kairo didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Even she could feel it.
The pressure inside that vortex was unlike anything they had ever faced.
Goro slowly opened his hand.
The storm answered immediately.
Thousands of compressed currents descended from the sky like invisible spears.
"Move!"
Shougo shouted.
The battlefield erupted once more.
Kimimaru swung his Zweihander with overwhelming force, carving apart dozens of wind blades, but hundreds more replaced them. Tyouro fired wave after wave of energy into the sky, creating brief openings before the storm swallowed them whole. Yura vanished at incredible speed, weaving through the currents while searching for an opening to reach Goro.
She found one.
Yura appeared directly in front of him, her fist already moving.
Goro calmly tilted his head.
The punch barely missed.
Before Yura could continue her assault, the surrounding air compressed around her body.
Her movement suddenly slowed.
"...!"
It felt as though an entire mountain had been dropped onto her shoulders.
The wind itself was pressing against her from every direction.
Goro looked at her with empty eyes.
"You rely on speed."
"So I'll make speed meaningless."
With a wave of his hand, the pressure exploded.
Yura was hurled across the battlefield before crashing into a cliffside.
Dust filled the air.
Kairo clenched his jaw and rushed forward.
"YURA!"
He leaped high into the air, raising the Black Spartan above his head before bringing it down with all his strength.
Goro finally moved.
He caught the blade between both hands.
The impact split the ground beneath them.
Kairo pushed harder, veins bulging across his arms.
"Move!"
The Black Spartan trembled...
But it refused to go any farther.
Goro sighed.
"Your determination is admirable."
"...But determination alone isn't strength."
A violent burst of wind erupted from his palms.
BOOOOOOM!!
Kairo was blown backward like a leaf caught in a hurricane, smashing through countless trees before rolling to a stop.
Shougo immediately appeared between them.
Dark Yami gathered around one hand.
Brilliant Hikari around the other.
He combined both energies into a single strike and drove it toward Goro's chest.
The explosion lit up the entire battlefield.
For several seconds...
No one could see anything.
When the dust settled...
Goro had slid several meters backward.
A deep wound stretched across his shoulder.
Blood slowly fell onto the cracked earth.
He looked at it quietly.
Then...
He smiled.
"I finally felt pain."
There was no anger in his voice.
Only excitement.
"It's been so long..."
He slowly looked toward Shougo.
"You really are strong."
The wind surrounding him became calmer.
Not weaker.
Calmer.
More controlled.
More dangerous.
The gigantic vortex above began shrinking.
Kairo's eyes widened.
"...He's making it denser."
Kimimaru immediately understood.
"If he compresses all that wind..."
Shougo's expression darkened.
"...The moment he releases it..."
"...everything within its path will disappear."
No one spoke.
Even the villagers who had survived could only stare at the sky in silent fear.
Goro closed his eyes for a brief moment.
A memory surfaced.
A younger version of himself...
Sitting alone beneath a dead tree.
No friends.
No family.
No laughter.
Only endless silence.
He slowly opened his eyes again.
"Loneliness..."
"...is quieter than any storm."
"But eventually..."
His gaze returned to the heroes before him.
"...even silence wants someone to answer it."
He slowly raised one hand toward the heavens.
The compressed storm above began to glow.
The pressure became so overwhelming that cracks spread across the earth for kilometers.
Shougo stepped forward.
Everyone behind him struggled to stand.
No one ran.
No one surrendered.
Because they all knew...
If this attack fell...
There would be nothing left to protect.