The fire had died down, but the heat lingered.
Billionzaruto sat alone at the edge of the ruined clearing, staring into the blackened soil where the battle had ended hours earlier. The earth was cracked and glassed in places, warped by energy that should never have been released. His energy.
His hands trembled slightly as he clenched them into fists.
No matter how hard he tried to steady his breathing, the memory kept replaying—black flames bursting from his chest, the scream of the Kuroin Blaze echoing inside his skull, the fear in Nayumi's eyes when she thought she was about to lose him.
He hated that fear most of all.
"You're going to wear a hole in the ground if you keep staring like that."
Nayumi's voice broke the silence. She approached quietly, carrying a small canteen of water. She sat beside him, leaving a careful distance, as if unsure whether he needed space or comfort.
Billionzaruto didn't look at her. "I almost lost control again."
"But you didn't."
"Barely," he replied. "And next time, I might not stop it."
Nayumi sighed softly and handed him the canteen. "Drink. You're dehydrated."
He accepted it, taking a slow sip. The coolness grounded him, if only a little.
"You're not broken," she said after a moment. "You're scared. That's different."
Billionzaruto let out a bitter laugh. "Doesn't feel different."
From a short distance away, Raiken stood with his arms folded, watching the horizon. He hadn't spoken much since the last encounter with the Shadow Tempest scout. The silence around him felt heavier than usual.
"They're moving," Raiken said suddenly. "I can feel it."
Billionzaruto looked up. "The Shadow Tempest?"
Raiken nodded. "The scout we encountered wasn't acting alone. That was a test. They wanted to see how far the seal had weakened."
Nayumi stiffened. "And now that they know?"
"They'll come in force," Raiken finished grimly.
Billionzaruto stood slowly, brushing ash from his clothes. His body still ached, but beneath the exhaustion was something sharper—resolve.
"Then we don't wait for them," he said.
Raiken turned, surprised. "You're proposing we attack?"
"I'm proposing we stop running," Billionzaruto replied. "Every village we pass becomes a target. Every place we rest becomes another Emberfall."
Nayumi studied his face carefully. "This isn't anger talking?"
Billionzaruto shook his head. "It's fear. But I'm done letting fear decide for me."
Raiken approached him, eyes narrowed, measuring not his strength—but his conviction. After a long pause, he nodded.
"Then we prepare," he said. "But understand this—once we move toward them, there is no turning back."
Billionzaruto met his gaze. "I know."
They traveled east by night, moving through narrow valleys and over jagged terrain the Shadow Tempest rarely patrolled. The moonlight reflected off the rocks, painting the path in silver and shadow.
As they walked, Billionzaruto felt the Kuroin Blaze stir—quiet, watchful, like a predator pretending to sleep.
You are choosing war, the voice murmured faintly.
He gritted his teeth and pushed it back. I'm choosing control.
Hours later, they reached an abandoned watchtower perched atop a ridge. Its stone walls were cracked, its roof collapsed, but it still offered a view of the surrounding lands.
Raiken climbed first, scanning the horizon.
"They're closer than I thought," he said. "There's a Tempest outpost less than ten miles from here."
Nayumi frowned. "That's too close."
"No," Billionzaruto said quietly. "It's close enough."
Raiken looked at him sharply. "You're not ready to face a full unit."
"I don't plan to," Billionzaruto replied. "But I can draw them out."
Nayumi stepped forward. "Absolutely not. That's reckless."
"Maybe," he admitted. "But it's also the only way to learn how they fight now. They've changed. Their techniques, their seals… I need to see them up close."
Raiken considered this. "If you do this, you won't be fighting to win. You'll be fighting to survive."
Billionzaruto nodded. "That's always been the case."
After a tense silence, Raiken exhaled. "Very well. But we do this on our terms."
They moved before dawn.
Billionzaruto approached the outpost alone, hood drawn low. The structure was crude—stone reinforced with dark metal bands etched with sealing runes. Two guards patrolled the entrance, masked and armed.
He stepped into the open.
Lightning crackled faintly around his feet.
The guards froze.
One raised a hand, forming a signal. "Identify yourself."
Billionzaruto lifted his head. His eyes ignited with controlled flame—not wild, not black. Focused.
"My name is Billionzaruto," he said calmly. "And I'm done hiding."
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then alarms screamed.
The ground beneath him pulsed as sealing arrays activated. Energy surged upward, trying to lock his movement.
He exploded forward.
Speed carried him past the first guard before the man could react. Billionzaruto struck with precision—not killing, but disabling. A lightning-infused strike knocked the second guard unconscious.
More figures poured out—five, then seven.
"Fall back!" one shouted.
Billionzaruto smiled grimly. "Too late."
He moved like a storm unleashed—lightning snapping, fire flaring from his eyes in controlled bursts. Every movement was deliberate, every strike measured. Not rage. Not chaos.
Control.
But then—
A heavy pressure slammed into his chest.
He staggered as a crimson seal flared on the ground beneath him. Pain lanced through his body, sharper than before.
A figure stepped forward—taller than the others, mask carved with jagged symbols.
"So the vessel comes willingly," the figure said. "How convenient."
Billionzaruto's heart pounded. This one's different.
He braced himself as the commander raised a hand. Dark chains of energy shot toward him.
Before they could bind him—
A surge of water crashed through the battlefield, sweeping the chains aside.
Nayumi emerged from the shadows, water spiraling around her like a living shield.
Raiken followed, lightning tearing through the air.
"We said on our terms," Raiken growled.
The battle erupted.
Steel clashed. Energy screamed. The commander fought viciously, his power refined and cruel. Every move was designed to suppress, not destroy.
Billionzaruto felt the Kuroin Blaze push harder, sensing danger.
Let me help you.
"No," he whispered. "Not like that."
He centered himself, remembering the creek, the water, Nayumi's voice.
Then he stepped forward—and unleashed a new combination.
Lightning surged through his legs, speed amplifying it. Fire sharpened around his fists, not burning outward but inward, condensed.
He struck.
The impact shattered the commander's seal mid-cast, sending him flying into the outpost wall.
Silence followed.
The remaining Shadow Tempest warriors retreated, dragging their wounded.
Billionzaruto stood there, breathing hard, body shaking—but standing.
Raiken approached him slowly. "You did it… without losing yourself."
Nayumi smiled faintly. "You controlled it."
Billionzaruto looked at his hands. They still glowed faintly—but no black flame.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I did."
But deep inside, the Kuroin Blaze stirred again—not angry this time.
Amused.
Interesting, it whispered. You're stronger than I expected.
Billionzaruto lifted his gaze toward the dark horizon.
"This is only the beginning," he said.
And for the first time, the storm ahead didn't feel like something chasing him.
It felt like something he was walking toward.