BOOM!!!
The deafening explosion shook the clearing.
Sombravida wove through overlapping shockwaves as more than twenty Gillians unleashed successive Cero blasts. He slipped between the converging beams like a shadow dancing through a storm.
Kaslanin's wager was already lost.
"Tch… what an unkillable cockroach."
The floating Adjuchas Kaslanin's voice dripped with irritation. Though he might still deny Nigi victory, he had lost the chance to claim seven Gillians.
"Hahaha, don't be so upset, Kaslanin," the serpent Adjuchas Nigi laughed loudly. There was no comfort in his tone. "It was only a small wager."
"Hmph. You may not win either."
Kaslanin sneered.
The bone spines along his back rippled outward.
The Gillians under his control hissed in unison.
Dark red Ceros shifted — all aiming toward Sombravida.
Rules Broken
"Kaslanin," Nigi's expression darkened, "you said you wouldn't interfere."
"Hmph. Just an insect. Let me kill it. I'll compensate you with three Gillians."
His deception exposed, Kaslanin no longer bothered hiding his intent. The bone spines on his back expanded grotesquely, and more than a dozen Gillians aligned their maws toward Sombravida.
"Wasn't it seven?" Nigi sighed.
The two Adjuchas had opposed each other for decades. Neither possessed overwhelming combat strength, so they remained in the Great Hollow Forest, slowly accumulating power by devouring Gillians.
Slow.
Safe.
But both desired the same thing:
To devour the other and instantly ascend.
Years of stalemate had turned even trivial wagers into serious calculations.
"A bet is a bet," Nigi hissed. "Break the rules and now bargain?"
"Enough talk!" Kaslanin snapped. "I'll crush the insect first!"
Sombravida Turns the Battlefield
The air rippled.
More than ten Ceros fired simultaneously.
Sombravida had already anticipated this.
The instant the beams converged, he leapt skyward and shifted position mid-air.
His landing point:
a Gillian under Nigi's control.
He planted his foot on its chest—
Shadow Step.
He vanished a split second before impact.
The barrage engulfed the unfortunate Gillian and continued forward…
straight toward Nigi.
Nigi Forced to Fire
A thunderous blast erupted.
Nigi was forced to unleash his own massive Cero to intercept the incoming wave. Without it, the aftershock alone would have shredded him.
The explosion roared.
Sombravida did not hesitate.
He sprinted into Kaslanin's Gillian ranks.
After four volleys, the Gillians' spiritual pressure was depleted; their Cero condensation had slowed.
An opening.
Lightning gathered along Sombravida's claws.
He darted between their legs, striking with surgical precision.
Not killing.
Severing tendons.
Crippling movement.
More than ten Gillians collapsed, immobilized.
His objective was not slaughter.
It was control.
Adjuchas Clash
"Kaslanin!!"
Nigi emerged from the dissipating smoke, fury radiating from his serpentine form. Though the barrage had not struck him directly, it had drained a vast amount of his spiritual energy.
"Skalanin! I'll take your life!"
His tail lashed as he charged forward.
"Nigi! That was an accident!" Kaslanin retreated instinctively.
He was not suited for direct combat. A deathmatch would injure them both — and possibly attract other Adjuchas.
"That insect lured the attack!" Kaslanin shouted.
Nigi paused and glanced toward Sombravida among the fallen Gillians.
Sombravida seized the moment.
"My lord!" he shouted.
"Lord Nigi! Order your Gillians to fire now! Their power hasn't recovered — this is the best chance to destroy them!"
Nigi blinked.
Then understanding dawned.
"That's right!"
He immediately commanded his Gillians to fire.
More than ten Ceros swept across the battlefield.
Kaslanin's Gillians were annihilated in a single wave.
Only two or three remained.
No longer a threat.
The Duel Begins
"Hahahaha!" Nigi roared in triumph.
"Kaslanin, you reap what you sow! Ten years of stalemate ends today!"
"Nigi… what are you doing?" Kaslanin's voice trembled.
"Devouring you may push me into the intermediate tier," Nigi laughed. "Become my power!"
"Nigi, you dare?!" Kaslanin unleashed a desperate Cero.
Nigi countered by ordering nearby Gillians to fire while he closed the distance.
The two Adjuchas clashed.
Sombravida Exploits the Chaos
"A perfect opportunity."
Sombravida surged forward.
He did not intend to join the Adjuchas battle. One strike from them could kill him.
Instead, he moved among the fallen Gillians, ripping masks free.
Neither Adjuchas could spare attention.
Kaslanin was fighting for survival.
Nigi valued his rival's power far more than a few masks.
Sombravida's earlier assistance had earned him silent tolerance.
Even if he advanced, what threat could he pose?
Feeding the Giant
To their surprise, Sombravida did not consume the masks.
He broke off only a fragment for himself.
The rest he forced into the mouth of the Gillian he had been tracking.
The giant emitted an excited, rising howl.
Spiritual pressure surged.
Light shimmered faintly across its enormous frame.
Advancement was imminent.
Sombravida clicked his tongue.
"Still not enough?"
He turned toward the remaining Gillians.
"Fine. Let's finish this."
He leapt skyward.
One slash.
A head flew.
Second.
Third.
Kaslanin's Final Strike
Nigi noticed his diminishing controlled forces and grew furious, but finishing Kaslanin remained his priority.
The final volley of Ceros shattered Kaslanin's defenses.
A massive explosion followed.
Severely injured, Kaslanin fled.
Before escaping, he cast Sombravida a venomous glare and fired one final, weakened Cero.
A desperate strike.
Impossible Choice
Sombravida stood atop the giant's shoulder, feeding the last masks.
If he dodged, the blast would strike the Gillian's head.
If he stayed, he would be annihilated.
At full strength, he might have survived.
Now, drained from continuous combat…
he could not.
"…Did I miscalculate?"
He prepared to retreat.
Even if it meant abandoning a year of effort.
Survival came first.
The Miracle
Just before he moved—
The Gillian opened its maw.
It swallowed the incoming Cero.
Its spiritual pressure erupted.
A brilliant pink radiance burst from its mouth, fused with its own power.
The beam fired back toward Kaslanin —
engulfing Nigi as well.
Sombravida's eyes widened.
"This is… Cero Resonance."
His voice shook with excitement.
"Nel… it's Nel! Not Yammy! I was right!"
Nel's unique ability:
Cero Resonance — absorbing an enemy's Cero, amplifying it, and returning it with devastating power.
Unexpected Escape
Sombravida's relief lasted only seconds.
They had just angered two Adjuchas.
Protecting an unconscious Nel against both would be impossible.
But reality surprised him.
When the pink light faded—
both Adjuchas were gone.
Not destroyed.
They had retreated.
Kaslanin was critically injured and could not remain.
Nigi chose to pursue his fleeing rival rather than avenge humiliation.
Power mattered more than pride.
The battlefield fell silent.
Sombravida stood frozen, stunned by the sudden emptiness.
Everything had unfolded logically.
And yet—
the outcome felt unreal.
Nel stood beside him, glowing with advancing power.
And for the first time in months,
Sombravida knew his gamble had succeeded.