Arou carefully walked through the dark laboratory corridor, his breathing uneven after barely surviving the swarm of small monsters earlier.
Suddenly—
CRACK.
The floor in front of him split open even wider.
Before he could react, his foot slipped.
"AAH—!"
He crashed hard onto the ground.
The small shadow creatures immediately began creeping closer, growling as they prepared to attack.
Arou panicked.
He had no weapon.
Then—
a small bat suddenly descended from above.
It flew rapidly through the darkness before its body began glowing. The creature spun through the air, transforming into a familiar figure.
Zata.
"…Huh?" Arou muttered in shock.
Zata casually swung one arm.
Even though he was only using around 0.01% of his true power, the impact alone was enough to blast the monsters away.
BOOM.
The force carved a massive tunnel beneath the laboratory floor.
The creatures scattered in terror and fled into the darkness.
Arou stared at him wide-eyed.
"W-Why did you save me?!"
Zata smiled faintly.
"Oh… right."
He stretched out both hands.
Two swords suddenly materialized in front of Arou—
one red,
and one blue.
"Sorry," Zata said casually.
"I forgot to give you weapons."
Arou slowly picked them up, still half-panicked and half-relieved.
"Uh… thanks," he muttered awkwardly.
But the moment of relief didn't last long.
Arou looked at Zata seriously.
"If I can ask something…"
"Why didn't you recreate Airi?"
Zata laughed softly.
"Oh, her?" he replied playfully.
"That's because I wanted to see you look cool for once."
Arou frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Zata calmly stared at him.
"You're the protagonist of this story."
Arou blinked in disbelief.
"Huh? Me? Why me?"
Zata shrugged casually.
"Why not?" he answered.
"I think you're the one who deserves that role."
Arou stood there silently, trying to process his words.
"…Then why erase Airi?"
Zata smirked faintly.
"Heh. Wasn't it obvious?"
He stepped closer and lightly patted Arou's shoulder.
"As long as Airi existed… you never truly stood out."
Arou's eyes widened slightly.
"Didn't stand out…?"
Zata chuckled.
"Think about it."
"Airi was always the one fighting powerful enemies."
"And she always won."
Meanwhile, you?"
"You only fought weak opponents."
He pointed toward the swords in Arou's hands.
"So I removed Airi because…"
"…I want to see you fight strong enemies instead."
Arou swallowed nervously.
"Strong enemies…? W-Wait, you mean I have to—"
Zata smiled mysteriously.
"Relax."
"This is all part of my story."
His crimson-gold eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
"But now…"
"I want to see you shine, Arou."
Arou looked down at the red and blue swords in his hands.
His heart pounded with fear—
and excitement.
At that moment, he realized something.
His real journey had only just begun.
Arou stood inside the underground tunnel, gripping both swords tightly.
His breathing remained heavy, his body tense, yet his eyes burned with determination as he stared at Zata.
Zata smiled faintly.
"Well then…" he said casually.
"Now you're finally ready to show me what you can do."
Even restrained, the pressure of his aura filled the entire tunnel.
Arou tightened his grip on the swords.
"I'll… do my best," he muttered quietly.
Suddenly—
someone appeared from the far end of the tunnel.
Nova.
Without hesitation, Nova raised his hand and unleashed time magic toward Zata, hoping to slow him down.
But Zata simply smiled.
The energy wave vanished the moment it reached him.
"Oh?" Zata said casually.
"You thought magic like that could stop me?"
He continued walking forward without difficulty.
Arou immediately rushed in, swinging his swords with all his strength.
But Zata merely lifted one hand.
CLANG.
The blades struck his aura—
and bounced away instantly.
Arou's eyes widened.
Nova quickly stepped back.
"Arou, be careful!" he shouted.
"He's immune to both magic and physical attacks!"
Arou swallowed hard.
This wasn't a normal fight.
Strength alone wouldn't work.
He would have to rely on strategy, reflexes, and intelligence.
Zata stepped closer, his overwhelming aura causing dust to spiral through the tunnel.
"Good…" he murmured softly.
"I want to see how long you can survive."
He smiled.
"Show me, protagonist."
Arou tightened his grip on both swords.
"I'm ready!" he shouted.
Nova stayed focused, carefully preparing another spell.
But even he realized the truth now—
direct attacks would never work.
They needed another strategy.
Another opening.
Another way to fight.
The silent tunnel had transformed into a battlefield filled with tension.
Every movement—
every decision—
would determine who survived.
And so, the battle truly began.
Not a battle of brute force.
Not a battle of magic.
But a battle of strategy, reflexes, and mental endurance—
against a being who seemed almost impossible to defeat.
Arou stared directly at Zata, determination blazing in his eyes.
The red and blue swords glowed faintly in his hands.
"Now… I have to try!" he shouted.
With all his strength, Arou swung the red sword toward Zata's right arm.
SLASH—
But the moment the blade touched Zata's aura, something felt horribly wrong.
The sword didn't cut through him at all.
Zata remained completely unharmed.
Then suddenly—
Arou screamed.
"AAAHHH!!"
His eyes widened in horror.
His own right arm—
had been severed.
The sword slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the ground.
Arou staggered backward in shock, staring at the blood pouring from his shoulder.
"This… this can't be…" he whispered shakily.
Several meters away, Nova froze in disbelief.
"H-He reflected the attack?!" Nova shouted.
Zata smiled calmly.
"Good," he said softly.
"You tried to attack me."
"But now you understand."
"No physical attack can harm me."
"And sometimes…"
"…your own attacks will simply return to you."
Arou trembled violently, still trying to process what had happened.
Nova quickly rushed toward him.
"Arou! We need another plan!" he shouted.
"Direct attacks won't work!"
Arou clenched his teeth painfully.
Even injured, his determination refused to disappear.
"I… I can't give up," he muttered.
"I have to survive."
Zata slowly approached them, his aura distorting the air itself.
"Excellent…" he whispered.
"I want to see how far my protagonist can continue struggling…"
"…when the world itself turns against him."
Arou and Nova exchanged glances.
Both of them understood now.
Zata wasn't simply invincible.
He could turn their own attacks back against them.
Nova narrowed his eyes.
"Then… I'll try this."
He quickly raised his hand.
Dark energy gathered around him.
"Die!" Nova shouted as he unleashed instant death magic toward Zata.
A wave of dark power exploded through the tunnel.
But Zata merely smiled faintly.
The spell vanished the moment it touched him.
His aura rejected it completely—
and reflected it back.
Arou's eyes widened in terror.
"T-That's impossible…!"
In the next instant—
Nova staggered backward violently.
"A-AHH—!"
His body began breaking apart under the force of his own magic.
Arou panicked instantly.
"Nova…!!"
But he couldn't move fast enough.
Zata calmly looked toward Arou.
"You see?" he said softly.
"Even death magic cannot affect me."
"And those who attack without understanding…"
"…often become victims of their own power."
Arou's breathing became uneven.
Fear crawled through his entire body.
Not just because of Zata's strength—
but because everything they did could be turned against them.
Zata stepped even closer, dust swirling around him from the pressure of his aura.
"Good…"
His crimson-gold eyes glowed faintly.
"Now show me how long you can survive, protagonist…"
"…when everything is truly against you."
Arou tightened his grip on the remaining sword.
His heart pounded violently.
Fear.
Pain.
Pressure.
Yet even so—
his determination remained.
He understood now.
If he wanted to survive—
if he wanted to win—
then he would need to become faster,
smarter,
and more creative than ever before.