Match 4: Arata vs. Keisuke & Yoshito – The Cultivator's Shadow
Arata's impeccable composure cracked for a fraction of a second. Keisuke's stance, the ethereal pressure building around the infinite swords – he'd seen this exact aura before. The Blind Eyes Infinite Sword Technique... A cold dread, rare for Arata, seeped into his bones. Only a true Cultivator channels Qi like this.
His mind flashed back to a humiliating defeat: facing General Blaze, a master Cultivator. Three minutes. That's all it took for Blaze to dismantle him. The sheer, overwhelming ocean of Aura a Cultivator commanded dwarfed even the most refined combat arts. If Keisuke has reached that level... this complicates things immensely. He eyed Keisuke critically. But is his mastery comparable to Blaze's?
Danger or not, retreat wasn't in Arata's nature. Twin blades, forged from condensed void energy, shimmered into existence in his hands. "Impressive," he conceded, his predatory smile returning. "But let's see if you can wield that power." With blinding speed, he launched himself forward, blades carving paths of distorted space.
Keisuke's eyes remained closed. Yoshito blurred beside him, Melvolent of Hunting Spirits humming. The Dark Calamity surged, shadows lashing like whips. The trio collided in a cataclysm of steel, Qi, and primordial darkness. The Plain of Infinity shuddered under the strain.
Awakening and Revelation: Kanori's Burden
Kanori groaned, consciousness returning like a tide washing over jagged rocks. Pain flared, but it was muted, managed. Severe burns covered her, yet they were meticulously dressed. She found herself on a makeshift cot within a pocket of calm astral space. Nearby, ONI worked, blue flames dancing around his fingers as he stabilized a crack in reality.
He noticed her stirring and approached, holding a simple bowl of steaming broth. Kanori flinched back, instantly defensive. "Poison?" she rasped, suspicion hardening her gaze.
ONI rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Eat." He thrust the bowl towards her. "Levia's gone. Headed for Fernando."
"Levia..." Kanori whispered, the name a raw wound. "Where...?"
ONI's expression softened slightly. "She left this for you." He held out a small, pulsing crimson gemstone – a Blood Gem.
Kanori recoiled instinctively. She knew what it was: a Dark Mage's ultimate truth-teller, forged from heart's blood, cells, and spirit. It held the entirety of a person's being – past, present, unvarnished. Trembling, she reached out. The moment her fingers touched the cold, smooth surface, the world dissolved.
She was plunged into Levia's memories.
Fernando's commanding voice: "Levia, the Abyssal incursion worsens. We need a curse potent enough to scourge them from the land. Craft it. For Aryavarta."
Levia, diligent, trusting: "Yes, Your Majesty." She poured her skill, her loyalty, into the vile magic.
The Royal Charity Campaign: Thousands of the kingdom's poorest and sickest gathered in the grand hall, seeking aid. Hope turned to terror as the doors slammed shut, magically sealed.
Fernando's cold observation: "Test Subject Alpha: Human efficacy." He activated Levia's curse. Screams ripped through the hall. Four thousand lives extinguished in agonizing moments. A 'success'.
Levia's horrified confrontation: Bursting into the throne room, fury and grief warring. "MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Fernando's chilling ultimatum: "Serve me unquestioningly... or suffer."
Levia's defiance: "NEVER!"
The descent into hell: Sold to depraved nobles. Violated. Tortured. Mentally shattered, yet her spirit, her opposition, never broke. Finally, deemed useless, discarded: dismembered alive, her remains fed to beasts.
Kanori watched, paralyzed. Tears streamed down her face, hot and shameful. Regret, profound and crushing, engulfed her. She suffered this... and I attacked her. Called her monster. I abandoned her when she needed me most. Her own self-respect crumbled to dust.
ONI knelt beside her as she sobbed, the Blood Gem falling from her nerveless fingers. He placed a rough, warm hand on her shoulder. "Breathe," he said gruffly. "Just breathe."
When the storm of grief subsided slightly, Kanori looked up, eyes red-rimmed and accusing. "Why... why didn't you tell me this before?!"
ONI met her gaze, his own blazing with suppressed anger. "Because you wouldn't have believed! You were loyal to the throne! To the lie!"
"What do you know about what I believe?!" Kanori shouted, shame fueling her rage.
ONI shouted back, the memory raw: "Then tell me! What was Nero's crime?! A boy who just wanted peace! Stabbed in the heart by a Moonlight dagger wielded by those he called friends! Used by Fernando as a pawn and sacrificed! Like THOUSANDS of others! MY WHOLE CLAN BURNED FOR FERNANDO'S AMBITION!"
Kanori froze. "Fernando... killed Nero?"
"In the past? Yes," ONI confirmed, the fire in his eyes banked to cold embers. "He's the root of all this rot. The true monster you served."
The revelation hit Kanori like a physical blow. The king she'd defended, the system she'd upheld... built on the bones of innocents like Levia, like Nero. Fury, white-hot and righteous, replaced her shame. She tried to surge up.
ONI gently but firmly pushed her back down. "Relax. Your body's still knitting itself back together. Recklessness gets you killed."
Kanori stared at him, bewildered. "Why... why do you care? Don't you want me dead?"
ONI gave her a light, almost brotherly tap on the head. "Idiot. Our enemy's the same now. Killing you serves no purpose. Rest."
Match 3: Saigo vs. Velmin – The Stab in the Back
Saigo's wind barrier flickered weakly under Velmin's relentless assault. He absorbed blow after blow, refusing to retaliate against the man who was his father in all but blood. Ayumi and Ferina watched from a distance, perplexed. "He's... holding back?" Ferina murmured. "He seems weak."
Velmin roared, frustration mingling with grief. "FIGHT BACK, SAIGO! DEFEND YOURSELF PROPERLY!" He landed another solid hit, rocking Saigo. "OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE TRUTH!"
Suddenly, the air behind Velmin rippled violently. A jagged, dark-purple dimensional portal tore open. Before anyone could react, a blade forged of twilight energy slashed out with impossible speed, carving a deep, grievous wound across Velmin's back. He gasped, eyes wide with shock and pain, then collapsed.
"OTO-SAN!" Saigo's scream tore from his throat, raw with anguish. He lunged, catching Velmin before he hit the ground. Blood soaked his hands. "Dad! Stay with me! Please!" Tears streamed down Saigo's face, the hardened assassin vanished, replaced by a terrified son. Velmin's eyes fluttered open, weak but focused. With trembling fingers, he pressed a simple, glowing bracelet into Saigo's palm. Then his eyes rolled back, consciousness fleeing.
"No... no... don't leave me alone..." Saigo pleaded, cradling Velmin. With a surge of desperate power, he opened a small, stable pocket dimension and gently placed Velmin inside. Golden light enveloped the fallen warrior, beginning the slow process of healing.
Saigo rose. The tears dried instantly, replaced by an arctic fury that chilled the very air. His gaze locked onto the figure emerging from the portal: the Twilight Conjuror, Emperor of the Abyssal legions, flanked by hordes of chittering demons.
"Relax, youngster," the Twilight Conjuror purred, his voice like grating stone. "We are... allies. Sent by our mutual leader, King Fernando."
The words were the final shattering blow. Velmin's truth, Ayumi's claim – all confirmed by the mouthpiece of hell itself. The last vestiges of Saigo's loyalty to Fernando vaporized, replaced by incandescent rage. "So... it was all true," Saigo whispered, his voice dangerously calm. "You betrayed my father. You betrayed my brother. You betrayed me." He raised his hand, the bracelet Velmin gave him pulsing with light. "You will pay. In blood."
He snapped his fingers.
Across the vastness of the Astral Plain, near the planetoid they stood on, space itself seemed to shimmer. Millions upon millions of microscopic, metallic cubes – Nanobites – materialized out of the void, converging with terrifying speed, forming a swirling, predatory cloud that blotted out the distant stars. The air hummed with their collective, deadly purpose.
"Skill: Nano-Bite," Saigo declared, his eyes devoid of mercy. The swarm descended.