The ice explosion tore through the alleyway, sending all combatants flying out into an ordinary city street. Though surrounded by cars and buildings, none cared as the intense battle raged on.
—Do we stick to the plan?— Sein asked timidly.
—Absolutely! Are you sure you can handle your part?—Shoun replied, still visibly altered from his overload but concerned for Sein nonetheless.
—...Leave it to me—The younger boy tightened his grip and charged forward. A barrage of flames and shards rained down on him, but were swiftly blocked without slowing his advance. Sensing their strategy, Jace moved to cut off Sein's path, but in a blink Kaze appeared with part of his Mantle extended, clearing the way. Meanwhile, Jack quickly positioned himself beside his brother, only to be immediately surrounded by Shoun.
—Let the kids play among themselves! After all, I doubt you want them involved in adult matters—At Shoun's words, Jace glanced briefly at his brother. Understanding the unspoken concern, Jack responded:
—We'll know if she's in trouble...and let's not underestimate her. She's strong in her own right.
—Phew—Shoun sighed in slight relief. They'd planned this formation carefully. While he could counter both Jack and Joy, doing so simultaneously was extremely difficult, especially now that a single attack from the newly-ranked 3 could trigger instant overload. Moreover, Joy's complete spell repertoire remained a mystery to them all. That's precisely why their most adaptable member was best suited to face the unknown.
Jack cast one last glance at Jace, who simply entered his calm state, a glacial mist enveloping his body before vanishing from all senses. When his brother disappeared, the red demon transformed the battlefield into hellfire.
Flames erupted from every inch of his being, staining the landscape crimson. They surged toward Kaze and Shoun, but before the latter could absorb them, the former draped his Mantle over Cutting Wind. With a single slash, the attacks dissipated. He then swiftly moved beside his companion:
—Don't absorb all that. I can tell you're already overloaded—Kaze warned, concern evident in his voice.
—Relax, I've got this under control. I'll go crazy anyway, so it won't matter how much I take from him.
—...Fine. Just try not to hurt yourself too badly. And remember, we still don't know where the other one is.
—Of course— Before he could say more, firestorms rained down, narrowly dodged. Refusing to stay defensive, Kaze and Shoun lunged at Jack.
Using his wind Mantle and Balanced Voltage Impulse, they closed the distance instantly. Mid-charge, Shoun found himself repeatedly encircled by flames, forced to absorb energy just to avoid being burned alive.
Despite arriving mere moments after Kaze, Shoun couldn't join the duel between the two Dominators. Jack molded his flames into a fiery sword to clash against Cutting Wind. Kaze's ruthless, lethal technique met its match in the demon's scorching expertise, fire and wind locked in a struggle to extinguish one another.
Kaze thrust Cutting Wind to impale Jack, but the demon blocked with his flaming blade and countered with fireballs, forcing the masked fighter back. Kaze effortlessly sliced through the projectiles. With breathing room, the red demon reshaped his flames, conjuring a spear in his left hand. His lightning strike nearly pierced Kaze's "face", the spear grazed the mask, leaving a burn mark that vanished seconds later.
Jack's suffocating assault never relented. Spear and sword moved in perfect synergy under his command, yet Kaze held his ground, dodging and countering with surgical precision. Their duel escalated into a timed, measured dance, one no lesser fighter could hope to join.
Frustrated, Shoun prepared to fire a lightning bolt to aid Kaze, until instinct screamed at him to move. He barely dodged a fatal strike to his gut, though the spear still tore through part of his abdomen.
—Arrgh!— Gritting his teeth, Shoun grabbed the spear and propelled himself backward with his abilities, forcing Jace to release it. The young man shattered it effortlessly.
—...My brother warned me you'd do that—Jace remarked coolly as dozens of shards materialized within Jack's flames, all launching simultaneously at Shoun.
—You deserve worse for this—Shoun shot back coldly, clutching his wound. He weaved through the shards, only for massive ice pillars to erupt from the asphalt, harrying him with relentless attacks from the blue demon.
Without delay, Shoun activated his bracelet's effect, sealing his wound through regeneration. With his immediate problem solved, he prepared to counterattack,bonly to be instantly surrounded by Jack's flames and Jace's ice.
—Shit!—The healing had drained his core's energy reserves. Reluctantly, he forced another momentary overload to dodge Jace's strike—Hahaa!—Laughing weakly to suppress tears, he glanced at the Dominators' uninterrupted duel. Even mid-battle, the red demon had found openings to pressure Shoun further—(This makes no sense. Their goal is killing Kaze, why risk overextending to corner me?).
His questions went unanswered as twin assaults hammered him from both sides. Each absorption pushed Shoun closer to his limit—his capacity now exceeded even Balanced Voltage's maximum output.
—(This would be so much easier if that bastard were still an apprentice!)—All Shoun's secret strategies had assumed Jack's apprentice-level strength. At that rank, even Jack's fiercest flames wouldn't have caused this level of overload. He might've even had energy left to drain ambient spiritual energy and disable Joy. But now, maintaining Balanced Voltage's calm grew impossible, not just from the attacks, but from hearing his friends struggle in their own battles. Helping them felt beyond reach—Haaaa...— With one final exhale, clarity struck through the flames engulfing him. Jace paused his assault, a fatal mistake. At the last second, the blue demon barely dodged a lightning slash, revealing a grinning Shoun gripping Iron Fang with inhuman strength—Tch tch tch. Still green, Jace. You needed your brother's help to push me this far. Time I teach you some humility.
***
Earlier, Sein broke free from the inferno, intercepting Joy before she could reinforce her allies. Weapons drawn, they sized each other up, hyper-alert to every twitch.
—"Let the earth rise and bare its fangs!"— The Elven chant summoned stone spikes to impale Sein. He dodged with calm precision, though slower than his teammates, his agility sufficed against such sluggish attacks.
Joy didn't relent. Energy blades joined the assault, forcing Sein to parry with his golden sword. Each spell split like butter, but the converging pillars and blades finally cornered him, leaving no room to evade the full brunt of her magic.
—Haah...haah—Panting from the rapid barrage, Joy waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, Sein stood unharmed, his potent shield having absorbed everything before retracting to conserve energy.
—Is that all you've got?—Joy didn't answer. With book and staff, she unleashed another spell: energy javelins darkened the sky before raining down. Empowered by spiritual energy, Sein dodged effortlessly—You're hesitating too much. You've always been so determined to kill my friend. What's holding you back now?
—...It's hard to visualize hurting you...This isn't your fight, Sein. We can still walk away.
—Too late for that. We chose opposite sides. You made your bed, Joy, best lie in it—Sein shot toward her. The mage tried casting again, but the golden sword grazed her throat before she could chant. Looking up, she met Sein's indifferent stare—Before he died, my father rebelled against the government to protect the helpless. No matter how hard it got, he never compromised. Shoun's the same, living freely without letting anyone stop him. I want to be like them...people who change the world without hesitation. Joy, you already made your choice, one that made us enemies. If you didn't doubt then, don't doubt now. Consider this my final kindness to someone I once cared about.
—...— Joy studied Sein's face again. Beyond indifference, she saw sorrow. The mage felt trapped in an abyss, every step seemed wrong—(I know my duty. I must save the world, even if it makes me Sein's enemy...yet each spell feels heavier than the last...What's wrong with me?)—Her mind raced for answers until she truly saw Sein's sad expression, remembering their brief friendship, and realized—(He reminds me so much of her...Attacking seriously feels like losing her all over again...But Sein's right. My choices made us enemies. Even if I believe in this path...I must face the consequences. Thank you, Sein)—Though unspoken, the boy sensed her shift in demeanor. Before he could react, Joy's staff smashed his chin. Staggered, he watched her retreat with renewed resolve.
—(Tch. Serves me right for counseling the enemy. But honestly? Feels good to do one decent thing...and it doesn't interfere with my role here)— Sein's mission was always to neutralize Joy, whether by driving her away or exhausting her. Since he was succeeding, why rush?
***
Outside the mirror world, Robin sat slumped in a chair within their dark, cluttered dining room. Multiple screens displayed translated pages from the ancient books, but the scientist's expression had shifted from excitement to deep unease. Before they could react, a voice slithered from the shadows, making their hands tremble and back drip with cold sweat.
—My, I took longer than expected. But who can blame me? Killing a brute isn't easy for an apprentice, wouldn't you agree?—Under the voice's pressure, Robin instinctively reached for the weapon on the table, only for a shadowed hand to pin theirs down—Ooooh come now. Is this how you congratulate a friend's ascension?
—You...
—Don't worry. But we must hurry, our friends are waiting. You wouldn't want anything...unfortunate to befall them, would you?— Dazed, Robin couldn't respond. At the shadow's will, tendrils erupted from every dark corner. Despite their trembling, the scientist tried to fight, until the tendrils cocooned them completely—Hahaha!
A manic laugh erupted from the depths of Deuz's being as he watched Robin's terrified expression. The laughter seeped into every crevice of the tiny apartment before both shadow and scientist vanished.
The apartment stood empty, abandoned, lit only by screens displaying the books' contents. The text read:
The Shadowkin thrived over 12,500 years ago, coexisting with humans throughout history. They possessed mimicry abilities, replicating any entity or object with terrifying precision, including their human neighbors, rendering themselves indistinguishable save for one singular trait...
Fearing their power, ancient humans eradicated the Shadowkin and most of their structures, leaving only scattered ruins and hidden artifacts as evidence. Along with the last of their lineage, sealed by their own kind for protection, a young Shadow known as "Deuz."