The sky had turned completely black. Thunder roared like a beast, and flashes of lightning cracked across the heavens. Then—rain.
Cold, heavy drops poured from above, drenching the battlefield in seconds.
Ren tilted his head, watching the downpour with mild amusement. "So you're a magician too, huh?" he said, his voice mocking. "But you know... making it rain won't help you."
He chuckled, but then—his smile vanished.
The green mist that had been curling from his body began to fade. Slowly. Then faster. Rain struck it like acid, eating through the poisonous gas until nothing remained. The color drained from Ren's face.
"What the—?"
Before he could say more, Rei vanished.
Ryuto didn't even have time to react.
Boom!
Rei reappeared right in front of him, clawed left hand already mid-swing. Ryuto's instincts kicked in, and he brought his sword up just in time to block—steel met claw with a violent clash that echoed through the storm.
But Rei wasn't done.
With his right hand, he clenched a brutal punch and slammed it into Ryuto's chest.
Crack!
The impact was monstrous.
Ryuto's body shot back like a cannonball, slamming into the ground. Once. Then again. And again. The earth broke beneath him as he skidded and bounced across the field, finally crashing to a stop several meters away.
Rain poured harder. Thunder rolled above. And the real fight had only just begun.
Ren spun both of his green draggers in his hands, the blades cutting through the air as rain poured around him. His eyes locked onto Ryuto, who was still flying through the air after taking that heavy punch from Rei.
Ren dashed forward, running fast through the wet ground, splashing water under his feet. In seconds, he jumped high and reached Ryuto in the air.
He spun his whole body, turning like a drill, aiming to stab right through Ryuto with both draggers.
But just before the blades could touch him—
Ryuto opened his mouth and spoke one word, calm and steady.
"Come."
CRACK—BOOM!
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, hitting Ryuto with incredible speed. The light flashed across the whole sky, and electricity covered his body like a glowing armor.
In that same moment, Ryuto moved. He twisted his body and kicked Ren in the neck with full force.
BOOM!
The impact was so strong that Ren's eyes widened. His body was thrown far away, spinning through the air like a broken toy.
He crashed into a building in the distance—walls breaking, bricks flying, windows shattering. The crash echoed like thunder as Ren slammed into a wall deep inside the structure.
He stayed there, stuck against the broken wall, blood dripping from his mouth. Rain poured through the broken ceiling above him.
"Ugh… my neck…" he muttered weakly, holding the side of his neck with one hand.
On the other side, after sending Ren flying, Ryuto landed firmly on the ground. The lightning that had struck him was still dancing over his body—crackling, sparking, and slowly getting absorbed into his skin, like his body was eating the energy.
Steam rose from his shoulders as his eyes lit up with power.
Suddenly, Ryuto vanished in a flash.
At the same moment, Rei also disappeared from his spot, the force of his movement cracking the ground beneath him.
BOOM!
They clashed in the middle of the rain-soaked battlefield, a loud shockwave blasting out as their bodies collided. Rei swung his sharp claws at top speed, each strike aiming to tear through Ryuto.
But Ryuto blocked every one of them—his sword moving so fast it was like a wall of silver light.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their attacks echoed like thunder, sparks flying with every hit.
Rei jumped and spun mid-air, slashing down with both claws like a falling cross.
Ryuto slid back and raised his sword just in time—CLANG!—then twisted and countered with a sharp upward slash.
Rei ducked and swept his leg, trying to trip him, but Ryuto jumped, flipped over, and tried to stab down mid-spin.
Rei leaned back, letting the blade miss by inches, then dashed forward with a sudden claw strike aimed at Ryuto's throat.
Ryuto tilted his head, letting the claw slide past, and elbowed Rei in the ribs—BAM!
Rei grunted but didn't stop. He backed up a step, spun, and slashed with both hands.
Ryuto blocked the first claw, parried the second, and stepped in close, pushing his palm into Rei's chest—light sparked from his hand—ZAP!—a burst of electricity shot out, sending Rei flying back.
Rei flipped mid-air and landed on his feet, sliding across the ground.
Both of them stood still for a moment, staring at each other.
Breathing steady. Focused. Ready for round two.
But suddenly Ryuto was in front of Rei. Ryuto swung his sword upward in a clean arc, aiming to slice through Rei's chest.
But just then—Clang!—Ren appeared like a blur and crossed both his green draggers, blocking the strike at the last second. Sparks flew from the impact.
"Tch… you're fast," twisting his body mid-motion.
arms trembled from the force, "you're annoying." Ryuto muttered,
Before Ryuto could follow up, Rei moved. He ducked low and swung his claws sideways, aiming for Ryuto's ribs. Ryuto raised his sword in time to block—but just barely.
Clash! Boom!
The shock from the hit pushed Ryuto back. He skidded across the ground, feet grinding against the earth.
Ren didn't let up. He dashed again, spinning both draggers in his hands. His eyes locked on Ryuto.
He leapt high, twisting his body mid-air like a whirlwind.
"Let's see you block this!" he yelled, dropping down with both blades spinning like saws.
Ryuto stepped forward and lifted his sword above his head to block, but the spinning force of Ren's strike drove him down to one knee.
Rei appeared behind him in that moment, claws ready. He slashed diagonally.
Slash!
A shallow cut opened across Ryuto's back.
"Kh…!" Ryuto gritted his teeth but didn't scream. He twisted his grip and forced Ren away with a strong push of his sword.
Then—Crack!
A lightning bolt struck the ground beside him, surging into his blade.
He swung it around in a wide arc, sending a wave of electric force that blasted both Ren and Rei back.
Ryuto stood up again, breathing hard. Blood dripped slightly from his back, but his eyes were sharp—focused.
"What are you two doing?" an irritated voice from the distance.
Three figures were walking toward them—one man and two women. It was the man who spoke, his tone sharp and scolding. He have eye patch on his right eye. "Did you not hear the order? Why did you spare the civilians?"
The woman with short pink hair scoffed, her eyes cold. "Did you forget the real plan? Just killing Ryuto or the other strong ones won't prove anything to the world."
The second woman, tall with a long sword resting on her shoulder, stepped forward calmly. "He appears when the innocent are hurt. That's the only pattern we know. So if we strike them… and he still doesn't come—" she paused, letting the silence build, "—the world will finally realize he's gone."
She gave a chilling smile. "And that's all we need to break their hope."
The woman with short pink hair and the tall one with the long sword vanished in a flash—racing toward the panicked crowd of civilians.
The tall woman scanned the chaos with a cold gaze and spotted two small figures standing frozen amidst the fleeing people.
A wicked grin stretched across her face.
"Perfect," she muttered, raising her sword. "Let's start with you."
She swung her blade with full force, aiming to slice the two figures apart.
But—in a blink—they vanished.
A sharp gleam of light flickered at the spot, like a glitch in space. The figures were gone—teleported out of harm's way just in time.
"Huh?" the tall woman gasped, confused.
She didn't even have time to process what happened before a blur slammed into her side like a thunderbolt—BOOM!
The impact was brutal. Her body bent unnaturally from the force as she was sent flying through the air, crashing through multiple buildings like a ragdoll before finally disappearing into a dust-filled wreckage.
Standing in her place was Hinata.
Her breathing was rough and uneven. Blood trickled down her arms and side, her wounds reopened from the reckless sprint she made to get here. Her body was bruised and scorched from the last battle—but her eyes, sharp and blazing with fury, stayed locked on the enemies ahead.
The pink-haired woman saw what happened and immediately bolted toward Hinata, her fists clenched and glowing.
But just as she leapt forward—
CRACK!
A brutal strike came crashing down on her head from above. She barely raised her arms to block it, but the hit still forced her into the ground with an explosive crash, the earth splitting beneath her as dust and debris shot into the air.
Yuki stood where the strike landed, calm but fierce. Her presence was like a wall—silent, unshakable.
She quickly moved beside Hinata, ready for whatever came next.
"Get everyone out of here. Quickly," Hinata ordered the other Evolvers who had arrived with her. They all nodded without a word and immediately began evacuating the civilians from the park and surrounding area.
[Chapter 20 end]