A swift gust of wind swept through the forest, carrying crimson Gulbahar petals and a chill mist from the river. It brushed past their bodies—two warriors standing in the eye of a storm.
Haruki's golden aura pulsed like a beacon, lightning crackling along his sword. Across from him, Eran stood with glowing red eyes, his blade dripping with blood, raw energy radiating from his form.
In an instant, they clashed.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their swords collided with a deafening rhythm, striking faster than the eye could follow. Each movement carved through the air, and sparks burst with every impact. Trees shattered around them like twigs, the ground split under their feet.
Eran felt unstoppable—his body overflowing with strength, instincts sharp as blades. On the other side, Haruki fought not to win, but to restrain. He didn't want to hurt the boy—but Eran was no longer the boy he once knew.
Eran began to overpower him. Blow after blow, Haruki was pushed back. The air trembled with their speed, their forms vanishing and reappearing mid-air like flickers of lightning. To anyone watching, it would seem like they were teleporting, too fast to comprehend.
Blood rained to the ground with every strike.
Suddenly, they halted—face to face, breathing softly amidst the chaos. Eran stood tall, not a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. Haruki, however, furrowed his brow.
"I don't want to use the second form of the Golden Spear," he muttered under his breath. "I have to end this now."
Then, louder, he shouted, "Art of Scatter!"
In a flash, Haruki's body exploded into hundreds of glowing paper needles, each one humming with yellow energy. They shot toward Eran like a swarm of meteors, slicing through the air.
Eran twisted and dodged with sharp reflexes, slashing away the ones he could, blood trailing behind his cuts. But then—
One of the paper needles that had flown past him suddenly transformed.
From thin air, Haruki reappeared behind him, sword raised high.
Eran sensed it—just in time.
He spun and barely dodged the strike aimed at his head, countering with a vicious slash. But before the blade could connect, Haruki vanished again.
Another paper needle zipped past Eran—and in a blink, it became Haruki once more.
Haruki began teleporting rapidly through his paper blades, each flicker of movement landing sharp strikes on Eran. But to Haruki's frustration, the wounds closed almost instantly—Eran's body was healing too fast.
With each passing second, it became clear.
"No scars… not even a scratch…" Haruki thought, eyes narrowing. "And I'm running out of time."
His breathing grew heavy. Every movement drained more of his strength, while Eran remained untouchable, tireless—almost immortal.
"I can't stop him like this…" Haruki gritted his teeth. "It's time… for my ace move."
Eran surged forward like a beast unchained, slashing wildly. Haruki darted around him, vanishing and reappearing through his blades in a blur of golden light. Then, in a burst of wind, he leapt into the sky.
"Golden Spear—Third Form!" Haruki roared.
His body ignited with a radiant light, glowing brighter than the sun. The sky itself turned gold as he shot upward, perpendicular to the earth, trailing blinding energy behind him.
The battlefield stood still.
Eran looked up, and for the first time—even in his Crimson Ascendance form—fear touched his heart. His hands trembled. His thoughts raced.
"This… this power… Is Crimson Ascendance useless against him?"
High in the sky, Haruki's golden glow dimmed slightly, but he was still shining like a divine star. Then his voice thundered across the field.
"Golden Cage—Final Form!"
In an instant, the ground around Eran cracked and burst open. Golden paper pillars erupted around him, forming a colossal cage. Paper vines slithered out, wrapping tightly around Eran's limbs and torso.
The vines began to pulse.
They were draining his energy.
"Ugh—what is this?" Eran growled, trying to break free, but his strength was slipping away fast. His movements slowed. His sword dropped.
Haruki descended gently, returning to his normal form as his feet touched the soil. His golden aura flickered, nearly spent.
"You know," he said, voice calm but heavy with emotion, "you're the only one on Earth who's ever witnessed my Golden Spear's Third Form."
Eran's form began to flicker. His Crimson Ascendance faded, and the monstrous energy that once surrounded him vanished into the air like mist. Moments later, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground—unconscious.
The vines withdrew. The battlefield, once consumed by chaos, fell silent.
Haruki stepped closer to Eran's unconscious body, his expression unreadable. The golden glow around him had faded, leaving only his steady breath and solemn eyes.
He knelt beside Eran, then gently bent forward.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
With swift precision, he locked his hand over Eran's abdomen. A faint flicker of golden light pulsed from his fingers.
"Vein Binding."
Two tiny fragments of golden paper emerged between his fingers—razor-thin and alive with energy. They sliced through Eran's skin without leaving a mark, slipping inside his body like needles of light. A subtle shimmer rippled through Eran's form.
Inside, the fragments found their targets—two key energy veins near his core.
They sealed.
Haruki slowly withdrew his hand. "Thirty percent of your power... sealed," he whispered.
Eran lay motionless, his breathing soft but steady.
Haruki stood in silence for a moment, eyes on his fallen friend. "I didn't want it to come to this," he said softly, more to himself than anyone else.
Then, without looking back, Haruki turned and walked away—his figure fading into the mist, back toward the house that waited beyond the battlefield.