Satoshi took a slow step forward, each movement literally melting the ground beneath his feet. He exhaled—and even that warped the air around him.
"You played with time," he said, voice calm, but layered with something that made your bones feel heavy. "Now watch me burn it away."
Rael's fists clenched.
For the first time, he looked... unsure.
And then, Satoshi moved.
No more warmups.
The real fight had begun.
The Final Confrontation
The manor? Gone. Just a cracked, scorched battlefield now. The night sky above looked twisted—like reality itself was trying to nope out of the chaos happening below.
Satoshi stood dead center, wrapped in golden-red flames that didn't just burn—they radiated something unnatural. He didn't feel human anymore. Not even close. The Eyes of Wrath had gone full power, and with them came a scary new clarity.
He wasn't just burning things.
He was burning existence.
Rael stood across from him, bloodied, armor cracked, silver hair messy and damp. The usual smugness was gone. No smirk. No snark. Just a cold, calculating edge—and a flicker of something that looked an awful lot like fear.
"You're different now," Rael muttered, spitting out a bit of blood. "This power… it shouldn't exist."
Satoshi rolled his shoulders. The heat coming off him shimmered the air like a mirage. "Neither should yours. But hey, here we are."
Rael's jaw tightened. He flicked his wrist.
Time stopped.
Everything froze. The air. The embers. Sound. Movement. Gone.
Except…
Satoshi.
Rael's pupils widened. "No."
Satoshi took a step forward.
That single step shattered the stillness like glass. Cracks rippled through frozen time. The air caught fire.
Rael leapt back, and the moment he moved, time resumed.
Satoshi didn't hesitate. He was already lunging. Fist pulled back, flames flaring.
Rael barely dodged. He stopped time again—
—but flames burst out mid-stop.
Time itself started to burn.
Rael's face twisted in shock. The very concept of "frozen time" was being erased by the heat.
Too late.
Satoshi was already there.
His fist smashed into Rael's face.
The impact wasn't just physical—it tore through space, time, and logic. A shockwave tore through the land, launching Rael so fast he blurred through dimensions before slamming into the ground like a meteor.
Rael coughed, barely holding himself together. Even his demonic healing couldn't keep up.
Satoshi was above him in the blink of an eye. No delay. No warning. Just fire and fury.
Rael stopped time again—but this time, he didn't run.
He moved. Faster than ever.
This was his domain, damn it. Even if Satoshi could fight through it, he still had the edge here. He darted behind Satoshi and landed a punch to his ribs.
When time resumed, the impact hit like a bomb. Satoshi skidded back—
—but he didn't flinch. Not even a blink. His body was a furnace. Pain meant nothing now.
Rael growled. "Fine."
He lifted both hands.
Time didn't just stop this time—it compressed.
Everything around Satoshi twisted. The air got dense. Heavy. It felt like centuries of time were crashing down on his body all at once.
Satoshi let out a breath.
Flames surged.
And just like that, time compression? Gone. Burned away.
Rael's face twisted in frustration. "Damn you!"
They collided again—blow for blow—speed and force on a level reality had no business handling. Each clash sent quakes through the sky.
Rael kept trying. Freezing time. Jumping forward in it. Accelerating injuries.
Satoshi burned through it all.
Every trick Rael knew?
Worthless.
Because this wasn't just fire anymore.
This was absolute.
It erased rules.
It erased powers.
Rael's body was failing. Healing was slowing. Everything was getting harder.
Then—he hesitated. Just for a moment.
Satoshi didn't.
One step. One punch.
Fist to chest.
Flames ignited.
Rael screamed.
Not just from pain—but from erasure. His body didn't burn. It stopped existing.
He tried to stop time—flames burned the ability.
He tried to teleport—flames erased distance.
He tried to survive—flames said no.
And then—he was gone.
No body. No dust. Nothing.
Just gone.
Satoshi stood there. Still burning. The flames finally dimming. The battlefield—silent.
He exhaled.
It was over.
Rael, the half-demon of time, was gone.
And Satoshi?
He wasn't just a warrior anymore.
He was something else.
Something dangerous.
And deep down, for the first time…
He wondered what would happen if he ever lost control.
After the Battle
Everything was still. Just the hiss of cooling earth and faint embers popping beneath Satoshi's boots.
Rael? Gone. Obliterated. No trace.
Satoshi stood there, chest rising and falling slowly. Flames finally fading. No pain. Just emptiness.
And then—
"...Satoshi?"
Camila.
She stood just outside the blast zone, eyes wide. Her hair was a mess, her face pale, her voice soft.
She hadn't seen the fight.
But she could see the result.
Satoshi turned toward her. Even that motion felt… off. Like his body hadn't quite caught up to what it had become.
Camila's eyes scanned the ground, the warping of space, the heat-warped air. "What happened?"
Satoshi didn't speak for a moment.
Then—
"Rael's gone," he said. "Burned away. Completely."
Camila stepped closer. "Burned… away?"
He looked down at his hand. Flames flickered around his fingers, slow and patient.
"I hit the second stage of the Eyes of Wrath." He clenched his fist. "And with it came something else. Absolute Burning."
Camila's breath caught.
She had heard of it.
But seeing it? Feeling it?
Something else entirely.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Satoshi looked past her. To the cracked sky. To the broken land.
"It means I can burn anything. Not just flesh. Not just the world. Time. Space. Existence."
He met her gaze. "Rael stopped time. I burned through it. He tried to exist… I burned that too."
Camila's stomach turned.
She'd always trusted him.
But now? She could see it in his eyes—he wasn't sure if he trusted himself.
She reached out, placed a hand on his arm.
He was warm. Unnaturally so. But steady.
"You're still you," she whispered.
Satoshi didn't speak. Just nodded slightly.
And deep inside, he knew—
That power wasn't a blessing.
It was a burden.
And one day, it might break him.
But for now—
"We still need to find Amelia," he said.
Camila nodded.
They walked forward. Together.
And for the first time since the fight—
Satoshi wondered if there was anything left that could stop him.
Or if maybe… nothing could.
The ruins of the manor disappeared behind them, swallowed by the night. The air still stank of scorched stone and magic. But they didn't stop.
They had one job left.
Find Amelia.
An underground path took them deep beneath the ruins. Stone walls closed in tight. The lanterns flickered like they were afraid to stay lit. The deeper they went, the more the air felt… wrong. Like the space itself didn't want them there.
And then—they found it.
A giant chamber full of weird machinery. Wires everywhere, humming with energy.
In the center—
A containment tube. Filled with thick fluid. And inside it—
Amelia.
Her silver hair drifted like she was underwater. Eyes closed. Body still. Wires running into her back.
Camila gasped and ran up to the glass. "Amelia!"
She slapped a hand against the surface. "She's alive… but what is this?"
A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the room.
They turned.
Miguel.
Leaning against a panel like he owned the place. Slicked-back hair. Golden eyes. Smug as hell.
"Congrats," he said with a grin. "Took you long enough."
Satoshi's jaw tightened. "Miguel."
Miguel spread his arms. "I mean, really. I was starting to wonder if you'd show up."
Camila stepped in front of Satoshi, sword drawn. "Why are you doing this?"
Miguel rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. Everything's been building to this. Amelia, Rael, your shiny new power-up upstairs…" He glanced at Satoshi. "Which, by the way—props. That was wild. Didn't think you'd hit that level. But I guess I should've known. You sins are full of surprises."
Satoshi stepped forward, fire flaring. "What are you doing to her?"
Miguel sighed. "Straight to business, huh?" He turned to the control panel. "Fine. Since you came all this way."
He flicked a switch. Monitors behind him lit up—data, energy levels, vital signs. All tied to Amelia.
Camila's face tightened. "What is this?"
Miguel grinned. "Years of work. Amelia's not just some girl. She's the key."
Satoshi narrowed his eyes. "Key to what?"
Miguel tapped the glass. "Breaking the boundary between realms."
Silence.
Camila shook her head. "No. That's not possible. The veil is—"
"Fragile," Miguel said. "Every battle's chipped away at it. Every war. And Amelia—" He gestured to her floating in the tube. "She's got the bloodline to shatter it completely."
Satoshi's face went still. "You're tearing open a path."
Miguel beamed. "Exactly. And with Rael gone? No more delays."
Camila's grip on her blade tightened. "Rael thought he was in control."
Miguel chuckled. "Please. Half-demons always think strength is enough. He played his part. But he wasn't the mastermind."
His eyes sharpened. "I was."
Heat flared. Satoshi's fists burned.
"Let her go."
Miguel raised an eyebrow. "Or what?"
Golden-red flames erupted. The ground blackened.
Miguel whistled. "There it is. That famous fire."
Camila stepped up beside Satoshi, sword raised.
"We're not letting you use her."
Miguel sighed like they were children who didn't get the lesson.
"And here I thought you'd see the bigger picture."
The room rumbled. Amelia's containment tube pulsed with energy. Her eyes glowed faintly, stuck in that weird space between sleep and waking.
Miguel just stood there. Arms crossed. Watching them like he already knew how this would end.