**** [Billion’s PoV]
I stood in front of Silver, both of us staring at each other like we were trying to read one another’s thoughts. His glowing eyes were calm and I could feel the steady thrum of power in the crimson mist swirling faintly around him.
With a small grin, I waved my hand and pulled out the steaming-hot at parcel I had brought just for him.
"There you go, buddy," I said, placing it carefully in front of him. "Freshly prepared, right from the streets of Caltech. You better enjoy this."
I stepped back and gave him space.
Silver kept staring at for a few seconds. Just when I started to wonder if he was going to ignore it, he slowly turned his massive head toward the food. Without a sound, the mist around his body surged forward.
Crimson tendrils reached out, wrapped around the at, and within monts, the entire thing vanished into the mist. It dissolved like it had never existed, and then the mist calmly returned to his form.
I rubbed my forehead with a sigh.
"What was the point of that? You just destroyed the food, man."
He didn’t respond - no screech, no thoughts through the link. Just that eerie silence he always carried. I shrugged, figuring that was his way of eating. Strange as hell, but if it worked for him, who was I to argue?
"Alright, I’ll take that as ’delicious,’" I muttered. "You can go rest now. Soone’s coming to pick up anyway."
With a flick of my fingers, I dismissed him back into the core. The mist wrapped around him and pulled him away until the space he had occupied was empty once again.
I turned toward the two unconscious idiots lying nearby. They were still out cold, which was a relief. I double-checked the bindings to make sure they weren’t faking it. Everything looked secure. Not even a twitch.
Satisfied, I sat down beside them, stretching my legs as I expanded my perception over the nearby city.
The night air was cool, and distant star lights flickered in the sky. My senses swept through alleys and rooftops, across the streets and into buildings, listening to murmurs of conversation, the hum of traffic, and the occasional banter among friends.
But I wasn’t focused on that. I was waiting.
Commander Arkas. I was finally going to et him again.
The last ti we spoke, I was far weaker. Still learning, still figuring things out. But now? Now I was different. Stronger. Sharper. I had entered the Master rank, and I was getting dangerously close to Grandmaster.
I couldn’t help but wonder what his reaction would be.
Would he be surprised? Impressed? Maybe proud?
I tapped my knees as I sat there, restless. The longer I waited, the more I felt the buzz of excitent building in my chest. I wasn’t used to just sitting still.
Finally, I had enough.
I stood up, took a deep breath, and began shadow boxing. A few jabs, so smooth footwork, a clean hook. Nothing too intense, just enough to get the blood flowing. After a while, I switched it up and dropped into a set of squats.
Slow and steady.
I kept going, losing count of the squats on purpose. There was sothing peaceful in the rhythm, in letting my body move without needing to asure it.
Then I felt it—a flicker in the air.
I paused mid-squat, eyes narrowing.
A fluctuation in space. High above the city, in the sky, space itself fluctuated and a figure appeared.
My perception locked onto him imdiately.
Arkas Rayleigh.
I straightened up, posture shifting.
"[Psynapse Fracture]," I murmured.
A sharp tremor jolted through my skull as two fractures in my Psynapse cracked open, stretching my perception.
The world slowed. Sounds sharpened. Details beca crystal clear. I locked both fractures on him, tracking every movent of his body.
Essence surged through my channels, filling every nerve and muscle with strength. I willed it further—and the crimson mist flared out of my back.
Wings erupted behind , unfurling with slow, predatory grace.
"[Absolute Domain]," I whispered.
A pulse of violet light exploded from my chest, spreading out in all directions. My Domain surrounded and the runes beca visible for a mont before disappearing back. I could feel every particle of Essence within it. Every shift. Every beat of presence.
I raised my hand and called to my weapon.
The surrounding Essence churned as my awakened staff materialized in a flash of light, fitting neatly into my palm.
The mont the natural Essence bent to my will, Arkas’s head snapped toward .
Our eyes t across the sky.
A grin tugged at my lips. I spun the staff once in my hand, the weight familiar and comforting, and held his gaze.
He didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. Just stared back.
And then... he smirked.
Without a word, he raised his hand.
Lightning burst across his fra—gold tendrils sparking across his uniform as a vortex of Essence twisted beside him. He reached into the swirling storm and pulled out his weapon, a massive trident crackling with pure golden lightning.
He lifted one foot slowly, preparing to step forward.
But I didn’t wait.
Essence roared from my channels into my wings and feet, and I gave a single Absolute command to my domain and my Essence.
"Lightning."
The violet glow pulsing through my veins flickered and then transford. It erupted into blue lightning, racing across my limbs like living fire. I directed it into my staff, and the weapon began to glow, humming with power.
"[Seismic Burst]."
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath as I shot upward, cutting through the air like a teor. My wings cleaved the sky, wind screaming past , lightning dancing across my form.
Above, Arkas’s smirk widened into a full-blown grin.
He moved.
A blur of gold and blue light flashed as he vanished from his position and appeared mid-air, racing down toward like a cot of lightning.
Both of my Fractures strained to keep up, but I tracked him—barely. His speed was absurd, a testant to just how far ahead he still was.
I didn’t care.
I roared as I swung my staff toward the incoming storm.
He roared back and thrust his trident forward, Essence spinning wildly around him.
Our weapons collided.
BOOM!!
An explosion of force rippled through the sky. A second shockwave followed, louder than the first.
The entire area trembled. Buildings shook. Loose stones cracked and lifted. The sky itself seed to ripple from the sheer impact of our clash.
I gritted my teeth, trying to hold my ground mid-air—but the sheer force of Arkas’s strike sent flying. My body spun backward through the air like a ragdoll caught in a cyclone.
Wind howled around as I spiraled through the air, the shock of Arkas’s strike still rattling my bones. My wings flared wide, and I flapped hard, fighting against the force until I steadied myself midair.
I exhaled and looked ahead.
A golden streak carved through the sky—fast, precise, and terrifyingly beautiful.
Arkas was coming again.
I didn’t hesitate.
I leaned forward, flared my wings once more, and exploded toward him.
BOOM!!!
The sky thundered behind as I surged ahead like a launched spear. The wind scread past my ears. My muscles locked into rhythm. I poured more Essence into my staff—channeling it, shaping it, commanding the lightning to coil tighter, hotter.
The mont we were about to collide again, I twisted my waist, gripped the staff with both hands, and spun it into a wide, brutal arc.
"Blitz Hakai."
The lightning roared.
Essence surged violently.
The very air seed to bend as it compressed around the tip of my weapon. And just before impact—BOOM!!
An explosion erupted between us, bright and blinding, swallowing the sky in a storm of pure energy.
Arkas halted mid-air, his trident raised defensively, caught in the aftermath of the blast. Lightning danced along his body, golden and fierce.
But I was standing firm this ti—my wings spread wide, staff crackling in hand, lightning arcing across my skin.
I smiled through the static.
"Billion Ironhart," I called out, loud and clear.
I spun my staff once and locked eyes with him.
"Reporting for duty, Commander."
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