Akira slowly unfastened his coat, letting its dark fabric fall loosely over his shoulders. His eyes were narrowed, and his posture betrayed reluctance and weariness. He surveyed the ruined square, where once-majestic buildings now lay in rubble and dust. The silence hanging in the air was heavy and tense.
The half-cat girl, who had been waiting impatiently for Akira to make a move, leapt down from a height, landing softly like a shadow. Her slender figure moved with grace, and her eyes gleamed with a wild, predatory light. She had long, dark hair that rippled with every movement, and the ears on her head resembled those of a fierce feline.
"How much longer are you going to stall?" she muttered in a bored tone, though there was a readiness to strike hidden in her voice.
Akira glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a faint smirk curling his lips. He did not respond. Instead, he drove his sword into the ground before him. The blade sank deep into the shattered pavement, and the hilt swayed slightly.
Suddenly, Akira spun on his heel and started running in the opposite direction, leaving his weapon behind.
The cat girl furrowed her brows, surprised by his actions. "He's running away?" she wondered, but the hunter's instinct took over immediately. She launched after him with incredible speed, her movements fluid and almost animalistic. As the distance between them shrank, she prepared to strike, her claws extending from her fingers, gleaming like steel.
Akira abruptly stopped, his feet skidding on the rubble, and his hands rose in a complex gesture. His aura shifted dramatically, the air around him swirling before condensing into a sphere of wind that enveloped him like a spinning cocoon.
"What?!" The cat girl had no time to react. She crashed into the barrier with force, and the impact sent her flying backward. She smashed against the ruins of a nearby wall, stones cascading down upon her, burying her almost entirely.
From beneath the rubble, an angry shout rang out: "NOW!"
A green-haired boy sprang from the shadows, his movements so fast and agile that it seemed as if he had appeared from nowhere. In mid-air, he spun around his own axis, landing on Akira's back with the grace of an acrobat. Before Akira could react, the boy pushed off his back, performing a backward somersault, and his fingers fired a barrage of green energy projectiles.
Akira raised his hand, and the ground before him rose, forming a thick stone shield. The projectiles struck the barrier with a loud crash, flashing green, but they failed to break through. Akira remained hidden behind the cover, preparing a counterattack.
However, the half-cat girl had no intention of waiting. Seizing the moment while Akira was focused on defense, she burst from the rubble. Her claws gleamed, and her eyes burned with fury. She lunged at the stone shield, striking it with such force that the rock shattered into tiny fragments.
"How did she do that?!" Akira recoiled in shock as shards of earth scattered around him.
The cat girl grinned predatorily, landing softly on the ground. Her hands crackled with green energy, flickering like lightning. "You can't hide behind walls forever."
Akira's eyes narrowed, and his aura suddenly surged. The air around him grew dense, and the ground began to melt under the sheer heat. Flames coiled around his body like living fire, and his eyes glowed red. He had entered the Flame Master's mode.
"Let's see how long you last in the fire..." he whispered, as a wave of scorching energy spread across the square, forcing the cat girl and the green-haired boy to leap away.
The cat girl dodged the fire wave, but in the air, she had nothing to grasp onto. Akira seized the opportunity. With a swift motion, he pulled back the sword he had embedded in the ground earlier. The blade shot through the air like a projectile, slashing across the cat girl's back.
"He had a wire on his sword?!" the green-haired boy shouted, watching as his companion winced in pain.
Akira gave him no time to react. He hurled his sword toward the boy while circling around him. The boy barely managed to block the blade, but he had no time to defend against Akira, who appeared behind him in an instant.
As the boy attempted to counterattack, Akira vanished. Confused, the boy loosened the band covering his left eye. A demonic eye, glowing red with a sinister light, was revealed on his face. The deformed part of his face looked as if it could spread over the rest of his body at any moment.
"You've got an interesting technique..." he said coldly, his aura shifting as green flames engulfed him. His body radiated the energy of a Flame Master.
Akira watched from the shadows of the ruins. "Interesting..." he murmured, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Maybe you should introduce yourself?" Akira asked, his voice echoing through the ruins.
The boy raised his hand as if to slice through the air, and suddenly, the ruins vanished. The surroundings transformed into an endless, black hall.
"Shawn..." he answered, his demonic eye flashing ominously. "Nice to meet you... abomination."
With a swift kick, he sent Akira flying far back.
Gamble stared in horror at the mask held by Shuu. Without hesitation, Shuu put it on his face. The mask slowly began to merge with his skin, leaving behind tattoos almost identical to those that appeared on Akira's face in sage mode. The atmosphere thickened, as if the very space bore witness to an impending catastrophe.
"I have an offer you shouldn't ignore." Shuu's voice was cold, devoid of emotion, as if something not of this world was speaking. He took a step forward, and Gamble felt his heart race. His body reacted instinctively, stepping back a few paces. "Join the Table of Fallen Stars. You are chosen for this. We will guarantee you whatever you desi—"
He never finished. Akira slammed into him with full force, interrupting the monologue and sending Shuu flying several meters.
"Akira?! What are you doing?!" Gamble shouted in confusion.
Akira rose from the rubble, his eyes fixed on Shuu, who—much to their surprise—was not getting up.
"Reality Breakdown?" Akira stood beside Gamble, his stance radiating readiness for battle.
Gamble activated Seraume, his eyes glowing with a blue light, his voice taking on a determined tone. "I don't know, but we need to deal with this quickly and get the kids out of here."
Suddenly, they heard Kaido's terrified scream. Gamble turned sharply… and in an instant, he was surrounded by a completely different scenery. He was standing in front of a small house on a picturesque meadow, full of colorful flowers swaying in the wind. Everything seemed almost too perfect, as if pulled straight from a dream.
Cautiously, Gamble approached the window and peeked inside. The sight he beheld clenched his heart. Inside sat… himself, smiling and carefree, holding Aria in his arms. Beside them, a little girl played, strikingly similar to both of them. Kaido, now a grown woman, laughed with them, radiating happiness and peace.
"What…?" Gamble rubbed his eyes, convinced it was a hallucination. But when he looked again, the scene remained, even more tangible. The little girl ran toward him, and though her gaze was fixed on his other self, for a split second, Gamble felt as if she was looking directly at him, her innocent smile filled with love.
"This is the future that awaits you if you join us." Shuu's voice echoed behind him, as cold as a winter wind. His hand gripped Gamble's shoulder tightly. "You can have everything you've ever dreamed of."
Gamble shoved Shuu away, and as he snapped his fingers, the idyllic meadow vanished. In its place was a hellish wasteland. The sky was black as tar, the ground scorched, and the air reeked of death. Before him lay charred bodies… his own, Aria's, and Kaido's. They were dead, their faces frozen in expressions of agony.
"No…" he whispered, stepping back in shock.
"This is the future that awaits you if you reject us." Shuu appeared in front of him, his face twisted into a sadistic smile.
Rage surged through Gamble. "I will never… never let this happen!" He summoned his shield, which materialized on his arm, and charged at Shuu with full force.
His strike landed, but Shuu didn't even flinch. As if he were a shadow, untouched by the laws of physics.
"Pathetic." Shuu lifted his hand slightly, and Gamble felt something cold and wet on his ankle. He looked down… and froze.
A half-dead Kaido stared at him with empty eyes, her body shuddering with its last convulsions. Her small, emaciated hand clutched his leg tightly.
"Why… Why did you leave me…?" she whispered, tears streaming down her dirt-streaked, bloodied face. Her voice was filled with pain, heartbreaking.
Gamble couldn't move. His body refused to obey, paralyzed by fear and guilt. His shield shattered like glass, crumbling into tiny fragments.
"No… this… I… no…" he choked out, tears welling up in his eyes.
Shuu stood over him, his face twisted in triumphant delight. "Welcome to hell, Gamble."
The illusions intensified, surrounding him from every side. He heard the voices of the dead—their screams, accusations, pleas for help. Every step he had ever taken, every decision he had ever made, seemed to lead to this moment.
And in the midst of it all, Shuu watched him with unhidden satisfaction, ready to consume him in the depths of his worst nightmares.