Chereads / Lost Memories (R.E.D VERSE) / Chapter 8 - MAESTRO OF CALAMITY 4

Chapter 8 - MAESTRO OF CALAMITY 4

The air hung thick with tension as Nine stood, his presence alone enough to shift the very fabric of reality. The silence was oppressive, like the calm before the storm, but it was broken by a voice—his voice—a voice that sent a ripple through the atmosphere.

"The waking chaos that destroys all, hides in my presence," Nine declared, his words resonating deep within the bones of those who heard it. His voice, low and unyielding, echoed in the stillness, as if time itself paused to listen.

Jake blinked, his senses overwhelmed, his thoughts a swirl of confusion. What is this? His mind struggled to comprehend what was happening, his eyes locked on Nine—the being before him, who felt more like an inevitable force of nature than a mere man.

"Was this all a trick? Did I just have a nightmare?" Jake muttered under his breath, but the answer never came. In the face of the impossible, all he could do was stare at the figure before him, a being so powerful, so unfathomable, that it seemed to bend the world around him. Nine was no longer just a man; he was the Maestro of Calamity.

A strange feeling began to creep into Jake's gut, an unease deeper than the danger before him. This was not just a fight. It was something far beyond it. And as Nine raised his katana, the world seemed to tremble under the weight of the moment.

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In that moment, Nine's presence seemed to overwhelm everything—the very concept of time, space, and even the laws of nature itself. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing could matter.

And then, in the blink of an eye, Nine moved. A slash so elegant, so precise, it transcended everything—speed, time, reality itself—leaving nothing behind but the distorted air where his blade had passed. It was almost beautiful, in a way, like the final stroke of an artist, painting with the raw power of the universe.

"Checkmate..." Nine's voice was soft, but it carried with it the finality of death itself.

Jake didn't have time to react. Before he could comprehend what had just happened, Nine was standing behind him, sheathing his blade as if the fight had never occurred. The tension evaporated as quickly as it had come, leaving behind an eerie calm.

Jake stood motionless for a moment, his mind struggling to process the impossible. He touched his face, his arms, his body, expecting to feel the cold sting of blood or the weight of mortal injury. But there was nothing. No gash, no wound—nothing.

"Why am I not injured!? I thought you cut me!" Jake's voice cracked, confusion wracking his brain.

Nine's smile was amused, his gaze almost too calm. "Simply put, existence didn't render my attack—yet."

Jake stumbled back, his thoughts scrambling to catch up. "W-what do you mean...?"

Nine's expression remained unfazed as he answered, the words so casual they might have been a simple observation. "Do you know the 'Visionary of Eclipse'?"

Jake blinked, the mention of the name stirring something deep within him. "You mean… the one who surpassed the 'transcended'? Titles like 'Exalted Usurper', 'The Last Order', 'Sovereign de Ende'… and that one you just spoke of? Why do you mention her? What does she have to do with your power?"

Nine's smile never wavered, but his eyes darkened ever so slightly. "She is my wife."

The words hung in the air, their weight sinking into the ground like a stone in water. Jake's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak.

Nine's gaze softened, but the underlying menace never left his voice. "She gave me that move, Crescent Null. It applies the concept of 'Zero' to a foe. No space. No time. No reality. Just nothing."

Jake's brain scrambled for meaning, his mind clouded with questions, each one piling upon the last. "Zero? What does that even—"

He didn't have time to finish. Nine had already delivered his blow.

Jake's world shattered in an instant. The air split with the sound of a slash—clean, quick, and unforgiving. Before Jake could even react, his body was cleaved in two, his life snuffed out before he could process the magnitude of what had happened.

His body fell to the ground, lifeless and broken.

From her perch, Stella watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, her breath caught in her chest. She had been prepared for a fight, for a challenge, but not this. Not this level of power. She stared at the aftermath—the calm after the storm—and realized with a heavy heart that this was no longer something she could simply walk away from.

"Damn…" she muttered under her breath, her expression hardening. "This might be harder than I initially expected..."

And with that, the game had changed.