The air was heavy with tension as Ark suddenly attacked Kaiden, the Slayer Candidate of F.U.G. , Kaiden had dodged Ark's previous attack with minimal effort, but he wasn't complacent. His sharp eyes assessed the situation, his spear still glowing faintly with neon-green Shinsoo ,
'Not bad,' Kaiden thought, a small smirk creeping across his face , 'Still, to think this idiot would attack me so recklessly. Gotta admire his guts.' ,
Ark's gaze remained steady as he took slow, deliberate steps forward. Behind him, Karean stepped in to stop him, placing a hand on his shoulder ,
"Ark, think about this. We don't need to fight him—"
Ark interrupted with a calm but firm voice. "Karean, stand back. You and the others can step in if needed, but this is my fight. If I can hold my own against him, people will start taking us seriously. We need that respect to avoid unnecessary trouble later." ,
Karean hesitated before reluctantly nodding , stepping back with Lira , Rugard , Ravian , and Jane watching the scene unfold in silence ,
Ark summoned his Shinsoo, lightning crackling around his body like a living storm. The air around him grew charged, and the ground beneath his feet cracked as he concentrated his power ,
Kaiden adjusted his grip on his spear, leaning forward into his stance. "Let's see what you've got, then." ,
With a sudden burst of speed, Kaiden thrust his spear forward, releasing a wave of green Shinsoo , It roared toward Ark , splitting the ground in its wake , But Ark was already gone ,
Kaiden's eyes flickered and he looked upward , Ark was airborne , descending rapidly with a lightning spear-shaped construct in his hands.
"Lightning Spear!"
Kaiden didn't dodge. Instead, he countered by thrusting his spear upward, unleashing a wave of neon-green Shinsoo.
[ Kaiden's Style Spear technique : Verdant Edge ]
The two attacks collided mid-air, resulting in a deafening explosion that sent shockwaves rippling across the area , BOOM! Smoke filled the air, obscuring their figures.
Through the smoke, Ark emerged, his body glowing with the same lightning Shinshu as he darted straight toward Kaiden , Kaiden barely had time to react , leaning forward to evade as Ark landed just inches behind him, his Landing sending shockwaves across the ground.
Kaiden turned swiftly without giving Ark Time to Properly react , swinging his spear like a club , Ark blocked his body with his arm to block but was sent skidding back ,
Kaiden pressed his advantage, moving forward with a barrage of strikes. Ark dodged with precision , leaping to the side before jumping and using the wall behind him as a springboard , Launching himself back toward Kaiden, he unleashed a torrent of lightning energy.
[ Khun Family Lightning technique : Thunderous Wave ]
Kaiden responded by spinning his spear in a wide arc , dispersing the lightning , But Ark was already behind him ,
A quick jab to Kaiden's jaw sent the Slayer Candidate flying back in the direction of the stairs leading to the Hell Train , Kaiden landed on his feet , sliding to a stop , his expression now devoid of humor , He glanced briefly at the Hell Train's doors before turning his attention back to Ark.
"You've got guts," Kaiden admitted, picking up his spear. "But playtime's over."
Kaiden surged forward stopping infront of some crowd , his spear glowing brighter , He feinted with a thrust, only to slam his spear into the ground , creating an explosion of Shinsoo , BOOM!
He jumped on his spear curving it backwards where he stood a moment ago , and unleashed himself leaping through the Air Alongwith his Spear Gaining momentum , he appeared Beside Ark Who was still in shock due to what happened but before he could react
Kaiden followed up with a powerful strike straight to Ark's face , He was sent flying and after landing he skidded backwards like a ball , Until he stopped at a point ,
Everyone was left stunned , Karean and the Squad Moved To Assist Ark But suddenly the ground beneath them started to begin trembling violently ,
RUMBLE!
The air grew suffocating, the Shinsoo density around them increasing to an unbearable level , Everyone froze as a wave of dark energy swept through the area ,
Turning towards the source , their eyes widened in collective horror ,
It was him ,
Roulin , the one supposed to be dead , stood there , his body shrouded in a malevolent black aura , His once-pristine white glow , a signature of the Arie family , was gone , replaced by a dark , monstrous energy that oozed malice ,
The black aura writhed around him like a living thing, and his eyes glowed with a white light , devoid of humanity , In his hand , The Dark sword from before pulsed with an unnatural energy.
"Roulin..." Karean muttered, his voice trembling ,
"This isn't him ," Lira whispered, her face pale ,
Kaiden frowned, his grip tightening on his spear , "What the hell is this , He didn't die and what's this Energy ?" ,
Roulin's aura surged, cracks forming on the ground beneath him as the dark energy spread outward . His expression was blank , almost lifeless , but the aura told a different story ,
It was the aura of something far beyond a regular , Something monstrous .
Ark got back up , Ignoring Swollen Face And His head with Bleeded a bit , his body instinctively tensing. "That ... isn't Him anymore."
With a sudden roar , Roulin lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air with terrifying speed ,
The ground cracked beneath Roulin as he surged forward , his dark sword glowing ominously in his hands , The black aura pulsating from him distorted the Shinsoo around the battlefield, making it almost impossible to breathe for the regulars ,
Kaiden and the Defects barely had time to react before Roulin was upon them.
"Scatter!" Karean shouted , forcing the crowd to split up in different directions.
Kaiden took the lead , Appearing Infront of Roulin , his spear glowing with green Shinsoo . He darted forward with incredible speed , thrusting his spear toward Roulin's chest ,"[ Kaiden's Style Spear Technique : Verdant Strike ]!"
Green Shinshu Pulsated From Maiden's Spear and Surrounded Roulin , he didn't dodge. Instead, he swung his sword downward as if he wasn't even taking it seriously , In devastating motion . The black energy from his sword cut through Kaiden's green Shinshu and the Slash forced everyone including Kaiden to Fall back , Despite that in a single Slash Most of the Regulars of that Area Were Left desimated ,
"Slayer Candidate!" Ark shouted, his body crackling with lightning Shinsoo. Without hesitation, he leapt forward, aiming a concentrated bolt of energy at Roulin.
"Lighting Spear!"
The spear of lightning shot toward Roulin, crackling violently as it tore through the air. But Roulin merely raised his sword and sliced through the attack with ease, the lightning dissipating as if it were nothing.
Rugard charged from Roulin's Right , his massive frame moving with surprising speed , "Smash!" he bellowed, slamming his Hammer into the ground , The earth beneath Roulin erupted , sending jagged pillars of rock toward him.
Roulin swung his sword in a wide arc, the black energy slicing through the rocks as if they were paper , The Force Slowly Weakend and sent shockwaves outward , throwing Rugard off his feet , Flying away ,
The remaining Defects—Lira , Ravian , and Jane—attempted a coordinated attack, surrounding Roulin from different angles. Lira summoned a swirling vortex of Flames, aiming to trap him in place. "[ Lira Style Flame Technique : Vortex Prison ]!"
Ravian and Jane followed up with simultaneous ranged attacks From The Backside , sending precise bursts of energy toward Roulin's exposed back.
For a moment, it seemed like they had an opening ,
But Roulin merely laughed—a low, guttural sound that sent chills through the air. With a single , Vertical Slash he unleashed to their side , unleashed a wave of black energy that tore through Lira's vortex behind him and obliterated the incoming attacks , Also Easily Tearing through Jane's Armor Merely missing from a mark and he would've died ,
The shockwave hit all of them like a freight train , sending them flying in different directions ,
Kaiden staggered to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "This is insane. Is he even a regular anymore?"
Ark , breathing heavily, stood beside him, his body crackling with residual lightning. "No... whatever he is, atleast not human."
Kaiden smirked despite the situation. "Guess we're on the same side now, huh?"
Ark gave him a sidelong glance. "Don't get used to it."
The two of them charged forward together, Ark launching a barrage of lightning bolts despite his body heating while Kaiden thrust his spear repeatedly , each strike aiming for Roulin's vital points ,
But Roulin was relentless .He deflected their attacks effortlessly , each swing of his sword radiating an overwhelming power that left deep scars on the battlefield ,
With a sudden burst of speed ,Roulin closed the distance between them , slamming the flat of his sword into Ark's chest. The force sent Ark hurtling backward , his body crashing into a pile of rubble.
Kaiden managed to block the follow-up strike with his spear, but the impact cracked his weapon , Grazing his left arm and sent him skidding across the ground ,
Karean, watching the scene unfold , clenched his fists. "We can't keep this up... He's too strong."
Roulin's dark aura grew denser, the oppressive energy suffocating everyone around him. He raised his sword high, the black energy around it condensing into a massive, pulsating blade of pure destruction.
"You Pests Will All Die!," Roulin growled, his voice a distorted echo of his former self. He swung the blade downward this time seriously which released the scent of Dread , Everyone who tried to approach him stopped dead in their tracks , aiming to annihilate everything in his path.
The Defects and Kaiden braced themselves , their combined strength seeming insignificant in the face of such overwhelming power.
Suddenly, a new voice cut through the chaos—a calm, commanding tone that seemed to reverberate through the battlefield.
"That's enough."
A blinding flash of White Shinsoo filled the air , intercepting Roulin's attack and neutralizing the black energy with equal force , When the light faded , a figure stood between them—an imposing Woman with White Hair and the Same Glow Like the Former Roulin But Brighter in flowing white robes , her presence radiating authority over the regulars ,
Everyone's gazes locked on the newcomer. Roulin snarled , his monstrous aura flaring up again as he prepared to attack.
The Woman raised her hand , and with a mere gesture, the black aura around Roulin began to waver. The monstrous energy that had consumed him started to dissipate, and for a brief moment , Roulin's eyes flickered with recognition.
But the Woman's expression remained cold. "This ends now."