As the two of them locked into an intense stare, the air between Sazoru and Kamui grew heavy, almost suffocating. Neither spoke, yet the silence itself carried weight—years of rivalry, trust, and unspoken history clashing in a single moment.
Sazoru's eyes twitched faintly, irritation barely contained beneath his composed exterior. Across from him, Kamui stood relaxed, his posture loose, his expression calm—almost amused. It was as if the tension meant nothing to him, or perhaps he simply enjoyed it.
Beside them, Erica leaned slightly toward Rozori, lowering her voice just enough to avoid drawing attention.
"They're pretty close…" she murmured, her gaze shifting between the two.
Rozori, who had been casually sipping his boba tea, paused mid-drink. He lowered the cup slowly, eyes lingering on Sazoru and Kamui for a brief moment before answering.
"Yeah," he said. "Aside from being part of the Big Three, they're close friends."
Erica raised a brow, clearly intrigued.
"Really? How close?"
Rozori gave a small nod, as if deciding whether to tell the story. Then he leaned back slightly, his expression turning more serious as his thoughts drifted to the past.
"It started during the war," he said.
"It wasn't your any average war—no countries, no borders, no politics. It's a mad-driven chaotic war unleashed from hell."
He exhaled quietly before continuing.
"Monsters appeared out of nowhere. No warning, no heads up. One day everything was normal… the next, most cities started crumbling from the mess."
At that time, Sazoru was only seventeen—a fledgling warrior with potential, but still inexperienced. Despite that, expectations were already placed on him, largely because of his older brother.
His brother was a First Division Commander of the Naraka's Blaze Squad, a man respected on the battlefield and already on the verge of ranking up even further. To many, he was a symbol of strength.
Kamui, on the other hand, was even younger—only fifteen.
Yet he wasn't someone people underestimated.
He had a master known as the Soul Reaper, a former General of the Thousand Blades. A legendary figure whose name alone carried fear and respect. Under his guidance, Kamui grew rapidly, far beyond what someone his age should have been capable of.
Those two—the brother and the master—became the backbone of the war effort.
They were considered trump cards, warriors who could turn the tide of battle no matter how dire the situation became. For seven weeks, they held the line, winning battle after battle and pushing back the monstrous forces.
Hope began to return.
But that hope didn't last.
"They both died," Rozori said quietly.
The words hung in the air for a moment.
"In the same war they were carrying."
Without them, the balance collapsed almost instantly. The monsters surged forward again, stronger and more relentless than before. What little progress humanity had made began to crumble.
"That's when those two stepped in," Rozori continued, nodding toward Sazoru and Kamui.
"They were just kids. Seventeen and fifteen."
Rozori gave a brief pause.
"But they didn't lose hope. Instead, they fought until blood was shed, bones break, and sweats cold. Not as prodigies. Not as replacements. But as two people who had lost something irreplaceable."
Each battle pushed them further beyond their limits. Injuries, exhaustion, fear—it didn't matter. They kept going, adapting faster than anyone could keep up with, growing stronger with every fight.
Eventually, they stopped being seen as "talented rookies."
They became the center of the battlefield.
"The war was supposed to drag on for months… maybe even years," Rozori said.
"But it didn't."
Because in just one more week—
They ended it.
"The entire war lasted eight weeks," he finished. "And the last part of it… they handled it themselves."
He let out a small breath, returning fully to the present.
"After that, everything changed. Sazoru became a commander. And Kamui…"
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"He became the youngest General in the history of the Thousand Blades."
Erica blinked, clearly impressed, her eyes drifting back toward the two men still standing in silent confrontation.
"…So they went through all of that together?" she asked softly.
Rozori nodded.
"Yeah."
He took another sip of his drink, then added,
"They didn't just fight the same war…"
His gaze settled on them once more.
"They ended it together."
Both carried a rivalry as fierce as it was passionate—two souls bound by the same burning legacy. They became the successors of those they cherished most, bearing their unyielding will until the final breath left their lungs.
"What a story," Erica murmured, her voice thick with sorrow. "I knew the Great War was devastating, but I never imagined the misery ran so deep."
Rozori's gaze drifted somewhere distant, as though the memories still lingered just beyond reach. "I was only five when it began. Everything was confusion piled upon confusion. Most theories claim the monsters breached our world from other realms—creatures not naturally inclined to wage war on such a cataclysmic scale unless provoked. Yet that isn't the heart of it. The prevailing theory, the one that refuses to fade, is that someone deliberately bred them. Engineered them. Ordinary golems, for instance, should never have posed a mortal threat to a seasoned general… and yet one took Ishou's life."
He paused, the name hanging heavy between them like smoke.
"Now the truth has clawed its way into the open," he continued, quieter now. "The one who desecrated Sazoru's elder brother's corpse—he was implicated in it all. And then came the Mikadzuki's confession: years of pent-up frustration finally given voice. Those two… they only found relief when word arrived that their worst hurdles had fallen in battle."
Erica let the silence settle, absorbing the weight of old wounds reopened. The Great War had ended long ago, yet its echoes still shaped every shadowed corner of their world.
"Don't give too much thought or concern of the matter, the Red Phoenix squad vowed to give it our all to bring justice for Sazoru's older brother—you needn't worry."
"Right." Erica nodded.
[Back to the tournament]
As the battle continued, Akira encountered a familiar face.
"Y-You again!?" Akira yelled in shock.
"What a surprise, I didn't think I'd get the chance to beat up a former criminal in the tournament." He pointed his spear at him, with a smirk on his face he was enthusiastic about beating Akira once again.
"I shall introduce myself. I'm from a prestigious family, a clan called the "Valac". Yes, you may keep your astonished face for later. I am, Vahennete Jeanne Valac, one of the proud member of this family." He flipped his beautiful blonde hair, expecting astonishment from Akira.
Akira didn't expect a serendipitous event, yet he felt a spark of excitement to face him off again, however...
"What the hell is Valac?" Akira stood confused.
"You little- You seriously haven't heard of that name? My ancestors are the founders of Celesta, you uneducated criminal!"
"Criminal? Hey, I thought we're past that! Or you're gonna arrest me again, aren't you?"
"Have you been a bad boy? If so, then allow me to serve you an appropriate punishment."
He lunged forward with a decisive movement while Akira was still having his guard down. He and his friends were separated, leaving only Akira fighting off against him.
Vahennete Jeanne Valac, Main Ability: Precision.
His ability to able to strike in precise spots such as vital points, nerve connectors, and his brain that was moving five hundred thousand times faster than a human. This allowed Vahennete to move at faster speeds. However, relative to his body; he could only perceived things faster but his body would act shut for a moment as he couldn't move faster than he perceived.
To utilize this, Vahennete had to use this main ability in 0.0009 seconds with a ten second cooldown each time to calculate his next move while avoiding his brain being fried by countless information. Meanwhile, Akira failed so hard to even deflect his attacks as his body got impaled by the spear's point and his scythe was disarmed quickly than Akira could react.
Akira jumped back to gain distance but failed as he predicted Akira's movement. Easy and swift, Akira soon was immobilised after his spear hit many nerve points.
"Insane... You're this good?" Akira couldn't move an inch, his body all stiffed as Vahennete held his spear close and ready to jab Akira by the throat.
"Sadly for you, after that fight we had I have to take you seriously. Consider my respect for you being my foe."
"Now, if you'd be so kindly; tell me where are your comrades?" Vahennete said it with a stern look.
"I ain't telling you anything, in fact... Come!" Akira shouted.
His scythe that was recently disarmed came back in a swift and heavy return as Vahennete dodged.
Akira finally got full control of his body back that turned Vahennete shocked.
"How? You're body isn't supposed to be moving for eight hours. I struck your nerve points in an exact timer when you should be moving and your body to heal it back." Vahennete said.
Akira spun his scythe around, "Heh, lucky for me I'm not easy to take down." He smirked
"I see, you have offensive abilities and regenerative abilities too? Such versatility will only make my victory satisfying." Vahennete prepared his battle stance.
In a deep lush forest, a sound was heard loud.
Kakaww!
Crows began to manifest in front of them, creating a flock of crows blocking their view.
"Ahk- Hey, don't just intervene our duel!" Vahennete deeply offended by the stranger's sudden appearance to stop the battle.
"Enough, if it weren't for my crows you'd be demolished by a second."
"My crows are detecting danger from him, we'd lose if we have one member down. So retreat."
"Tch, how dishonourable." Vahennete slowly complied as he return to the position of his members.
"What was that all about?" Akira relaxed for a brief before catching another stranger beside him.
"Well played well played!" A man of his height, approached him.
"Who are you!?" Akira shifted from relaxed to a battle stance—keeping his distance.
"H-Hey, I'm not here to intrude." He clapped and finally his team members showed themselves from the bushes.
"H-Huh?" Akira paused in bafflement.
"What say, we do an alliance?" The man smiled.