In a rare moment…
Krista felt something different.For the first time, Adam stood beside her not as a rival, but as a partner.She looked at him; he glanced at her and nodded without a word.
They launched together.
Krista fired her energy flash from the right, and Adam charged from the opposite direction, his body low, analyzing the angle of Neil's feet, the curve of his shoulders, the tilt of his head.
But Neil? As always, he was a step ahead.He simply spun his body backward, letting the flash pass right in front of his nose, then swiftly lifted his leg—a surprise kick struck Adam's face hard, sending his body momentarily airborne.
But nothing ended there…
"Expected."Adam said it in a low voice, and his eyes began to glow with a deep red, as if something had awakened within him.Neil, despite his quick thinking, frowned slightly, sensing a shift in the energy flow.
"Atomic Split."
It wasn't a shout, but a whisper from Adam's chest—and with it...Energy gathered at a small point in the air, right in front of his chest.It compressed and compressed until it seemed to vanish.Then it exploded with a sudden flash—not aimed, but dispersed—layered energy bursting outward, attempting to penetrate Neil's energy field from the inside.
Flashback:
Months ago…Adam sat in darkness, observing an explosion in nature—a dew drop falling from a flower onto a leaf."Power is not just about density… but about timing."
He began to think that every energy was an atom waiting to split—not just physically, but magically.And he noticed something in his body…His red eyes were not decoration, but storage.With enough focus, he could store energy in his eyes… and then release it all with a single neural command.
And thus… the technique was born.
Back to the battle:
Neil raised an eyebrow, and for the first time in years, was forced to use his right palm to break the impact of the attack.The hit wasn't strong, but it forced him to defend.And that alone was a small victory.
Krista, on the other hand, froze for a moment as she saw the red light covering Adam's face.
She said in amazement:"Did you… really do it?"
Adam, still barely standing, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said:"I don't fight you because I hate you.I fight you, Neil… because I want to surpass you."
Neil smiled, finally with seriousness:"Good… is this the best you've got? Show me more."At the moment Neil smiled seriously, everything changed.
Krista recharged her energy again, but this time it wasn't a familiar offensive energy…It wasn't just a flash or a shock—it was a wave that exceeded the limits of ordinary control.Adam felt intense heat emanating from her, the air seemed to crack around her body.
"This… isn't her usual power."He said quietly, his eyes darting, analyzing the sources of light and energy around Krista.
Her energy was flowing chaotically and dangerously, as if something had broken in her mind.Maybe a deep desire to prove herself…Maybe the feeling that she was always the weakest among them.But now…
She exploded.
A vortex of dense light began swirling around her arms, its color turning into a blend of blue and gold, then expanding into an energy field overflowing beyond the boundaries of her body.Neil, for the first time, felt that this girl could become a threat if she lost control.
Adam stood watching tensely, before closing his eyes.When he opened them… the whites had turned into pure black.
Krista barely noticed that in her rush, but Neil caught the change and said mockingly:"…Do I need to applaud you? A new element?"
Adam raised his right hand, and a dark aura emerged—shadows moving like slow flames.A strange echo accompanied its appearance, as if the place itself rejected this element."Darkness… First time I use it. I wonder how it will affect you."
Krista raised her head, screaming with all her power:"I'll prove I'm strong too!!!"
In a joint move, she launched with the light energy, while Adam sent out threads of darkness spinning around his hand.
Neil… didn't move.
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if listening to something inside him.Then whispered:"…Enough training. I'll show you now what it means… when the gap between us is farther than you think."
In the next moment…
A luminous magnetic current extended from Neil's body, quickly transforming into electric sparks.It struck Krista first—she gasped, her body stiffened completely, her raging energy frozen in place.Then it touched Adam, who tried to retreat but was a moment too slow.
"It's over."
Neil said, then took a single step forward, raising his hand before delivering a powerful knee strike to Adam's chest, sending him two meters back into a tree trunk, gasping, his black eyes slowly returning to normal.
Meanwhile, the magnetic current continued binding their feet to the ground, paralyzing them temporarily.
Neil breathed slowly, his voice calm:"Learn something… when you analyze your opponent's weaknesses, don't forget—he's analyzing you too. The difference is… I don't need time for that."
Moments after Adam hit the tree, Krista's eyes widened.Despite the magnetic stream binding her muscles, something invisible inside her seemed to break… or awaken.
"Krista…!"Adam's voice came out hoarsely as he slowly stood up, watching the white aura starting to glow around her—stronger and purer than ever before.
Her right hand rose slowly, challenging the restraints Neil had imposed, and the electric current split for a moment… and that was enough.
"Is that… a high-level technique?!"Neil's voice came with genuine interest, his eyes narrowing as he watched the light intensify in her palm.
Tiny rays began forming, moving in precise geometric lines—like a language of light only she could read.The lines intertwined, then released a radiant energy that sliced through the forest silence like a solar scream.
Krista… shouted:"Throne Light!"
The light burst from her hand in the form of a massive spear, white tinged with gold, shooting toward Neil with astounding speed, as if to tear space itself.
At that exact moment…
Adam raised his hand too.
But instead of regular shadows, a dense blackness emerged, shimmering with silver glints—like a night lake where light and eternal darkness merged.
His voice was a whisper, but carried a threat:
"Black Moon…"
This was a technique he'd only used in his imagination before—a complex blend of the darkness element and something yet unnamed… something inherited from his mother's memory—or from a greater curse.
A silver-black vortex emerged before him, cold and heavy, spinning slowly until it formed into a giant disc that devoured surrounding light.
Neil… smiled defiantly:"Alright… now things are getting interesting."
In one moment, Krista's light spear launched in a straight line, and Adam's Black Moon moved from the opposite angle to converge on Neil.
The forest exploded in overlapping light and darkness.
Neil moved his hand at incredible speed, his body glowing with layers of lightning, trying to evade both attacks simultaneously.
But he admitted to himself in that instant:"…These two are no longer just kids."
At the point where the light spear intersected with the Black Moon, the air itself split into opposites.
Half the forest was engulfed in pure white brilliance, erasing all shadows.The other half became a sea of heavy darkness that devoured colors and sound.
Neil didn't retreat.Instead, he dug his foot into the ground with such force the soil cracked under his metallic boot, and raised his right palm, unleashing a dense magnetic field glowing electric blue.
"Let them try together…"
His voice faded into the noise.
The light spear hit the magnetic shield first, slicing it into thin burning layers, forcing Neil to sidestep just enough to avoid a fatal strike.
"Damn…!"
At the same moment, the darkness disc collided with his shield, and Neil felt as if something was devouring his life force directly. Heat and cold, light and void—all clashed in one point.
The forest shook.
Surrounding trees flew like straw, and a massive shockwave sent Krista flying two meters back, dropping to her knees, gasping, her face drenched in sweat, her hand trembling from the loss of energy control.
Adam was hunched forward, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, but his eyes still sparkled with a red gleam.
"It's not over yet…"
His words came out fragmented, but he raised his hand to activate the Black Moon again, his body trembling as he realized this power was consuming his life bit by bit.
Neil stood a few meters away, a portion of his chest scorched from the combined effect of light and shadows.He looked at Adam first, then at Krista, then smiled with strange calm:
"Impressive… you're still standing, Adam."
He raised his hand and wiped blood from his chin, feeling a thread of admiration mingling with the old challenge in his chest.
"But sadly…"
He didn't finish the sentence. In a flash, he appeared in front of Adam, almost instantaneously, grabbing his wrist with overwhelming force.
"…I'll make you understand… the difference between those born to fight… and those who learn to fight."
Then he shoved him violently, sending his body crashing into a thick tree trunk, which shattered under the impact.
A faint groan escaped Adam, but he didn't pass out.Instead, he slowly raised his head… and his red eyes still gleamed with that strange desire: the will of a creature that refused to give up.
At that moment, Neil didn't feel mockery—he felt something closer to respect.Krista, too, gathered what remained of her strength and stepped forward, trembling, but not running.
A brief silence settled over the place.
A silence that resembled a temporary truce… more than the end of the battle.