Forty-seven years ago, in the mountains.
Peter was buried beneath the crumbling mountain. All he could see was darkness, and all he could think about was his kingdom.
My kingdom is on the line. I worked so hard to build it. I even traveled the world to bring people here, to make them trust me… and now this is how I repay them? I can't save anything. I can't even protect my own kingdom. I don't deserve this. Maybe they should take it. Maybe they should destroy it. Why did I even build a kingdom? I should have just stayed a slave, kept working for Taka Village! he thought bitterly.
Then, a familiar voice broke through the darkness.
"See… with that kind of mentality, you shouldn't be king."
"Huh… Father? Is that you?" Peter asked, his voice trembling.
"Yes, son."
"Where are we? Why are we floating?" Peter questioned.
"We're in darkness," his father replied calmly.
"Why… why are we in darkness?" Peter asked again, fear and confusion mixing in his voice.
"Because there is a light deep inside you… a light that can break us out of this darkness," his father explained.
"Well… you're wrong. I'm weak. I couldn't even land a touch on the Spiritual King of the Great Village," Peter admitted, his voice heavy with self-doubt.
"And what did you expect? To land a hit on him? You wouldn't have a chance without an ability. That man has the power to destroy the world… probably even the entire universe," his father said firmly.
"Is that… even possible?" Peter questioned, his mind racing with disbelief.
"Yes, it's very possible. Just having an ability doesn't mean you can destroy the world. For example, if your ability is to create dogs, even if you master it, that won't be enough to destroy a world—let alone a universe. But if you possess a powerful offensive ability, or a versatile one like the man you just fought, whose ability was called Flow, then mastering it could give you immense power. When an ability reaches its peak, it generates so much spiritual force that it could potentially destroy planets, galaxies, even universes.
But it doesn't depend on the ability alone. It also depends on your spiritual force. Spiritual force is your life force—it's your offense, your defense, your power level, your limit. It's everything. So even with a powerful ability, if your spiritual force is weak, you won't be able to unleash destruction on that scale." The father said
"Oh, I understand… so can all of them destroy a universe?" Peter asked.
"No, not all. Most of them can definitely destroy this planet, but their limit is probably only a galaxy or less. But Ryuu—the man you were fighting, the one with the sword and suit—he has the power to probably destroy the universe," his father explained.
"You know a lot about spiritual force and abilities," Peter said, impressed.
"Yeah, I studied it a lot when I was younger," his father replied.
"So… how can I hit this man, Ryuu?" Peter asked.
"His ability is the Flow," his father said.
"The Flow… what is that?" Peter questioned.
"I'm surprised you don't know him. He's the most famous and strongest ninja tied with Taka," his father explained.
"Can you… explain his ability?" Peter asked.
"Well, he explained that his ability is the Flow, also known as the Flow of the Universe," his father said.
"The Flow of the Universe?" Peter repeated, confused.
"Yep. He explained it during one of his speeches for ninja technique. I don't fully understand it myself, but I know this—he holds the power of the universe and could probably destroy it," his father said.
"So… I just have to get lucky and try to hit him? And I shouldn't feel bad if I fail?" Peter asked doubtfully.
"Exactly. Only Taka could stand with him if he went all out now," his father said.
"…Like that's any motivation," Peter muttered, still uncertain.
"Well, go out there. Fight for your kingdom. Make it known. Bring peace. I've passed down my ability to a special someone," his father said.
"You… passed down your ability? How is that possible?" Peter asked, intrigued.
"Well, if you master your ability to its full potential, you can pass it down to anyone," his father explained.
"Could you destroy a universe?" Peter asked curiously.
"Nah, I couldn't. I could destroy a planet, so technically I was a B-rank," his father admitted.
"Oh… okay," Peter said.
"So, do you want to know who I passed my ability to?" his father asked.
"Do I even need to guess?" Peter smiled.
"Go get him, kid. Protect your kingdom," his father said.
As he spoke, the darkness surrounding them began to shine with a bright light.
"I'm shining," Peter exclaimed, surprised.
"Keep shining, son," his father said with a smile.
I'll be watching over you, his father thought.
Back in the outside world:
Taka teleported from the mountain to Ryuu.
"The Twenty Great Villages meeting is over, okay?" he announced.
"Well, alright," Gia, Spiritual Queen of Hatsuri Village, said.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Louchi, Spiritual King of Osaki Village, added.
"I hope he died," Lice, Spiritual King of Morika Village, muttered.
"Well, at least he put in effort," Fias, Spiritual King of Ikato Village, said.
"What did we expect? I'm gone. Bye, see you all in four months at the Great Village," Kiara, Spiritual Queen of Rendo Village, said.
"Alright, bye too," Oriya, Spiritual Queen of Hanrei Village, replied.
"Well, alright. I need to see my wife anyway," Zerai, Spiritual King of Takari Village, said.
They all waved goodbye to Ryuu and Taka from the mountains, and then vanished.
"So… we leave him here?" Taka asked.
"No. I'm not that cruel. He's a good kid with a big heart. But it's true—without power, you can't achieve anything. I'll at least take him back to his kingdom," Ryuu said.
"K," Taka replied.
From a distance, the destroyed mountain where Peter had been lying began to shine yellow.
"Is that mountain… shining, or am I imagining things?" Taka asked, confused.
"No, you're not. It's shining," Ryuu confirmed.
"What is that?" Taka asked.
Then, out of nowhere, the light shot straight into the sky—and vanished.
"Did you just see that?" Taka exclaimed, looking up.
"Hey, Peter," Ryuu called.
As they watched, a flash erupted—and then—
BOOM!
Smoke spread across the area. The ground trembled.
Through the smoke emerged three figures: Peter, Ryuu, and Taka.
Taka had his sword pressed against Peter's neck. Ryuu caught Peter's arm. Peter simply stood there, anger written across his face.
"Would you look who it is," Taka said.
"Round two," Ryuu said calmly.
"You bet," Peter replied, his tone serious.
To Be Continued.