Haruki said, "Every time I feel even a little happiness in my life... it disappears—because of all of you. You can't even imagine how much people suffer just because you exist."
Orange smirked. "And I exist for that. You already know it."
Haruki's grip tightened on his sword. "Not after today."
Without hesitation, he launched his sword straight at Orange.
Green just watched calmly, as if enjoying a brawl between brothers.
Orange blocked the strike and chuckled. "Still so serious. Still so alone."
Haruki growled, clenching his sword tighter, unleashing a flurry of strikes.
"I told you before… I was born alone!"
As the Angels prepared to interfere in Haruki's battle, Green suddenly stepped in front of them, raising a hand casually.
"Wait… wait. I'm also here," he said with a calm smile. "Let them settle their old scores."
Aanya narrowed her eyes. "Then take this!"
She launched a sharp needle of ice directly at Green.
The ice needle pierced through him—
But nothing happened.
It passed straight through his body, as if he wasn't even there.
The Angels froze in shock.
Before they could react further, Sora dashed forward, slashing with full strength—
His blade also phased through Green without leaving a mark.
Green smirked. "You can't even touch me… and yet you think you can defeat me?"
Haruki and Orange's battle reached a blazing crescendo.
Their swords clashed with such ferocity that each strike sparked fire.
Haruki's golden aura surged wildly, flooding the battlefield with its brilliance.
Orange's clothes were scorched and torn from near-misses, their speed so incredible that even tracking them with the naked eye became nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, on the southern border...
The soldiers stood trembling, terrified of the man before them.
One finally spoke, voice shaking:
"You… you don't look like a demon. Why do you want to kill us?"
The man tilted his head slightly, his voice cold as winter.
"Who said I want to kill you?
I want to kill your children… like this one."
He slowly turned his gaze to the side—
To the hollow pillar where Eran remained trapped.
The pillars lowered.
And Eran stood revealed, frozen in place—
His body riddled with arrows, blood streaming down.
His eyes were wide, empty.
He looked… completely lifeless.
The soldiers gasped. Their fear deepened.
"No—please! Let us go! We didn't do anything to you!"
The man glared coldly at the soldiers.
"All of you from the Land of Wisdom…" he growled.
"You hate outsider children. You don't even think for a second before striking an innocent, weak child.
And now, when your time comes… you're scared from just a warning?"
The soldiers dropped to the ground, crawling backward in fear.
One of them cried out,
"We… we don't even know what you're talking about! Please, let us go!"
But the man dashed forward without mercy.
Black, sharp needles extended from his knuckles as he lunged—
His hand just centimeters away from a soldier's throat—
When suddenly, a blood-red palm caught his wrist mid-air.
The skin of the hand was torn, blood dripping, but its grip was unshakable.
The man's eyes widened in shock.
It was Eran.
He slowly lifted his head, staring directly into the man's eyes.
Eran's eyes glowed bright red.
The man stepped back, stunned.
"H-How... how are you still alive? No one has ever survived after being trapped inside that pillar!"
Eran's voice was calm, but fierce:
"I thought I would die too... at the hands of a fool like you."
"When I got trapped, my hand touched the inner wall of your pillar.
I felt my body starting to paralyze from that point. I was terrified… so I closed my eyes."
"But then your arrows struck me. One of them… severed my hand.
That shock snapped me out of it.
Since then, I was just waiting… waiting for you to open your cursed trap."
The man gritted his teeth.
"But even after so many arrows… how are you still breathing?!"
Eran's expression hardened.
"You don't need to know that."
He flexed his arm—and with a powerful swing, he hurled the man away from the soldiers.
The man's body slammed into a tree with a loud crack.
He dropped to the ground, motionless for a moment—
Then slowly stood back up, brushing dust from his clothes.
His expression had changed. He looked serious now.
"You clearly don't know where you're standing," he said, voice low and firm.
"Even angels can't protect themselves in this forest.
It's filled with hundreds of traps like the one you just escaped.
How long do you think you'll survive?"
Eran smirked, gripping his sword tightly.
A faint crimson glow started surrounding his body as he prepared to enter his Crimson Ascendance form, ready to kill the man before he could blink.
But something was wrong.
His body didn't change.
Eran's eyes widened.
"What…? Why can't I transform?" he thought.
He tried again, with all his strength—
His sword began to bleed, and his eyes turned blood-red—
But his body felt heavier.
His reflexes were slower.
The surge of power he expected… never came.
"What's going on…?" he muttered.
"Why can't I feel it? This isn't right…
He stood there, confused, sinking deeper into thought.
Suddenly—
The man clapped his hands sharply.
Dozens of black arrows materialized in the air in front of him, spinning like blades.
In a split second, they shot toward Eran—fast and deadly.