[Zetara Outskirts – Mount "Sairo" – Near the Semi-Flat Summit]
The clouds were slowly pulling back, as if the sky itself was making room for what awaited them above.
Akio: "I can almost see the summit… it's nearly flat."
Nyoro (looking upward): "Strange sight… a mountaintop with no snow, no trees?"
Akira (low voice): "That's not natural. It's completely rocky."
Ann (narrowing her eyes at the summit): "Rocky… and completely exposed. As if someone carved it on purpose."
Akio (chuckling): "Maybe Mount Sairo was just a giant table one of the titans forgot."
Nyoro (serious tone): "Or maybe it was a ritual site… or an ancient battlefield."
Akira (crossing his arms): "Whatever it is… we'd better be ready for what's waiting there."
Ann (hand on her dagger): "Fine… but whatever it is, I'm not in the mood for stupid surprises."
Steve (calmly, eyes on the summit): "The place is too quiet… unnaturally so."
Kin (raising his gaze upward): "The calm before the storm… move carefully. Don't lose focus."
They climbed toward the summit slowly, each one watching the rocks beneath their feet as if the ground itself might betray them.
Nyoro (uneasy, glancing around): "I swear I heard footsteps… behind that rock."
Akio (pausing): "Even I felt something… like someone's watching us from above."
Ann (drawing her dagger): "Don't toy with me. If someone's tailing us, I'll make them regret it."
Kin (raising his hand to halt them): "Silence… wait."
The group froze. They held their breath, straining their senses. Wind whispered between stones, a few pebbles rolled lazily from a far slope… but no one appeared.
Steve (low voice): "Nothing."
Akira (loosening his fist): "Maybe… we're just too on edge."
Akio (rubbing his head, laughing nervously): "Well, if I imagined it, I demand emotional compensation."
Finally, they reached the semi-flat summit. The wind was gentler than expected, and the fog receded, revealing a broad expanse of dark, cracked stone.
Akira (sighing in relief): "At last… my back was about to snap."
He dropped his heavy pack to the ground and stretched his arms skyward, yawning without care.
Nyoro (kneeling, touching the stone): "These rocks… they're sun-baked, but not ordinary. They feel like ancient volcanic stone."
Steve (scanning with gray eyes): "No sign of birds or animals. No bones, no droppings, no nests. It's like life itself refuses to come here."
Ann (walking cautiously): "Even the wind sounds different here…"
Then silence. A few seconds. And—
Thud.
A single step. Heavy. Dry. Merciless.
Akira froze mid-stretch.
Akio (jerking upright): "What was that?! Did you hear it?!"
Kin and Akio immediately gripped their sword hilts. Everyone turned slowly, scanning for movement—but the ground was flat, empty.
Thud… Thud… Thud.
Nyoro (lowering his head slightly): "It's getting closer… but not in front of us."
Akira (looking up): "Wait… what if it's not on the ground?"
They all lifted their eyes—but saw only scattered clouds and gray sky.
Then the ground itself quivered beneath them. A faint pulse, but deep, rising from the mountain's core.
Steve (voice trembling slightly): "You feel that, don't you? The ground… it's moving."
A deafening crack tore through the summit, like the mountain itself splitting apart. Rocks heaved violently, then shattered—until the earth opened and a colossal human form emerged, piece by piece, as if the stones themselves were peeling away willingly.
From the smoke and rubble rose a towering man, over two meters tall, appearing in his fifties. He wore a dark cloak, his skin hard as steel, his eyes glowing with a fierce amber light.
It was Makia.
He stood firm atop the shattered stone, face expressionless, presence suffocating.
Akio (stepping back, whispering): "What is that… a spirit of the mountain?"
Nyoro (eyes frozen): "No… impossible… it can't be…"
Steve (voice shaking): "It's… Makia."
Ann (eyes widening): "That's him?! The Emperor?!"
Akira (lips pressed tight, unblinking): "Didn't think I'd see him this close…"
But Kin didn't move. Didn't step back. His eyes widened slowly, as if seeing something beyond comprehension. The man before him radiated such sheer presence, the very air grew heavy—unbreathable.
Makia (cold, deadly calm):
"Six children… who climbed this mountain searching for peace?"
He raised his hand. The ground shook again, and a ring of stone rose around them, encircling them like a cage.
Makia:
"Or did you come… to dig your own graves?"
Akio stared at the figure born from the earth—the very source of terror itself. His golden eyes widened in shock, then suddenly hardened. His hand clenched his sword.
Akio (shouting defiantly):
"This is the man… the man I swore since childhood I would bring down?!"
He stepped forward, standing tall against the giant despite the overwhelming difference in size.
Akio (glaring upward):
"I am Sakamoto Akio, and I will be the shogun who drags you from your throne!"
Kin (shouting, arm outstretched):
"Akio! Don't approach! This isn't the time or place! We have to run!"
But Akio didn't move back. His eyes narrowed further.
Akio (with childlike stubbornness):
"I promised myself… and I'll fight him, even if he's as tall as a tree!"
Makia's expression finally shifted—into a mocking smile. A low chuckle escaped him, growing into a derisive laugh.
Makia (scornful):
"Oh… look who dares to challenge me. A foolish child claiming he'll be a shogun."
He turned slowly toward Kin, studying his face.
Makia (mocking):
"And you… you must be the little avenger, Yukaji Kin."
He stepped closer, his massive shadow swallowing Kin whole. Tilting his head, he sneered.
Makia:
"Strange… I thought all Yukaji were obsessed with height. Your father was tall, Syros taller still… and you? Looks like you don't eat enough, little Yukaji."
Steve (whispering to Kin):
"Kin… this man, Makia… his power rivals Syros, maybe even greater. Fighting him now? Impossible. We're children to him… he's a living weapon."
Kin:
"I know that!"
Akio's shout split the air. Both his blades flashed—Sanguinis in his right, his other sword in his left—lightning coursing over his body.
Akio (with fierce resolve):
"I don't care how strong this monster is! If I'm going to die, I'll die standing!"
He charged, each step sparking lightning across the rock. His strikes rained fast and furious, charged with power. Makia barely moved, fending them off with one hand or dodging effortlessly, gaze filled with cruel amusement.
Then, with a surge, Akio leapt high, channeling all his lightning into Sanguinis, and slashed toward Makia's chest!
Gasps burst from Kin, Steve, Nyoro, Ann, Akira—
Kin (whispering in awe):
"He hit him…!"
The blade struck true—
CLANG!
A metallic scream echoed. The sword had struck like against treated steel. The force recoiled through Akio's arms, throwing him back, crashing him meters away onto the ground.
Akio (staring at his blade in shock):
"Impossible… even Sanguinis… couldn't cut him?!"
Makia didn't move. He simply stared down at the fallen boy. Then laughter welled up from his chest—dark, twisted, deranged.
Makia (clutching his stomach, laughing madly):
"Ha… ha ha ha haaa! Oh my… I needed that laugh!"
He stepped forward slowly, each footfall shaking the stones.
Makia (mocking, towering over Akio):
"Even Sanguinis… the blade said to drink blood itself? It couldn't even scratch my skin?"
He bent slightly, meeting Akio's eyes, amber irises burning with madness.
Makia (taunting):
"Akio… my brave little one. If you think you can defeat me… let me shatter your heart with truth."
He straightened, addressing all six.
Makia (booming voice):
"Even if you multiplied into a thousand Akios… each wielding swords of heaven's legends… you would not defeat Makia!"
He stomped his foot. The summit convulsed, a wave of stone erupting behind him, towering as if the mountain itself obeyed.
Makia (cold, absolute):
"I do not fight with your petty tricks. When I'm angered, I reshape mountains. When I decide, I bury cities."
He pointed his finger at Akio.
Makia (quiet, deadly):
"Now rise, little would-be shogun. Show me more of your illusions."
Nyoro (stumbling back, eyes wide): "This is madness… this isn't a fight, it's an execution!"
Ann (pointing toward the edge): "Better to run now than die for nothing—there's a slope, we'll find a way out!"
Steve (sharp voice): "Down the mountain, quickly, before—"
Suddenly—
BOOOOM!
The ground beneath them exploded with a deafening roar. Jagged stone pillars erupted skyward at insane speed, as if the mountain itself was trying to impale them! The three barely dodged; one spire tore through the edge of Ann's kimono, while Steve tumbled hard before scrambling back to his feet.
Nyoro (clutching his chest): "He's not letting us escape… he's caging us in!"
Makia (voice booming): "Did you think I'd let you flee? You stand in Makia's court of judgment now… none leave alive."
He thrust both arms forward—instantly, a colossal wall of rock surged up all around the summit, sealing them in a towering ring of stone. The sky was still open above, but every path outward was gone. The peak had become an arena of death.
Akio (panting, trembling): "I… won't… surrender…"
He rose again, body shaking, Sanguinis still clutched tight. Its crimson glow deepened—every swing, every technique drained more of his blood. Scarlet veins of energy crept from his palm into the blade, feeding it.
Steve (whispering from afar): "That sword… it's devouring him from the inside…"
But Akio charged again, lightning exploding with every step, every swing. He struck with desperate fury, aiming to pierce Makia's skin, to prove he was no child screaming at the impossible. Yet every blow was effortlessly deflected. Makia hadn't moved from his spot—watching him as one might watch a stubborn child's tantrum.
Makia (coldly, observing): "The more you cling to defiance, the more you lose… If you had any sense, you'd drop that blade before it drinks the last of you."
Then, as Akio lunged again, Makia casually struck the ground beside him. In an instant, massive slabs of rock surged upward, curling around Akio like a hellish cage—then collapsed on him at once!
DOOOOM!
The crushing impact shook the summit, a plume of dust and shattered stone bursting outward.
Ann (screaming): "Akiooo!!"
Kin (eyes wide): "No…!"
Steve (rushing forward): "That bastard! He crushed him!"
But Makia gave no pause. He strode forward through the haze, each step sending faint tremors through the ground.
Makia (calm, merciless): "One down… the rest? Time to shatter your illusions."
His gaze swept over Ann, Steve, Nyoro, Akira, Kin. No pity. Only finality—kneel, or be erased.
He stopped before Steve and Nyoro, eyes boring into Nyoro first.
Makia (with contempt): "You… the one who thinks himself rare, mixing fire and ice?"
He stepped closer, looming over him.
Makia (lethal tone): "The weakest body among you… least endurance. The coming storm would crush you before you could even think to wield your power."
Then his eyes slid toward Steve.
Makia (with disgust, brows furrowed): "But you… you are the worst."
He closed the gap, standing two paces from Steve, glaring down as though at an insect trespassing on his cloak.
Makia (low, dripping with hatred): "I loathe spies. I do not like them… I do not trust them… and I do not let them live."
His lips curled into that sick, bone-chilling smile.
Makia (slowly, pronouncing every syllable): "Kuroishi… Kazuma."
For the first time in years, Steve gasped—his eyes flared wide, pupils trembling. His buried secret laid bare in an instant.
Steve (a whisper, almost soundless): "How…?!"
Kin, Akira, and Ann stared in stunned silence.
Kin (hissing under his breath): "Kuroishi…?"
Akira (biting his lip): "He… he knows his true name?!"
Makia (stepping back, fist clenched): "The Valoria Shadows believed their tools were unbreakable. But their tools—like them—shatter easily."
Kin's eyes flicked between Makia and Steve, but then—he noticed something no one else had. The rubble that had buried Akio was still shifting. Cracks spread. Stone breaking from the inside.
Kin (whispering urgently): "Akio…"
Without hesitation, Kin dashed to the pile. He unsheathed his fireblade and hacked at the rocks, sparks and shards flying with each strike. His breath came ragged, every swing fueled by denial, by the terror of losing another.
Kin (gasping as he swung): "Akio… hold on…"
Meanwhile, Nyoro had fallen earlier, dodging the stone spires. Now he stared upward, frozen, as Makia loomed above him. Terror rooted him. He trembled, unable to move, unable even to speak.
Makia (towering over him): "You'll be the first buried here… little boy who thinks himself master of storms."
He raised one finger—then pointed it at Nyoro's chest.
BOOM!
A sharp spike of stone erupted from the ground, impaling him straight through. It burst from his back with horrifying speed.
"Khhhk—!"
Nyoro's mouth convulsed with a strangled gasp, eyes bulging in raw agony as his body was lifted, skewered on the spike.
Akira (a soul-wrenching scream): "NYYYYYYOROOOO!!!"
Akira lunged, Steve at his side. They reached him—
Akira (kneeling, cradling his head): "Hold on! We're here! Don't you dare close your eyes, you idiot!"
Steve (voice trembling): "Don't move, Nyoro… just breathe… please!"
Nyoro's body hung limply on the jagged stone, chest pierced clean through. His eyes fluttered, his lips quivering for breath.
Nyoro (faint, broken voice): "I… didn't want… to die… stupidly… like this…"
His eyes half-closed, then forced open again.
Nyoro: "But… at least… I didn't… die… alone…"
Steve (gripping his hand tight): "Nyoro… hold on… please…!"
Akira (teeth clenched, voice cracking): "He… he crushed his heart!!"
Nyoro's body slackened. A faint smile ghosted across his lips—then his chest stilled. His once-mocking blue eyes faded, pale and lifeless.
Akira lowered his head, fists clenched into the stone, silent rage burning through tears.
In the distance, Kin froze mid-swing, sensing it. He turned, saw Akira kneeling, Nyoro's body skewered, Steve at his side unmoving. Kin's eyes widened, but his face locked—burying pain behind iron resolve.
Kin (inward whisper): "I was… too late. Again."
Makia (cold, merciless): "Two are gone… four remain."
Steve gently closed Nyoro's eyes with trembling fingers. He lingered there, staring down at his fallen friend. Then—warmth slid down his cheek. He touched it.
Tears.
Silent, steady tears. For the first time in years. His walls cracking, his silence breaking.
Makia stood only steps away, watching. This time, his gaze held no mockery. For a heartbeat, it looked almost like pity.
But Steve couldn't bear it. He surged to his feet, fists trembling, face flushed with rage.
Then his voice tore the heavens.
Steve (roaring): "MAAAAAKIAAAAAAA!!!"
The scream echoed across the summit, rattling the mountain itself.
Akira, unable to contain his grief and fury, rose beside him, tears burning his eyes as his chest heaved with rage.
To be continued…