Miyamoto's voice remained calm, almost gentle.
"Is Amanda in this hideout?"
The man in the red cape clenched his fists, frustration twisting his expression.
"What the hell is wrong with Clark? He's just standing there like a damn statue..."
The masked man known as Burning Flame glanced toward his companion.
Raven shot him an irritated look.
"Can you not read the situation? That man is on an entirely different level from us. In a one-on-one fight, he'd crush any of us in seconds. Even with all three of us working together, winning won't be easy."
Burning Flame gritted his teeth.
"That still doesn't explain why Clark is standing there like an idiot."
"I've already figured it out," Raven replied, keeping her eyes fixed on Miyamoto. "Clark isn't frozen by fear. He's being restrained by a Renshical field. As long as that man maintains direct contact, Clark can't move,his Renshical pressure and field control is no joke."
Without a word, Miyamoto released his grip.
Clark stumbled forward, nearly dropping to his knees. He sucked in several deep breaths, as though he'd just escaped from underwater, before activating Switch Mode and reappearing beside his companions.
"That man..." Clark muttered, staring at Miyamoto in disbelief. "I've never encountered anyone outside the hideouts with power like his. If we let him leave this island alive, he'll become a threat to everything we stand for."
Burning Flame snapped at him.
"We already know that, you idiot. You were the one standing there like a damn statue. Enough talking. Let's finish this."
He drew his sword.
The instant the blade left its scabbard, flames erupted along its length. The fire intensified with every passing second, growing so hot that molten droplets began falling from the weapon and burning holes through the ground. The air around him shimmered from the heat.
Miyamoto folded his arms and closed his eyes, seemingly unimpressed.
"Not bad. I expected as much from the new generation of elemental heirs."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Come at me with everything you've got. I don't have time for this. I need to find out whether Amanda is here."
Burning Flame's expression twisted with rage.
"He's mocking us, old bastard."
He activated Switch Mode. His body vanished in a burst of heat before reappearing high above Miyamoto. With both hands gripping his flaming sword, he brought the blade crashing down toward Miyamoto's head.
But it stopped before reaching him.
Burning Flame's eyes widened.
His sword remained suspended in midair, trembling as he struggled to force it downward. No matter how much strength he put into the attack, the blade refused to move.
Then he noticed something even more terrifying.
His own body had stopped responding.
"One thing you rookies need to learn," Miyamoto said, his voice carrying the patience of a teacher correcting a careless student. "Never attack without understanding your opponent. Study their strength, their weaknesses, and their movements. The moment you let your guard down, even for a second, you give them an opportunity to kill you."
Before Burning Flame could respond, Miyamoto disappeared.
A heartbeat later, the earth beneath him exploded.
Clark burst out of the ground, his arm transformed into a jagged stone blade that shot toward Miyamoto's previous position. He had been waiting for the perfect moment to launch his ambush.
But Miyamoto had already anticipated his move.
The stone blade missed him by inches and continued upward, heading straight for Burning Flame, who was still struggling against Miyamoto's Renshi field.
"Damn it!"
Raven reacted immediately.
She activated Switch Mode, appearing between her two companions. With a sharp movement of her hand, she drew moisture from the surrounding air and forced it around Clark's stone blade.
The water froze instantly.
A thick layer of ice locked the weapon in place just before it could strike Burning Flame.
Raven landed beside them.
"Are you two trying to kill each other?"
Clark pulled his arm free from the frozen stone and retreated. Burning Flame finally broke through Miyamoto's restraint, dropping to the ground with his sword still in hand.
The three regrouped, spreading out to prevent Miyamoto from catching them all with a single attack.
None of them could hide the fear creeping into their expressions.
Raven stared at Miyamoto.
"Even the Top Five might not be ready for someone like him," she whispered. "If he reaches the hideout, he'll take out everyone in his path. At this rate, the next Emperor won't stand a chance."
She tightened her grip on her silver sword before raising her voice.
"Activate your Bloodline Techniques. If we don't stop him now, this island is finished. Even if we die, we'll make sure he doesn't walk away unscathed."
"Hey, hey, calm down, Raven," Clark said, forcing a crooked grin. "I'm not planning to die today. I haven't even gotten married yet. I still have at least a hundred years to live or more,if luck is on my side."
Burning Flame slowly turned toward him.
"You can't take anything seriously, can you?"
"I'm the one trying to keep us alive, moron," Clark replied. "You're the one screaming about dying every five seconds."
"Both of you, shut up!" Raven barked.
Her Renshi surged outward.
"Bloodline Technique: Frozen Owl."
A violent wave of cold swept across the island.
Two enormous wings of crystalline ice erupted from Raven's back, spreading wide enough to cast a shadow over the surrounding ground. Sharp feathers formed along their edges, while frozen talons enveloped her hands and feet.
Her eyes turned completely white, with piercing blue light burning at their centers.
The temperature plummeted. Sea mist rolled across the beach, crystallizing into tiny shards of ice.
Watching from a distance, Peaches shivered.
"Incredible..."
Lucy, however, remained focused on Miyamoto.
Burning Flame activated his Bloodline Technique.
"Bloodline Technique: Giant Flame Warrior."
His body erupted in a roaring inferno.
His muscles expanded as his height doubled, pushing beyond the limits of his former appearance. His clothing burned away beneath the intense heat, while flames wrapped around his enlarged body like molten armor.
His sword began to vibrate violently.
Cracks spread across the blade before it finally shattered. Rather than falling to the ground, the fragments melted in midair, drawing together as Burning Flame's Renshi reshaped them into an enormous battle axe.
The weapon's broad head glowed like molten metal, its surface dripping with liquid fire. Every droplet that struck the ground left behind a smoking crater.
Burning Flame gripped the enormous axe with both hands.
Finally, Clark activated his Bloodline Technique.
The ground beneath his feet crumbled as his body merged with the island itself. Stone spread across his skin, replacing flesh with layers of jagged rock. His arms thickened, his shoulders broadened, and his entire body grew until he stood like a half-human, half-stone colossus.
The earth trembled with every movement.
Miyamoto watched them with a faint chuckle, his arms still folded.
"Five seconds. That's how long it took you to prepare."
He opened his eyes.
"Long enough for me to kill each of you twice."
His gaze moved from Raven to Burning Flame before settling on Clark.
"But I suppose you'll show me what those bloodlines are worth."
Clark attacked first.
He slammed both hands into the ground.
The entire island shuddered.
A colossal stone fist burst from beneath Miyamoto, rising so quickly that the ground split apart in its wake. The enormous hand dwarfed nearby buildings, its fingers curling inward as it descended toward him.
Its shadow swallowed the beach.
Miyamoto sighed.
"Must you make everything so large?"
For the first time, he drew his golden katana.
The blade gleamed beneath the sunlight, carrying the unmistakable presence of Alaska's legendary sword, fused with Miyamoto's own weapon.
He made a single, effortless swing.
A golden arc flashed through the air.
The colossal fist split apart before it could reach him, breaking into thousands of stone fragments. For a brief moment, the pieces hung suspended in the air.
Clark's expression hardened.
"Don't think that's enough!"
He clenched his fist.
The fragments suddenly changed direction, spinning around Miyamoto before reshaping into thousands of smaller fists. They attacked from every angle, raining down on him like a storm of stone.
Miyamoto activated Switch Mode.
He vanished just as the first wave struck.
Reappearing between two incoming fists, he twisted sideways and disappeared again before the next pair collided. His movements were so precise that the attacks barely missed him, smashing into one another whenever their paths crossed.
The ground shook beneath the relentless bombardment.
Clark continued controlling the fragments, constantly adjusting their trajectories to cut off Miyamoto's escape routes.
But Miyamoto remained just beyond their reach.
Then Raven made her move.
She folded her icy wings and shot forward, using Switch Mode to appear directly behind him. Her talons flashed toward his back, their sharpened edges coated in freezing Renshi.
Miyamoto pivoted at the last moment and raised his katana.
Clang!
Her talons struck the flat of his blade.
Raven's eyes widened as the impact sent a shock through her arms. Before she could retreat, Miyamoto stepped forward, drawing back his free fist.
For one terrifying instant, she thought he was about to crush her skull.
Instead, Miyamoto extended a single finger and tapped her shoulder.
"Too slow."
The impact came a fraction of a second later.
BOOM.
A concentrated burst of Renshi exploded from his fingertip, launching Raven backward with devastating force.
Her wings shattered into thousands of icy fragments. She tore through a massive stone formation, smashing it apart before continuing across the island. The ground split beneath her as she finally crashed to a halt near the distant shoreline.
Blood escaped the corner of her mouth.
She struggled to lift her head, barely able to comprehend what had happened.
One finger.
He had sent her flying with nothing more than a tap.
Before Miyamoto could pursue her, the temperature around him surged.
Burning Flame descended from above, both hands gripping Storm Breaker as he swung the enormous axe toward Miyamoto's head.
The weapon came down with enough force to crush the ground beneath its shadow.
Miyamoto released his katana.
The golden blade shot upward, meeting Storm Breaker halfway.
KRAAANG!
The collision produced a thunderous shockwave that swept across the island. Flames burst outward while golden Renshi cut through the heat, forcing Burning Flame to tighten his grip with both hands.
His arms trembled under the pressure.
"What kind of strength is this?"
Miyamoto's katana remained locked against the enormous axe, neither weapon giving way.
Then Clark appeared behind him.
"NOW!"
His massive stone arm emerged from the ground, aiming to crush Miyamoto while his katana was occupied.
Miyamoto's eyes shifted slightly.
"Good timing."
He activated Switch Mode.
His body vanished from beneath Clark's strike and reappeared directly in front of Burning Flame again. His katana remained suspended in the air as Miyamoto reached out and caught the blazing axe with his bare hand.
The instant his palm closed around the weapon, a violent hiss filled the air. Steam erupted where his hand met the molten surface, and the surrounding heat distorted the air.
Burning Flame stared at him in disbelief.
Miyamoto's hand remained firmly wrapped around the axe.
"Pathetic."
He released the weapon and drove a punch into Burning Flame's abdomen.
The impact folded the giant's body around Miyamoto's fist.
Burning Flame's eyes bulged as the air was forced from his lungs. His fiery armor flickered, and the enormous axe slipped from his hands.
Then the full force of the punch struck.
BOOOOM!
Burning Flame was launched across the island, tearing through the air like a blazing meteor. His body crashed into the ground near Lucy and Peaches, creating a crater that sent rocks and burning debris flying in every direction.
Lucy shielded her face as the shockwave swept past.
Peaches stumbled backward.
When the dust settled, Burning Flame lay at the center of the crater, his flames flickering weakly around his battered body. He tried to move, but his arms barely responded.
Lucy stared at Miyamoto.
She had seen him fight before, but watching him dismantle three powerful opponents so effortlessly sent a chill through her.
Miyamoto retrieved his katana as it fell from the sky, catching the hilt without even looking up.
He turned toward Clark.
"Now then..."
His expression sharpened.
"It's just you and me."
Clark stood motionless for a moment.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, running down his stone-covered chin. He looked toward Raven, who was struggling to rise near the shoreline, then toward Burning Flame, who remained trapped in his crater.
Both of them were barely able to move.
Clark's crooked grin disappeared.
"So that's how it is..."
He lowered his head.
A large circle had been drawn across the ground beneath his feet, its intricate markings formed from his own blood. As he raised his arms, the blood began flowing through the lines, illuminating the entire formation in a deep crimson glow.
Miyamoto's eyes narrowed.
Clark's voice echoed across the island.
"Hear my cry... O Buddha of the Soil!"
The ground beneath him split open.
An ancient seal awakened beneath the island, its markings spreading outward like veins. The surrounding earth rose into the air, gathering into enormous chunks of stone that twisted and fused together.
The entire island began to shake.
From deep beneath the earth, a colossal Buddha emerged.
Its body was carved from stone and soil, its enormous frame towering over the island. Twelve massive arms unfolded behind it, each one large enough to crush a fortress. Ancient symbols glowed across its body, pulsing with the same crimson light as Clark's summoning circle.
Clark's body began to dissolve into the stone.
His legs disappeared first, followed by his torso, as his consciousness and life force were drawn into the Buddha's head.
His face appeared at the center of its forehead, his eyes wide with determination.
He became the anchor holding the summoned spirit in the world.
Raven watched from the shoreline, horror spreading across her face.
"That idiot..."
She clutched her injured chest and struggled to stand.
"He's sacrificing himself... He's the one who wouldn't stop talking about surviving and getting married, and now he's doing this?"
Her gaze shifted toward the colossal Buddha.
"This isn't an ordinary summon. That's a fragment of a spirit from the First Generation."
The Buddha slowly raised its upper pair of hands.
Then it pressed its palms together.
BOOM.
A silent wave swept across the island.
The waves froze in the middle of their crashing motion. Water droplets hung motionless in the air. The wind stopped, and even the clouds above seemed to lock in place.
Time itself had come to a halt.
Miyamoto stood frozen, his katana held at his side.
Raven couldn't move. Burning Flame remained motionless in his crater. Lucy and Peaches were trapped in place, unable even to turn their heads.
Not a single person could blink.
Inside the frozen world, Raven's thoughts raced.
This power... It doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Clark, you fool. You've trapped all of us.
The Buddha's second pair of hands began to move.
Its palms came together with another thunderous clap.
BOOM.
Gravity vanished.
The island's broken stones drifted upward. The sea lifted in enormous sheets of water, suspended above the shattered coastline.
Everything and everyone began floating into the air.
Even the colossal Buddha seemed to rise slightly above the ground as the force holding the island in place disappeared.
Miyamoto's eyes remained closed, but a faint frown formed on his face.
This spirit doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. You've doomed us all, boy.
Lucy's thoughts screamed in terror.
Master... Please be okay.
The Buddha raised its third pair of hands.
Raven's eyes widened as she realized what was coming.
"No..."
The palms slammed together.
KRAAAAAAASH!
The island split apart.
A massive fissure tore through the land, racing beneath the Buddha and spreading toward the shoreline. Mountains of stone broke away as the sea poured into the widening chasm.
The entire battlefield began to collapse.
Then Miyamoto opened his eyes.
His expression had changed.
The amusement was gone.
"...I'll end this before it gets out of hand."
Renshi erupted from his body, spreading outward in a violent surge.
"Phase Four of the Chronicles of Elemental Manipulation."
Inside the Buddha's enormous body, flames and frost suddenly appeared.
Fire surged through its stone torso while freezing Renshi spread across its internal structure. The two opposing forces collided, compressing violently until the energy became unstable.
The Buddha's body shuddered.
BOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted from within.
Two of its arms shattered at the joints, sending enormous chunks of stone spinning into the sky. The time-stop field flickered, its hold over the island weakening as cracks of light spread across the Buddha's body.
Time resumed.
The waves crashed.
The wind roared.
And Lucy finally drew a breath.
"Master!"
Miyamoto was still floating in the weightless air, surrounded by drifting rocks and fragments of the island. Yet his expression remained composed.
He activated Switch Mode, moving between the floating debris with precise bursts of Renshi and using the scattered stones as points from which to redirect his movements.
Below him, the Buddha roared.
Its damaged arms began regenerating, layers of stone and earth knitting together as fresh Renshi poured into the wounds.
Clark's face twisted within the Buddha's forehead.
The Buddha raised its remaining hands, preparing to clap again.
Miyamoto watched its movements carefully.
Time manipulation. Gravity control. And that thing can regenerate as long as that kid keeps feeding it his life force.
His eyes narrowed.
I can't keep destroying its arms. I need to end the summoning itself.
He brought his palms together.
"Art of Mojito..."
The sky above the island darkened.
A series of ancient symbols appeared across the clouds, forming a vast celestial pattern. The air trembled as the surrounding atmosphere twisted, and the floating fragments of stone began vibrating violently.
Miyamoto raised his gaze toward the clouds.
"Sun, Moon, and Star Script, giant meteor!"
For one brief moment, the sky seemed to open.
A colossal mass of rock tore free from above the clouds, its enormous shadow swallowing the battlefield below. It was nearly half the size of the island itself, its surface burning as it plunged through the atmosphere.
The force of its descent sent shockwaves racing across the sea.
Raven looked up, her face draining of color.
Burning Flame, barely conscious in his crater, forced his eyes open.