🌙 Amusement Park, Herocity – NightThe moon cut through the treetops, casting distorted shadows on the ground. The colorful lights of the rides spun in the distance, clashing against the tension in the air. The cold wind carried the whisper of old memories.
Ryan stood in the center of the plaza, lit by the abandoned carousel, his eyes locked on his childhood rival emerging from the shadows. Kane Jayson.
But before the present…
FLASHBACK – Children's Park, 10 Years Ago
The sound of children filled the air. Laughter, running, playful shouts. But in a forgotten corner, a blond boy knelt in the sand. Kane cried, his knees scraped.
Three boys surrounded him, laughing cruelly.
— "Look at this! The rich kid can't even fight back!"— "Your dad's rich, but you're weak, Kane Jayson!"
Kane's fists trembled. He wanted to fight back, but courage wouldn't come. His chest tightened, his throat burned. He shrank with each insult.
Then, a voice rang out—firm and fearless:
— "Hey! Three against one? Cowards!"
A boy with messy brown hair ran up to the group, his eyes glowing with righteous anger.
— "Back off, now!"
The bullies laughed.— "You? Just some brat?"
But the boy didn't hesitate. He shoved one of them aside and stood in front of Kane.— "If you want to fight, fight me."
Silence fell. The bullies exchanged glances, and before such unexpected audacity, they backed off and fled.
The boy extended his hand to Kane.— "I'm Ryan."
Kane, wide-eyed, looked at that hand… and for the first time in days, smiled.— "Kane. I'm Kane."
FLASHBACK – Aura Evaluation Plaza, 5 Years Later
Crystal machines shone, evaluating young aspirants.— "Next: Kane Jayson!"
Kane stepped onto the platform. His heart pounded. The crystal gleamed intensely.
— "800 units of Primordial Aura."
The crowd applauded. Kane smiled with pride.
Beside him, Ryan watched with admiration.— "Wow, Kane, that's amazing! Now it's my turn!"
Ryan placed his hand on the crystal. Seconds passed. Nothing.
— "0 units."
Silence turned to cruel laughter.— "No aura! Hahaha!"— "What a joke of a hero…"
Kane looked around. Everyone laughed at Ryan. Fear clenched his chest.— If I defend him… they'll laugh at me too…
So he did what he thought he had to. He forced a laugh.— "Hahaha! No aura! How pathetic!"
Ryan stared at him, shocked.— "Kane… you're not my friend?"
Kane's eyes wavered, but he lied.— "I don't even know you, kid."
Ryan's world shattered. He fell to his knees, tears streaming violently.— "KANE!!"
Back to the Present – Amusement Park
The cold wind pulled Ryan back. His chest still bore the scar of that day. Ahead stood Kane, now a young man, aura blazing—cruel and fiery.
— "You don't deserve this role, Ryan."
Ryan remained still.
Kane stepped forward, his aura flickering like crimson flames.— "You think this is justice? I trained, fought, bled. And you—some kid with no aura—show up, shine once, and become a national symbol."
Ryan, calm, answered:— "I never asked for this."
— "But you accepted it!" Kane roared. "You are everything wrong with this system. A glorified mistake!"
Ryan lowered his eyes, clenching his fist.— "I didn't fight to be better than anyone… I fought to feel part of something. To prove—maybe only to myself—that I could make a difference. I fought for me. And now… I fight for everyone."
Kane gritted his teeth. His aura exploded.— "THEN PROVE IT, HERE AND NOW!"
He lunged. His punch, wrapped in reflective light, grazed Ryan's face and shattered the ground behind him. The plaza shook.
— "I don't want to fight you, Kane!"
— "Liar! You want to prove you're better! To silence everyone who laughed at you!"
Ryan roared back:— "I DON'T NEED TO PROVE ANYTHING TO ANYONE!"
They froze, glaring into each other's eyes. Silence pressed heavy.
Then Kane whispered, venom dripping:— "If you don't fight… you'll stay weak."
Ryan's chest burned. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply. When he opened them… the Reversum flowed over his body like cosmic ink.
🌌 The air trembled. The cosmos seemed to swirl around him.
— "If that's what you need… then let's fight."
The Duel
💥 Kane struck first. Crimson Reflex! Three mirages attacked Ryan simultaneously.Ryan moved like a distortion in space, dimensional echoes trailing his every step.
Each clash shattered ground, posts, and rides in the park. With every impact, both were thrown back, but rose again—panting, bloodied—refusing to yield.
Kane tried to crush Ryan's spirit with sharp words:— "You've always been the weak crybaby!"
But Ryan, eyes firm, answered only with action.
🔥 Technique: Inversion Vortex!A gravitational spiral of Reversum bent space, delaying Kane's reflexes. It gave Ryan just enough to break through the mirages and land a solid punch on Kane's chest.
Kane flew back, rolling on the ground. He spat blood, but… smiled.— "Heh… better than I expected, Ryan."
His aura erupted in denser crimson flames.— "But I won't lose to the boy who once cried behind me!"
Ryan surged forward.— "And I won't let anyone belittle me again."
They both charged, screaming, and…
💥 Supreme Impact!The collision of their powers lit up the entire park.
Interruption
Just as the air seemed to tear apart, a colossal aura descended from the skies. A spiral of light and space opened between them.
✨ Darius landed with a stern gaze, his presence crushing the battlefield.
— "Enough!" — his voice thundered.
The wave of energy separated them, throwing both to opposite sides. Exhausted, Ryan and Kane dropped to their knees.
Darius looked at them with cold disdain.— "You behave like enemies… when the true enemy is waiting in the shadows. Do you think you have the luxury of fighting each other, with Kairon about to devour this world?"
Kane averted his gaze, biting his lip. Then he muttered, almost inaudible:— "…You're not as weak as I thought, Ryan."
Ryan, breathless, gave a tired smile.— "And you're not as stupid as you pretend to be."
They exchanged a silent look. For the first time, there was more than rivalry. There was respect.
⚔️ End of Chapter 93