Raizo and Gladion locked eyes, their gazes sharp enough to cut steel. Around them, chaos raged.
Fenra, Silvia, Akari, and Shekiah faced a swarm of lesser demons. Every strike, every kill, surged into their bodies as their stats updated—thanks to Raizo's Gluttony and the enchanted necklaces linking them to his power.
Fenra and Shekiah stood at the front, blades and claws flashing crimson under the firelit sky. Akari and Silvia held the rear—Akari's voice steady as she chanted buffs that coated her comrades in light, while Silvia's bowstrings sang death into the air.
But in the heart of the battlefield, two monsters collided.
In a blur, Raizo and Gladion clashed midair, steel against claw. Sparks split the night as their blows rattled the air itself. Gladion's speed was monstrous, forcing Raizo to shift weapons. His sword twisted into a spear, and with a sharp spin, he roared:
"Wind Magic: Cyclone!"
A swirling storm of cutting wind erupted from the spear, spiraling toward the demon. Gladion only sneered, wings snapping open as he shot upward.
"Demon Magic: Demon Swirl."
A torrent of black winds slammed against Raizo's spell. His eyes widened—no chant, just like his own.
The backlash crushed him into the cobblestone below, pain lancing through his ribs. He staggered, barely able to lift himself when Gladion materialized before him, claws reaching for his throat—
Fwoosh!
A fire arrow scorched past, nearly piercing Gladion's arm. He recoiled, eyes narrowing at the four girls now standing defiantly in front of Raizo.
Fenra and Shekiah spread their stances, protecting him. Silvia's bow was drawn, trembling with fury, while Akari chanted healing light over Raizo's battered body.
"Tch." Gladion's lip curled.
In a flash, he vanished—reappearing behind them. His kick slammed into Akari's stomach, sending her flying.
"Akari!" Fenra cried. Rage flooded her veins as she cast "Strengthening Boost", muscles flaring with raw power. She leapt high, foot snapping toward the demon's jaw—but Gladion caught her midair, cruelly slamming her into a wall.
"Fenra!"
Silvia's hands shook, but desperation overpowered fear. She loosed an arrow that sprouted thick vines upon impact, wrapping around Raizo's body like a living shield.
"You elf…" Gladion's eyes burned crimson as he lunged for her.
But a blade intercepted him.
Shekiah's longsword gleamed in defiance. "You'll have to get through me first, demon."
Gladion sneered. "Out of my way, lowly ogre."
Shekiah smirked. "Yeah? Try me."
Her blade pulsed pink, and suddenly Gladion staggered as his body felt heavier.
"My ability—Arena Trap." Shekiah grinned.
But Gladion only chuckled. With unnatural force, he shrugged it off. "Well, well…" His claw lashed out, driving into Shekiah's gut. She gasped, sword clattering as she collapsed to her knees.
Silvia cloaked herself with camouflage, vanishing among the burning houses. But Gladion's grin widened. "Do you think you can hide from me?"
He snatched her from the shadows, hurling her to the ground. Blood splattered from her lips. His claws rose for the killing blow—
Riiip!
The vines around Raizo shredded apart. His grip tightened on his weapon as he charged, fury blazing in his eyes. His blade locked with Gladion's.
"Stay away from them… You're fighting me, not them!"
Gladion's smirk deepened. "Then can you wait, boy? Let me finish your comrades' suffering first."
Raizo's eyes flicked to the girls—bloodied, broken, yet still standing. His fist clenched. His chest burned.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A crimson aura erupted around him as two skills ignited at once: Berserk and Rampage. His stats skyrocketed. His eyes turned blood-red, veins glowing like molten fire.
Gladion's grin faltered. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek. His hand trembled. Fear…?
Raizo vanished.
In the blink of an eye, his blade nearly skewered Gladion's eye. Only a desperate flap of wings saved the demon. Raizo pursued relentlessly, weapon shifting fluidly.
Gladion chanted, panic edging his tone: "Demon Magic: Demonic Shot!"
Black circles bloomed behind him, spewing a storm of jagged spears.
Raizo's sword morphed into a shield, deflecting the barrage as he advanced. In a single breath, the shield twisted into a hammer.
"—!"
BOOOOM!
The strike sent Gladion crashing into the earth, coughing blood. He staggered up just as Raizo loomed above, hammer swinging once more. The ground shattered beneath the impact, demolishing houses as the shockwave blasted outward.
Gladion darted low, fist slamming into Raizo's gut—yet the boy barely flinched.
Meanwhile, Akari, pale but standing, raised her staff. Golden light spread, healing Shekiah, Silvia, and Fenra all at once.
Gladion rose into the sky, desperation creeping in. "Dark Magic: Spiral Spear!"
A rotating black spear tore through the air toward Raizo.
His hammer melted into a bow, string glowing with lightning. "Lightning Magic—Arrow of the Storm!"
A thunderous eagle of pure lightning screeched forth, colliding midair with the dark spear. The explosion consumed the heavens, a blinding storm that shook the Kingdom of Dawn.
Villagers watching from outside trembled, many falling to their knees at the sight.
When the smoke cleared, Raizo knelt, panting heavily.
Gladion's chance.
He blitzed forward, claws reaching for Raizo's head—
"Raizo!" Silvia's desperate arrow loosed—but Gladion's hand found its mark.
His palm pressed against Raizo's skull.
"Ability: Chronoception."
Raizo's body froze as his mind ripped apart.
Gladion's vision filled with alien memories—strange glowing cities, towering steel beasts, lands without magic. What… are these? Running mountains? No, machines… A world of peace?
The sky ripped open.
A portal, swirling with blue and white light yet edged with consuming darkness, yawned wide before them.
Raizo's blade slipped from his hand, clattering on the ground.
Then both he and Gladion were swallowed by the vortex.
"RAIZO!!!"
The girls' screams tore through the burning night.
Raizo's vision blurred as Gladion's claw pressed against his face. The demon's hand burned like iron on his skin.
With a guttural roar, Raizo ripped Gladion's arm away. Their fists clenched into each other's clothes, knuckles flying.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blow after blow landed, too fast for mortal eyes to follow. Their figures flickered across the battlefield, colliding in midair, shattering the night with every strike.
Then—
Fwoooosh!
The sky itself tore open.
High above, a massive rift yawned—a swirling portal of blinding blue and white light within, its edges rimmed in devouring black. The heavens groaned as the two warriors were dragged toward it.
Raizo snarled, twisting his body and slamming a kick into Gladion's chest.
CRASH!
The demon was flung away, body swallowed into the dark edge of the rift. His form flickered, broken, before vanishing into nothingness.
Raizo's own momentum carried him downward. He smashed through the treetops of the burning forest, branches splintering around him. The earth trembled with the impact.
Dust. Dirt. Silence.
He lay still, body half-buried in the soil, eyes shut. Unconscious.
The battlefield quieted.
---
Meanwhile, the four girls struggled to their feet, wounds freshly healed but spirits heavy.
"Raizo!!!" their voices rang out in unison, desperate, breaking against the night air.
But no answer came.
"RAIZO!"
Fenra's sharp ears twitched, searching, but only silence answered her. Trembling, she staggered forward. Among the rubble, her eyes fell upon the fallen weapon—the blade Raizo had dropped before vanishing into the portal.
Slowly, she bent down. Her claws brushed the hilt.
Her hand tightened. "Where are you…?"
She held the sword close to her chest, her grip firm as if clinging to his presence.
---
Far beyond their sight, Raizo and Gladion had been cast into another place.
Not the past.
Not the world of their birth.
But somewhere else entirely.
A place foreign. Unknown.
And only Raizo would recognize it.
A groan escaped Raizo's lips as his eyes fluttered open. He shoved off the broken branches that weighed on him and staggered to his feet. Above, a pale moon shone across the forest.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Raizo frowned. I… can't feel any mana?
The realization tightened his chest. In every world with magic, mana pulsed like the air itself. But here—nothing. Just silence.
He flexed his fingers and whispered an incantation. "Wind Magic: Flight."
His body lifted into the sky. Branches swayed beneath him as he rose higher. But then—
Fwooom!
A glow of light streaked behind him, searing through the air. Raizo's instincts flared. He spun, barrier forming in front of him just as the object struck.
BOOOOM!
The impact dragged him backward, pulling him into a violent spiral before exploding in fire.
Raizo coughed through the smoke. "What the hell…?"
The flaming wreck plummeted toward the ground. Without thinking, Raizo extended his hand.
"Psychic Magic: Telekinesis."
The massive object froze midair, its weight trembling under his grip. Slowly, carefully, he lowered it until it touched the earth.
As the flames licked at its wings, Raizo approached cautiously. The wreckage was enormous, like no beast or weapon he had ever seen in his second life. His eyes widened as recognition dawned.
An airplane.
"…Impossible." His voice trembled. "How… could there be an airplane here?"
Only one world had such a machine.
Earth.
Raizo summoned water magic, extinguishing the fire along the damaged wing and engine. Steam hissed into the night. His heart pounded as he approached the cockpit.
Inside, through the cracked window, two men sat unconscious—dressed in white and black uniforms, with peaked hats.
Raizo's breath caught. "No… freaking way."
A cold chill raced down his spine. "Am I… back on Earth?"
Before the men stirred awake, Raizo vanished into the trees, masking his presence completely. He could not risk being seen.
But the silence clawed at him.
He reached out with Search, trying to sense Fenra, Silvia, Akari, Shekiah… but nothing answered. No presences. No bonds.
"Damn it…"
Raizo pushed through the forest until he stumbled onto a strange path. It was flat, dark, and unnaturally smooth beneath his hand.
"What is this…?" He knelt, touching it. The texture was alien. "Concrete…?!"
BEEP!
Raizo's instincts screamed. He rolled aside—just as a car streaked past him, lights blazing, leaving a trail of sound and smoke.
His eyes widened. "A carriage… without horses?"
No. Not a carriage. A car.
There was no more doubt.
Spreading his wings of mana, he flew upward again, following the strange glowing road until a sign caught his eye.
Landing softly, he brushed the dirt off and stepped closer. The words carved in bold letters froze his breath.
Welcome to Maddela.
Raizo staggered back, heart hammering.
"…This is… Earth."
His suspicion was confirmed.
His fists clenched as anger and fear swirled in his chest. "Gladion… That demon. He touched my head—he saw my memories. Did he use his ability… to send me here?"
His teeth ground together. His entire body trembled with resolve.
"No matter what… I need to find a way back. Back to them. Back to that world."
Under the pale Earth moon, Raizo stood alone—between two worlds, and with no path forward except the one he would carve himself.
The night was quiet except for the roar of passing engines.
Raizo walked along the side of the road, his eyes shifting to the strange machines that passed him—cars, trucks, even motor tricycles. Their horns blared at him, lights flashing in the dark.
He paused when a familiar sight caught his eyes. A marketplace.
He was about to step forward but stopped himself. His adventurer's armor would stand out too much here. With a flick of his hand, he drew from his item box and changed into simpler clothes—plain pants, a shirt, and sandals. His adventuring gear vanished back into storage.
Only then did he approach.
The moment he entered, his nose twitched. The air was rich with scents that dragged at his memories—fried chicken, sweet spaghetti, burgers, hotdogs. Jollibee. Franks. Familiar names from another life.
His mouth watered, but his hands tightened into fists. Gold and silver coins… they were worthless here.
Frustrated, Raizo ducked into a shadowed alley. Summoning his item box again, he pulled out a slab of monster meat. It wasn't much, but perhaps…
Luck favored him. A butcher at a stall accepted the cut, eyes wide at its quality. "I'll give you six hundred pesos for this," the man said, handing over bills.
Raizo blinked at the strange currency, then nodded. It would be enough to last three days.
Later, beneath the shade of a tree, he lay down with his back against the trunk. The distant glow of city lights painted the sky. Slowly, his eyes closed.
For the first time in a long while, Raizo slept on Earth.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest, Gladion stirred.
He staggered through the trees, his clawed hand brushing the trunks. His golden-red eyes scanned the area, lips curling. "No mana… not a trace. Where is this place?"
A sudden flash of white light zipped past the trees. Curious, Gladion followed.
Soon, a strange black road stretched before him. His claws flexed as he stepped onto it.
VROOOOM!
A car roared past, nearly grazing him. Gladion growled. "What the hell was that…?"
Fragments of Raizo's memories returned. Machines. Roads. Earth.
Another car slowed, horn blaring. The driver rolled down his window. "Hey! Get out of the way! Walk on the side, not in the middle!"
Gladion turned. The driver's words died in his throat.
Two horns jutted from the demon's head. His eyes glowed red and gold. His teeth flashed like a predator's.
"God…!" The driver slammed his gear into reverse.
Too late.
Gladion seized the hood of the car with one hand and hurled it into the trees. Metal shrieked. Flames erupted. The driver crawled out, bleeding but alive.
"Pathetic," Gladion muttered, raising his hand. Darkness flared.
The man screamed once before his body was reduced to ash in the explosion.