The silence in the forest was heavy.
Ozaki knelt down on the grass beside his fallen team, his hands glowing faintly as healing magic faded from his fingers. One by one, they were able to breathe normally again. Their injuries were treated, but their energy was completely gone. They couldn't stand—only sit, heads low, their clothes ripped and faces bruised. Chella sat with her arms resting on her knees, breathing heavily. Ichiha leaned back with a wince, clutching his chest. Sora looked at her palms, still shaking.
Ozaki, now seated with them, stared at the grass. His brows were furrowed in deep thought.
"He was able to take all of you on... and still won," he said quietly. He glanced at Ichiha. "How strong is this guy?"
Just then, the air felt heavy—thicker. It was Yamato.
He stood a few feet away, his face still expressionless, but something was wrong—very wrong. Every few seconds, his aura spiked violently, his body was boiling with rage. He was still... but it felt like a bomb going off inside him.
Sora slowly toward him, ignoring her own pain. She reached him and held his torso, looking up at him with teary eyes.
"Yamato," she said softly. "Calm down... we're okay... please."
Yamato didn't look at her. His black eyes stared forward blankly. His voice came out cold, nearly emotionless.
"You almost died, Sora. Rujer needs to feel your pain."
Sora flinched. That didn't sound like the Yamato she knew.
On the other side, Ozaki turned to Lumei, who sat leaning against a tree with blood on his lip.
"How well do you know Yamato?" Ozaki asked.
Lumei looked up, surprised. "What?"
"You all are vessels, right?" Ozaki asked, now serious.
Lumei nodded weakly. "Yes."
Ozaki frowned. "And Yamato isn't one of you?"
"No," Lumei said with a tired voice. "In fact... he's poor. He doesn't have any known background. There's no god aura from him."
Ozaki looked down, more confused than before. "But this aura… this rage… it feels like a god form."
Lumei blinked in disbelief. "But we haven't even mastered it yet."
"I've seen Form 3 before," Ozaki said. "This is it."
Before Lumei could answer, Yamato stepped into their conversation.
"Ozaki," he said.
They all turned. His voice was even colder now. Lumei and Sora's eyes widened. Even Ichiha looked up.
Yamato continued, "I'm going to share a location with you by blending my aura into yours. Take me to where you see."
Ozaki tensed. His heart pounded—but he nodded. Yamato placed two fingers on Ozaki's forehead. For a moment, Ozaki's eyes flashed black. The location was clear in his mind.
Without a word, Ozaki raised his hand, and in a flash of magic, they all vanished.
---
Far away, in the middle of a deep red cave, Rujer sat calmly.
His home was not an ordinary place. The walls glowed with a soft red light, almost like living skin. Creatures—wolves, birds, and beasts—made of thick black shadows moved freely around the space, pacing like loyal guards.
Suddenly, Rujer's head turned.
He felt it.
A storm of dark rage... approaching fast.
Outside the cave, the group reappeared with a burst of light. The ground beneath them cracked slightly as Yamato landed first, followed by the others.
They had arrived.
Ozaki was still catching his breath when Yamato took a step forward toward the cave.
"Yamato—wait," Chella called out. She struggled to stand, her voice sharp. "We need to make a plan!"
Yamato didn't answer.
"I said—"
"I'm going in," he said flatly.
Before Ozaki could even rise, Yamato was gone.
One step. That's all it took.
It looked like he had teleported—but he hadn't. His speed simply broke the sound around him. As he stepped near the entrance, the shadow beasts exploded from the impact of his aura. They melted into pools of thick ink.
Ozaki's eyes widened.
"That... wasn't teleportation," he muttered.
Chella stared. "Was Yamato always this cold... this brutal?"
"No," Sora said, voice shaky. "He was calm... kind."
Ichiha added, "He never acted like this before."
Lumei tried to laugh, weakly. "W-well... this is a plan, I guess?"
No one laughed.
Ozaki stood slowly, tightening his fists.
"We'll follow."
As they walked toward the cave, Lumei whispered, "He once told me... if he's on a mission for money, he doesn't play. He ends it fast."
They all exchanged glances. This wasn't about money.
Yamato's footsteps echoed deep inside the cave. With each step, more shadows melted away in fear of him.
Rujer stood up.
He could hear the slow, firm footsteps. Each step felt like a countdown. The aura was massive. Too massive.
"So," Rujer said softly, walking away from his throne of rock, "you've come."
The cave's light grew dimmer, as if scared too.
Yamato stepped into the wide center of the cave. His body still glowing faintly with black aura. His face was cold, unreadable.
"Rujer," he said.
Rujer raised an eyebrow.
"No introductions?"
"No need."
Behind Yamato, the others were following, leaning on the cave's walls. They hid behind a wall, watching carefully.
"His aura," Ichiha whispered. "It's getting stronger..."
Sora grabbed Ozaki's sleeve. "Do we stop him?"
Ozaki didn't answer. He was staring at Yamato's back. The same way a general watches a warrior step into battle alone.
Back in the cave center, Rujer cracked his knuckles.
"You're not a vessel," he said, smirking. "So what are you?"
"I'm Yamato."
"And what do you want?"
"I want you to feel their pain."
Rujer chuckled. "And if I don't?"
Yamato's aura erupted like a silent explosion. The walls shook. Dust rained from the ceiling. The shadow animals that remained vanished into thick ink.