Thud. Crash. Slash.
Within the towering Samurai Hall, steel clashed with divine energy. Kazui's blade shimmered like lightning as he lunged at Suno, his Flow surging.
"7th Flow: Blade Massacre!" Kazui's voice echoed.
A typhoon of slashes spiraled around the hall—each one faster than sound, cutting space itself.
Suno responded calmly. "Yin Talisman: Divine Barrier."
The walls remained untouched as his ethereal shield absorbed the chaos. Their duel was a painting of power—silent devastation danced with restraint, mountains of destruction condensed into elegant precision.
In a corner of the hall, three disciples—Hinazuki, Oborozuka, and Yatsurugi—stood frozen. Their minds couldn't keep up.
Kazui's voice rang with accusation. "You think I wouldn't know, Suno? The ones who killed the Arazaki twins… it was you."
The air turned cold. Even Flow shuddered.
Suno's face darkened. "To accuse me… deserves death!"
He raised a talisman. "Yin Talisman: Heavenly Judgment!"
A hundred beams of divine light rained from above, but Kazui danced between them, his blade a phantom. Every beam deflected, every strike returned with deadly intent.
Meanwhile, in a side chamber lost in the sea of doors within the Hall, a man in a robe and veil sprinted. His breathing was heavy with anticipation.
There it is.
He thrust open a jade door, eyes glowing at the divine object within—a radiant Asura Bead, pulsing like a god's heartbeat.
Just as his fingers reached out, they were sliced clean.
"Yin Talisman: Binds of Light!"
Suno's voice thundered behind him. Glowing ropes wrapped the intruder, suspending him midair like a moth in silk.
Kazui approached. "So, the Beads of Asura… That's what you were after."
The veiled man trembled. "It was all going perfectly… how?"
"You left too many trails," Kazui said coldly. "You were an amateur."
Suno explained to the wide-eyed disciples. "We suspected internal betrayal since the moment the exam grounds were infiltrated."
Kazui continued, "No real Travel Warper would teleport without coordinates. And the doppelgangers? Cute trick. But not enough."
Hinazuki exhaled. "So… all that chaos back then… was bait?"
"Exactly," Suno said, eyes glowing. "We are not only instructors. We are the last guardians of the mythical artifacts."
"Artifacts from… the Age of Myth?" Oborozuka asked.
"Divine relics," Suno confirmed. "Granting unspeakable power at the cost of sanity."
He scorched away the intruder's veil with a fire talisman—revealing a desperate man. "Please! I didn't have a choice!"
"Give us the information we need, and you'll be protected," Kazui offered.
The man opened his mouth—
And screamed.
Crimson-winged ants exploded from his skin, devouring him instantly.
"Damn it…" Kazui hissed. "They're involved. The Crimson Ants…"
"And someone else," Suno muttered. "The spear from that day had mythic inscriptions. That… wasn't their work."
---
Meanwhile — Shingen Palace
Three hooded figures knelt before the elegant Shogun of Shingen, Kisogi Murata, a peaceful man clothed in silk and serenity.
"You've arrived from the Citadel?" the Shogun asked warmly. "Please make yourselves at home."
Before anyone could speak further, Team Lithos burst through the palace doors.
Zenith shouted, "Shogun! We were sent to protect you! Those three are imposters!"
One of the hooded figures sighed. "Ugh. The kid just had to ruin it."
Their hoods dropped—revealing the notorious Crimson Ants.
—Kenji Shinoda, the graceful warrior with a crimson blade, eyes like starlight.
—Kaito Yamato, a string user with a lazy grin and drooping eyes.
—Yumi Akatsuki, a beautiful yet deadly woman with blood-red lips and no visible weapon.
Zenith tensed. "So that's them…"
A red ant crawled to the Shogun's neck and bit—slumber fell like death.
Chaos erupted. Advisors fled. Guards screamed.
Team Lithos stepped forward.
Kenji drew his blade with elegance. "We're not leaving unless we crush you."
Yumi vanished and reappeared beside Lithos, sending him flying with a kick.
"That one's mine," she said, following him into a chamber.
Kaito's threads snaked from his fingers, wrapping Ishiguro's limbs.
"I'll wrap this up quick," he muttered, dragging Ishiguro away like a puppet.
Only Zenith and Kenji remained in the golden hall, now littered with fear and smoke.
Kenji's stance radiated danger. "Let's make this quick."
Zenith tightened his grip on his katana.
And the real battle began.