The wind moved gently through the endless grasslands as silence settled beneath the ancient tree. The training had finally come to an end, and for the first time since arriving, the six heroes felt a profound difference within themselves. Their Circuit Marks had accepted them. Their souls had been acknowledged.
The journey ahead remained uncertain, but they had taken the first true step toward mastering their own destinies.
Kaelen, Jessica, Kimotsu, Denma, Faith, and Gene stood together before Arata and bowed their heads respectfully.
"Thank you again, Arata."
Arata smiled faintly as he looked at each of them. Although his expression remained calm, his eyes carried a wisdom that seemed to have witnessed countless eras rise and disappear.
"All your journeys will be difficult… that's why I've prepared you to such an extent. Improve further if you can."
The six heroes nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
Satisfied, they turned to leave.
Just as they took their first steps away, Arata's gaze slowly lifted toward the endless sky above.
The book resting in his hand quietly vanished into particles of white light.
He stood from his chair.
"Wait."
The heroes immediately stopped and turned back.
"Stay here for a while. Don't leave until I come back."
His voice remained casual, almost lazy.
"You can train, eat, sleep… whatever."
With a casual wave of his hand, countless tables instantly appeared beneath the tree, overflowing with freshly prepared meals, fruits, drinks, roasted meat, desserts, and even barrels of fine liquor.
The aroma alone was enough to make Denma's stomach growl.
Kaelen frowned slightly.
"I feel like something's coming."
Arata merely smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
A portal silently opened before him. Without another word, he stepped through.
The next instant Arata stood high above Planet Kael'Ar.
The clouds drifted beneath his feet as Arkion stretched across the horizon below.
He released a slow sigh.
"I knew it would come to this eventually…"
His expression turned almost annoyed.
"But now it feels like a bother."
His gaze slowly rose toward the stars.
For the first time in a long while…He smiled.
"I am the true protagonist after all."
His left eye slowly opened.
A crimson pattern bloomed within it. Koketsu . The Soul Circuit awakened. Reality itself unfolded before his vision.
Every law…Every concept…Every flow of existence…Everything became visible.
Arata slowly lowered one hand while raising the other. He closed his right eye. Within his subconscious, he imagined another world. Not an illusion. Not a copy.
A perfect, logically constructed duplicate of Planet Kael'Ar.
Using the infinite free energy flowing through the Great Circuit—the origin of all existence—he built an identical planet layer by layer.
Mountains. Oceans. Cities. Every grain of sand. Every living creature. Every breath of wind. Everything was recreated perfectly.
Moments later…A second Kael'Ar existed. Arata extended his hand toward the real planet.
A transparent barrier quietly expanded around it.
The barrier concealed its very existence.
Not merely from mortals. Not merely from gods. Even beings who transcended dimensions would only perceive the duplicate.
The genuine Kael'Ar had completely disappeared from reality's awareness.
Arata then entered the identical world.
The transition was seamless. To everyone else…Nothing had changed.
High above Arkion A massive shadow streaked across the universe.
Its speed surpassed comprehension.
Without slowing…It crashed directly into the planet.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
The impact shook the entire world.
Half of Arkion disappeared beneath an ocean of dust and shattered stone.
Entire districts collapsed instantly.
A crater stretched for kilometers.
From above, Arata looked down at the devastation.
"If this was the real world…"
He sighed.
"I would be pissed."
The smoke slowly cleared.
Standing within the enormous crater was a single man.
He possessed silver-white hair that reached his shoulders.
His silver eyes glowed with unnatural brilliance.
He stood six feet tall with a lean athletic build, and every breath he took radiated overwhelming authority. His presence alone distorted the surrounding space.
Arata calmly descended from the sky.
His hands remained inside his pockets.
The silver-haired man smiled.
"I am Isis. I have searched for a Soul Circuit user for eons."
He spread his arms confidently.
"Work under me. We could rule the cosmos together."
Arata looked at him blankly.
"Shut up."
Instantly Isis' mouth sealed itself shut.
His eyes widened. He quickly formed a hand gesture. The invisible restraint shattered. His mouth reopened. He frowned.
"Soul Circuit users are always annoying."
His silver eyes flashed.
"Death."
A wave of absolute erasure surged across the battlefield.
Everything in its path dissolved into nothingness.
The attack rushed toward Arata. He did not move. A transparent barrier quietly formed before him.
The wave struck it and vanished completely. Not even a ripple remained.
Isis narrowed his eyes. The next moment He disappeared. His speed exceeded the speed of light.
He appeared directly before Arata, his fist already inches from his face.
Arata smiled faintly.
"I'll play with you It's been a while."
He tilted his head slightly.
The punch missed. The space behind him exploded apart.
Entire landscapes disappeared from the residual force.
Before Isis could react Arata caught his wrist. With one effortless motion…He flipped Isis over his shoulder.
The silver-haired man crashed toward the earth.
Before his back could strike He planted both palms against the ground.
His body twisted. He spat blood onto the earth before launching two powerful kicks toward Arata.
Arata leaned backward just enough for both kicks to miss.
Then He kicked Isis' supporting arm away.
Before Isis recovered Arata drove another kick into his side.
BOOM!! The impact launched Isis thousands of meters into the sky.
Blood sprayed from his mouth. He finally stopped himself in midair.
Breathing heavily, he looked down toward the man standing calmly beneath him.
His expression slowly changed.
"The legends are true…The Soul Circuit is unfathomable. It's unlike anything in existence. One of a kind."
Dark energy erupted around his body.
"Circuit Embodiment…"
His voice echoed throughout the heavens.
"Death Manifestation."
Black aura engulfed him completely.
His body became the very embodiment of death itself.
Flowers withered. Grass decayed. Trees rotted into dust. Even the air seemed to lose its vitality.
Everything surrounding Isis gradually died.
Far below Arata slowly lifted his head.
His calm eyes met Isis'.
"Well done. You have made me step into the story…and take action directly."
His voice carried neither anger nor excitement.
Only certainty.
"I will pay you back with death, if it's that you seek. You dared set foot on my planet…and demanded that I work under you?"
He slowly released a portion of his own presence.
Only Twenty percent. The world trembled.
A pressure beyond comprehension descended upon the duplicate Kael'Ar. Mountains groaned. The oceans shook violently.
Even the sky seemed to bend beneath the sheer weight of his existence.
Isis' body instantly crashed back onto the ground.
He couldn't remain in the air. His knees buckled under the overwhelming force.
Before he could recover Arata was already standing before him.
He slowly raised his right hand. Only his index finger remained extended.
"God's Finger."
To Arata It was merely a finger.
To Isis It was as though the finger of an incomprehensible deity descended from the heavens.
He felt smaller than dust.
The finger touched his chest. Silently. A hole appeared straight through Isis' body.
The attack did not stop there. Everything behind him vanished. Mountains. Forests. The horizon itself.
Far beyond the atmosphere A nearby moon disappeared without a trace.
Isis collapsed onto one knee.
His body dissolved into black mist.
For several moments… Nothing remained.
Then the mist slowly gathered once more.
His body regenerated. Breathing heavily, he stared at Arata in disbelief.
Arata looked at him without the slightest change in expression.
"Come. Experience another death."
Isis clenched his teeth until blood dripped from his lips.
"Damn you…"
His aura surged violently.
"I will use my ultimate power."