The shattered remains of five mountains lay behind them, scorched and broken from the earlier clash.
The wind howled through the canyon, carrying the scent of ozone and blood.
The sky above had dimmed unnaturally, as if the cosmos itself sensed what was about to unfold.
Paulo Satoshi stood atop a jagged cliff, his cosmic katana sheathed at his side.
His cloak fluttered behind him, torn from battle but still radiant with energy.
His breathing was steady; his gaze locked onto the crater below where Momo Yokoyama slowly rose from the rubble.
She wiped blood from her lips, her Blood Scythe dragging behind her like a reaper's promise.
Her eyes burned with fury, but beneath that, grief.
The loss of Rin, the memory of Aliya, the weight of vengeance.
It all pulsed within her like a second heartbeat.
Paulo stepped forward, his boots cracking the stone beneath him.
He lowered his stance, one foot sliding back, his body angled with precision.
His hand hovered near his katana's hilt, fingers twitching with anticipation.
Momo mirrored him, her scythe raised, her body coiled like a serpent ready to strike.
They did not speak.
They did not need to.
The silence between them was louder than war drums.
Then, Paulo's aura began to rise.
A soft hum echoed through the canyon, growing louder with each passing second. The ground beneath him shimmered, then cracked.
A green aura erupted from his body, swirling upward like a cosmic flame.
It wrapped around him, pulsing with life, energy, and something deeper, balance.
His eyes snapped open.
A blue glow ignited within them, piercing and calm.
It was not rage.
It was not desperation.
It was clarity.
The Zone had awakened.
The air around Paulo distorted, bending light and gravity.
His power level surged from 500 million to 500 septillion in an instant.
The cliff he stood on disintegrated beneath his feet, unable to contain the pressure.
Yet he hovered, untouched, serene.
Across the crater, Momo narrowed her eyes.
She gripped her scythe tighter.
Then, Her aura exploded outward.
A red vortex of energy burst from her core, engulfing the canyon in a storm of death magic.
The rocks melted. The sky turned crimson.
Her hair lifted in the wind, her body glowing with raw, unfiltered power.
Her eyes opened.
A black glow radiated from within them, cold, infinite, and merciless.
Her Zone had activated.
Her power level surged to 480 septillions, and the world trembled.
The canyon cracked open, rivers of blood magic flowing through the fissures.
The sky above split into two colours, green and red, each side dominated by the aura of its monarch.
Paulo hovered in silence, his katana still sheathed.
Momo stood on a pillar of blood, her scythe spinning slowly.
They stared at each other.
The wind stopped. The birds fled.
The stars dimmed.
Even time seemed to hesitate.
***
Far away, in the Cosmic Base, Yuki Fujimoto felt the shift.
She dropped to one knee, her claws trembling, "He activated it…"
Rajin Mori looked to the horizon, "So did she."
Tetsuya Saito, still recovering, whispered, "They're going to tear reality apart."
Oliver Sly stood on a balcony, flames flickering around him, "This is what happens when gods fight."
In the Skydome, Antares the Dragon Monarch paused mid-flight, sensing the clash, "They've reached the edge."
Paulo's green aura condensed around him, forming a shimmering armour of cosmic energy.
His katana began to hum, vibrating with anticipation.
The blue glow in his eyes sharpened, scanning every movement, every breath Momo took.
Momo's red aura thickened, forming wings of blood behind her.
Her scythe extended, its blade dripping with condensed death magic.
The black glow in her eyes pulsed like a heartbeat, slow, steady, final.
They took one step forward.
Then another.
The distance between them closed.
But neither attacked.
Not yet.
They were measuring each other.
Assessing the weight of destiny.
Paulo's voice finally broke the silence, "This ends today."
Momo's reply was a whisper, "It never ended."
They raised their weapons.
The wind returned.
The canyon screamed.
The stars watched.
And the world waited.