When Fear Meets Something Worse
Neonfall burned beneath a bleeding sky.
Lightning carved jagged scars through the clouds as the storm howled louder than ever. The district—once alive with color and sound—was now a fractured grave of broken stone and flickering Illum veins.
At its center, Ryu stood.
Perched atop a broken platform of debris, he stared down into the crater where he had sent her flying.
His fists were clenched.
But they trembled.
Not from exhaustion.
From something deeper.
Fear.
Uncertainty.
And something he refused to name.
Ilyra.
From within the settling dust—
Her eyes opened.
Ilyra's POV
To her, the battlefield had already been decided.
Everyone else was irrelevant. Weak. Temporary.
But him—
Her gaze locked onto Ryu.
Unmoving. Unblinking.
"…You…"
An anomaly.
He should have died.
She knew the force of her strikes. She understood the limits of mortals.
And yet—
He stood.
Still.
Behind her, movement stirred.
Vaelor rose first, one hand gripping his side, the other still stained with blood from his eyes.
"…Now."
No hesitation.
Karn followed, teeth gritted, refusing to show weakness even as his body protested. Nyssae staggered but forced herself forward.
Maelis—
Paused.
Just for a second.
She looked back.
At Ryu.
Something flickered in her expression—gratitude, confusion… something painfully mortal.
Vaelor passed her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Not forceful—final.
He glanced back once.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, two minds measured each other.
Then Ryu looked away.
Back to Ilyra.
That was enough.
Vaelor turned—and left, dragging Maelis with him.
By the time the dust settled—
Only two remained.
Ilyra.
And Ryu.
She moved first.
A blur.
The base of her spear slammed toward him—
Impact.
Ryu blocked.
Barely.
The force still sent him skidding backward across shattered ground.
"…He blocked that…" Vaelor muttered from a distance.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
"Move."
And they were gone.
Silence returned.
Ilyra watched him more carefully now.
"…You're different."
Her voice was colder. Sharper.
She planted her spear into the ground and began walking forward—no rush, no urgency. To her, there was still no real threat.
Ryu stepped forward too.
Through dust.
Through pain.
Through doubt.
"You shouldn't have come back," she said flatly. "This time… I will make sure you stay down."
Ryu didn't answer.
Didn't argue.
Didn't joke.
He just stared at her.
His eyes shook—
But did not waver.
They moved.
Their fists collided, a shockwave ripping outward as debris lifted from the ground.
Ryu slipped first, twisting past her follow-up and forcing her off balance as he drove forward, aiming for her midsection.
Ilyra adapted instantly.
A pivot. A clean flip. One leg anchored as she rotated over him—
Her heel came down.
Ryu dropped low, sliding flat to avoid it as the strike crushed the ground where he'd been.
He rolled. Recovered. Spun.
His sweep connected.
For the first time—
Ilyra lost balance.
Ryu didn't hesitate. He pushed himself up to capitalize—
Too slow.
She was already there.
A blur.
A fist.
This time—
Lightning.
Condensed. Controlled. Devastating.
Impact.
Ryu was launched, crashing into a collapsed building as debris swallowed him whole.
Silence.
Ilyra stood still.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…You're alive."
Not a question.
A statement.
Ryu's POV
Dark.
Dust.
Pain.
Ryu forced himself up, coughing.
"…What the hell…"
He couldn't figure it out.
Her speed. Her control. Her precision.
Every move—
Perfect.
His thoughts flickered back.
Lady Cona.
The scribes.
"…Veltraxis will empower you…"
"…if you allow it…"
Ryu groaned.
"…Yeah, yeah… I remember…"
He mimicked them under his breath.
"…'Believe in yourself'… why does everyone talk like that…"
He exhaled.
Then went quiet.
"…I didn't want to use it…"
His voice dropped.
"…Not like this…"
He remembered the warning.
His energy—too unstable. Too inconsistent.
Too dangerous.
That's why—
He wasn't alone.
"…Sorry…"
A quiet breath.
"…Lady Cona…"
"…Old man Thalen…"
His fists clenched.
"…I'll make it quick."
He inhaled.
The air changed.
Ilyra felt it instantly.
Her body froze.
Eyes widening as they locked onto the debris cloud.
"…No…"
That presence—
"…That power…"
Her expression twisted from shock into anger.
"Imposter."
The debris exploded outward.
Ryu stepped through.
The air around him warped—not violently, but deliberately. As if the space itself acknowledged him.
Aurora flames ignited around his wrists.
Green.
Purple.
Shifting.
Alive.
Above his head—
A crown formed.
Slanted.
Unstable.
Beautiful.
Across Neonfall, the Illum veins reacted.
Not resisting.
Not rejecting.
Accepting.
Ryu lifted his head.
Eyes burning.
Voice steady.
"REGALIA—"
A breath.
"CINDER ACCORD."
Security Sanctum
Lady Cona staggered, a thin line of blood trailing from her nose as her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
Elder Thalen caught himself on one hand, teeth clenched so tightly his jaw trembled.
"…Hold it…" he forced out.
"…We have to hold it…"
The strain wasn't just physical.
It was soul-deep.
The link pulsed violently between them—through them—into him.
Across the chamber, the other scribes began to worry.
Virek's expression darkened. "His output is spiking again… he's forcing more than he understands."
Ysira closed her eyes, voice strained but steady. "No… not forcing. He's drawing."
Maurelle looked toward the distant horizon, where faint Illum veins pulsed in response. "…He's using the dimension."
That caught even Thalen's attention.
"…Explain," he demanded through gritted teeth.
Lady Cona exhaled shakily, steadying herself as she wiped the blood from her lip.
"…Cinder Accord is not like Ilyra's Regalia," she said. "It isn't self-contained."
A pulse of energy surged through the link—both her and Thalen flinched.
"…It uses Veltraxis itself as a conduit."
Silence.
Then—
Virek's eyes widened slightly.
"…A reservoir…"
"Yes," Cona nodded weakly. "Instead of relying solely on his unstable internal flow… the technique draws from the Illum network—filters it—stabilizes it through us…"
Thalen's grip tightened against the ground.
"…So the dimension is compensating for him."
"…And limiting him," Ysira added.
Maurelle spoke softly, almost in awe. "…He's not fighting at full strength."
Cona shook her head.
"Not even close."
Another pulse—stronger this time.
Both Cona and Thalen gasped as the feedback hit.
"…At best," she continued through strained breath, "this lets him operate at a fraction of what he could become…"
A pause.
"…Twenty percent… maybe less."
Thalen let out a low breath, half disbelief, half concern.
"…And it's still this violent…"
"Because he doesn't understand it yet," Cona said. "He isn't controlling the flow—he's enduring it."
The chamber fell quiet for a moment.
Then Virek muttered,
"…And if he pushes further?"
Cona didn't answer immediately.
Another surge hit—
Sharper.
More unstable.
This time Thalen nearly collapsed.
"…Then the link breaks," she said quietly.
"…or we do."
She lifted her gaze, eyes trembling but resolute.
"…But if he holds on—"
A faint, fragile smile formed.
"…then Veltraxis itself will recognize him."
Another pulse rippled through the sanctum—
Not violent.
Not rejecting.
Something else.
"…It already is," Ysira whispered.
And far away—
The Illum veins glowed just a little brighter.
Sera's Ship — Approaching Neonfall
The feed flickered, barely stable.
"…Is that…?" Sera whispered.
Even through distortion, they could see it.
Feel it.
Luto didn't respond.
For once, he had nothing sarcastic to say.
"…That idiot…"
A quiet breath.
"…What did you just do…"
Even inside the ship, the pressure shifted.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Back to Neonfall
Ryu and Ilyra locked eyes.
She stared at him—at the crown, the flames, the impossible existence standing before her.
A single drop of sweat slid down Ryu's face.
"…You dare…"
Her voice trembled—not with fear, but fury.
"You desecrate Veltra's sanctuary…"
Her aura surged.
"And now…"
Her voice rose, shaking the storm itself.
"You mock her with that power?!"
Lightning tore through the sky.
The storm twisted violently.
"I WILL KILL YOU—!"
The world bent around her.
Her presence expanded—
"REGALIA—"
The air shattered.
"MANIFEST."
Where Faith Collides
The battlefield had changed.
The storm no longer simply raged—it revolved.
Clouds twisted into a violent vortex above Neonfall, spiraling inward as if the sky itself had become aware. Rain fell in relentless sheets, yet at the center of that storm an opening remained—moonlight bleeding through as dawn threatened to rise.
And in that fractured light—
Two figures stood.
One crowned in unstable aurora flame—green bleeding into purple, flickering, straining to hold form.
The other—
Perfect.
Above Ilyra's silver hair, a crown had formed—not drawn, not projected, but woven. Intricate lines of radiant energy threaded through each strand like living circuitry, pulsing in precise harmony.
This was not amplification.
Not a surge.
This was Regalia Manifest.
When all aspects aligned, her power did not increase randomly—it synchronized. Every technique, every facet of her being, integrated into a singular system of perfect execution.
In this state—
She did not choose between offense and defense.
She became both.
Her strikes carried destruction while her body maintained absolute stability. The terrain itself responded mid-motion, bending to her will as if anticipating her intent. Energy redirected the moment it touched her, never wasted, never delayed. Even her movement lost its limits—no hesitation, no penalty, no openings.
Within Veltraxis—
She stood as something beyond mortal design.
Something closer to a demi-god.
And the world reflected it.
The storm above did not behave naturally—it mirrored her. Each shift in pressure, each spiral of wind, each crack of lightning moved in rhythm with her presence. The sky bent around her authority, as if Veltraxis itself was reinforcing its guardian.
But perfection came with a cost.
Regalia Manifest was not sustained by power alone.
It was sustained by balance.
And Ilyra—
Was not balanced.
Beneath that flawless crown, her emotions churned—grief, anger, devotion—all colliding beneath the surface. Each fluctuation sent faint distortions through the woven pattern in her hair, subtle fractures in an otherwise perfect system.
If her will wavered—
Even slightly—
The link would destabilize.
Not enough to break her.
But enough to make perfection… imperfect.
And across from her—
Ryu stood, flames flickering, crown unstable—
Facing something the world itself had chosen to uphold.
Ilyra moved first.
No warning.
No hesitation.
She closed the distance instantly.
Ryu braced for a punch.
But the spear was already in her hand.
It came down.
Ryu barely escaped.
The ground collapsed where it struck, cratering inward as if reality itself had been pierced.
Ilyra pressed forward relentlessly, each swing of the spear carving through space and forcing Ryu to survive by inches.
His thoughts fractured under the pressure.
She's faster.
Stronger.
Cleaner.
His movements were messy. Reactive. Barely holding together.
The aurora flames around his wrists flickered. The crown above him cracked at the edges.
I can't even use this right…
Doubt flashed through him.
Then another.
Cona… Thalen…
They were carrying the weight with him.
And he couldn't even land a proper hit.
A single lapse was all it took.
The ground beneath him moved.
Not shattered.
Not broken.
Controlled.
It rose like a living thing, a warped swell of terrain that struck him from his blind spot.
Ryu was launched backward, crashing through still-standing buildings as debris swallowed him whole, throwing him deeper toward the northern edge of the central plaza.
Silence followed.
Then footsteps.
Ilyra walked forward, unhurried and unbothered.
"You don't even understand the power you wield."
Her voice carried through the storm, cold and certain.
She stopped before the rubble.
"What is your name, boy?"
The debris shifted.
Ryu's voice answered through clenched teeth.
"…Ryu."
A pause.
Disappointment.
"Veltraxis does not answer to mortals like you."
Her tone sharpened.
"No belief. No conviction."
Her gaze hardened.
"Still… you are the one who woke me."
The storm swelled again.
"In the name of Veltra, as Guardian of this world…"
Her aura surged.
"I will execute you."
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
The words tore through the storm.
Raw.
Furious.
Ryu rose from the rubble, shaking, fists clenched, eyes burning.
"Don't talk like you know anything…"
His voice cracked, but it didn't break.
"My goals… my reasons…"
A flash crossed his mind.
Luto.
Onyx.
The three of them together.
Laughing.
Fighting.
Alive.
"…they aren't meaningless."
Ilyra felt it.
That surge.
That instability.
That emotion.
For the first time, Ryu moved first.
He vanished.
Then appeared directly in front of her, palm open.
And struck.
Flame erupted.
Wild.
Unrefined.
Real.
"RAAAH!"
Ilyra shifted her head just enough for the blast to detonate behind her, tearing through the battlefield in a violent explosion.
She dropped her spear.
No choice.
He was too close.
They collided in close quarters.
Fists.
Elbows.
Shoulders.
Ryu pressed forward, unpredictable and unrefined.
And it worked.
For the first time, Ilyra's rhythm broke.
His attacks weren't perfect.
But they were alive.
Every strike forced her to adjust. To read. To react.
They clashed in a blur of movement.
Then Ilyra slipped under his guard.
They passed each other, back to back.
Ryu threw an elbow behind him.
Missed.
Ilyra moved again.
The ground shifted beneath his feet.
His balance broke.
In that instant, her hand closed around his throat.
She hurled him.
Ryu flew straight into the massive belltower.
GONG.
The sound echoed across all of Neonfall.
Deep.
Violent.
Final.
Stone cracked. The structure gave way. The tower began to collapse.
Ilyra didn't wait.
She was already moving, spear reforming in her hand, eyes locked on Ryu.
A killing blow.
Ryu fell through the debris, vision fading, body failing.
Then—
clarity.
A split-second choice.
His hand shot out and caught the chain attached to the falling bell.
He roared.
Green and purple flame ignited around his arms, wrapping around the chain and consuming the bell.
With everything left, Ryu swung.
The massive bell tore through the air.
Ilyra saw it.
She could have stopped him.
She knew that.
But for a fraction of a second, she hesitated.
A flicker.
A memory.
Veltra.
Then—
impact.
"HERE!"
The bell slammed into Ilyra, sending both her and the massive metal body flying farther north beyond the ruined plaza.
Silence followed.
The chain fell.
The fire faded.
Ryu landed.
Barely.
Then dropped to his knees.
Breathing hard.
Shaking.
A weak laugh slipped out of him.
"…Not done yet…"
Conviction Against Judgment
GONG.
The sound echoed across Neonfall again—deep, metallic, final.
The massive bell rolled once.
Twice.
Then stilled.
From beneath it, something moved.
The metal shifted.
Lifted.
Ilyra stepped out from under it.
Unbroken.
She exhaled slowly and spat a thin streak of blood onto the fractured ground.
Her eyes locked onto Ryu.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
"…Why."
Her voice cut through the rain.
"Why did you return and assist them?"
She took a step forward.
"Those men."
A pause.
"Criminals."
Ryu didn't answer immediately.
His chest rose and fell heavily. Rain slid down his face, mixing with sweat and blood.
His mind drifted.
A scream.
Brother—!
Maelis.
Then another memory.
Older.
Sharper.
Onyx.
Falling.
Gone.
Ryu's jaw tightened.
"…I don't know."
"Liar."
Ilyra didn't hesitate.
"My Regalia allows me to read the flow of your energy."
She stepped closer.
"You hesitate. You fracture. You doubt."
A cold breath.
"You lie."
Lightning flickered across her crown.
"There is no record of you in Veltraxis. And yet you defend those who poison it."
She moved.
A blur.
Her spear wasn't needed.
Her hand alone struck down.
Ryu vanished just before impact, and the ground beneath him collapsed into a crater.
Ilyra didn't stop.
She advanced, closing the distance as the battlefield itself answered her.
The earth bent.
Rose.
Curved.
Walls of terrain surged upward, sealing around them until a tunnel formed.
One path.
Forward.
No escape.
Ryu blinked.
"…What the hell—"
The air itself felt controlled.
Measured.
Perfect.
She's not just strong.
She owns this place.
They walked toward each other.
No running now.
No distance.
Just fists.
They collided.
Ryu swung first with a sharp hook.
Ilyra slipped it and countered with a straight.
Ryu deflected, returned with a body shot.
She absorbed it.
Her elbow came back.
He ducked.
Close.
Fast.
Relentless.
Rain hammered against the enclosed tunnel as their blows echoed like thunder.
Ilyra spoke between strikes, calm and precise.
"You are no different from the Daredevils Veltra warned of."
A jab.
Blocked.
"You drift from world to world."
A step.
A pivot.
A strike.
Ryu barely parried.
"Without purpose."
A knee.
Dodged.
"Without responsibility."
A punch.
Slipped.
"Only your own desires."
That landed.
Not physically.
Deeper.
Ryu slipped under her next strike, turned, and hit.
A clean shot.
Ilyra flew backward, crashing through the very pillar she had raised.
Ryu didn't stop.
He chased.
"You don't know anything about me!"
He closed the distance again.
Ilyra regained her footing instantly, skidding back across broken stone.
"You're all the same."
Ryu's expression twisted.
"All of you."
"You have one bad day—"
"ONE BAD DAY?!"
Ryu rushed in, blinded by rage.
And got caught.
A perfect uppercut.
But something was different.
The air beneath his chin cracked.
A distortion.
A shock.
Ryu launched high into the sky, swallowed by the storm.
Ilyra followed effortlessly, rising to meet him as he fell.
"Veltra was perfection."
Her voice carried upward.
"She ascended through will. Through discipline."
Her hand lifted.
Energy gathered.
Not wild.
Condensed.
A sphere of lightning formed, dense and heavy, like compressed sky itself.
"The authority you wield does not belong to you."
Ryu fell, spinning, broken, but conscious.
"And I will not allow you to take the Scribes with you."
She descended.
The orb grew brighter.
Deadlier.
Ryu clenched his teeth.
"I don't care who it belongs to…"
His voice was raw.
His hands came together, fingers aligned.
Fire ignited.
Green and purple.
Unstable.
But real.
"And yeah…"
His voice shook, but didn't break.
"I don't think things through…"
The flame swelled.
"But if wanting my brother back makes me selfish…"
His eyes locked onto hers.
"…then I'm the most selfish person in the multiverse."
For a moment, Ilyra froze.
Not physically.
Internally.
That resolve wasn't fake.
It wasn't unstable.
It was absolute.
Her expression hardened again.
"You will mock her no more."
They fell.
Two lights in the storm.
Luto and Sera
The ship cut through violent winds.
Sera gripped the console.
"…Luto…"
Luto stared out in silence.
Far ahead, through rain and distortion, two massive spheres of energy descended.
"…Yeah."
His jaw tightened.
"That's bad."
A beat.
"That's really bad."
Impact
They hit.
And the world broke.
The northern district rippled like water.
Buildings bent.
Collapsed.
The ground moved in waves, as if Neonfall itself had become an ocean.
A shockwave tore outward across all of Veltraxis.
Security Sanctum
Lady Cona staggered.
Elder Thalen dropped to one knee.
Both were breathing hard.
"The link…"
Thalen's voice was strained.
"It's broken."
Silence.
Then Lady Cona closed her eyes.
"No."
A breath.
"He's alive."
Relief passed through the room.
Small.
Fragile.
"That's as far as I can see…"
The other Scribes exchanged looks.
Shock.
Disbelief.
"He lasted this long…" Virek muttered.
"Against her…" Ysira whispered.
"No," Lady Cona said softly.
Her eyes remained closed.
"He's reaching her."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Above them, the storm raged.
And far away, two figures stood at the center of something far bigger than either of them.
What would break first—
the boy,
or the guardian of paradise—
no one knew.
Ten Minutes to Break the Sky
The countdown burned above Veltraxis.
10:00
A silent verdict.
A reminder.
Ryu had been fighting her this long.
Aboard the Ship
The vessel cut through violent winds, rattling under pressure as neon clouds tore past its hull.
Sera gripped the console.
"…Do you think he's okay?"
Her voice wasn't steady.
The tremor from that last clash still lingered in the air. They had felt it. The entire district had felt it.
Luto didn't answer immediately.
He stared forward, jaw tight.
"…He better be."
Flat.
Certain.
His eyes flicked toward the countdown.
09:42
"We don't have time."
He turned to her.
"I need you to do something."
Back to the Battlefield
The debris settled slowly, reluctantly.
Ilyra walked forward, each step measured and controlled. She reached down and picked up her spear.
For the first time, her breathing was uneven.
Short.
Controlled.
But there.
She believed it was over.
"…All units—"
Her voice began linking outward.
"To all active security—secure remaining civilians—"
A cough sounded behind her.
She stopped.
"…You know…"
Ryu.
Still standing.
Barely.
Bloodied. Burned. Bruised beyond reason.
But upright.
"…Ilyra…"
His voice was strained and rough.
"…I didn't get it before."
She turned slowly.
Her eyes widened just slightly.
"…You're still alive."
Ryu laughed weakly.
"Yeah… I'm just as surprised as you."
He stepped forward, shaky but stubborn.
"All those memories Veltraxis kept showing me… they didn't make sense."
A pause.
"But now they do."
Ilyra's gaze sharpened.
"Your point?"
Ryu looked at her directly.
"We're the same."
Silence fell.
Cold.
Immediate.
"…We are not."
"I lost someone too."
That hit.
Ilyra didn't move.
Ryu's voice steadied.
"I know what it feels like. To be powerless. To not be enough."
The storm quieted, just slightly.
"You've been sealed for who knows how many ages… and you still believe in her. One hundred percent."
He swallowed.
"Your mother."
That word cracked something.
For a moment, Ilyra saw herself younger.
Laughing.
Veltra smiling warmly.
Then I'm your mother.
A warm embrace.
Laughter.
Then the memory vanished.
Ilyra stood frozen in the rain.
Ryu smiled softly.
"Maybe one day… we can fight for real."
His stance shifted.
"But right now, I'm done being scared."
The air changed.
Instantly.
Ilyra's eyes snapped wide.
"…Impossible."
Flame ignited around Ryu's wrists.
Green.
Purple.
The crown formed above his head.
This time, it felt heavier.
Ryu staggered for a moment.
Damn… this thing's heavy…
But he didn't fall.
"REGALIA—"
He gritted his teeth.
"CINDER ACCORD!"
Security Sanctum
Lady Cona staggered.
Elder Thalen dropped to one knee.
"…He did it."
"…Alone."
"…Impossible…"
"No," Cona whispered.
"He believed."
The Ship
Luto's eyes widened.
"…That idiot…"
Sera covered her mouth.
"He's—"
"He's actually okay."
Luto grinned.
Wild.
"Of course he is."
Back to Battle
Ilyra stared at him.
At the crown.
At the flame.
For a moment, she didn't see Ryu.
She saw Veltra.
Something ignited inside her.
For the first time, she smiled.
"Then…"
She raised her stance.
"Bring it on."
They moved instantly.
Their fists collided, sending a shockwave through the ruined street.
Both were thrown back.
Both were grinning.
Then both ran again, parallel to each other through the storm, two paths about to collide.
They clashed in close quarters.
Ryu adapted.
Bent.
Twisted.
Dodged.
Countered.
Ilyra matched him with perfect form, precision, and control.
She pushed him back relentlessly until Ryu slipped, falling backward.
Ilyra lunged with a finishing strike.
But even then—
Ryu smiled.
His palm opened.
Flame erupted.
Ilyra's eyes widened as she twisted aside, the blast tearing past her and exploding behind.
Ryu flipped back to his feet.
She was already there.
They collided again.
Fists.
Impact.
Movement.
Violence.
Ilyra hurled a building toward him.
Ryu dove through the opening, bursting out into open air above the lower plaza.
She met him midair, spear forming, lightning gathering.
Below, security units flooded the battlefield, weapons ready.
No escape.
No space.
No chance.
Then—
"HEY, JACKASS!"
Everything paused.
Ryu looked up.
A ship cut through the storm.
Luto hung from the open ramp, screaming something Ryu couldn't fully hear.
He pointed toward the port.
Then he lifted an orb in his hand.
That grin.
Ryu smirked.
"…Of course you do."
He twisted midair, kicked off Ilyra, and changed trajectory.
Luto hurled the orb high into the storm.
"NOW, SERA—MOVE!"
The orb ruptured.
Lightning exploded outward.
Rain fell harder.
But wrong.
Electric.
Unstable.
Bolts rained down across the battlefield, striking stone, metal, and security armor.
Security units froze, stunned by the surge.
Ryu dropped through the chaos, dodging, weaving, landing hard before sprinting toward the port.
Ilyra followed.
Untouched.
Untouchable.
They clashed again, closer and faster.
She raised the ground to block him.
He used it.
Pivoted.
Struck.
Sent her back far enough to create distance.
For one second.
02:57
Ryu ran.
No hesitation.
No stopping.
He dodged and leapt through security lines, using his surroundings to block them off rather than injure them.
Then he reached the final stretch.
The alley.
The jump point.
And she was there.
Blocking him.
Ryu grinned.
"…Man. I thought I lost you."
Ilyra smiled back.
"You will not escape."
They charged.
One final clash.
The storm roared around them as their fists tightened.
Two wills moved to collide.
Then Ryu dropped his attack.
Ilyra's eyes widened.
He slipped past her, one hand landing gently on her shoulder.
"…You're amazing."
Everything stopped.
For Ilyra, the battlefield vanished.
Veltra's voice echoed in memory.
You're amazing.
Ilyra froze.
"…What?"
Ryu kept moving.
"Gotta go."
00:30
"Something I gotta do."
He didn't look back.
"Next time, we fight for real."
A breath.
"With my own strength."
He leapt.
Green and purple flames ignited around him.
Then shifted red.
Burning out.
Ilyra turned, reaching after him.
"NO—"
"WAIT!"
Too late.
He soared.
Security units on hover bikes rushed past her, giving chase.
Ilyra didn't move.
She only watched.
Then, softly, she smiled.
"…You lost someone too…"
The crown faded.
The storm eased.
Above, Ryu's flames died.
He fell.
Spent.
Done.
Until a hand grabbed his.
Luto.
"…Took you long enough."
He pulled Ryu inside.
The door slammed shut.
"SERA—GO!"
The ship surged forward.
The edge of Veltraxis was closing.
00:10
Closer.
Closer.
00:00
They broke through.
And Veltraxis sealed behind them.
Silence followed.