Ryu moved like a walking calamity.
Each step erased what stood before him. Stone shattered. Steel twisted. Entire streets collapsed beneath his weight, as though the city itself were pleading for mercy. The ground screamed under his feet, fractures spreading outward like veins of destruction.
At the end of the ruined street, two figures stood their ground.
Small.
Wounded.
Unyielding.
Hima Saeed's fists were clenched tight, blood dripping steadily from her arm and staining the shattered pavement beneath her boots. Kaizen Ryujin stood beside her, his aura flaring violently—bright, unstable—pushing back the fear clawing at his core.
Ryu stopped.
His massive form loomed over them, crimson gaze locking onto their fragile silhouettes.
"Move from my way," he growled, contempt thick in his voice.
"You little brats… or I'll end up killing you both."
Kaizen didn't flinch.
"Whether you kill us," he said, teeth clenched, voice steady despite the tremor in his soul,
"or destroy us—"
Hima stepped forward, pain screaming through her body, yet her stance never wavered.
"We're not moving away."
For a brief moment—
The world held its breath.
---
The Zenin household shook violently.
Walls groaned as though the city's foundation itself were unraveling. Lamps rattled, wooden beams cracked, and the air grew heavy—thick with dread, warped by the presence of something ancient and malicious drawing closer.
The hum of critical energy twisted into instability.
Tomioka burst through the front gate.
His global form flickered violently, struggling to remain intact. Sweat streamed down his temple as his hands trembled, fighting to maintain control. He barely noticed the destruction around him—his focus was singular.
"Suzune!" he called urgently.
Suzune Zen rushed toward him, face pale, eyes wide.
"Tom… what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Before he could answer, a small voice echoed from the corner.
"Rein…?"
Tomioka froze.
Rein stepped forward hesitantly, confusion clouding his face.
"Sensei…?"
Tomioka straightened immediately, forcing his breathing to slow. He wiped his face, carefully shaping his expression into something calmer—something safe.
"Rein," he said gently. "What are you doing here? Where's Star and Ash?"
Suzune looked down, fingers tightening around her sleeve.
"They went outside… just a moment ago."
Tomioka clenched his fists.
His aura flared, rippling the air.
"Good," he said after a breath. His voice was firm—but something beneath it trembled.
"Then listen to me carefully."
He knelt slightly, meeting Rein's eyes.
"Rein—take Ash and Suzune. Leave the city. Head straight for the Black Dynasty. Now."
Rein's eyes widened.
"Sensei…? Why all of a sudden?"
Suzune stepped closer, fear finally breaking through her composure.
"Tom, what are you doing? You're scaring me."
Tomioka turned slightly away, jaw tightening.
"Xaphan's children have attacked the city," he said quietly.
"There's no time to explain. You need to hurry."
Each word cut deeper than the last.
The door slid open.
Ash stood there, panting, dirt smeared across his face.
"You're late… again, Dad."
Tomioka froze.
The chaos, the dread, the looming disaster—everything fell silent.
His eyes softened instantly. The storm within him collapsed into something unbearably human.
He forced a smile, even as his voice cracked.
"I'm sorry… Next time, I'll come early. I promise."
The words echoed painfully against memory.
He let out a weak chuckle—one no one was meant to hear.
For a fleeting moment, his mind drifted.
Falling petals.
Suzune beside him.
Her hands trembling as she held his beneath a clear sky untouched by war.
He remembered her smile the first time she spoke his name as his wife.
Tomioka.
Then—
Ash's birth.
So small. So fragile.
He had been terrified to hold him, afraid his own strength might harm the tiny life resting in his arms. Suzune had laughed softly, guiding his hands, telling him it was alright.
And Star—
Star had cried louder than Ash, stubborn even as a newborn. Tomioka remembered laughing through tears, realizing then that no matter how strong he became, he would never be strong enough to protect them from everything.
And then—
Another cry.
Softer.
Quieter.
The second child.
Astra.
Twins.
The room had been full that day. Too full. Suzune, exhausted yet smiling, holding Star close while Astra slept peacefully beside him.
And standing near the doorway—
Ryojin Kiyotaka.
His master.
The silence that followed still haunted him.
The words spoken that day had not felt real, even as he heard them.
Astra would live.
But not here.
Ryojin had knelt before him, voice steady, eyes resolute.
"Let me take the second child," he had said.
"I will raise him as my own. I will keep him alive."
Tomioka had wanted to scream.
Instead, he nodded.
He remembered holding Astra one last time—memorizing his warmth, the rhythm of his breathing—before placing him into Ryojin's arms.
That was the first time Tomioka learned what it meant to survive by letting go.
The present crashed back violently.
Tomioka grabbed Ash's wrist and Suzune's hand, pulling them toward the door. His grip was firm—desperate. His eyes glistened.
Suzune turned back, her voice barely a whisper.
"Come back as soon as possible…"
"I promise I won't die," Tomioka replied softly.
Ash struggled violently.
"What's going on? Who's dying?! Dad—where are you going?! Let me go already!"
Rein tightened his grip, shouting over the shaking walls.
"Shut up, Ash! Just—keep running!"
The house shook again.
A deep tremor rolled through the ground as dark energy flooded the air, suffocating the room with fear.
The presence was closer now.
Too close.
Tomioka reached the doorway—
And stopped.
His hand trembled.
He watched his family disappear into the distance, their figures growing smaller with every step.
His chest tightened until breathing hurt.
"This could be…" His voice broke.
"…our last conversation…"
Tears finally fell.
"I didn't even get to hold Star…"
His voice shattered.
"…or Astra… one last time."
His fingers curled slowly into a fist.
Not in fear.
In resolve.
"Live," he whispered into the darkness.
"Both of you."
And Tomioka Zeki turned back toward the darkness.
END OF CHAPTER 7