Cesar and Emilio had arrived, accompanied by Joy—now officially a member of the Fauvism 's Fighter Division. Together, they approached the area where Team Kaos's base was supposedly located.
They were already aware that the National Division had launched an attack on the base, but they had no intention of assisting their rivals. Their goal was singular: eliminate Jayden and Merrick.
From a safe distance, the three observed the battle through a specialized scope.
"Looks like a two-on-two match between the National Division and those guys from Team... Mayos?" Emilio squinted, tilting his head.
"It's Team Kaos, you idiot," Cesar snapped
"Anyway, I'm going after that bastard Merrick. You and Joy search for Jayden."
"Alright. Just remember—let the fight wear them down first. When they're exhausted, we strike. We'll kill them without wasting our own energy."
"Good thinking,"
"Actually, it was my idea," Joy interjected.
"Then it's a good idea, Joy. Now enough talk. Time to go hunting."
With that, the trio split up to hunt their respective targets.
Elsewhere, the battle between Jayden and Clara against Sam and David had already begun.
Jayden drew his weapon, lightning crackling in his grip, while Clara unfurled her thorned whip. Sam summoned his infamous "Glass Wall" weapon, a translucent shield embedded with jagged, deadly shards. David readied his own tool—a gauntlet laced with slicing winds.
Jayden struck first, launching a bolt of lightning toward both enemies. They leapt back just in time, the crackling energy barely missing them.
As David landed, he was immediately targeted again. Jayden launched metal shards infused with electricity. David countered by slashing with his wind-imbued gauntlet, but Jayden's attack was too forceful. Though David dodged just in time, the metal still grazed his leg, drawing blood.
"From this, I can tell," David growled, "you already know how my powers work, don't you, bastard?"
"Yeah, I know your filthy little tricks," Jayden replied coldly.
"You insolent worm! I'll shut that mouth of yours."
David vanished and reappeared multiple times in quick succession, attempting to strike Jayden from every direction. In response, Jayden enveloped himself in a lightning shield. David channeled more slicing wind into his weapon, trying to breach the barrier—but Jayden countered with another electrified shard and surrounded himself with them, making physical contact nearly impossible.
Jayden couldn't afford to let David touch him. If David's cursed energy made contact, the battle would be lost. Every member of Team Kaos knew this; they had all agreed to avoid direct contact with David at all costs.
David grew frustrated. No one had ever successfully kept him at bay like this before.
Jayden saw the change in his enemy's expression.
"What are you thinking now?" he asked warily.
"I'm not thinking," David smirked. "I'm simply eager... eager to see something."
"And what would that be?"
"The look of despair on your face when you realize you've lost."
"You talk big. This fight has just begun, and I haven't even shown my full strength yet."
"Don't get cocky. Just because you've avoided my touch doesn't mean you've won. And besides, this is a team battle… and your partner's already lost."
"What!?"
Jayden turned toward Clara's side of the field. His eyes widened in shock. Clara lay unconscious on the ground, while Sam stood above her, bloodied but victorious, a shard of glass raised to deliver a killing blow.
Jayden reacted instantly. Channeling lightning into his weapon, he hurled it at Sam. The latter dodged in the nick of time, the attack missing his face by inches.
If Jayden had been even a second late, Clara would have died.
David seized the opening and lunged. Jayden managed to block the incoming wind slashes, though barely—his focus shattered by Clara's peril. David exploited the crack in his defenses and pierced through with a direct strike to Jayden's chest, slicing deep.
Jayden fell, chest bloodied, pain radiating through his ribs. David and Sam approached, cruel amusement in their eyes.
"So," Sam said mockingly, "should we kill you first, Jayden Durbin? Or maybe your little friend Clara Tidman?"
"You bastards…" Jayden growled.
Sparks erupted from his body as he unleashed a lightning wave. The two opponents blocked it with their respective abilities. Still wounded, Jayden forced himself to his feet and dashed toward Clara.
But David reappeared before him using teleportation, this time launching a sound-based wave that slammed Jayden back to the ground. He closed in for the kill—but before he could strike, a massive fireball burst from behind.
"David, behind you!" Sam shouted.
David reacted just in time, teleporting away before the explosion engulfed the area.
When the smoke cleared, they saw a masked figure supporting Jayden.
It was William.
"Thanks," Jayden panted. "If you hadn't come, I'd be dead… and so would Clara."
"That's what friends are for, right?"
"Yeah…"
Sam and David approached again, annoyed.
"Isn't this cheating?" Sam sneered. "Third-party interference in a two-on-two match?"
"You're right," Jayden admitted. "But isn't it also shameful, Sam, for a man to fight a woman like that? This match wasn't fair from the start. It should've been men vs. men."
"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "But the outcome's the same either way. We're stronger than the three of you combined."
Clara was unconscious but alive. William had already checked her pulse and bandaged her. She wasn't going to fight anymore.
"Leave her out of this," Jayden said, stepping forward. "Let's fight. Just us. Man to man. You up for that?"
David grinned. "Fine. But one condition: if you and your masked friend lose, we kill her too. Are you willing to bet her life?"
Jayden and William exchanged uncertain glances. They didn't have much of a choice.
"We accept," Jayden said.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Merrick and Yuna stood ready for their own confrontation—against two formidable foes: Nina and Hal.
Hal drew his weapon, a long black metallic staff, eerily similar in shape to Luna's weapon, but darker in hue and energy. Nina unveiled her dual-headed spear, its tips sharpened like fangs thirsting for battle. Yuna summoned both her weapons—a crystalized shield and a gleaming bow with elemental arrows—while Merrick drew his sword, its blade glinting with frosted energy.
Nina, a master of wind, acted first. She disappeared in a flash—teleportation—and reappeared above them, casting down a violent tornado laced with slicing gales. But Yuna was ready. She raised her shield and channeled her ice element into it. A wall of frost erupted, blocking the raging winds and protecting both herself and Merrick.
Meanwhile, Hal attacked with his burning staff, lunging toward Merrick with fiery swipes. Merrick met him blade to staff, ice clashing with fire. Though their elements opposed one another, neither combatant gained an edge—their strength matched in raw intensity.
Merrick broke away, positioning his sword horizontally and gathering icy energy around it, forming a glacial aura that spiraled and shimmered. Hal narrowed his eyes, instantly realizing what Merrick was preparing.
"So, you're about to use your special technique," Hal said, gripping his staff tighter.
"And you're preparing yours as well," Merrick replied coolly.
Both combatants had inherited powerful elemental abilities—"Stone Heir" techniques that were nearly impossible to dodge and could be directed with deadly precision.
Hal poured volcanic energy into his black staff, the flames roaring around it. Merrick focused, frost wrapping tighter around his sword.
"Let me show you my skill—Glacial Piercer," Merrick declared.
"And I'll respond with my own—Volcanic Flame Strike!" Hal bellowed.
In unison, they unleashed their techniques.
Merrick launched a concentrated blast of ice, the energy compressed behind and in front of his blade, forming a piercing missile of frost. If it hit, it would not only freeze its target but shatter straight through.
Hal countered with a devastating downward arc of his molten staff, channeling explosive volcanic force with fiery wrath. His strike could incinerate anything it touched.
The two attacks collided in the air—ice and fire roaring, neither willing to yield.
The explosion threw both warriors back.
Merrick and Hal were flung to the ground, wounded and gasping. Both bore cuts and bruises, their clothes scorched and torn.
Using his sword to steady himself, Merrick stood. Hal did the same, leaning heavily on his staff.
"Didn't expect you to be this strong, bastard," Hal muttered with a pained grin.
"Feeling's mutual, bastard," Merrick smirked, blood trickling from his brow.
Despite their fatigue, the two warriors charged again, clashing blade to staff with brutal precision. They were locked in perfect balance once more—until a sudden, unexpected bolt of lightning shot toward Merrick.
He barely dodged it, sweat pouring from his face.
"What the hell…?"
Hal turned sharply, confused and furious that their duel had been interrupted. He followed the lightning's origin—and spotted a masked man, gloved and slowly approaching.
"Who the hell are you!?" Hal demanded.
The masked man didn't answer.
It was Emilio.
He had come for Merrick. This was personal.
He didn't want Hal to recognize him or realize that a member of the Fighter Division was interfering in the National Division's affairs. If Murphy, their cruel leader, found out, he'd execute both Emilio and Cesar without hesitation.
Hal, already annoyed, lunged at Emilio in protest—but Emilio swiftly retaliated, unleashing his bladed star weapon. The counterattack dropped Hal to the ground. He was exhausted from his earlier fight.
Emilio turned back toward Merrick—only to be met with a wave of surging water. Merrick, despite his fatigue, was fighting back.
Emilio blocked the attack using electric currents running through his bladed star, then charged at Merrick. The two clashed again—sword against star.
This time, Emilio released a surge of lightning directly into Merrick's body. Merrick screamed and collapsed, barely conscious. Emilio was preparing to finish the job when—A flaming blow struck Emilio on the back of the head.
Hal had returned.
His fiery staff cracked against Emilio's skull, interrupting the electric charge just before it could kill Merrick. The masked fighter stumbled back, dazed.
"Why did you help me?" Merrick asked Hal, confused as he looked up at him from the dirt. "Aren't we enemies?"
"Yeah, but I don't want anyone interfering in our fight," Hal growled. "Especially some masked freak who thinks he can take my prey."
"You're right," Merrick muttered. "He's hiding his face for a reason. Someone like him can't be trusted."
"Let's team up for now," Hal suggested. "We'll deal with him, then settle our score."
"Agreed."
Hal helped Merrick to his feet. The two warriors raised their weapons again, battered but burning with determination.
Emilio was furious. He hadn't anticipated this unlikely alliance.
But Hal had a code—he believed in fair, one-on-one combat. If someone tried to steal his opponent, even if they were elite, he'd retaliate.
Together, Merrick and Hal charged. Despite being alone, Emilio matched them. Their blades clashed fiercely, lightning sparking between them all.
Realizing he needed to end this quickly, Emilio stepped back and activated his ultimate technique—Star of Thunder.
Each blade of his spinning star began to glow. At the center of each spike, small lightning spheres surged with power. He hurled it toward Merrick.
Merrick and Hal both blocked—Merrick with his water-infused sword, Hal with his fire-empowered staff.
But they were exhausted. The attack broke through.
Both warriors screamed in pain and were hurled to the ground, their bodies scorched and limp.
Emilio approached Merrick. The young warrior barely moved.
Emilio lifted him by the collar.
"Wake up, Merrick," he hissed.
Merrick's eyes fluttered open. The mask was gone. He gasped in recognition.
"You… Emilio?! What are you doing here? You're Fighter Division !"
"How I got here doesn't matter," Emilio laughed darkly. "What matters is why. I came to kill you."
"I knew it… You want revenge."
"Damn right I do. You humiliated me. Cut off my arm like I was a bug… Now I'll cut you into pieces, Isaburo Merrick."
He threw Merrick to the ground and slashed him—across his legs, his arms, his chest. Merrick cried out in agony.
He couldn't move.
Emilio raised his weapon, ready to strike a fatal blow to the head—when suddenly, a shield intercepted the star.
Yuna.
She had teleported in at the last moment using Luna's blood. Emilio had never sensed her approach.
"You won't touch him," she declared, voice shaking with fury.
Without wasting a second, Yuna ran to Merrick's side. Seeing him in such critical condition shattered her.
She immediately began using her healing ability. Drawing water into a vortex, she inserted one of her enchanted arrows into his chest to treat the most urgent wound.
Emilio growled and hurled another lightning bolt.
Yuna evaded using repeated teleportation, then dragged Merrick far from the battle site, placing him near a tree and resuming the healing process.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
"Please… hold on, Merrick. I won't let you die."
Yuna's powers reached their limit. Blood ran from her nose, and even her eyes began to bleed.
But finally—Merrick breathed. His chest heaved as if he had just come back from drowning.
Merrick : "Yuna…what happened? and did you beat that woman Nina ?"
Yuna : "Yeah. One of her lackeys interfered and carried her away, but I didn't chase them. You were the priority."
"But… your eyes… your nose… You're bleeding—"
"It's the cost of healing you. I overused my power "
" And that masked freak? "
" I drove him off and brought you here."
"You… saved me," Merrick muttered.
"Don't apologize. This is war. War doesn't care who's a man or woman, young or old."
Just then, they both sensed an approaching aura—a powerful one.
It was Emilio, again.
Yuna fired a volley of ice arrows, but he blocked them with his lightning-charged star and responded with another bolt of lightning. She met it with a bolt of her own—lightning against lightning.
Emilio froze in shock.
"Wait… You're using water and lightning? Two weapons… two elements?"
"Yes," Yuna replied coldly. "And I'll be the one to kill you."
Emilio's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected Yuna to be this strong—or this furious. But she wasn't just angry.
She was devastated.
To her, Merrick wasn't just a teammate. He was like an older brother—someone she and Luna admired deeply, just like their friend Sony. And Emilio had hurt him—nearly killed him. That was unforgivable for her
"You're strong," Merrick muttered from where he lay nearby, still unable to move. "But you're exhausted, Yuna… You fought Nina already. Let me—"
"No," she interrupted firmly. "I healed myself. I'm fine. You're the one who nearly died. Rest, Merrick. I've got this."
She drew her bow again, water and electricity coiling around it like living serpents. As she sprinted forward, she launched arrow after arrow, charging them with blinding voltage.
Emilio deflected them with his electrified star, each clash sending violent sparks across the battlefield.
Their speed increased. Yuna darted left and right, teleporting unpredictably using the blood of Luna. Her aim was precise. Her arrows relentless.
Emilio matched her, but it was clear—he was starting to fall behind.
Yuna leapt back and prepared her trump card.
"Let's end this," she whispered.
She summoned her special technique—The Storm Spirals.
In her hands, ten arrows glowed—each one laced with vortexes of water and lightning. Their energy swirled violently, the storm contained within each tip.
She fired them all at once.
Emilio's eyes widened. He knew he couldn't dodge them all.
Desperate, he activated his own ultimate skill: The Star of Thunder. Each blade of his spinning star ignited with a glowing orb of compressed electricity. He hurled it, trying to counter Yuna's incoming storm.
The two ultimate skills clashed.
A deafening explosion rocked the earth. Wind, lightning, and water tore across the trees and cracked the ground beneath them.
When the smoke cleared…
Emilio lay motionless on the ground.
His body was wrecked. Parts of him were frozen, others charred and burned. Some arrows were still lodged in his flesh. His limbs trembled. His breaths were shallow.
Yuna approached him slowly, eyes devoid of mercy.
Emilio tried to raise his head to speak, but the pain held him down.
"Any… last words?" she asked coldly.
"Before I die… just tell me how you did it…" he coughed.
Yuna paused.
"I'll tell you," she said. "But first…"
She fired a small electric spark—not at his heart, but at his pocket.
"W-What…?" Emilio stammered.
"You were recording me," she said simply.
He stared in shock.
"How did you know…?"
"I sensed faint electric energy coming from your pocket. It didn't belong to you—it was artificial. A device. Probably a recorder. And since you kept asking about my powers, it was clear you wanted proof to bring back to your allies."
Emilio let out a breathless, amused chuckle. "I didn't expect… this."
"No one expects me," she said icily. "Now I'll answer your question. I'm one of two heirs of the legendary Tominako Reed. That's all you need to know."
"Tominako… Reed?" he repeated weakly. "I don't… understand…"
"Good. I'm not in the mood to explain it anyway."
Yuna raised her hand, glowing with pale blue frost.
"Now… die."
She activated Ice Dismantling—an ability that completely disassembled her target with ice on all of Emilio's body only his head remained intact.
Elsewhere, Jayden was standing beside William, both of them ready to resume their own deadly confrontation.
Meanwhile, Emilio—who had come to kill—was now dead.
But what of Caesar, Emilio's ally?
He had gone to hunt Jayden, alongside Joy.
Would he succeed where Emilio failed?
Or would his fate be the same?