Arou stepped forward, raising his sword until its tip pointed directly at the cloaked figure.
"Nova," he said without turning around, "hold back the monsters. I'll deal with him."
Nova gave a short nod. "Don't take too long. I can only hold the situation for so long."
The bird demon slowly tilted its head.
"You're their leader?" its voice sounded flat, completely emotionless.
"I'm enough," Arou replied coldly.
Without warning, an overwhelming pressure exploded from the bird demon's direction. The ground in front of Arou collapsed inward, massive cracks spreading across the battlefield.
Arou slammed his foot down, resisting the pressure with all his strength.
"Now!"
Nova raised both hands. Freezing energy burst outward, forming a massive wall of ice that forced the giant monsters to stop advancing.
Then the first clash happened.
Arou charged forward, his blade cutting through the air toward the bird demon. A violent shockwave exploded between them, forcing both sides back several steps.
Yet the bird demon remained calmly floating in the air.
"Interesting…" it murmured. "Your power is different from the others."
"I'm not fighting alone," Arou answered sharply.
He rushed forward again, this time with more focused strikes. The bird demon raised one hand, forming a thin barrier that blocked the slash—though the impact clearly shook it.
On the other side of the battlefield, Nova was beginning to struggle. Cracks spread across his ice wall as the giant monsters slowly started moving again.
"Hurry, Arou…" Nova muttered. "I can't hold them forever."
Arou gritted his teeth. He focused his aura, and a faint glow began wrapping around his sword.
The bird demon watched with clear interest.
"Very well," it said calmly. "Let's see how long you can survive."
The crimson sky pressed heavily over the battlefield. The giant monsters stood motionless, as if waiting for their next command. Above them, the cloaked figure with the bird-beak mask floated silently, watching everything from the sky.
Arou stepped forward.
Two swords were now gripped tightly in his hands. His aura slowly intensified, his eyes completely locked onto the cloaked figure.
"This ends now," he declared.
He saw an opening.
Arou launched himself forward, both swords crossing as he aimed directly at the figure in the sky—
But before his blades could reach their target—
A powerful kick slammed into Arou from the side.
His body was sent flying across the battlefield, crashing into the ground several meters away. Dust exploded into the air, stopping his attack completely.
"Arou!" Nova shouted.
A new figure landed between Arou and the bird demon.
Black samurai armor completely covered its body. Its helmet revealed no expression, no emotion. In its hand rested a long katana reflecting the red glow of the sky.
Rei narrowed his eyes.
"That… isn't human."
Arou slowly stood up, enduring the pain. Both of his swords rose once again.
"Who are you?"
The figure remained silent.
The bird demon let out a quiet laugh from above.
"Allow me to introduce him," it said calmly.
"This is Samurai-X."
It paused for a moment, allowing the name to sink into everyone's mind.
"My greatest creation," it continued.
"A samurai machine designed to fight, learn, and eliminate the strongest targets."
Nova frowned.
"A robot…"
The bird demon slowly descended closer to the battlefield.
"And since you deserve to know," it said,
"I will introduce myself as well."
Its gaze locked directly onto Arou.
"I am Doctor Plague."
"You could say… the Plague Doctor."
The pressure in the air intensified sharply.
Samurai-X raised its blade into a combat stance. Every movement was precise—without hesitation, without emotion.
Doctor Plague continued coldly:
"Samurai-X was created to be a wall. Not against armies…"
"…but against leaders."
Arou tightened his grip on both swords.
"Then," he said coldly,
"you picked the wrong opponent."
Doctor Plague smiled beneath his mask.
"We'll see."
Samurai-X took a single step forward.
Arou's twin blades now faced the sword of Doctor Plague's samurai creation directly.
The moment Samurai-X advanced, the pressure on the battlefield changed completely. There were no battle cries, no wasted movements—just one single step powerful enough to trigger Arou's combat instincts instantly.
Arou attacked first.
Both swords moved together in a precise cross-pattern aimed directly at vital points.
But Samurai-X moved faster.
The robot samurai raised its blade and blocked both of Arou's swords simultaneously. The clash of steel echoed violently, the shock running straight through Arou's arms.
"—!?"
Arou was pushed back several steps.
Without giving him time to recover, Samurai-X advanced and slashed again. Arou blocked once… then again… but every impact felt heavier than the last.
Samurai-X's movements were flawless.
Too flawless.
It never attacked recklessly. Every strike cut off escape routes, forcing Arou into constant defense.
Nova stared from afar.
"It's reading every movement Arou makes…"
Rei clenched his jaw.
"That's not instinct. It's calculation."
Arou changed his rhythm, twisting his body and attacking from an unpredictable angle.
But Samurai-X was already there.
One swift slash struck the hilt of one of Arou's swords, nearly knocking it away.
Arou jumped backward, breathing heavily now.
Doctor Plague watched calmly from the sky.
"Samurai-X analyzes every swing you make. The longer you fight…"
"…the lower your chances become."
Arou gritted his teeth.
"A machine is still just a machine."
Samurai-X gave no response.
It charged again—faster than before.
The next impact sent Arou flying into the ground. Dust exploded around him, one of his swords stabbing into the earth several meters away.
Silence fell briefly.
Arou slowly stood up, his body feeling unbearably heavy. He pulled his remaining sword free and stood with only one blade left in hand.
Nova tightened his fists.
"Arou… this is bad."
Doctor Plague concluded coldly:
"The difference in power is already clear."
Samurai-X stood calmly before Arou, its blade showing no sign of damage whatsoever.
The final collision slammed Arou violently into the ground. His vision darkened, the sounds of battle fading farther and farther away—
until everything became silent.
Arou lost consciousness.
---
He found himself standing inside an endless empty space. There was no crimson sky, no battlefield—
only emptiness.
Someone stood before him.
Zata.
The figure stared at Arou with a faint smile filled with certainty.
"Why are you so weak?" Zata asked flatly.
Arou frowned, struggling to control his emotions.
"It's not that I'm weak," he answered.
"It's just… the enemy is too strong."
Zata laughed softly, his voice echoing endlessly through the void.
"It's only a robot. How can you lose to a robot?"
Arou clenched his fists.
"Tch… you look down on me just because you're the strongest."
"Hah," Zata smirked.
"So you finally realized it."
Arou stayed silent for a moment before lifting his head.
"Hey, Zata. Can I ask you something?"
Zata tilted his head slightly.
"What?"
Arou looked at him seriously.
"If Airi were here… could she defeat that samurai robot?"
This time, Zata laughed even louder.
"Isn't the answer obvious?"
"That's exactly why I erased her."
Arou's eyes widened.
"Because she could defeat Doctor Plague and Samurai-X?"
Zata gave a light nod.
"Yes."
Arou let out a faint smile.
"Heh… really?"
Zata stepped closer, his overwhelming aura filling the empty space completely.
"Now it's your turn to defeat them."
His sharp gaze pierced directly into Arou.
"Shine, main character."
---
Arou's eyes snapped open.
The crimson sky returned instantly. The sounds of battle and the pressure of the battlefield slammed back into his senses. In front of him, Samurai-X still stood firmly, while Doctor Plague floated calmly overhead.
"Arou…!?" Nova shouted in shock.
Arou rose quickly, as if all his pain had disappeared. Both swords returned to his hands, and his aura surged dramatically—far sharper and heavier than before.
"Robot or not," Arou said coldly,
"I'm not finished yet."
Without hesitation, he launched himself forward—
not only toward Samurai-X,
but toward Doctor Plague as well.
Doctor Plague narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting…"
Samurai-X raised its blade, preparing to intercept.
Arou's twin swords crashed violently against Samurai-X's katana. The impact shook the battlefield, yet the result remained the same—Arou was still being overpowered.
Samurai-X attacked relentlessly. Its movements were precise, cold, and merciless. Arou blocked one strike, then another, but his footing kept sliding backward.
Doctor Plague floated above the battlefield and raised one hand.
"Analysis complete," he said calmly.
"Now… we finish this."
A strange pressure struck Arou from the side, slowing his movements for just a moment.
That moment was enough for Samurai-X.
One devastating slash sent Arou crashing to his knees.
"Arou!"
Emi screamed.
Akari, Shi, Shion, Lumina, Rei, Nora, Nova, Tomo, Haru, and Feeth all tensed at once. None of them could enter the fight.
Samurai-X stepped closer, raising its blade for the final strike.
And then—
the air split apart.
Time itself seemed to stop.
From that裂け目-like fracture in space, Zata appeared.
He descended calmly, and the instant he arrived, Samurai-X froze completely while Doctor Plague fell silent.
"Enough," Zata said briefly.
He walked toward Arou and placed one hand on his shoulder.
"I'll lend you a fraction of my power," he said flatly.
"Use it well."
Something absolute—something unbearably heavy—flowed into Arou's body.
Zata removed his hand, and his form slowly began fading away.
"…Thank you, Zata," Arou said quietly.
Zata disappeared.
---
Arou stood up.
His aura had changed completely.
Both swords were now wrapped in a dense, dark aura—calm, yet overwhelmingly oppressive. The ground beneath his feet trembled and cracked slowly.
Doctor Plague instinctively stepped back.
"…What was that?"
Arou looked directly at Samurai-X.
"It's called," he said coldly,
"Absolute Destruction."
He slowly raised one sword.
"Slash… 0.01%."
Arou swung.
Samurai-X moved quickly, nearly dodging completely. The slash barely grazed past it—
yet the space behind Samurai-X split apart, leaving behind a straight line of destruction that refused to close.
Arou clicked his tongue.
"Tch…"
His aura exploded upward dramatically.
"In that case—"
"100% Slash!"
Arou swung his sword once more.
There was no specific target.
A wave of absolute destruction swept across everything.
Samurai-X was hit directly.
Doctor Plague was consumed by the impact.
Emi, Akari, Shi, Shion, Lumina, Rei, Nora, Nova, Tomo, Haru, and Feeth were all blown away by the overwhelming pressure.
The monsters vanished from the battlefield.
The sky split apart.
The earth shattered.
But the destruction didn't stop within a single world.
The shockwave spread far beyond the atmosphere—
Earth trembled violently,
and somewhere far beyond, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were all struck by the same devastating force.
Finally—
silence.
Arou stood there, breathing heavily. His swords trembled as his aura slowly faded away.
He stared across the ruined battlefield.
"…I went too far."
And somewhere unseen—
Zata watched silently.