The battlefield was more than just a place of war. It was a living hell—where the ground cracked under the weight of clashing energies, and the sky trembled as if on the verge of tearing apart. The world itself seemed to reject the existence of this battle.
Raine stood, his glowing eyes shimmering with a dark radiance, while the Black Butterfly behind him beat its wings slowly, sending invisible ripples through space.
On the other side, the mysterious man remained still. But this time… he was no longer as calm as before.
He was watching the Black Butterfly, his eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity… and concern.
"I didn't think you'd reach this stage so quickly," the man finally said, his voice quiet, yet carrying an undertone of tension.
Raine didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
Instead, he extended his hand forward, and with a single motion, the ground beneath him shattered as he launched himself forward.
His movement was fast—faster than ever before. It wasn't just speed; it was as if the distance between him and the man had ceased to exist.
But the man was no less prepared.
The moment Raine approached, the man raised his hand, and in an instant, the space between them transformed into a maze of temporal blades, dancing like shattered glass.
Raine didn't stop.
He charged straight through.
And burned them.
The moment he touched them, the temporal energies trembled, but they didn't hold. They crumbled into ash, as if their very existence had never been real.
The man's eyes widened slightly.
"So… you've already broken the seal?"
But Raine didn't give him time to process it.
His fist was already there.
The punch struck the man's body, but at the last moment, the energy diverted—like the world itself had bent to protect him.
This wasn't just defense.
It was something else entirely.
"Did you think I'd just stand by while you tried to end this fight?" the man said, and this time, his voice was different—more like someone who had finally decided to abandon his previous game.
Then, he raised his hand.
And in an instant, everything disappeared.
Raine found himself somewhere else.
A place with no color, no sound, no life.
It was nothingness itself.
But he wasn't alone.
Because there was someone else standing before him.
And it wasn't that man.
It was… another version of himself.
"What is this…?" Raine murmured, and for a moment—for the first time in a long time—he felt true confusion.
The other version of himself said nothing.
But it smiled.
And in that moment, Raine understood—this was not just another battle.
It was a confrontation with something he wasn't ready for.
Suddenly, the void shattered, and Raine was back in the fight—as if nothing had happened.
But this time… something was different.
The man was still there, watching him. But his gaze had changed.
"So, you saw it."
Raine didn't reply, but he could feel his heart beating in an unfamiliar rhythm.
What was that?
Who was that person?
But there was no time to think.
Because the battle wasn't over yet.
It had only just begun.
To be continued…
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