The Center Arena
Diamond thorns still held Altair tightly, making him struggle in vain to break free. The audience fell silent; the only sound was the cracking of the ground as Riftbreaker descended from the stands. Each step caused the arena floor to rumble, fragments floating like black dust.
Feran turned, his cold gaze meeting Riftbreaker's dragon-like eyes. Both were silent, only the footsteps growing faster… louder… until finally, the distance between them vanished.
With a sharp motion, Feran unsheathed two diamond-plated daggers. The light from the clear crystals reflected like star flashes. In an instant, he swung a cross-slash that could cleave steel.
But Riftbreaker's hand transformed—shimmering black dragon scales covered his arm and palm. With ease, he blocked Feran's slash; the friction of diamond and dragon scales was deafening, like metal screaming.
"I like you, kid…" Riftbreaker smiled, his eyes sharp, full of fighting passion.
Feran snorted, without lowering his weapons. "Well… I don't like you, suddenly bothering me."
Without warning, the duel began.
Feran leaped backward, then immediately darted forward with incredible speed. His daggers cut the air, leaving trails of diamond light. Riftbreaker raised his hand, his scales glowing dark red, then slashed back with brutal force.
Boommm!
Their collision exploded the arena floor. Fragments of earth and diamond shards flew, some hitting the arena barrier, causing it to crack.
Feran spun, his two daggers crossed, forming a sharp formation. He rained down rapid attacks on Riftbreaker, dozens of slashes in seconds. From afar, it looked like a swirling storm of crystal light.
But Riftbreaker parried everything with his scaled hands, even occasionally slamming a dragon fist that created a shockwave, toppling arena pillars.
"Fast… but still lacking depth," Riftbreaker said calmly, then slammed his fist into the ground. Large cracks spread across the entire arena, stone pillars jutting out, trying to crush Feran.
Feran didn't retreat. He jumped among the ruins, coating his feet with diamond crystal for stable grip. With a full push, he launched into the air, then dropped down like a meteor, his diamond-plated daggers shining sharply.
"Diamond Execution!" he shouted.
Feran's daggers struck Riftbreaker's hand—
Kraakkk!!!
The dragon scales cracked for the first time; black blood flowed slightly. Riftbreaker stared at the wound, then laughed in satisfaction.
"Hahaha! Good! I'm starting to really like you!"
Feran smiled coldly, drawing his daggers back. "In that case… let's see who falls first."
They charged again; the clash of diamond against dragon scales filled the arena, the loud noise causing all spectators to hold their breath.
The Silent Figure and The Shift in the Inner World
Loud thuds echoed, diamond against dragon scales. Every collision made the ground tremble, spectators cheering at the brutal duel between Feran and Riftbreaker.
However… on the other side of the arena, Altair was still bound by diamond thorns. He was no longer struggling. His body was still, his head only bowed, as if running out of energy.
Suddenly… the thorns trembled. From the ground, pitch-black, metallic-glowing roots emerged, like gripping hands. Slowly, the diamond thorns wrapped around Altair were pulled back into the earth.
"HAHAHAHA YOU GUYS ARE HAVING FUN, NOW IT'S MY T-Ugh." Altair suddenly fell silent. He looked down at the ground and stood like a statue.
Altair stood free—but he didn't move, nor did he look at anyone. He just stood silently with his head bowed, like a statue.
Some spectators immediately noticed.
"Heh, what did he just say?" Kael quickly glanced towards Altair. "Wow, he really broke free from those thorns…" Kael said with sparkling eyes.
Other spectators immediately turned their heads too. Their eyes focused on Altair who now stood free.
"Cheh… now he's just silent." Rex crossed his arms.
"Maybe he really ran out of energy," Nocturnus replied with a faint smile.
Their attention quickly returned to Feran and Riftbreaker's duel. Altair was ignored.
Inside Altair's Mind – The Dark Throne Room
The atmosphere was quiet, dim stars floating in the dark sky. Altair—or rather his body—was trapped in the inner space. From the darkness, a figure exactly like him appeared, but his eyes were pitch black, his body covered in pulsating fragments of dark steel.
"Huh? Where am I…?" the figure mumbled. This was Steel Debris, the living form of Altair's power awakened during the awakening, the manifestation of his power.
Suddenly another voice was heard from behind. Calm, authoritative.
"You've controlled his body long enough."
Steel Debris turned around. In the distance, a beautiful throne stood, black with an aura of flickering stars surrounding it. Roniver sat there, his gaze cold yet full of control.
"It's you, then…" Steel Debris sneered, his voice full of mockery. "A parasite who's just taking up space here. And now you want to disturb me?"
He raised his hand. From his hand, a large black sword formed. Without hesitation, he ran towards Roniver's throne, ready to slash.
But before he could get close, Steel Debris's feet seemed to be forcibly pulled down. An invisible gravity slammed into his body. He was thrown to the ground, held down as if the entire universe was crushing him.
"AAAAARRRGHHH!!!" he screamed full of rage, his body completely suppressed.
Roniver simply raised one hand, his expression remaining calm.
"Now let me handle it. Return to your cage."
Steel Debris roared, his face full of hatred.
"DAMN! DAMN! YOU LOCKED ME UP ALL THIS TIME! I WAS JUST FREE AND YOU'RE LOCKING ME UP AGAIN!!"
"DON'T GET IN MY WAY!"
He writhed, his eyes blazing intensely.
"I am… his pure power! You are just a parasite! Don't act like a guardian, you are just the shadow of an outdated king! I am more entitled to that body than you!" Steel Debris yelled, his body beginning to fade, forcibly pulled into the darkness.
His screams echoed, then his black body began to crack and shatter into black metal fragments, before disappearing, swallowed by the darkness.
Roniver let out a quiet sigh. He glanced to the side, where Altair lay passed out on a simple bed, his body seeming fragile and exhausted.
"Hah… having great power will only be a burden for him." Roniver stood from his throne, his dark cloak billowing. "Let me finish this. You rest peacefully… here."
Back to the Arena – Reality
Altair, who was previously bowed, suddenly raised his face. His eyes now glowed a bright purple—different from before. His gaze was sharp, a mixture of dark and calm aura enveloped him.
The spectators who had been ignoring him now started to get goosebumps. They felt something was different… as if the person standing there was no longer Altair.
The audience watched Altair, who had been bowed, now slowly lift his head. Both his eyes were open, but different—his pupils glowed bright purple, his aura had changed, calm yet unsettling.
"…Huh?" Kael instantly froze, sensing a strange presence different from the previous Altair.
Even Feran, who was fighting, briefly glanced over, his eyebrows furrowing. Riftbreaker also turned for a moment, his wide smile growing wider. "Heh… finally awake, that kid."
Feran was drenched in sweat, the two diamond-plated daggers in his hands constantly reflecting the arena light. Every slash hit Riftbreaker's scales, but none pierced deep.
"Hahaha! It's really fun, kid. I'll get a little serious to honor your seriousness."
Riftbreaker's voice deepened. His body began to crack and swell, red mixed with black scales spreading, large black horns jutting out from his head. In an instant, his body was half-dragon, half-human, with a blazing aura that shook the entire arena.
"Wow… that's a cool surprise," Feran said, though his eyes remained watchful.
Riftbreaker took a deep breath, ready to charge. But before he could even take a step—
WOOOSHHH!!!
A strong gravity suddenly pressed down on his body. As if a giant hand was pressing from above, Riftbreaker was thrown backward, hitting the arena wall until its cracks spread to the stands.
"HAAAAGGHH!!" Riftbreaker growled, trying to get up, but his body continued to be suppressed.
In the center of the arena, stood Altair. But it was not the Altair they knew. His eyes glowed bright purple, his face calm and emotionless. From his outstretched palm, a gravitational pressure radiated like an invisible wave.
"Hei Feran," Altair's voice sounded different—deeper, more authoritative. "Bring Lazric here. We're leaving."
Feran froze. His instinct immediately knew: that was not Altair. He stared sharply. "Who are you? You're clearly not Altair… and not his power either."
The figure smiled faintly. "Haha… I'll explain later. For now, just think of me as Altair's babysitter."
Without hesitation, Feran ran to the edge of the arena. He collapsed the iron wall he had previously created, retrieved Lazric who was lying weakly behind it, then carried his younger brother on his back. At full speed, he returned to Altair.
Meanwhile, the figure of "Altair" just stood calmly, like a king awaiting his followers.
From above, Fulguran finally spoke, his voice echoing throughout the stands. "I know that aura. You… are one of that race, aren't you?"
The figure of Altair lifted his chin, smiling. "Haha, you're right. It seems this boy once met one of us, right?"
Fulguran clenched his fist. "Correct. Your race is very annoying. And now… one of you is interfering with the body of the boy I am supposed to kill."
"In that case," Altair replied lightly, "you must already know what I'm going to do?"
Altair's aura radiated heavier, creating a crushing feeling that made it difficult even to breathe.
Fulguran snorted. "Damn. I'll allow it this time."
Altair only smiled in satisfaction.
Feran returned with Lazric on his back. Altair raised a hand, causing the diamond binding Quartzis to simply release. He lifted Quartzis's body with one hand, as if he weighed nothing.
Beneath their feet, a black circle appeared, runes spinning with a purplish light. A similar symbol lit up above their heads.
"Goodbye," Altair said, waving lightly. "Hope you can find us."
BLAAARRP!!
In an instant, the black-purple light swallowed them. The bodies of Altair, Feran, Lazric, and Quartzis vanished from the arena.
The audience fell silent, confused.
"M-m-master… they disappeared," Kael's voice trembled.
"It's fine," Fulguran replied calmly. "It would be troublesome to get involved with him now. We wouldn't have been able to stop that teleportation either."
"Teleportation, huh?" Rex growled.
"Exactly," Veyron chimed in. "We've met that race before."
Spectralis chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "Yes… even the weakest among them are enough to trouble us."
Everyone turned to Fulguran, awaiting his final word.
Fulguran stared at the empty arena, his voice heavy.
"And the name of that race… is Aethran."