The battlefield lay scarred and silent. Smoke curled into the sky, and the scent of scorched earth filled the air. Ryota was unconscious, lying motionless beside Ren. Darius stood not far away, his cold eyes fixed on his opponent. His left arm, freshly forged from ice magic, shimmered ominously in the fading light.
Ren clenched his jaw. Carrying Ryota on his back made movement harder, but he couldn't leave him behind. His breathing was steady, but his heart was racing.
"He's coming…" Ren whispered, eyes glowing faintly.
Darius dashed forward, the ground beneath him freezing instantly, increasing his momentum like a gliding blade. His ice sword gleamed as he slashed with brutal precision.
But Ren dodged—once, twice, again. Each move was perfectly timed.
Foresight.
Ren had honed it over the past year. The ability had sharpened so much that it now activated when danger reached a certain level. He could sense incoming attacks a fraction of a second before they landed.
Sword after sword strike came, and Ren evaded all of them.When Darius was close Ren used Aero waves to push away Darius.He landed hardly on a wall.
From the corner of his eye, Ren spotted Akito standing nearby.
"Hey, you!" Ren shouted. "Take him away! I can't fight like this."
Akito instantly responded. He dashed forward, took Ryota onto his back, and disappeared from the scene.
Ren turned back. Now he could fight with his full strength.
But the sight before him sent a chill through his spine.
Darius was walking toward him slowly, his face half-covered in blood, his expression even colder than before. The ice on his body shimmered violently.
Ren murmured, "What kind of monster is he…?"
Both charged.
Darius slashed his ice sword, and Ren blocked with his Atomic Control. Sparks flew as weapon met weapon. Their attacks quickened. Ren struck Darius's ice arm—it shattered—but regrew instantly.
Again they clashed. Their movement blurred, speed increasing by the second.
Ren broke the arm again, and again it reformed.
Ren even attack and destroyed the left arm but it grew with an new ice arm.
Suddenly—Foresight triggered.
Ren saw Darius readying another sword in his right arm, aiming directly for his abdomen. Snapping back to reality, Ren quickly conjured a thick energy shield just in time to stop the stab.
They pushed away from each other. Darius's face showed brief surprise, but he remained calm.
Ren launched Aero Waves, energy pulses slicing through the air. Darius moved swiftly, dodging effortlessly.
Ren's foresight triggered again. This time, Darius conjured icy pointed-shaped projectiles and flung them across the battlefield. Ren dove behind cover.
"This guy…" Ren thought, panting, "He's not normal."
Meanwhile, watching from a distance, Misaki and Airi observed the fight.
"Should we interfere?" Airi asked.
Misaki's eyes narrowed. "No. That monster is protecting him. There's no need."
Back in battle, Ren used a wave burst to launch himself forward, but Darius countered with a sudden dash. Ren evaded, but not without injury—blood oozed from his side.
"Why didn't foresight activate this time?" Ren wondered.
But strangely, the pain began to fade. Something was… off.
Still, he focused. As Darius came at him again, something even more unbelievable happened—Ren could now see both the future and the present at the same time.
His movements became fluid, perfect. He dodged every single strike, each one faster than the last.He flew to air using atomic control.
Darius growled, "I'll kill you even if I turn to ice itself!"
His body began to shift—half of it encased in thick ice, yet his mobility stayed perfect. He looked like an ancient warrior molded from glaciers.
Darius unleashed a massive ice storm. Ren dodged.
But Darius was already there.
Their attacks collided midair—shockwave of fist against dual ice swords. Each strike more powerful than the last.
Ren used Atomic Control, compressing the air particles below him. With a burst, he launched himself like a cannonball, charging straight at Darius.
But the gap between foresight and reality was shrinking. Fast.
Darius ran up into the sky using pillars of ice, now fully transformed into an ice-armored beast. He raised both blades, charging with deadly speed.
Even with foresight, Ren struggled. The visions were breaking apart. His power couldn't keep up.
Darius's attack closed in.
But right then—Darius collapsed midair he started to fall down as the body of ice shattered in pieces.
Ren, still in combat stance, stared in shock. "Wait… what just happened?"
Silence.