LightReader

Chapter 55 - Chapter 53: Intersecting Shadows: Power Struggles and Dark Secrets

Chapter 53

Spailo and Raizo stared ahead, where the Phantom of Onoko Yamato stood firmly, her sharp gaze piercing through the silence. Suddenly, without warning, the Phantom lunged at them. Her long white hair flowed as if an extension of her will, rushing toward its target with terrifying speed.

Shock flashed across Raizo and Spailo's faces as they watched the hair extend like a serpent. Raizo, overcome with panic, tried to flee, but the strands were faster. They wrapped tightly around his body, restraining him, while more strands shot toward Spailo.

In an instant, Spailo's expression turned serious. A crimson blade shot out from his body like a sword, slicing through the approaching hair. The severed strands fell to the ground as Raizo's voice rang out in desperation:

"Help me!"

Spailo's eyes never left the Phantom of Onoko, who stood before them like a towering force, her gaze unyielding. He spoke in a calm voice, yet it carried the weight of an order:

"Turn into your Phantom! Save yourself!"

Raizo groaned in frustration, struggling against the tightening grip of the hair:

"I can't! I exhausted my energy today!"

Spailo raised an eyebrow, clear mockery in his tone:

"What?! You have limits this pathetic?!"

Raizo growled in frustration:

"Shut up, you idiot!"

In a sudden motion, the strands flung Raizo down with brutal force. The impact shattered the ground, leaving deep cracks in its wake.

Onoko Yamato's gaze shifted to Spailo. Her voice was deep and chilling:

"You are my enemy… It's clear that you are strong. I am here to kill anyone who harms Suero."

Spailo let out a small chuckle, placing a hand over his face to conceal his amused smirk before lowering it and speaking with defiance:

"Oh, and perceptive too! How did you figure out that I'm strong?!"

Without hesitation, Onoko Yamato charged at Spailo, each step shaking the ground like a moving earthquake. Yet, he remained in place, his expression dripping with mockery, hands still tucked in his pockets.

She reached out toward him, and violet energy swirled into a vortex in her palm. A blazing purple spark shot toward Spailo at lightning speed. He watched it approach and muttered with boredom:

"How dull."

With a flick of his finger, a crimson blade shot toward the spark. However, it did nothing—the blade passed through the energy without disrupting it. Spailo's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he murmured:

"What?! It wasn't cut?!"

The spark struck him, but in the instant of impact, his form vanished like a Ghostly, leaving the energy to crash into the ground. The resulting explosion sent shockwaves through the area, fracturing the earth beneath it. Dust and debris filled the air, leaving behind nothing but silence.

Moments later, Spailo reappeared elsewhere, far from the point of impact. Onoko Yamato watched him, her expression still locked in unwavering seriousness.

In his mind, Spailo's thoughts burned with excitement:

"My Sequential slices didn't work?! This is interesting! I need to uncover the secret behind her technique."

A crazed grin spread across his face, his amusement clear as Onoko Yamato continued to watch him with a quiet, lethal intensity.

Far from them, Suero knelt on the ground, struggling to grasp the situation. His eyes remained fixed on the battle, silent yet filled with awe.

In the Raimo Clan's Territory

Trainer Surichi walked calmly beside Mr. Oda, their expressions reflecting wisdom and composure. Behind them stretched the clan's land—a barren desert where the wind howled in a low, eerie tone. Both had their hands in their pockets when Surichi broke the silence with quiet ease:

"I didn't expect to see you here."

Oda smirked slightly, his voice even calmer as he replied:

"I also came to destroy the clan… we just happened to meet."

A moment of silence passed before Oda continued, his tone carrying the weight of wisdom:

"We have wiped out the Raimo Clan. Do you think everyone will succeed in the rest of the mission?"

Surichi, gazing toward the distant horizon, responded:

"I don't know, but I trust them. Once we complete the mission successfully, we will free Sbyam Brius from containment."

Oda suddenly stopped, while Surichi kept walking. It wasn't until a few steps later that Surichi realized Oda was no longer beside him. Turning back, he found Oda standing still, staring at the ground with an unsettling silence.

Surichi approached slowly, curiosity evident on his face:

"Mr. Oda? Is everything alright?"

The wind carried grains of sand through the air, adding an ominous weight to the atmosphere. As Surichi stood right in front of Oda, he spoke again:

"Mr. O—"

Oda interrupted him, his voice sharp and filled with bitterness:

"Trainer Surichi..."

Surichi remained silent as Oda continued, his tone laced with resentment and disgust:

"No matter how much we destroy this system, we gain nothing!"

Surichi frowned in confusion:

"What do you mean, Mr. Oda?"

Oda slowly lifted his head, though his gaze remained fixed on the ground:

"The enemies aren't here… They're outside."

A look of shock crossed Surichi's face, but Oda pressed on, his words tearing through the heavy silence:

"Only the people of Kaisima live under this oppression. The monsters we fight here… they are merely pieces of a larger game."

Oda turned his sharp gaze to Surichi, his eyes filled with unwavering conviction:

"The monsters exist only here. Beyond this land… there is nothing."

Surichi continued staring at him in stunned silence as the chilling wind howled, draping the moment in an air of unsettling mystery.

---

Beside the Stone Fortress

Brylo held Sbyam with all his strength, his eyes gleaming with provocation, while Sbyam glared at him with rising fury. Brylo taunted, his tone dripping with mockery:

"Kill me! Do it before the world kills me itself."

Before Sbyam could respond, he vanished in an instant, leaving Brylo clutching at nothing but air. Brylo's eyes widened in shock. Before he could process what had happened, Sbyam appeared beside him like a Ghostly and struck him with a brutal kick to the face.

Brylo's body flung through the air like a broken doll, blood spraying from his nose as he crashed into the fortress wall with a thunderous impact.

Sbyam roared, his eyes ablaze with fury:

"It doesn't matter who stands in my way! I will protect my students… even if it's you, Brylo!"

Clenching his fist, Sbyam lunged forward in a flash, landing a direct punch to Brylo's face, slamming him further into the stone wall. A deafening shockwave erupted, powerful gusts of wind swirling around them. Cracks spread across the fortress, as if it were groaning under the force of the blow.

Grabbing Brylo by the collar, Sbyam tore him from the indent in the wall—his outline still imprinted on the cracked stone—before hurling him violently to the ground. Brylo tumbled several times before landing on his back, staring up at the cold sky.

Sbyam rose into the air, his body levitating like a ghost, while black sparks crackled around his clenched fist. His voice thundered across the battlefield:

"I thought you were still my friend! But it seems I was mistaken. You expect me to leave my students to fight alone, you bastard?!"

He shot down like a meteor, driving his fist into Brylo's face with devastating force. The ice beneath them fractured, a white blizzard erupting from the impact. A massive crater split open beneath Brylo, his body plunging into its center.

Hovering above, Sbyam looked down at Brylo, whose face was now drenched in blood, forming a crimson mask. His voice turned cold as he muttered:

"Stay here for a while… I need to assist my students, but I will return for you, my only friend."

And with that, Sbyam vanished as if he had never been there, leaving Brylo lying in the pit—his body lifeless, his gaze empty, and an eerie stillness settling over the battlefield.

In the City of Beura

Spailo stood, gazing at the phantom of Onoko Yamato with a smirk full of disdain:

"Please! I want to feel some competition. Every fight I engage in drowns me in boredom to the point where I can't bear it anymore."

Onoko Yamato didn't respond. She simply stared at him in silence. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the quiet from behind her:

"Yamato!!"

She slowly turned her head toward Suero, who stood firmly, his expression cold and devoid of any emotion:

"Yes, Suero?"

He responded in a calm yet resolute voice:

"Disappear. Leave the rest to me."

Yamato froze for a moment before a hint of concern appeared on her face:

"But Suero… this man is dangerous. I should be the one to take him down!"

Suero remained silent, his gaze unwavering. The weight of his presence pressed upon her, even without a word. Closing her eyes, she finally conceded with respect:

"As you wish."

Purple sparks crackled around her body, and the ground beneath her feet fractured. Small stones levitated into the air, carried by the energy surging from her. Then, in the blink of an eye, Onoko Yamato vanished as if she had never existed.

Spailo's expression briefly shifted to surprise, but he quickly reverted to his usual mockery:

"Oi! Why didn't you let her stay? I was looking forward to some fun."

However, Suero paid him no attention. He simply turned his back on him, walking away from the battlefield with steady steps, his face as unyielding as stone, as if nothing had happened.

From a distance, Spailo watched him, trying to decipher what was going through his mind:

"What's going on with him? What's with this mystery?"

Suddenly, thick smoke billowed from the ground in front of Spailo. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the swirling cloud. As the smoke gradually dissipated, a familiar figure emerged from behind it, casually waving his hand to clear the lingering haze. A signature smile rested on his face.

Spailo froze for a moment before muttering in disbelief:

"SBYAM BRIUS?!"

Sbyam chuckled softly, his tone laced with amusement:

"Ooooh, my student, Spailo! It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Spailo smirked in return, his voice dripping with sarcasm:

"How delightful… standing before the greatest sorcerer this world has ever known! Am I really this lucky?"

Sbyam smiled lightly as he replied:

"Perhaps lucky… or perhaps it's a sign of something else. Who knows?"

Spailo's grin turned sly:

"We'll see whether this encounter turns into a duel or just a passing coincidence."

Sbyam's tone shifted slightly, though it remained confident:

"I've heard that your skills have become extraordinary. Would you allow me, as your former master, to assess your level?"

Spailo let out a mocking chuckle:

"My skills are dangerous, Master Sbyam. Make sure you're ready for the consequences."

Sbyam's smile remained unwavering:

"Don't worry. Even in the toughest battles, my white hair has never been stained."

Spailo fell silent, his gaze filled with both scorn and challenge. Sbyam, in contrast, met his eyes with an unshaken smile, both men poised for a confrontation that was certain to ignite the battlefield.

End of Chapter.

More Chapters