"I'm not throwing my life away to protect my friends," Astro said firmly, his voice carrying through the trembling forest. His eyes never left Kian, unwavering even in the face of the overwhelming magic before him. "I want to live… for the sake of my friends."
Kian's lips curled into a twisted smile. His entire body seemed to glow with malice as the sphere of light between his palms pulsed and roared like a miniature sun.
"Then just die."
With a sharp thrust forward, he unleashed the attack. The white brilliance surged outward in a violent torrent, its heat and pressure ripping the ground apart as it barreled toward Astro. The air itself screamed under its force.
Astro planted his feet wide, lowering his stance. His hair whipped wildly in the wind, the sheer brightness of the magic nearly blinding him. Still, he didn't flinch. His jaw tightened, and then—quietly, as if to himself—he spoke.
"When you try to take someone's life…" His voice was calm, resolute. "Be ready to lose your own as well."
In that moment, purple energy erupted from his body. It burst from his skin like purple fire, crackling and twisting, filling the air with an oppressive aura that seemed to swallow light itself. His eyes glowed an ominous purple as he prepared his ultimate attack.
"Sky Devil's Secret Art."
The words left his lips like a judgment.
Kian's sphere detonated as it reached its limit, unleashing an enormous explosion of blinding white light. A dome of destruction erupted across the battlefield, devouring everything inside its radius. Trees were incinerated, the ground split apart, and the world itself seemed to buckle beneath its fury. Flames spread rapidly as the dome of searing radiance burned across the island.
To anyone watching, it looked like Astro had been swallowed whole.
But then—purple smoke drifted upward through the blinding dome, twisting against the searing light.
Kian's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat. "What…?"
From within the white dome, a shadow emerged, cloaked in a howling storm of purple wind. Astro's figure broke free of the blazing dome, his body scarred and burned, his clothes tattered, but his expression unshaken. His eyes—still burning with determination—cut through the haze like blades.
The purple aura surged outward, forming a storm in the sky. Even battered, even scorched, Astro raised his arm, his voice carrying across the battlefield like the whisper of a devil
"Abyssal Tornado!"
A colossal violet magic circle bloomed in the heavens, so vast it seemed to cover half the island. The air churned violently as countless purple tornadoes formed from the circle, each one spiraling downward with terrifying speed. The sky itself screamed under their descent, the world bathed in purple light.
The tornados converged all at once, their howling winds slicing everything in their path as they locked onto Kian.
Kian's instincts screamed at him to move, to counter, to do anything—but the very air had betrayed him. The pressure from Astro's spell clamped down like shackles, freezing his body in place. His face twisted in panic, eyes darting desperately for escape, but it was too late.
The tornadoes struck.
The tornadoes swallowed him whole, winds shredding, crushing, tearing through everything indiscriminately. The ground cracked open beneath him, the forest ripped apart.
The white dome of Kian's light finally faded, leaving behind an empty scar of devastation across the island. Astro landed heavily in the heart of the wasteland, his body heaving, his breaths ragged. Smoke still curled from his wounds; his skin was raw with burns, his face marred with fresh scars.
And yet, even as the damage lingered, purple smoke hissed and coiled from his body. Slowly, steadily, his injuries began to vanish. The burns smoothed away, the cuts sealed, until his skin was whole again. His aura pulsed brighter, almost mocking the pain he had just endured.
From the haze of dust and debris, a broken laugh echoed.
"Heh… hahahaha…"
A staggering figure emerged, bloodied and torn. Kian's body was far worse for wear, covered in cuts, bruises, and burns. Yet as he limped forward, the flesh mended itself, knitting back together in real time. His skin stitched itself as if mocking Astro's healing.
"Yeah, that's right…" His laugh grew louder, more unhinged. "As I said—you're a failure! You can't use that magic to its full potential. That power… it should be mine!"
The madness in his voice filled the battlefield, and though his body shook with pain, his maniacal grin never wavered. He stepped forward again, determination and obsession blazing in his eyes, as though no amount of pain could douse his hunger.
Astro's eyes widened slightly. That was my full power… and he's still standing?
Kian staggered forward, his body trembling, blood dripping from fresh wounds—yet even in that broken state, his steps never faltered. Then, with a guttural breath, he straightened his back and roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
"This battle is not over yet!"
Light burst from his body, enveloping him in a blinding aura as his injuries sealed away. By the time he lowered into a stance, his body was whole again, glowing with renewed strength.
Astro's expression hardened. He bent his knees, his purple aura intensifying as he mirrored the stance. The air between them trembled, caught in the clash of two overwhelming forces.
Then—both figures moved.
A golden comet and a purple storm shot forward, colliding in the middle of the field. Their fists, wrapped in opposite powers, slammed into each other with bone-shaking force. The impact detonated a shockwave that tore through the ground and split the air like thunder.
Kian spun his free arm, aiming a lightning-fast punch at Astro's head. But Astro tilted, slipping under the blow, and answered with a brutal counter. His fist crashed into Kian's jaw with a satisfying crack, launching him skyward.
Before Kian could even descend, Astro dissolved into purple smoke and reappeared above him. His heel slammed down mercilessly into Kian's face, spiking him into the earth. The ground erupted in a spiderweb of fractures from the impact, dust and stone flying outward as Kian's body was driven deep into the crater.
Astro didn't hesitate. He raised his hand, purple wind spiraling furiously into a sphere at his palm. His aura flared as his feet ignited with purple air currents, propelling him downward like a missile straight toward his pinned opponent.
But Kian wasn't finished.
His eyes snapped open, glowing like twin stars, and his body flared with yellow light. Instead of healing, he clenched his fist, weaving multiple strands of magic into one chaotic core. A swirling, prismatic orb—alive with shifting colors—manifested in his right hand.
Both men roared, their magic surging to its peak.
"Aero Dominion!" Astro's voice thundered.
"Aurora Burst!" Kian bellowed back.
The two forces collided. The purple sphere of roaring wind crashed into the prism of unstable light. The world erupted.
A blinding explosion again tore across the battlefield, the ground crumbling under the sheer force. The shockwaves blew apart trees and reduced stone to dust. Both figures were thrown back, their bodies rag-dolled by the impact.
Astro skidded across the ground, boots carving trenches into the dirt before he managed to plant himself upright. His arm trembled violently, his hand scorched and bleeding from the backlash. He exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his face which was burned again from the impact, but he stayed standing.
Kian, meanwhile, slammed back into the crater, his body broken and torn from the clash. For a moment, silence fell, the dust settling over the battlefield.
Then—he moved.
Slowly, impossibly, Kian rose again. His body cracked, his limbs trembling… but the glow returned. His wounds stitched themselves together, the blood vanished, and his skin regained its unnatural perfection. By the time he fully stood, he looked almost untouched.
His lips curled into a grin as laughter bubbled out of his throat.
"Don't you get it?" His voice rang with madness. "You can't win against me. I'll just keep healing—again and again. No matter how many times you strike me down, I'll rise back up."
His laughter grew louder, echoing through the broken battlefield like a haunting hymn.
Astro watched Kian stagger forward, his aura flickering but still alive. There was no fear in Astro's gaze—only calm, unshakable confidence as their eyes locked.
That look made Kian falter. His teeth clenched, his voice cracking with irritation.
"What? What is that look in your eyes?"
Astro smirked, his voice steady and cutting.
"You can't heal yourself while you're using another move, can you? I've been watching you this whole fight. Every time you heal, you stop fighting. That is quite a big weakness to have, you know."
As Astro spoke, a blade of roaring purple wind formed in his right hand. His burned arm and face healed instantly as purple smoke came from the burned area.
"Tempest Blade."
Astro raised the sword, its edge gleaming with purple currents. His smirk widened.
"Unfortunately for you… I don't have that restriction."
In the next heartbeat, he dashed forward. His blade came down in a vicious vertical arc, aiming to sever Kian's head clean off. Kian jerked low, barely ducking in time—only to see a second attack. From Astro's left hand, a swirling purple sphere blasted toward him. It smashed into his chest before he could defend, detonating with a purple burst that shredded most of his already tattered clothes and carved deep cuts across his body.
Blood sprayed as Kian stumbled back, already trying to call on his healing. But Astro refused to give him the chance.
He was already there, his presence pressing down like a storm.
"Light Saber!" Kian roared desperately. A blade of golden light flared to life in his grip, intercepting Astro's swing. Sparks scattered as the two blades clashed.
But Astro didn't slow down. Strike after strike hammered against Kian's defenses, relentless and precise. His attacks were so fast that Kian barely had the time to raise his weapon, each block shaking his arms to the bone.
A heavy downward slash rang out, forcing their weapons to lock. The shockwave rippled the ground around them as the two stared each other down at eye level.
"I'm curious," Astro said coldly, his sword pressing forward, "What was your true goal here on this island? What type of mage were you trying to create with those black magic lacirmas?"
Kian snarled, sweat and blood dripping from his face. "Why would I ever tell you that?!"
He tried to break free and counterattack, but Astro didn't let up for even a breath. His strikes rained down in a merciless storm, forcing Kian to retreat step by step. The golden sword trembled under the pressure, his body already bleeding from fresh gashes.
"Well then," Astro said, voice flat and final, "you have no worth to me."
His eyes narrowed, and in an instant he exhaled a devastating torrent of magic.
"Sky Devil's Rage!"
A massive breath attack, purple and demonic, roared from his mouth. The blast swallowed Kian, dragging his body through the battlefield like a ragdoll. Rocks split apart, trees tore from their roots, and Kian was hurled hundreds of meters before his body slammed into the side of a mountain.
Astro's form dissolved into purple smoke. The stormy haze coiled tightly before rushing like a predator toward the embedded body.
"Sky Devil's Void Spiral!"
The smoke condensed into a colossal drill, spinning with catastrophic force. It tore through the mountain with Kian at front.
Kian's scream cut through the chaos, his voice filled with fury and desperation.
"Damn you! You'll pay for this! Abyss Howl won't allow another Devil Slayer to exist outside their control! They'll kill you—and everyone you love to get that power!"
His cry was drowned as the drill burst through the other side of the mountain with him.
Astro reformed, his body slamming onto the sand of the nearby beach. He was panting hard, shoulders rising and falling as sweat and blood clung to him. The purple aura flickered faintly around his exhausted form.
Kian's limp, broken and bloody body also fell onto the sand before him. He was barely breathing, unconscious, his once-blinding aura reduced to nothing.
Astro crouched, his chest heaving as he stared at the fallen man. His breaths came rough and ragged, but his eyes never left Kian's defeated figure.
Kian's last words raced in his mind, but before he could dwell on it another sound took away his attention.
Astro looked up, spotting Erza descending from the sky in her Black Wing Armor. Her dark wings cut through the air with every beat, and in her arms she carried Levy on one side and Shawn on the other.
Relief washed over him at the sight of them alive. He could sense their battle had ended in victory, but seeing it with his own eyes let the tension ease from his shoulders.
Erza landed gracefully, her armored boots pressing into the sand as she gently set Levy and Shawn down. "Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes were filled with worry..
Astro exhaled heavily, still panting. "I'll be fine… give me a moment." He tilted his head back, opening his mouth as he inhaled deeply. The air around him swirled, drawn into his lungs in massive quantities.
Slowly, his aura steadied, and exhaustion across his body eased. He straightened, rolling his shoulders with a faint grimace. "Ugh. That tasted worse than I expected."
Erza blinked, her tone half incredulous. "So you really… eat air?"
Astro shot her a deadpan look, not even bothering to answer. Instead, he stepped toward Levy and Shawn, kneeling down. He placed a hand over each of their chests, his palms glowing faintly with purple light. Gentle waves of healing magic flowed into them, their breathing easing almost immediately.
"They'll be okay," Astro said quietly. He turned his gaze toward Kian's unconscious body, lying battered and broken nearby. His voice hardened. "This guy—Kian—he was the leader. He and his group slaughtered most of the villagers and locked children away, trying to force lacrimas into them for some twisted plan. Some kids are still unharmed and hiding now. But from the looks of it they had some superiors. If they realize their subordinates have been defeated, we won't want to be here when they arrive."
Erza's jaw tightened. She glanced at Kian's limp form, her eyes burning with disgust. "So that's what was happening here… even now, people commit atrocities like this." Her voice dropped, grim and thoughtful, before she shifted her attention back to Astro as he asked curiously,
"What did you and Levy do at the temple?"
"The temple—it belonged to a Sky God called Aetherion," Erza explained. "There were black-magic lacrimas powering a device that created the barrier of wind surrounding the island. Levy managed to analyze it and shut it down." Erza's gaze softened slightly as she looked at Levy, who was sleeping soundly, finally at peace.
Astro rubbed his chin, scowling faintly. "So that storm… it was the Sky God's wind. Some residue of it might still be left around the island. No wonder it tasted awful."
Erza raised an eyebrow. "Wind… has taste?"
"Of course," Astro said flatly, like it was the most obvious fact in the world. "Different winds carry different traces. This one tasted like wind from garbage. I don't want to breathe it in again, let alone eat it."
Erza blinked, speechless for a moment, before shaking her head. "You're… stranger than I thought."
Astro ignored her jab and stood up, brushing some sand off his pants as he glanced at Levy and Shawn. "They're stable now. I'll retrieve the children and get them onto the ship we came in. No reason to linger here any longer. The island might still be habitable, but it feels tainted. And Levy already learned enough from the temple." He looked at Erza expectantly, as if waiting for her approval.
Erza nodded firmly. "Go. I'll bring the surviving woman—and their leader—back with us. The Magic Council should be able to uncover their motives and their ties."
"Hopefully they don't screw it up," Astro muttered, scratching the back of his head. His body shimmered into purple smoke, dispersing into the wind before shooting off toward where the children were hidden.
Erza's eyes lingered on the fading mist until it vanished. She tightened her grip on her sword and looked out over the scarred island.
"From Astro's reaction, it seems there aren't any enemies left… So why does this bad feeling still remain?" she murmured to herself.