cosmic outbreak

The battle began with Hikaru launching a dark orb toward Yoru, but Yoru swiftly dodged it and counterattacked with his own dark orb. Carlos, acting quickly, lunged forward and landed a solid punch on Yoru's abdomen, followed by a strike to his head. Hikaru took advantage of the opening and charged at Yoru, delivering a powerful ether punch. Carlos then followed up with a dark punch, his strength fueled by the realization that Yoru had betrayed them all.

Yoru smirked, barely fazed. "You two think you can defeat me?" he sneered, blocking Carlos' dark slash with his bare hands.

"You're weak," Yoru said before delivering a devastating dark punch infused with a strength spell, sending Carlos flying. Hikaru clenched his fists in anger, his aura flaring as he activated his Ether Form. His body pulsed with raw power, the ground trembling beneath him. Without hesitation, he struck the ground with an ether-infused punch, creating shockwaves that knocked Yoru off balance.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hikaru grabbed Yoru and slammed him into the frozen ground of Antarctica with such force that cracks formed around them. Carlos, despite his injuries, rushed forward and kicked Yoru while he was down.

"You betrayed the center! You let our comrades die!" Hikaru shouted in fury, his eyes glowing with an intense blue light.

Yoru chuckled, his bloodied face twisted into a grin. "You still don't understand, do you? I didn't just betray the center. I've been working for someone far greater than any of you. My master will destroy this planet, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "I don't care who your master is," he said coldly. "You're just another traitor who needs to be eliminated."

With that, Hikaru activated his newly unlocked teleportation ability. In an instant, he vanished and reappeared behind Yoru, landing a punch before teleporting again, striking from another angle. He repeated this process rapidly, overwhelming Yoru with a barrage of teleporting ether punches.

Yoru gasped for breath, barely able to react as Hikaru's relentless attacks pushed him to his limit. Finally, Hikaru teleported one last time, appearing right in front of Yoru, his blade glowing with pure ether energy. "This is the end," Hikaru said before slashing through Yoru with a powerful Nova Slash.

Yoru's body staggered before collapsing onto the frozen ground. Blood pooled beneath him, his breath shallow. Carlos, injured but still standing, watched in silence.

"Is it over?" Carlos asked, panting heavily.

Hikaru turned to him, his expression grim. "No," he said. "This was just the beginning."

As they made their way back to the dark center, they were met with a horrifying sight—every single student in the center had been slaughtered. Blood painted the snow, lifeless bodies lay scattered across the cold terrain.

Carlos dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "No… they're all gone."

Hikaru clenched his fists. He didn't cry, but a deep, burning rage filled his chest.

Before they could even process the devastation, a loud, guttural roar echoed across the icy wasteland. Turning sharply, Hikaru saw the four-armed creature from before charging toward them, its monstrous eyes filled with bloodlust. It lunged at Carlos, its massive jaws snapping inches away from his neck.

Hikaru reacted instantly, his body moving on instinct. With one swift motion, he unleashed a powerful Nova Slash, cutting through the creature with ease. The monster's body split apart, collapsing into the snow.

Breathing heavily, Hikaru looked at Carlos. "We need to move. Now."

With the power of his newfound teleportation, Hikaru placed a hand on Carlos' shoulder, and in a blink, they vanished—heading toward the next battle that awaited them.