Jennie exhaled softly, brushing off the dust from her cloak as she stepped into a wide, circular chamber that looked oddly like a lobby—its high wooden ceiling lit by faint golden lanterns swinging overhead. At the center stood Nova, Kiyomasa, Miwa, and Lisa, their expressions carrying the weight of what they had just endured.
Jennie raised her hand in a casual wave as she approached.
"How did it go?" she asked, her voice calm but curious.
Nova crossed his arms, his face serious. "Somehow fine."
Kiyomasa groaned, pressing his palm against his forehead as if nursing a headache.
"Tough… even though it wasn't real, it felt real."
Miwa was on her knees, her small hands trembling as she leaned forward.
"This… this was scarier than I thought. I don't think I can do all this," she whispered, her tone breaking.
Lisa, by contrast, leaned back with a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Heh. Not anything new for me."
Nova turned his gaze around the chamber, his voice low but sharp.
"Where are the others, anyway?"
Jennie tilted her head, her long hair brushing her shoulder. "I don't know. I was here once I bandaged all the children."
Nova nodded. "Same for me. Once I brought everyone back into the wooden house, it said 'you pass' and… boom, teleported me here."
They were still discussing when, suddenly, a shimmer of light warped the air—and Ai appeared, stepping into the circle with an exhausted expression.
Nova waved a hand. "Hey."
"Hey," Ai replied, rubbing her temples. "This was a headache."
Kiyomasa raised his head, curious. "How did it go?"
Ai shrugged. "Just fine… I had to put the kids to sleep, then carry them all to the carriage." She sighed, crossing her arms. "Though the fight with that man was… difficult."
Miwa blinked in confusion, tilting her head. "What man? What fight, Ai?"
Nova frowned, crossing his arms tighter. "Yeah. What are you talking about?"
Ai's brow furrowed. She looked between them, suddenly confused.
"…Wait. Did we all take the same test?"
Jennie interjected gently. "We had to find and help kids, then bring them back to the shelter."
Ai nodded slowly. "Mine was different. I had to take them from the wooden house to the town. On the way… a man attacked me."
Nova rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps… that makes sense. Why we got here first."
Jennie turned to him. "What do you mean?"
Nova's tone was firm, analytical. "It means their test was like a sequel to ours. After we saved the kids, their goal was to transport them. Step one and step two."
Ai's eyes widened. "So it was five people per test."
Nova nodded. "Pretty much."
Before he could continue, another flash of light filled the chamber. Minos and Nirin appeared, both battered but standing tall. And in the same instant, Zazm stepped out of the warp, hands shoved casually into his pockets.
Nova's lips curved into a small smirk. "Great timing, guys."
Minos leaned against the nearest wall, brushing his hair back. "Damn hard," he muttered.
Nirin stretched her arms, grinning lightly. "I had fun in the fight."
Ai perked up. "What weapon did you guys choose?"
Minos spoke first. "Longsword."
Nirin grinned. "Two daggers."
Ai nodded. "I went with the longsword too."
Minos smirked faintly. "Good choice. We've been training with those—it paid off."
In the back, Zazm remained silent—until suddenly, Zephyra tumbled into view, landing on him. She draped her arms lazily around his neck, resting her chin on his head as if he were her personal seat. Her long hair fell like a curtain, brushing over Zazm's shoulders.
Her voice was playful, but edged with mischief.
"Those kids were a pain."
Zazm didn't look at her. His cold eyes stayed forward.
"What did you do?"
Zephyra chuckled nervously. "Some things are best kept secret."
Before anyone could question further, a new screen flashed before them. Bold letters stretched across it:
"Objective: Get ready to engage in combat."
Nova's head snapped up, his voice loud and sharp.
"Hey, hey—isn't this too quick?!"
But before he could say anything else, another set of glowing windows appeared—this time in front of Jennie, Lisa, Nova, Miwa, and Kiyomasa.
Ai squinted. "We all got the same one."
Minos glanced at the choices too, arms crossed. "Looks like we'll get the weapons we already chose."
Nova thought for a second, his finger hovering over the options. "Longsword's the safest bet." He tapped the choice.
Jennie nodded, selecting the same.
Miwa, however, smirked mischievously. "I'll go with something different. This mace on a chain looks fun."
Lisa shook her head. "No risks." She chose the longsword without hesitation.
Kiyomasa was about to do the same when Zazm silently walked up beside him.
Kiyomasa blinked. "Zazm?"
Without looking at him, Zazm pointed at the dual long swords.
"Take those."
Kiyomasa hesitated. "…Why? I've never wielded doubles before."
"Trust me," Zazm said flatly.
Kiyomasa's lips curled into a faint smile. "…You know, today I remembered something."
Zazm glanced at him, expression still cold.
Kiyomasa continued. "It was after you killed Caspian. We had a short conversation. You forgot, didn't you?"
Zazm nodded once. "Yes."
Kiyomasa smirked. "It's fine. I remember everything you taught me." He selected the dual blades.
With a metallic shimmer, everyone's weapons materialized. Nova, Jennie, Lisa, Minos, Ai held longswords. Nirin spun her twin daggers between her fingers. Kiyomasa flexed his dual blades, testing their balance, and to his surprise—they felt natural, almost too natural.
But then—
"Help!" Miwa's voice broke the tension.
Everyone turned. She was struggling with the heavy mace on the chain. She could barely lift it off the ground, wobbling as she tried to swing it once before it clattered loudly.
Nova burst out laughing, doubling over. "Good luck with that!"
Jennie scratched her cheek awkwardly. "It's… not always a good idea to try new things, huh."
Before the laughter died, Nova glanced at Zazm—and froze.
"…Is that a frying pan?" he blurted.
Everyone turned.
Zazm stood there, silent, holding a frying pan.
The group erupted.
Minos slapped his knee, laughing. "What are you gonna do with that, cook?"
Lisa covered her mouth, her usual calm cracking. "The emo dude is gonna use that to hide in public."
Ai chuckled. "Looks like you went with something trendy and unique, huh."
Zazm didn't reply. His expression remained dead and cold, pan hanging loosely at his side.
Before the laughter could stretch further, another screen appeared:
"Prepare yourselves. You will now be teleported."
Nova's eyes narrowed. "Looks like a team-based mission."
And just as he said that, the floor beneath them shattered into light—and suddenly they were standing on a small floating island high above the sky.
The island was covered in thick, curling fog, its edges crumbling into nothing. Beyond it, there was no ground below—only endless mist.
The island was small with ten bridges on it that dissappered somewhere far away in the fog. Nothing could've seen below aswell if was as if the island was floating.
Ai's voice was hushed. "There are ten bridges… one for each?"
Nova scanned the area. "Perhaps."
But before they could plan, the fog shifted—and shadows began to emerge. Dozens of figures, marching from each bridge.
The screen appeared again:
"Objective: Protect your island and survive until nightfall."
"Until night?!" Minos exclaimed, his eyes wide. "What kind of boss zombie event is this?!"
Kiyomasa gritted his teeth. "Wait… we don't have a tenth fighter."
Everyone glanced around when Nova shouted:
"It doesn't matter take a bridge and start throwing them off."
Everyone quickly ran over and choose a bridge however there was no one to protect and stand on the last bridge.
Zephyra, still draped lazily across Zazm's back, her arms looped around his chest and her chin resting comfortably on his head. Her hair brushed his shoulders like silk.
She tilted her head lazily, her tone light but curious. "Should I fight?"
"Don't be dumb," Zazm replied flatly.
Zephyra smirked. "Then I'm sleeping." She closed her eyes, snuggling against him as if nothing mattered.
"Get off me," Zazm said coldly.
She ignored him.
And then—
A man lunged across the nearest bridge, his blade flashing.
Zazm didn't move an inch from where he stood—until the last moment. His foot snapped forward with brutal precision, kicking the man clean off the bridge. Two more attackers followed—and with one motion, Zazm grabbed them and tossed them into the void below like garbage.
The fog grew heavier, more figures emerging.
The bridges shook under the weight of countless shadowed figures in cloaks. The shadows were closing in on every side.
Zazm stood in silence, framed at the center of his bridge. His head was low, his frying pan gripped in one hand, his stance loose but unreadable. While the others shouted, roared, and strained against the enemy, he moved differently—like still water before a storm.
The first cloaked shadow leapt at him.
Without warning, Zazm's body shifted, spinning on his heel. His leg snapped upward in a flawless meia-lua de compasso, his heel crashing into the figure's head with a bone-cracking impact. The shadow crumpled. He didn't stop. His body flowed, continuous, like a dance of precision—one kick bleeding into the next.
BAM.
Frying pan smashed into another shadow's jaw, sending it spiraling off the bridge.
From the side, Lisa caught the movement mid-swing and blinked, her blade halfway through her own opponent.
"That emo guy… can really fight?" she muttered, stunned.
Ai ducked under a slash, her eyes darting toward the bridge where Zazm stood. His kicks blurred, every motion clean and devastating.
"I… didn't know Zazm could use kicks like that."
Nova, slashed the sword in a circle and smirked.
"Oh yes… you guys didn't know? Zazm was a capoeira champion."
Lisa nearly lost her grip on her sword as another shadow lunged at her. "You're kidding."
"No," Nova said calmly, eyes never leaving his own fight. "That guy was something else back in the day."
"Yeah he could really fight even before coming here." Kiyomasa added.
Ai brushed her hair with her hands saying, "What else is that guy hiding."
On Zazm's bridge, silence followed his movements. No grunts, no wasted breath, no expressions of effort—just calculated violence. His eyes were cold, detached. Shadows rushed him in groups, but he didn't flinch.
He flowed low, sweeping a cloaked figure's legs before spinning up into an aerial kick that caved in another's chest. His frying pan came down at the same instant, crushing a skull with a dull metallic clang. He moved like rhythm itself, but with none of the warmth of dance—every strike was surgical, merciless.
One shadow slashed down from behind. Zazm pivoted mid-spin, caught the blade on his pan, then tilted forward into a handstand. His legs scissored out, au batido, shattering ribs before he flipped back onto his feet in one seamless motion.
Kiyomasa's breathing was steady now. Both swords gleamed in his hands, each arc a reflection of the firelight. At first, he had doubted Zazm's blunt suggestion to try dual wielding—it had felt clumsy, foreign, like his own balance had been split down the middle. But now, as he cut through the shadows, it clicked.
One blade defended, the other attacked. He blocked a downward strike with his left sword, the vibration rattling up his arm, then instantly brought his right blade across the shadow's torso in a diagonal slash. The cloak tore, black dust scattering into the night air.
Another came from his side—he spun, crossed the swords like scissors, and caught the enemy's blade between them. A twist of his wrists snapped it aside, leaving the enemy's chest wide open. His right sword thrust clean through the figure.
Kiyomasa's eyes widened as he moved. Zazm was right… This really is perfect for me.
He slashed outward in a wide X, cutting down two shadows at once. His confidence grew with each motion, his footwork sharpening, his body syncing with the rhythm of the dual blades.
---
A few bridges down, Miwa cursed under her breath as she struggled with her weapon. The heavy iron chain of the flail rattled in her hands, the mace at the end swinging wildly. It wasn't elegant—it was brutal, unpredictable, dangerous even to herself if she mistimed a swing.
A shadow lunged at her. She whipped the chain sideways, the mace smashing into its skull with a wet, crunching sound. The sheer force sent the figure collapsing into black mist. The recoil nearly yanked the weapon from her hands, and she gritted her teeth, reeling the chain back in.
Another shadow approached, blade raised. Miwa ducked under its strike, swinging the flail upward in a desperate arc. The mace caught the figure under the jaw, snapping its head back with a gruesome crack before it too dissolved into dust.
Her arms were burning, shoulders aching from the weight and momentum. She wasn't graceful like Kiyomasa, but she was vicious. Each swing of the flail was a gamble—one wrong calculation and she'd hit herself. But each time it landed, it crushed bone, splintered weapons, shattered ribs.
"Damn it," she muttered, panting, sweat dripping down her face. "This thing is—ugh—such a pain… but…" She smirked as another enemy fell at her feet. "…I guess it works."
The sky island trembled under the weight of clashing steel and shrieking shadows. Above them stretched a wide, endless night sky—starlit, vast, and suffocating. Beneath their feet, clouds swirled in slow, turbulent waves as if the world itself was watching them fight for survival.
The bridges groaned under the assault of endless shadow-creatures, thin and humanoid yet misshapen with flickering limbs. They surged like waves of ink across each narrow path, forcing everyone into their own war.
Ai leaped forward. Her boots scraped the stone as she surged down the bridge, longsword gleaming in the faint celestial glow. She cut in clean arcs, her swordsmanship crisp and efficient. Shadows dissolved into black mist before they could even touch her, their bodies scattering like ash on the wind. Her blade never stopped moving.
"Not behind me. Not this time," she muttered, tightening her grip, eyes sharp with conviction.
Jennie, a few bridges over, fought with a grace born of practice. Her blade clashed against a shadow's claws, sparks bursting into the night. With a push, she spun and shoved the creature off the edge, watching it fall into the endless void below. Another shadow lunged, and she swept her sword sideways, knocking it away with surprising strength.
"Jennie!" Nova's voice echoed from the bridge opposite hers. He had just flipped backward, avoiding a swipe. His grin flashed as he raised his sword. "When did you learn to fight so well?"
Jennie's cheeks tinged pink at the unexpected praise. For just a second, her serious expression cracked into something softer. She smiled faintly, muttering, "I… I've been practicing, that's all."
"Keep it up!" Nova shouted, throwing her a thumbs-up before his body blurred into movement again. He launched into another reckless backflip, landing with the grace of someone who lived for the chaos. His blade left his hand, spinning high into the air.
The shadow before him never saw the follow-up. Nova grabbed its throat mid-lunge, twisting with explosive force before flinging it from the bridge like a ragdoll. Another shadow leapt at him—Nova didn't flinch. His leg snapped upward in a perfect straight head kick, cracking its jaw and sending it tumbling backward.
His blade fell from above, and with one casual reach, Nova caught it mid-air. A wide grin split his face. With a single spinning sweep—his body moving in a perfect 360° arc—he sliced through five shadows at once. Their forms disintegrated in unison, raining black mist across the bridge.
Jennie's eyes widened as she took it in. "When… when did you get so good?"
Nova crushed another shadow's skull under his boot before answering, his voice playful even in the midst of blood and chaos. "I learned from a really cool guy." His smirk only widened when the next shadow lunged—he slid under it and cut from below, cleaving it apart.
On another bridge, Nirin's twin daggers flashed like quicksilver. She ducked low, twisted her body, and carved through two shadows with a clean, lethal motion. Her agility made her seem untouchable—until she felt the shift in the air behind her. Without hesitation, she spun and hurled one of her daggers.
The blade embedded itself in the forehead of the shadow creeping up on her. It fell backward, dissolving before it even hit the ground.
Breathing hard, Nirin growled, "Guys, there's no end to them!"
From behind, Lisa's sword locked with a shadow's claws. She pushed it back, sweat beading on her forehead. Her head whipped around, and she shouted across the bridges, "We're getting surrounded from the back too!"
"Ah, shit!" Minos cursed loudly, hearing her. A shadow lunged for him, only to be met with a brutal kick to the stomach. The impact sent it flying backward—straight into a cluster of its brethren. Like bowling pins, the shadows tumbled off the bridge, collapsing into the swirling clouds below. Minos cracked a grin.
"That takes care of that!"
But the true storm raged at the center.
Zazm had leapt onto the island's middle platform, where shadows swarmed in overwhelming numbers. He moved like a phantom of his own—dodging, parrying, and striking with relentless rhythm.
Every shadow that approached was either dismembered or thrown back. Their claws swiped, their teeth snapped, but his mastery of kicks and frying pan rendered them meaningless.
To the others, his presence was like a beacon—the center of gravity for the entire battlefield.
From the far bridge, Ai tightened her grip on her longsword, watching him cut through another group. Her voice trembled with a mixture of awe and unease. "He's… he's gotten so strong now."
Nova, ever casual even while drenched in shadow-blood, glanced around at the endless tide. He called out, half-joking but half-serious, "Zazm! Good job! They're all after you now!"
But Zazm didn't answer. He didn't even spare a glance. His expression was unreadable, his silence heavy. He simply fought—every strike controlled, every movement lethal.
Meanwhile, Kiyomasa spun with both his blades, performing a wide 360° rotation that cut down every shadow within reach. Black mist sprayed around him like a storm of ash. He looked almost exhilarated, his movements flowing with growing speed.
"This move is so effective!" he shouted, excitement clear in his voice. Without hesitation, he began spamming it, spinning over and over, carving shadows left and right.
On the opposite bridge, Minos barked out a laugh. "Don't spam that move now, Kiyo! You'll drill yourself off the bridge!"
Still, the shadows did not stop. More poured in from the skies, crawling over the bridges, swarming towards everyone with tireless hunger. The battlefield grew denser, darker—the stars themselves seemed to flicker as if reacting to the chaos below.
The clash of steel, the roar of battle, and the hiss of dissolving shadows blended into a cacophony. Each person held their own, but the truth Nirin had spoken rang louder with each passing moment:
There was no end to them.
---
Jennie slowly sat up, her body drenched in sweat. Her chest rose and fell sharply as her eyes blinked open, and she realized she was no longer standing on the foggy bridges. The endless shadows were gone. Instead, she was back inside the familiar simulation chamber.
Nova groaned as he got up beside her, brushing his damp hair out of his face. "Damn… that was intense," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Ai stood next, wiping her brow with her wrist. Her expression was calm but heavy. "We failed… just on level two." She exhaled sharply, frustration breaking her tone. "What a disappointment."
Miwa collapsed back onto the floor dramatically, her hands trembling. "My hands feel like they're dying. I'm never using that weapon again," she groaned, glaring at her own arms as if they'd betrayed her.
Lisa leaned against the wall with a sigh, sweat dripping down her cheek. "If we had just one more person, we could've managed. That much was clear."
Nirin nodded slowly, wiping her daggers clean before sheathing them. "We were completely surrounded. Even if we pushed harder, fatigue would've caught us eventually. We were bound to get tired."
Nova smirked despite the exhaustion. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees and said, "That's how much difference one person makes."
Kiyomasa, stretching out his shoulders, let out a small laugh. "Either way… it was fun."
Everyone turned when Jennie spoke up, her voice quiet but certain. "Guys."
The group stilled.
Jennie swallowed before continuing. "The bridge level… was actually the last one."
"What?" Minos pushed off the wall, frowning.
Ai walked forward, her expression tightening. "That can't be…"
Jennie shook her head. "I checked. It says here there are five tests in total, and the bridge trial was listed as the last one."
Nova tilted his head, confused. "So what does that even mean?"
Jennie admitted, "I don't know. Maybe… it's different tests each time?"
Ai disagreed almost immediately. "No. More likely, the order is shuffled. Different people might face the same tests in different sequences."
Nova crossed his arms, nodding. "Yeah. And I think this was just meant to give us a preview. An idea of what's waiting ahead."
Miwa groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "That's why it felt so basic and half-assed…"
Lisa added bluntly, "Most likely. They didn't put much effort into fleshing it out."
That's when Zazm, silent until now, got to his feet. He slid his hands into his pockets and started walking away.
"Hey," Nova called out. "Where are you going? We can do it again—"
Zazm stopped just long enough to glance back at him, his tone flat. "It's nine p.m. We have classes tomorrow."
Everyone's heads snapped toward the clock in unison. Sure enough, it was just past 9:00.
"What…?" Ai blinked. "The time in here… is the same out there?"
Zazm didn't answer. He continued walking out, steps steady.
Zephyra fell into stride beside him, hands behind her head, eyes lazy. "So… what are we gonna eat?"
Zazm kept walking. "We'll see."
Zephyra pouted. "No, no, no. Today we eat what I want."
"I won't buy two things," Zazm replied with the same cold, indifferent tone.
"Why not?" she whined dramatically.
"People look at me weird when I order two plates."
Zephyra burst into laughter. "Come on, just do it once! Don't be so boring."
Zazm's face didn't shift, his gaze forward as the two disappeared around the corner.
---
Outside, Nova and Kiyomasa walked together. Nova stretched his arms high over his head. "Guess we'll have to ditch training with Sir Neo today."
Kiyomasa winced. "He'll be pissed if we don't show up."
"Yeah, well," Nova said, exhaling sharply. "We'll be broken if we do go. Our bodies aren't made of steel."
Behind them, Ai walked alongside Miwa.
"Let's just tell Sir Neo we won't be coming today," Ai suggested.
"Yeah!" Miwa chimed in quickly. "Just say we were training here. That's good enough."
Nova smirked. "That's exactly what I was planning to do."
"Even so," Kiyomasa admitted, "the training with him has been effective."
Nova chuckled briefly. "True. Can't argue with results."
Miwa rubbed her wrist, still sore. "But… I also want to learn weapons. Not just powers."
Nova waved dismissively. "First, master your powers."
Kiyomasa added, "Sir Neo hasn't even taught us weapons yet. He's focused on our powers for a reason."
Ai nodded. "She's right. We need to strengthen what we already have first."
That's when a stern, cold voice cut through the night.
"First master your powers, brats."
They froze and turned. Neo stood there, arms crossed, his piercing eyes almost glowing in the dim light. He stepped closer, his presence heavy.
"And the time is already wasted enough," Neo continued, his voice sharp. "Let's go. We train."
Nova groaned. "Come on, Sir Neo, leave us for today…"
"Yeah," Miwa added quickly, "don't be like that, please."
Neo's expression darkened. His head lowered slightly, shadow covering his eyes. Anger—or sorrow—it was impossible to tell in the gloom. His silence was suffocating until he finally spoke, his tone bitter, almost venomous.
"It's people like you who die on the field… because they think they're strong now."
Ai sighed, folding her arms. "Come on, Sir Neo. We are strong now."
Neo raised his gaze, eyes cold and cutting. "Then how about this…"
He extended a finger, pointing at them. "The four of you—against me, alone. If you can land even a single hit, I'll leave you alone for an entire week."
Nova's grin spread wide. "We're already at the level of a one-star threat, Sir Neo. Easy."
"Too easy," Kiyomasa agreed, cracking his knuckles as fire sparked around his hands.
Miwa jumped up, confidence renewed. "Then let's do it! One week of rest!"
Another voice rang out. "That sounds fun."
The group turned sharply. Asher stood there with his trademark smirk, Zazm at his side.
Miwa blinked. "Where did you two come from?"
Asher laughed. "Cafeteria. We were just talking about something."
Miwa raised a brow. "You sure it wasn't just you talking?"
"Yeah," Asher admitted with a grin. "Mostly."
Zazm stepped forward, his tone calm and almost detached. "You all should fight."
Nova arched a brow. "And why are you getting into this?"
Zazm's gaze didn't waver. "Because I want to see it too."
With a snap of his fingers, the world around them shifted. The floor vanished. In an instant, they stood on an enormous battlefield—an endless field stretched under an open night sky. The air vibrated with energy, as if reality itself was stretched thin.
"What is this place?" Asher muttered, glancing around.
"A small piece of space," Zazm explained. "Stretched to hold."
Neo drew his twin blades, the steel whispering as it left their sheaths. "Get ready."
In a blur, Zazm and Asher vanished into the distance, positioning themselves to watch safely.
Miwa rose into the air, rocks levitating around her in a defensive orbit.
Kiyomasa clenched his fists, fire coating them as streams of water spiraled around his arms. Overhead, jagged ice spikes hovered, shimmering dangerously.
Nova smirked, his hand snapping outward. From his arm unfurled a whip, crackling with energy. "Careful now, Sir Neo."
Neo didn't smile. His eyes remained shadowed, dark and unyielding. Then, with a single step—he vanished.
The air split as he reappeared among them. His voice was calm but merciless. "You're already dead."
A sting ran across their throats. Blood trickled down. Nova's hand shot to his neck in shock.
He stared at his fingers—red. "What the—"
"How…?" Miwa's voice cracked.
Neo lowered his blades, expression unchanged. "What? Want to go again?"
Ai checked herself. She blinked, startled. "You… didn't get me."
Neo's head turned sharply, eyes narrowing.
He replayed that moment in his mind—the slash, precise and unstoppable. Yet at the last second, Ai's body shifted, instinctively slipping just outside the path of his blade.
Neo's eyes widened faintly. "Your body… it adapted. But you don't yet understand how to use it."
From afar, Asher clapped slowly, laughter echoing. "Too one-sided! Way too one-sided!"
Zazm walked beside him, silent, unreadable.
Nova raised his sword, glaring at him. "Hey… why don't you show some strength for once?"
Zazm's gaze met his calmly. "What?"
Neo's attention snapped toward Zazm, interest glinting faintly in his cold eyes. "That's a good idea. You. Bring it on."
Zazm sighed, reluctant. "Fine."
Asher's grin widened, eyes gleaming. "Two zero-stars fighting? Now that's interesting."
Zazm extended his hand. "But I'll need a weapon."
Without hesitation, Neo tossed one of his swords. The blade cut through the air, landing at Zazm's feet.
Zazm bent down, picked it up—then vanished.
In the next instant, steel clashed. Zazm appeared behind Neo, blade raised in a deadly arc.
Neo blocked the strike without even turning his head.
The ground trembled beneath the echo of steel. On the broken stone bridge, two figures blurred against the backdrop of swirling shadows—Neo and Zazm.
Zazm's sword hissed through the air as he stepped forward, but in the same heartbeat his figure flickered—gone. He reappeared behind Neo, blade slashing in silence.
Neo didn't even turn; he pivoted with brutal precision, his own sword arcing in a wide sweep that clashed against Zazm's edge with a ringing crack. Sparks flared, steel grinding against steel, and the force of the impact alone pushed Zazm back a step.
Cold-eyed, Zazm vanished again. Space folded in a ripple as he slipped sideways into existence, his blade slicing down toward Neo's shoulder.
But Neo was already there, his stance rooted, strength like a storm condensed into a single arm. His sword intercepted Zazm's strike, twisted it away, then hammered forward with relentless force.
Zazm bent space around him, letting the swing pass through warped distance, his body flickering out of reach. He reappeared above Neo, descending with a stabbing thrust aimed at his chest. For a moment, time slowed—Zazm's eyes, unblinking and emotionless, locked on his target.
But Neo's instincts were monstrous. His blade whipped upward in a brutal parry, the shockwave of the clash shaking the air. The sheer weight of his power forced Zazm back mid-descent, sending him twisting away to land lightly on the fractured stone.
"You're slippery," Neo muttered, voice low and sharp, his eyes narrowing.
Zazm didn't respond. He exhaled once, steady, then vanished again—teleporting to Neo's flank with a diagonal slash. Neo met it, not with finesse, but with overwhelming momentum, his swing like a hammer against Zazm's rapier-like precision. The clash jarred Zazm's wrist.
The rhythm formed—teleport, cut, bend time, strike. Yet Neo adapted to every shift. He fought not like a man, but like a wall of iron given breath, each movement carrying a crushing certainty.
Zazm flickered behind him once more, stabbing at Neo's blind spot. But Neo didn't even look. His elbow drove back, a raw and brutal counter, forcing Zazm to warp space again just to avoid his ribs being shattered.
Sparks fell like fleeting stars across. Neo pressed forward—three heavy strikes in succession, each one strong enough to crack stone. Zazm dodged the first by bending time into slow motion, stepping through the slowed seconds with surgical calm.
He parried the second, his sword vibrating from the impact. He vanished to escape the third—yet Neo anticipated it, swinging into the spot where Zazm reappeared. The blade nearly grazed his throat.
For the first time, Zazm's expression shifted—subtle, just the faint narrowing of eyes.
Neo grinned, sweat streaking his cheek. "Not so untouchable now, are you?"
Zazm's reply was silence. He stepped forward again, his presence as still and cold as the void.
The clash of steel rang sharp in the night, Neo's blade driving Zazm back step after step. Space twisted with every flicker of Zazm's power, teleportations blurring the fight into something more than human. Neo's strength still pressed heavier, his strikes relentless, tilting the duel in his favor.
Then suddenly—Zazm vanished.
For an instant, Neo's instincts screamed, but the strike came faster than even he could anticipate. He turned around for a brief movement using the momentum to drip Zazm down and then putting the sword on his throat.
Neo froze, his sword lowered just slightly. His eyes snapped toward Zazm, not with shock, but with simmering fury.
Nova laughed with suprise, "Okay that was really great."
Asher also clapped with shock, "I didn't expect him to fight that well with Neo, a few more years and he'll surpass Neo."
Everyone was surprised in their own ways but overall they had enjoyed the duel and they saw Zazm's strength aswell.
Everyone except Nek.
"You…" he hissed, voice tight. "Why were you holding back?"
He held Zazm with his collar.
The weight of his glare burned hotter than his blade, but Zazm only stood there, unreadable as ever, his sword angled low at his side.
Asher ran forward quickly, "Hey hey stop enough."
"No he's gonna answer." Neo spoke his eyes still filled with anger.
Zazm got up calmly while Asher looked at both of them.
"What is wrong Neo?"
Neo clicked his tongue picking up his other sword."It feels like that asshole has fought me before."
Zazm fixed his clothes and answered, "It is because I can see your moves with my Nexus's gaze." his voice calm and face emotionless.
Neo clicked his tongue again while glaring at Zazm.
Asher ignored it and laughed saying now that's enough how about everyone go back and rest now.
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