Zeo: Limitless
Episode 3 — Rival Spark
The battlefield dissolved into light.
One by one, Veyra, Jorn, and Serik faded from the mission world, their bodies pulled back into the infinite void of the arena. The ground solidified once more into the endless stone coliseum, galaxies swirling in the sky above. The crowd that had witnessed Zeo's first duel now erupted again, louder than before.
News of him had spread. The Level 2 spawn who defeated a Level 100 warrior. The rookie who entered his first Crew Mission and returned as Level 19.
Some cheered in awe. Others hissed in disgust, swearing it was a trick. But all eyes burned toward the pale-haired figure in the center. Zeo stood calm, demonic half-mask gleaming red, cloak shifting against his skin. His body bore no wounds. His chest rose and fell with steady rhythm.
The others had returned exhausted—Veyra's feathers blackened, Jorn's molten body dim, Serik's smoke thinned to a whisper. But Zeo? He looked untouched. Eternal. Unmoved.
And Kael could not stand it.
⸻
The Challenge
Lightning snapped across Kael's body, crackling in arcs that shattered the ground beneath his feet. His number glowed faintly: 102. His silver hair whipped with the force of his aura as he stepped toward Zeo.
"You think you're special?" Kael's voice boomed, sharp and venomous. "You kill a few hellspawn and suddenly the arena stares at you like a god?"
Zeo's red eyes shifted toward him, calm, unwavering. He didn't respond.
"Look at me when I speak!" Kael snarled. His aura flared brighter, and the crowd gasped. They had seen Kael fight before—one of the youngest warriors to ever reach triple digits. His power was undeniable. His pride, unshakable.
Zeo tilted his head, voice low but steady.
"…You want a duel."
Kael's smirk twisted. "No. I want your humiliation."
The HUD flared in front of them both, reacting to the tension like a living thing.
[1v1 Duel Requested: Kael (Level 102) vs Zeo (Level 19)]
[Accept or Decline.]
The crowd went wild, voices clashing like thunder.
"He'll be slaughtered!"
"Kael will erase him in seconds!"
"No… Didn't you see the last fights? This Zeo isn't normal…"
Zeo lifted a hand. His finger brushed the HUD. Accept.
The Duel Arena
The arena floor cracked open, forming a massive circular platform suspended above the void. Energy barriers surged around its edges, holding in the power that was about to be unleashed.
Kael stepped onto the stone, lightning still dancing across his body. His eyes gleamed with cruelty. "This is where your miracle ends."
Zeo floated forward, his cloak trailing like smoke, landing opposite his rival. His number glowed faintly beneath him. 19.
The colossal voice of the starlit overseer shook the void.
"BEGIN."
⸻
Kael's Wrath
Kael blurred instantly, his body turning into a streak of silver lightning. The sound cracked like a thunderclap as he appeared in front of Zeo, fist already cocked. The strike landed square in Zeo's chest—an explosion of force that shattered the stone beneath them and hurled Zeo across the arena.
The crowd roared.
Zeo slid to a halt, smoke curling from his armor-skin. His mask glowed faintly. He straightened, brushing dust from his cloak. His chest bore not a crack. His breathing remained calm.
Kael's grin faltered for half a heartbeat. Then he snarled and struck again. And again. Fists blurred like lightning strikes, each blow strong enough to collapse mountains. The air screamed, sparks tearing rifts across the battlefield.
But Zeo moved with ghostlike precision. Teleporting just before impact, reappearing behind Kael, vanishing again. His movements were not frantic—just steady, endless, as if no fatigue could ever slow him.
Kael's punches grew faster, but sweat already slid down his brow. His aura crackled violently, sparks sputtering with each strike.
"Why won't you—" crack "—fall?!"
The First Exchange
Zeo appeared behind him, voice cold and cutting.
"You fight like fire. But fire burns out."
His fist struck Kael's back with perfect timing. The silver-haired youth staggered forward, electricity flaring wildly. Zeo teleported again, appearing above him, heel slamming down. Kael crossed his arms just in time, the impact blasting him into the stone, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
The crowd gasped. A Level 19 had landed blows on a Level 102.
Kael snarled, rising from the rubble, his aura raging like a storm. "You think you can lecture me?!" His hands clapped together, lightning surging into a sphere of condensed destruction. "Then drown in this!"
He hurled the sphere forward. The arena blazed white as the explosion swallowed Zeo whole. The crowd shielded their eyes, the blast shaking galaxies in the void.
The Immortal's Calm
Smoke cleared.
Zeo walked forward. His cloak was scorched, but his body… untouched. His mask glowed brighter, his red eyes locked on Kael. Calm. Cold. Endless.
Kael's chest tightened. For the first time, doubt seeped into his mind. He didn't block. He didn't dodge. He took that head-on… and nothing.
Zeo vanished. Teleport. He reappeared at Kael's flank, elbow cracking into his ribs. Kael gasped, blood spraying. Zeo struck again, knee to his gut, then teleported behind him, a sharp palm across the back of his skull.
Kael roared, swinging wildly, lightning bursting from every pore. His fists finally connected, smashing Zeo across the face. The mask cracked slightly, a small sliver breaking away.
The crowd erupted in shock. The first damage to Zeo's creation-born armor.
Zeo straightened, fingers brushing the crack. A faint smirk tugged his lips. "Better."
Kael's aura surged. His pride demanded blood. "I'll end you, spawn!"
⸻
The Breaking Point
They clashed again, lightning and teleportation blurring the battlefield into chaos. Every strike was a thunderclap, every movement bending the arena itself. Kael's body screamed with fatigue, lungs heaving, lightning flickering unstable.
Zeo's movements remained steady. He did not breathe heavy. He did not slow. His strikes grew sharper, his teleportation tighter, his control flawless.
The final moment came swift.
Kael lunged with his fastest strike yet, lightning enveloping his arm. Zeo vanished at the last instant, reappearing above, heel driving into Kael's back. The silver-haired warrior smashed into the stone, his aura flickering, his body trembling.
Zeo stood over him, eyes glowing red. He spoke softly, words cutting deeper than any fist.
"You burn bright. But I don't burn out."
He raised his foot, bringing it down just enough to shatter the arena floor beside Kael's face. The ground split in a thunderous quake. Kael froze, teeth gritted, body unable to rise.
The overseer's voice thundered:
"WINNER: ZEO."
Aftermath
Kael lay trembling, sweat dripping, electricity fading from his veins. His pride burned hotter than his wounds. He glared upward, hatred and awe mingling in his eyes.
The crowd was silent for a long breath. Then it erupted in chaos.
"Impossible!"
"He's only Level 19!"
"No… no, he's more than that…"
Beneath Zeo's feet, the number shifted.
LEVEL 20.
His cloak shimmered, the fabric becoming sharper, regal lines of crimson threading through the black. His mask gleamed brighter, demonic and divine at once.
Kael dragged himself to his knees, gasping, eyes still locked on Zeo. "You… you're not mortal. What are you?"
Zeo's crimson eyes burned. His answer was simple.
"Limitless."