The breeze shifted again—this time carrying something heavier than smoke or dust. Billionzaruto felt it instantly. The air grew sharp, as if filled with invisible needles. Raiken rose to his feet with the slow precision of a seasoned warrior, every line of his body tense.
Nayumi's hand drifted toward the dagger at her hip. She took one step closer to Billionzaruto, instinctively positioning herself between him and the sound.
From the darkness between the trees, a silhouette emerged—thin, tall, and silent, the shape of someone who knew how to move without disturbing the leaves beneath their feet.
A masked figure stepped into the fading sunlight.
A sharp, metallic mask covered their face, its surface etched with swirling marks—symbols that shifted faintly like they were alive. The cloak they wore hung loose, blending into the forest shadows as if made from them.
Raiken's eyes hardened.
"Shadow Tempest."
The figure tilted their head slightly, amused.
"You survived the unsealing," the stranger said, voice rasping through the mask. "Impressive. The Master will be… intrigued."
Billionzaruto felt a chill climb up his spine. His body was still weak from suppressing the Kuroin Blaze, but adrenaline surged through him like a second heartbeat.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," he said, stepping forward despite the ache in his limbs.
The figure let out a soft, unsettling laugh.
"Oh, I won't be taking you. Not yet. My orders were simple—observe, confirm, and report."
They paused.
"And now that I've seen what lurks inside you…"
The mask turned slightly, studying him as though he were a rare artifact.
"…there is no doubt. You are the one."
Billionzaruto's jaw tightened. "The one for what?"
"Silence," Raiken snapped. "You will not speak riddles here."
Lightning sparked at his fingertips, faint but deadly.
The masked figure didn't seem intimidated. In fact, they took a step forward, letting the dim light reveal more of the strange markings on their mask—symbols that looked eerily similar to the ones that had flared inside Billionzaruto during the unsealing.
Nayumi's eyes widened. "Those symbols… they're from the ancient sealing rites. The ones used to bind forbidden flames."
The figure's voice crackled through the mask again.
"Very perceptive, Aqualis girl. Yes—these markings come from the era when the Kuroin Blaze nearly consumed the world. When your clans united to seal it… inside him."
Billionzaruto froze. A cold shock spread through his chest.
"You're saying… my existence was planned?"
"Of course," the stranger whispered, as if it were obvious. "You are the vessel. The living key. The boy forged by fate so the Master may reclaim what once belonged to him."
Nayumi stepped forward, eyes blazing. "He's not a key. He's a person."
The figure ignored her.
"Your seal grows weaker each time you lose control. Your flame trembles between two wills—yours and his."
Billionzaruto swallowed hard.
"You mean… the Kuroin Blaze?"
"No."
The figure leaned in slightly.
"I mean the one who created it."
A cold hush fell across the clearing.
Raiken's knuckles whitened. "Enough talk," he barked. "You've seen what you came to see. You won't take another step."
The masked figure straightened slowly.
"You misunderstand, Raiken. I didn't come to fight. Not today."
But then a faint glimmer of fire flickered behind their mask—dark red, almost black.
"Although," they added softly, "I am curious."
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Before anyone could react, the figure vanished—disappearing with a burst of speed that made even Billionzaruto's enhanced sense blur.
Nayumi spun, searching. "Where—?"
A whisper sliced through the air behind Billionzaruto.
"Let me test your flame."
The figure appeared at his back, dagger already slashing forward.
Raiken reacted instantly. "Billionzaruto—MOVE!"
But Billionzaruto was faster.
Instinct—not thought—took over.
Lightning surged through his legs. He twisted aside, grabbing Nayumi by the wrist and pulling her with him as the blade sliced past where he had been standing just a heartbeat earlier.
A thin line of heat burned across his arm.
He hissed. The wound glowed faintly with black residue—Shadow Tempest poison.
Raiken lunged, striking the masked figure with a bolt of lightning so bright it lit the forest floor. The impact sent the attacker spinning backward, yet they landed effortlessly, barely fazed.
"Your mentor grows weaker," the figure noted, tilting their head. "His power fades. Just as the Master predicted."
Raiken gritted his teeth but said nothing.
Nayumi moved in front of Billionzaruto, dagger poised, water swirling around her blade. "You won't touch him again."
"Oh?"
The figure raised a hand.
"Then let me test the girl too."
Dark fire erupted from their palm.
Billionzaruto stepped in front of Nayumi without thinking—raising his arms to shield her.
The black flame hit him dead-on.
A shockwave boomed outward. Billionzaruto stumbled backward, boots scraping the dirt. His arms shook violently as the heat seared into his skin.
But he held.
Nayumi's gasp cut through the roar. "Billionzaruto—!"
"I'm fine," he gritted out, bracing himself.
The masked figure lowered their hand.
"…Interesting," they murmured. "Your resistance is growing faster than expected. The seal fights to contain the Kuroin Blaze, but you… you are adapting to it."
Billionzaruto clenched his fists, eyes burning. "I'm adapting because I refuse to let that thing control me."
A long pause.
Then the figure bowed their head slightly.
"Then let us hope your will survives what comes next."
Before anyone could strike, the figure dissolved—melting into rippling shadows that sank into the forest floor like ink.
Silence returned.
But it was not the soft kind from before.
It was suffocating, heavy with meaning.
Raiken slowly approached Billionzaruto, letting out a long breath. "They weren't sent to kill you… only to judge your progress."
Nayumi sheathed her dagger, face pale. "Which means the next time… they won't hold back."
Billionzaruto stared at the spot where the figure had disappeared. His heartbeat thudded deep and painful inside his chest.
That whisper from earlier echoed in his mind again.
You are my vessel.
He closed his fists tightly until his nails dug into his palms.
"I'm done being hunted," he said quietly, but with a fire that shook his voice. "I'm done running. If they want me because of this thing inside me, then I need to learn how to control it before it controls me."
Raiken placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Then our training must go deeper. Harder. Faster."
Nayumi nodded. "And you won't face it alone. We'll stand with you."
For a long moment, the three of them stood together in the darkening forest—warriors bound not by blood, but by the storm gathering around them.
Billionzaruto took a slow breath.
He didn't know what waited ahead. But one thing was certain:
The real war had only just begun.
Help us release the next chapter by donating powerstone