Rougen had been silent for days. His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced with a seething anger that radiated from every step he took. The loss of Ziroya and Nagoya had not just shaken him—it had torn a hole through his chest that no magic could mend.
He walked alone through the mountains, where Logan had been sighted last. The forest was eerily quiet, as if the land itself feared what was about to happen. Birds didn't chirp, leaves didn't rustle, even the wind seemed to pause in anticipation.
Rougen's hands clenched into fists. His teeth were gritted, and his eyes glowed faintly with Void magic. "Fuego Logan," he muttered. "You took everything from me… and now, I will make you pay."
Somewhere in the distance, a ripple of energy disturbed the ground. Rougen froze. Then, with the same casual grace he despised in Logan, a figure stepped forward from the shadows.
Logan's silver and red hair shimmered under the pale sunlight. His coat fluttered as if alive, and the massive black Greator sack on his back seemed heavier than before. A smile curved across his face, that same sick, almost childlike thrill in his eyes.
"Well, well," Logan said, voice soft but cutting through the silence like a blade. "Rougen Ray… finally, a rematch."
Rougen's fists ignited with Void and Overmatter magic, his aura rippling violently. "You will pay for what you did. This ends today. No one survives your madness anymore."
Logan chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's already ended for your friends. But you… you're different. You're angry. I like that."
Rougen's eyes narrowed. "I'm not here to fight you for amusement. I'm here to end you."
"End me?" Logan tilted his head, the glint of his katana catching the sunlight. "I don't think so. You can't end me, not yet. I still need my fun."
Rougen roared, and the ground beneath him cracked. Overmatter and Void magic fused around his body, sending waves through the terrain. "I will make you regret every second you've lived!"
With a single motion, Rougen charged. Every step cracked the earth, every punch bent space itself. He struck first, Void-infused blows aiming to crush Logan before he could react.
Logan grinned. "Ah… I see you learned nothing from last time." He twisted his body, dodging with preternatural speed, almost blending into the shadows themselves. Then, with a casual swing of his Flux Katana, he sent a shockwave through the earth, forcing Rougen to leap backward.
"You're fast," Rougen muttered, breathing hard. "But not fast enough!"
The two collided in mid-air, each strike tearing the air apart. Rougen unleashed a barrage of Overmatter fists, each hitting with the force of multiple tons, reshaping the rocks around them. Logan countered with Greator, pulling weapons from the infinite sack, launching them like missiles. Rougen smashed through them, but every moment he pushed forward, Logan adapted.
"You still fight like a controlled human," Logan said, smiling. "But emotion… that's dangerous. That's what makes you predictable."
Rougen growled. "Then I'll be unpredictable!"
He surged forward, his magic concentrated into a single punch infused with Void, aimed directly at Logan's chest. Logan barely dodged, but the force sent him skidding through a tree trunk, splitting it in half. He laughed. "Good. Very good."
Rougen's chest heaved. His hands were shaking, but he didn't stop. Every loss, every friend, every piece of his past life fueled him. He remembered Ziroya's laughter, Nagoya's teasing, and the way the world had been taken from them in an instant.
"You enjoy killing, don't you?" Rougen shouted, fists glowing black. "You enjoy watching life die in your hands!"
Logan's smile widened. "Yes. The thrill… the fear… it's intoxicating. You feel it too, don't you? The joy of destruction? The power of absolute control?"
Rougen's fists slammed into the earth, sending a wave of energy that turned the ground to molten rock. "I will show you the consequences of your joy!"
He unleashed a barrage of punches, each one infused with Void, Overmatter, and the remnants of his anger. Logan dodged, parried, and countered, his Flux Katana slicing through the air, creating shockwaves that destroyed nearby rocks.
"You're strong," Logan said, sidestepping a punch that could have shattered a mountain. "But your anger blinds you."
Rougen's eyes flared. "Then I'll embrace it!"
He screamed, Void energy enveloping him, his body a swirling mass of black and violet. Every movement distorted space. Logan's eyes gleamed. "Oh, yes. That's what I wanted to see."
With a swift motion, Logan struck, and Rougen was sent flying through the trees. Branches splintered, rocks exploded, and the forest shook. Rougen landed heavily, blood seeping from his cuts. But his expression was unbroken.
"You… you won't survive this," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Logan tilted his head. "Perhaps not. But neither will you."
Then Logan lunged. Faster than Rougen could react, faster than the eye could follow, his katana struck. The attack was precise, fatal. Rougen blocked, but the blade sliced through the edge of his shoulder, tearing his coat and flesh. Pain seared through him, but he didn't falter.
"You will pay for your arrogance!" Rougen yelled.
Logan smiled. "Pay? Oh, I already have."
He swung again. Rougen's energy flared, but the strike hit his side, knocking him down. He struggled to rise, blood dripping onto the earth. His vision blurred, but he saw the man he hated.
"You… I will kill… you…" Rougen whispered.
Logan's katana gleamed. "And I will enjoy it."
With an inhuman strike, Logan's katana pierced through Rougen's defenses, cutting him down. Rougen collapsed, barely conscious, his aura flickering. His mind burned with rage and despair.
"Fuego… Logan…" Rougen gasped. "I… I will… end… you…"
Logan approached the vessel, who was trembling at the edge of the battlefield. Betelugo's eyes widened in terror.
"I warned you," Logan said softly. "Your friends are gone. Your mentor is gone. And now… so are you."
He swung the katana in a wide arc. Betelugo screamed. But before the blade could strike, a surge of energy erupted from Rougen.
Rougen's body glowed violently, Void and Overmatter fusing in a blinding light. Stars and galaxies seemed to swirl over his skin as he awakened his ultimate Domain: the Cosmic Room. Astral magic poured from every pore, covering him in a liquid, starry coat that shimmered with the energy of the universe.
"Logan… you will not touch him!" Rougen roared, his voice echoing across the mountains like a god.
Logan's eyes widened slightly, surprised for the first time. "Impressive…"
Rougen's power surged. The Cosmic Room allowed him to bend reality, summon astral weapons, and amplify his magic beyond comprehension. Black holes formed in the air around him, sucking in energy and space alike.
"You… cannot… win…" Rougen shouted, tearing a massive black hole into existence, the gravity alone bending Logan's body backward.
But Logan laughed. The thrill of destruction was in his veins. He unleashed Greator with every ounce of precision, pulling in astral energy and countering Rougen's domain.
"You're strong," Logan said, dodging the gravitational pull. "But I love this. I love the challenge. The chaos. The thrill."
The two clashed. Each attack shattered mountains. Each counterstrike tore the sky. The Cosmic Room flared, black holes tearing at reality, but Logan's Greator resisted, storing pieces of the astral energy, amplifying his own attacks in return.
Rougen's face was twisted in fury and grief. "For Ziroya! For Nagoya! For Ren! You will die here!"
"I… I will enjoy it," Logan whispered, katana swinging. "Every second… every second… I will savor this moment!"
They collided midair, their energy waves exploding in all directions. Rougen was battered, but he did not falter. He summoned his final attack.
"Black Hole Blast!" he screamed.
A singularity of unimaginable power erupted from his palms, a concentrated black star of pure astral energy. It swallowed Logan's Greator constructs, negated his counterattacks, and finally struck him directly.
Logan screamed, eyes wide with surprise and… fear. For the first time, he felt powerless. The singularity consumed him. His katana shattered. His Greator sack imploded. His body disintegrated under the force of Rougen's ultimate attack.
The blast faded. Silence.
Rougen collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, blood pouring from countless wounds. The Cosmic Room faded, the astral coat disappearing. He was alive, barely, but every ounce of strength drained.
Betelugo was trembling nearby. "You… you did it…"
Rougen could barely nod. "…He… is… gone… But…" his voice broke, "…we… lost… so much…"
The forest was ruined. Mountains cracked. Rivers evaporated. The smell of scorched earth filled the air.
Rougen looked at the sky, the stars still faint in the daylight. "…I will never… forgive anyone who does this again…"
And for the first time in days, Rougen allowed himself to feel… relief. But it was a fragile, fleeting thing. The cost had been immense. The fight had been won, but the scars would never fade.