The wind moved strangely over the broken streets, not because of weather, but because of lingering magic. Every shattered building, every cracked road still hummed faintly with the energy left behind by the countless battles that had taken place.
Jaze Azenzo walked beside Rougen Ray at the front of the group.
Behind them were Hiko, Goru, Kaiser, several of the Holy Landers, and a few of Rougen's Master Group members. Even though the city was half destroyed, something about walking together like this felt almost peaceful for a moment.
Hiko glanced at Goru. "It feels weird. Like we are in the middle of a war, but… not right now."
Goru nodded. "Yeah. No beasts screaming. No buildings collapsing. Just quiet."
Kaiser smirked faintly. "That usually means something horrible is about to happen."
One of the Holy Landers, a tall woman with silver hair, laughed softly. "You students are surprisingly sharp."
Hiko smiled back. "We have been almost killed enough times to notice patterns."
Jaze overheard them and turned slightly. "You have good instincts. In war, quiet is often more dangerous than noise."
Rougen looked at him. "You always were like that. Calm even when the sky is falling."
"And you always looked like you were already planning how to survive it," Jaze replied.
They shared a short, rare smile.
The group continued moving through what used to be a shopping district. Storefronts were broken, streets cracked open, and overturned cars lay everywhere. Still, walking together like this made the students feel something they had not felt in a long time.
They were not alone.
Hiko walked closer to Rougen. "Sensei… do you think we can really stop Tengen?"
Rougen did not answer immediately. "We have to," he said finally. "That is the only option."
Jaze glanced at Hiko. "Fear is natural. But you are still standing. That matters."
Goru clenched his fists. "I will not let my father destroy everything."
Jaze studied him for a moment. "You carry a heavy burden. But do not forget. You are not him."
Goru nodded slowly.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
Hiko felt it first. The cursed flame inside him reacted, flickering violently.
"Something's wrong," he said.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, the street in front of them twisted.
It did not crack or break. It twisted, like reality itself was being folded backward.
A man stepped out of that warped space.
He had long dark hair tied behind his head, pale skin, and eyes that seemed to reflect the world upside down. His coat fluttered even though there was no wind.
"Ah," he said softly. "So many strong souls gathered in one place."
Jaze's eyes narrowed. "Resoken Fugi."
The man smiled. "You remember me. I am honored."
Rougen's expression darkened. "A Calamity Level sorcerer. One of Tengen's pawns."
Fugi placed a hand on his chest. "Pawn, piece, tool. Call me what you want. I enjoy my role."
Hiko stepped forward slightly. "What is his magic?"
"Reversal," Jaze said. "He twists cause and effect. Up becomes down. Strong becomes weak. Life becomes death."
Fugi laughed quietly. "Not quite that simple. I reverse what I want. What should be impossible becomes possible."
The street behind him suddenly folded inward, then outward, as if gravity itself had been flipped.
"Leave," Rougen said. "Or you will die here."
Fugi's smile widened. "I came here to fight you. And to deliver a message."
He lifted a finger, and the ground beneath Hiko suddenly reversed direction. Instead of gravity pulling him down, it threw him upward.
"Whoa," Hiko shouted as he was flung into the air.
Goru jumped, slashing space itself, creating a dimensional anchor that allowed Hiko to grab onto it and pull himself back down.
"Thanks," Hiko muttered.
Fugi tilted his head. "How touching."
One of the Holy Landers charged at him, sword glowing.
Fugi snapped his fingers.
The Holy Lander's attack reversed. The force of his own strike slammed back into him, throwing him across the street.
Jaze stepped forward. The air around him thickened, his Density Magic activating. "Your tricks will not save you."
Fugi raised a hand, and Jaze suddenly felt his own weight multiply, but in the wrong direction. Instead of anchoring him to the ground, it tried to tear him upward.
Jaze planted his feet and forced the effect down. "So you can reverse even my magic."
"Yes," Fugi replied. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Rougen moved.
He disappeared and reappeared behind Fugi, void energy forming around his hand as he struck.
The attack passed straight through Fugi's body.
No, not through.
The space where Fugi was reversed, making Rougen's strike hit nothing.
"Too slow," Fugi said as he turned.
A wave of reversed space blasted Rougen backward.
Hiko and Goru rushed in together.
Hiko's cursed flames burned as he punched, while Goru's claws cut through layers of distorted reality.
For a moment, they pushed Fugi back.
Then Fugi clapped his hands.
The flames suddenly moved backward, flowing back toward Hiko and burning his own arms.
"Gah," Hiko cried out, rolling away.
Goru felt his dimensional slashes bend, cutting in the opposite direction and tearing into the street instead of Fugi.
Fugi spread his arms. "You see? The laws of the universe are just suggestions to me."
Jaze and Rougen stepped forward together.
"This ends now," Rougen said.
Fugi laughed. "You think two Masters are enough?"
"Yes," Jaze replied calmly.
The space around them began to collapse inward as their powers synchronized.
Void and Density intertwined, creating a swirling mass of crushing nothingness.
Hiko felt his breath catch.
"What… is that?" he whispered.
Rougen's eyes glowed faintly. "Infinity Black Hole."
Jaze extended his hand. "Let us see you reverse this."
The swirling mass shot forward.
Fugi's smile faltered for the first time. He tried to reverse it, but the attack was not a simple force. It was an endless collapse of space and density.
"Impossible," Fugi muttered.
The black sphere swallowed him.
For a moment, the world went silent.
Then the sphere vanished, leaving behind only cracked ground and fading mana.
Resoken Fugi was gone.
Hiko fell to his knees, breathing hard. "Did we… win?"
Rougen nodded. "Yes."
Jaze looked at the spot where Fugi had been. "One of Tengen's greatest pawns has fallen."
The group stood in silence, knowing that even greater battles awaited them.