Kanji looked at him in complete silence.
Years.
Every nightmare.
Every prayer.
Every grave.
Every step that had led him away from the frightened child kneeling inside that ruined church had converged upon this single moment. He had imagined hatred erupting uncontrollably the instant they met again. He had imagined screaming. He had imagined losing himself beneath rage so profound that words would become meaningless. Instead, standing only several dozen meters away from the man responsible for every scar carved into his existence, Kanji found something infinitely colder.
He finally understood.
Everything.
Each fragment of suffering had revolved around the man quietly standing before him.
Enazumi's expression never changed.
Neither satisfaction.
Nor regret.
His face remained almost completely emotionless.
Something about his left eye unsettled Kanji more than the absolute calm surrounding the man. It carried the strange appearance of someone who had cried before. It wasn't weakness. It wasn't guilt.
Kanji refused to dwell on it.
His body had already reached its limit.
Every muscle remained torn apart from forcing Light Mode ×500 against Kashigi, his Yin pathways screamed beneath unbearable exhaustion, and the simplest movement caused burning pain to surge through his entire nervous system.
None of it mattered.
Kanji slowly closed his eyes.
One quiet breath entered his lungs.
Another left.
Golden light began gathering once more beneath his skin.
Kanji – "Light Mode..."
The ground beneath him cracked.
Golden lightning exploded across the devastated battlefield.
Kanji's eyes opened.
Kanji – "...One hundred times."
Exclusion zone vanished beneath a sea of radiant gold as overwhelming Yin burst from Kanji's body with enough force to send shockwaves racing across Yggdrasil's immense roots.
Hundreds of colossal dragon-shaped arms emerged from the golden ocean surrounding him, each one larger than a skyscraper, scales forged from condensed Light Yin shimmering brilliantly beneath the dark sky. Every hand ended in an enormous clenched fist, each dragon roaring silently as though divine beasts themselves had answered Kanji's determination.
Within seconds the heavens disappeared entirely beneath an impossible formation of golden limbs extending in every direction, surrounding Enazumi from every conceivable angle.
Without hesitation...
They attacked.
Hundreds of fists descended simultaneously.
Some shattered downward like divine meteors.
Others surged horizontally through the air.
Tearing apart kilometers of bedrock as they sought to crush Enazumi beneath overwhelming force from every direction at once. Every impact generated explosions powerful enough to collapse entire mountain ranges, while the surrounding atmosphere screamed beneath the accumulated pressure of hundreds of godlike strikes converging upon one solitary man standing calmly at their center.
Kanji moved with them.
As the dragons descended, radiant particles condensed within his own hands before assembling themselves into a weapon unlike anything he had wielded before. A massive katana emerged gradually from pure Light Yin, its blade nearly matching the length of a city bus, forged from brilliant white metal bordered by intricate golden engravings flowing continuously across its surface like living scripture. The guard resembled intertwined wings, while the edge itself radiated such impossible purity that even the surrounding darkness seemed reluctant to approach it.
Kanji gripped the enormous sword with both hands.
Then vanished.
Every motion synchronized perfectly with the descending dragons. While hundreds of colossal fists forced Enazumi to defend from every direction simultaneously, Kanji himself appeared again and again between those impossible attacks, each reappearance accompanied by another devastating slash capable of dividing mountains in half. Vertical cuts. Horizontal arcs. Reverse swings. Rotating strikes flowing naturally into one another until swordsmanship and overwhelming force became indistinguishable. The dragons shattered space through brute power.
Kanji sought the opening.
Enazumi remained perfectly still.
A single pulse spread outward from his body.
Unlike Kanji's overwhelming radiance, Enazumi's Yin never exploded violently. It expanded quietly, almost respectfully, bathing the ruined battlefield beneath deep crimson that resembled the final colors of sunset lingering stubbornly against the horizon. From that ocean of red emerged two enormous katanas, each one forged entirely from condensed Yin whose surface flowed continuously like liquid blood trapped inside polished steel. Their blades dwarfed ordinary weapons, massive enough that no human should have possessed the strength required to wield even one.
Enazumi held both effortlessly.
The battlefield became music.
Golden dragons descended.
The first crimson blade rose.
One swing.
Three dragon fists split cleanly apart before dissolving into countless particles of Light.
The second blade rotated behind him without requiring sight, intercepting Kanji's descending katana with a collision so violent that the resulting shockwave erased every remaining structure within several kilometers. Before Kanji could recover, Enazumi's first blade had already completed another arc, severing five additional dragons before smoothly redirecting itself toward another incoming strike. He did not appear hurried.
He did not appear pressured.
Kanji refused to relent.
Light surged violently through his muscles while hundreds more dragon fists continued descending from every conceivable direction, each strike timed perfectly to overlap the previous one. Every fraction of hesitation became another opening. Every opening immediately vanished beneath another mountain-sized fist crashing downward with enough force to fracture the landscape surrounding Yggdrasil.
Kanji roared.
His sword accelerated further.
Golden arcs filled the battlefield.
For a brief instant...
Enazumi disappeared completely beneath endless impacts.
The earth ceased existing.
Entire sections of bedrock collapsed into molten caverns while Yggdrasil's colossal roots groaned beneath the transmitted force. Golden explosions merged continuously into one another.
Enazumi – "You think..."
Another dragon exploded into fragments.
A crimson blade emerged.
Enazumi – "...you're the only one..."
Kanji's sword met another impossible parry.
The collision illuminated the horizon.
Enazumi – "...capable of strengthening your foundation?"
Enazumi – "Light Mode."
Even Kanji's eyes widened.
Enazumi looked directly into him.
Enazumi – "...One hundred times."
The crimson aura surrounding him compressed so violently that the atmosphere detonated in every direction at once, producing a pressure wave that reached outerspace. The ground beneath Enazumi vanished into a crater hundreds of meters deep before anyone had visibly moved.
Then...
Kanji lost sight of him.
No.
Everyone would have.
Two crimson katanas danced through the golden storm with speed surpassing perception, carving impossibly precise trajectories through every incoming dragon arm.
One by one the colossal constructs fragmented before completing their strikes, their severed remains dissolving into radiant particles that rained endlessly across the battlefield. Simultaneously, Enazumi appeared beside Kanji, their massive blades colliding dozens of times within the span of a single heartbeat. Each impact unleashed concentric shockwaves powerful enough to split open the surrounding earth, while the force of their exchanges bent entire Yggdrasil roots several kilometers away.
Golden lightning.
Crimson fire.
Two Light Modes amplified one hundredfold collided without either yielding even the smallest fraction of ground.
Above them...
The clouds disappeared.
Kanji's breathing had already become ragged long before the battle reached its current height. Every exchange against Enazumi sent fresh fractures racing through muscles that had never fully recovered from Kashigi, while the strain of maintaining Light Mode ×100 threatened to tear apart the very pathways through which his Yin flowed.
Yet none of that reached the forefront of his mind. There remained only the man standing before him, calmly dismantling attacks that would have annihilated entire nations, his crimson blades continuing to carve impossible arcs through the golden storm as though every movement had been rehearsed countless times before this night ever arrived.
The realization infuriated Kanji more than the pain itself. He had climbed farther than any version of himself had once believed possible. He had endured suffering that should have broken him beyond repair. He had stood against Akashi, defeated Kashigi, surpassed his own limits repeatedly, and yet Enazumi continued meeting each new summit with the same unbearable composure, as though the gap between them remained exactly where it had always been.
Golden blood slid slowly down Kanji's forearm before dripping from the enormous white-and-gold katana clenched between both hands. His fingers trembled, not from fear, but from exhaustion so complete that even maintaining his grip required conscious effort. He could hear every heartbeat inside his chest striking harder than the last, each one reminding him that his body had already surpassed every safe boundary established by Light Mode.
His muscles begged him to stop. His nervous system screamed beneath unbearable overload. Every instinct dedicated to survival demanded retreat. Instead, Kanji slowly lowered his head, allowing strands of dark hair to conceal his eyes as another wave of radiant Yin quietly gathered beneath his skin.
Kanji whispered.
Kanji – "...Light Mode..."
The ground beneath his feet ceased existing.
Kanji – "...Five hundred times."
For an immeasurable instant, nothing existed. Even Enazumi's crimson flames wavered almost imperceptibly as Kanji crossed the distance between them with such overwhelming acceleration that the shockwave only formed several heartbeats after he had already arrived.
His colossal katana descended once, then again, then dozens of times within the span of a single breath, each strike accompanied by hundreds of golden dragon fists converging from every direction. Mountains of bedrock erupted beneath the accumulated force while Yggdrasil's nearest roots groaned under impacts powerful enough to alter the surrounding landscape.
One slash forced him backward. Another dragon fist struck his shoulder before dissolving into light. A third impact finally displaced his footing across the fractured earth. It was only several meters. Yet it happened.
Kanji saw it.
Kanji – "WHY?!"
Another strike.
The earth split apart beneath them.
Kanji – "WHY DID YOU DO ALL OF THIS?!"
A dragon fist descended from above.
Enazumi severed it.
Kanji's sword immediately followed through the opening.
Kanji – "IF I'M TRULY YOUR SON..."
Another collision.
Golden and crimson lightning flooded the heavens.
Kanji – "WHAT DID YOU GAIN?!"
He sounded like a child demanding an answer.
Every swing carried years of grief.
Kanji – "WAS MY MOTHER JUST A PIECE ON YOUR BOARD?!"
His blade descended again.
Enazumi met it.
The impact bent one of Yggdrasil's colossal roots several kilometers away.
Kanji – "WERE MASARU... FUJINAKA... KASHIGI..."
His breathing shattered.
Kanji – "...EVERYONE..."
Another dragon struck.
Another crater formed.
Kanji – "...JUST STEPS LEADING TO THIS?!"
He drove forward with everything remaining inside him.
Kanji – "YOU TOOK MY CHILDHOOD!"
Another strike.
Kanji – "YOU TOOK MY FAMILY!"
Another.
Kanji – "YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE!"
Another.
His voice finally cracked.
Not from weakness.
From years spent refusing to let it.
Kanji – "...WHY?"
For a brief moment...
It looked as though he wanted to cry.
His voice emerged quietly.
Almost gently.
Enazumi – "...One day..."
He parried another strike.
Enazumi – "...you shall understand."
Kanji stared at him in disbelief.
Enazumi slowly lowered one crimson blade.
His gaze drifted toward the immense branches of Yggdrasil stretching endlessly across the heavens.
Enazumi – "...Until then..."
A deep crimson flame began gathering around his body.
Enazumi – "...live in this moment."
The sky answered.
It was a dragon, yet calling it merely a dragon felt insultingly insufficient. Its body stretched nearly three kilometers from head to tail, every scale forged from burning crimson Yin that resembled liquid fire trapped beneath polished crystal. Four immense horns curved backward like crowns carved from volcanic glass while rivers of incandescent energy flowed continuously between countless overlapping plates covering its enormous body. Its eyes alone dwarfed entire buildings.
Kanji instinctively stepped back.
its colossal form dissolved into an ocean of crimson fire that poured directly toward Enazumi. Every scale, every claw, every fragment of its insane existence flowed into him without resistance until man and monster ceased existing as separate beings. The transformation unfolded with terrifying serenity, as though it had always been inevitable. Crimson flames wrapped around Enazumi's body before compressing inward, reshaping muscle, bone and spirit simultaneously.
When the light faded...
He stood only slightly taller.
Yet everything about him had changed.
Dark crimson markings resembling living flames spread across his arms, shoulders and neck, flowing naturally beneath skin that now carried the texture of tempered steel. His hair lengthened slightly, lifting gently within the inferno surrounding him as though each strand had become another tongue of living fire. Sharp, fur-like crimson details traced the edges of his clothing and shoulders, giving his silhouette the primal majesty of something beyond humanity. The flames surrounding him hotter than the surface of the sun.
Stone softened.
Steel glowed.
Even the air shimmered beneath unbearable heat.
Enazumi slowly opened his eyes once more.
It was Enazumi standing upon the summit.
The instant Enazumi completed the Dragon Metamorphosis, every fragment of battle experience accumulated throughout the past years reached the same conclusion before conscious thought could even begin processing what stood before him.
The gap was infinity.
Light Mode ×500 had allowed him to momentarily pressure the previous Enazumi, forcing exchanges that at least resembled a battle between equals. The being now standing before him existed beyond that comparison entirely. Every movement of the crimson flames surrounding his body distorted the atmosphere with frightening ease, Kanji immediately realized a truth that would have shattered the resolve of almost anyone else.
Even Light Mode ×500...
Would not be enough.
Kanji slowly closed his eyes.
Blood continued flowing from countless wounds hidden beneath fractured armor while every muscle screamed beneath the accumulated strain of forcing impossible multipliers one after another. His nervous system had already reached complete collapse. Every physician inside Federation X would have declared continued combat biologically impossible.
Kanji – "...Lightning Dragon Armor."
Massive shoulder guards resembling folded dragon wings locked into place while engraved plates covered his chest, each one carved with flowing draconic scripture glowing softly beneath translucent gold. His forearms became wrapped in overlapping armor whose edges resembled sharpened scales, while his helmet never fully formed, leaving his face exposed beneath a radiant crown of horn-like crests sweeping backward through his hair. The entire suit carried an almost sacred appearance, somewhere between a warrior's ceremonial armor and an ancient guardian carved into the walls of forgotten temples.
Even his weapon changed.
The immense white-and-gold katana dissolved into thousands of particles before collapsing inward until only a single claw remained around his right hand.
Small.
Elegant.
Terrifyingly dense.
Kanji – "...Lord..."
His fingers tightened.
Kanji – "...I hope this works."
An enormous Yin sigil suddenly ignited beneath Kanji's feet, stretching for kilometers across the devastated exclusion zone in intricate golden patterns too vast for any ordinary observer to comprehend from ground level. Ancient symbols intertwined endlessly.
Then...
A roar.
From the heart of the immense golden formation rose another dragon.
Larger.
Far larger.
Its body stretched nearly six kilometers from head to tail, every scale radiating pure golden lightning that continuously arced between enormous wings capable of eclipsing entire towns beneath their shadow. Four majestic horns crowned its head while flowing white markings traced sacred patterns across its impossibly vast body.
Unlike Enazumi's dragon, whose presence resembled a force of destruction incarnate, this one carried the overwhelming majesty of something almost divine, as though it had descended from somewhere beyond ordinary existence.