Rien smiled faintly.
"Hello, Goddess of Eternity, Aliza."
He sat calmly on the stone bench as if he were greeting an old friend.
Aliza's cheeks flushed for a brief second.
He spoke to me directly… What an honor… Wait—can he hear my thoughts?
She straightened instantly, regaining her composure.
Kuto stepped forward confidently.
"I want to fight you."
Aliza blinked and looked down at him.
"A mortal… wishes to challenge me?"
Rien looked up at her, eyes calm yet unreadable.
"Yes. Spar with him for a while."
Without hesitation, Aliza dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"For you, my lord, even death is insignificant."
Rien sighed softly and stood.
"We will not fight here."
With a single step, space folded.
The three of them appeared on a vast, desolate battlefield — an endless war ground where even silence felt ancient.
But the moment they arrived—
Kuto collapsed.
The pressure of overwhelming cosmic energy crushed his body.
"T-This is… terrifying…" His voice cracked as blood seeped from his lips.
Aliza also fell to her knees, blood spilling from her mouth.
"My lord… what is happening?"
Rien blinked once.
"Oh. I forgot to suppress the cosmic field."
He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the crushing force vanished — as if it had never existed.
Rien stepped back calmly.
"You may begin."
Aliza rose gracefully, her cosmic energy erupting like a collapsing star.
"Prepare yourself."
Kuto struggled to his feet. His eyes glowed red as black-and-crimson energy surged around him.
"Asura God Core… Activate."
Rien sat down midair, resting his chin on his palm.
"Let's begin."
With another snap—
The battle started.
Aliza vanished.
A devastating kick struck Kuto, launching him across the battlefield.
"Is that all?" she asked coldly.
Kuto slid across the ground, then stood again, energy roaring around him.
"It won't be that easy."
He dashed forward and threw a punch infused with destructive force—
Aliza disappeared again.
She reappeared behind him, a radiant spear forming in her hand.
"You cannot defeat me, child."
She hurled the spear.
Kuto vanished.
The spear continued forward—
Toward Rien.
"My lord—!"
Rien opened his eyes lazily.
The spear stopped between two of his fingers.
He looked at it briefly.
"Be careful."
Crack.
The divine weapon shattered like fragile glass.
Suddenly—
The sky fractured.
A massive crack tore through space itself, revealing a black domain beyond.
Kuto stared in shock.
"What is that?!"
Rien exhaled softly.
"…Ah. I may have used slightly more power than intended."
He stood.
"Continue later."
Without effort, he stepped into the crack.
It sealed behind him.
Aliza sat down slowly, exhausted.
"We will resume when my lord returns."
Kuto frowned.
"Just how strong is Rien? Can't you defeat him? You're the Goddess of Eternity."
Aliza gave him a deadpan look.
"Defeat him?"
She shook her head.
"All of us are bound to his will. He is the ruler of existence and non-existence. If he desires my end… I vanish."
Kuto crossed his arms.
"But you're eternal."
Aliza closed her eyes.
"Eternity is a concept."
She looked at him calmly.
"He holds authority."
"He does not need power. He controls the canvas itself."
The Black Domain
Rien walked through the endless darkness.
The sky itself felt artificial — unstable.
Below him stood several figures.
One boy stepped forward, blue flames and lightning swirling around his body.
"Who are you?"
Rien smiled gently.
"I am Rien Kinohutsu."
The air shifted.
Reality trembled.
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"I am Raizume Kurotsume."
Rien glanced around.
"…It seems I have stepped into another fiction by mistake."
Raizume frowned.
"Fiction? What are you talking about?"
Rien looked at him calmly.
"You are characters within a narrative."
Silence fell.
Another boy laughed mockingly.
"Creator? Don't make me laugh—"
He never finished his sentence.
His body exploded into fragments.
No energy surge.
No attack.
Just deletion.
Rien spoke softly.
"The space I stand upon falls under my control."
"The beings I perceive are bound to my will."
Fear spread instantly.
Raizume's flames flickered.
"H-How did you do that…?"
Rien turned toward the crack in reality.
"I have no intention of disturbing your story."
He paused slightly.
"Continue your narrative."
He stepped through the portal.
The black domain stabilized the moment he left.
Immortal Domain
Rien returned calmly and sat on his throne.
"I am back."
Aliza immediately knelt.
"I am relieved to see you, my lord."
Kuto folded his arms and pouted.
"You took long enough."
Rien simply smiled.
As if everything that had just happened…
Was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Aliza turned her gaze toward Kuto, a confident smile playing on her lips.
"So… shall we continue our battle?" she asked, her voice calm yet challenging.
Kuto let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head before grinning.
"I don't think I can defeat you right now," he admitted honestly. "But next time we fight… I'll be the one who wins."
Rien watched them with a serene smile.
"That's the spirit," he said calmly. "A warrior must always be prepared for the next battle."
With a subtle wave of his hand, space itself bent. In an instant, Kuto vanished—teleported back to the Xia Clan.
Moments later, in the clan's garden—
Lan Xia stood with her arms crossed, rolling her eyes as the two appeared.
"And where were you both?" she asked dryly.
Rien walked past her with his usual composed expression.
"Just spending some time alone," he replied smoothly, heading toward the clan halls.
Kuto hurried after him but paused just long enough to wink at her.
"See you soon, Lan," he said playfully.
Lan Xia scoffed but the faintest smile betrayed her composure.
Elsewhere… deep within an endless abyss of darkness—
Several figures sat upon colossal thrones, their silhouettes barely visible beneath waves of swirling cosmic energy.
"The Soul Organization has fallen," one of the men declared, his voice low and laced with danger. "Now… we must eliminate that force before it grows beyond our control."
A heavy silence followed.
Then, one by one, the others nodded.
Suddenly—
The darkness trembled.
Cosmic energy surged violently across the void, rising like a storm about to consume the heavens themselves. The shadows twisted, space cracked faintly, and an overwhelming pressure spread through the abyss.
A new war was beginning