As dusk settled, cold winter winds began to lash at the dry branches of the trees.
In the midst of that great forest, glowing with the beautiful colors of sunset, a battle was about to begin.
While Hiro stood ready to attack the old man, the latter looked at the monster, contemplating how to deal with it. "(He's cautious; his instincts must be warning him not to get any closer. But it's not like he's afraid. He's just pinpointing the target he'll kill first.)"
After a few seconds, Hiro moved his right wing, which was black and made of some kind of shapeshifting material. His wing transformed into something resembling a massive, sharp blade and began to extend rapidly towards the old man, attempting to decapitate him.
"He's very fast. But his attack is too simple."
Just before the wing touched the old man, its trajectory changed swiftly, heading towards Wendy and Stella. Before the attack reached them, the old man was already standing in front of them, extending his hand forward to reverse the strike's direction. "As I expected, he understands the power difference between us. That's why he targets the weaker beings first." In the instant the wing was reflected, Hiro appeared rapidly before the old man's face, leaving him regretting lowering his guard for that moment. Hiro punched him forcefully in the face, breaking some of his teeth and sending him crashing through several pine trees, landing a hundred meters from his original spot.
Wendy looked at Hiro with fear, trying to protect Stella with her life, but he didn't care about them. His full concentration was on the old man. "(Is this fear, the feeling of dread and helplessness? The inability to think, making wrong decisions, panic, and stomach pain – all this just because he's someone superior in strength? Are feelings like these important? Why would I need to feel fear if death is the end anyway? In the darkest days of my life, in the most difficult situations I've endured, I could only remain calm. Thanks to that, I managed to survive until today. I never thought this weakness and shame could afflict me just because I feel fear.)"
The old man stood up, wiping blood from his mouth. From his eyes, a massive red light flared, illuminating the entire forest for a second. Before Hiro's instincts could sense the danger, the old man returned the punch with double the force, shattering Hiro's nose. As Hiro's body flew through the air, the old man stood before Wendy again, saying, "I didn't think he'd be that smart. Is he really a monster? What do you think, yellow-haired girl?"
Wendy composed herself after seeing what the old man had done. She returned to her usual calm demeanor and said, "I have no idea. But I'm sure dealing with him won't be as easy as you think."
"It seems you noticed it from the beginning. Despite knowing my strength, you showed no significant reaction. Am I right?" Wendy remained silent, not responding, as if ignoring him. "That seems to be true. You perceive your surroundings at first glance. It seems to be some kind of ability, but that doesn't matter now. Listen, girl, I want you to help me deal with this monster." "Why would I help you kill my friend?" These words escaped her, suppressing the intense anger within her, without knowing the reason for that anger.
"You know this has just begun, right? And its end won't be happy. At best, you won't get out of here alive. Even if I could control my power, I don't think that rogue would care about your presence in this battle. I also don't like wasting time on a meaningless fight. I need three minutes without using my Aka. Just three minutes, and this battle will end."
Wendy knew he wasn't lying. She had no choice but to agree.
"I have one condition: if you promise not to kill any of us or obstruct us again, I will help you." The old man smiled and raised his hand forward, and raging red lights began to emanate from his hand, rising towards the sky, dyeing the pine forest red. Horizontal circles began to emerge near the old man's hand.
"As I expected, it's the real one. The man who led his people to corruption. The first Warlord who never lost. The one who declared war on all creatures in this world and was later dubbed the King of War. The one who made the name Akana ominous in all corners of the Earth. The strongest King, Ryo, King of the Akana."
The winds began to rage around the place, and the sky filled with clouds laden with red lightning. It looked like a short cinematic display of a natural disaster. Then it calmed down the moment he spoke.
"But this time, no one will die in this place. Instead, let me show you a magnificent show." A waterfall of red lightning descended upon the old man. It lasted for a short period, then vanished with a flash of red light that illuminated the entire place. It was then that Wendy saw the splendid spear embedded in the ground and immediately knew the old man had become serious. "This is one of the Calibration weapons. Twilight at Dusk. Sword of Summer." From amidst the rising dust, Ryo extended his hand towards his spear to pick it up. Behind that curtain of dust, a young man in his early thirties appeared. His long red hair and exposed, unarmored chest revealed his fierce nature in battle. As he draped his cloak over his shoulder, he chuckled softly and said, "Life as an old man isn't bad, but... this form is still the best for battles. So, I guess I'll enjoy myself a little."
As Wendy looked at him, she understood what was happening. She began to create a simulation in her head to analyze the situation.
"He reversed his body's growth process to return to his youthful appearance. But aging doesn't show quickly. If he reversed the time affecting his body, his body would go back in time for one hour at best. But the difference between his appearance a moment ago and his current appearance can be estimated at least thirty years. To what extent can his ability to reverse affect what he feels? Even in this case, his ability is supposed to be limited to external effects. If he could reverse anything, he wouldn't need to activate the third level to reverse the nature of each of us. This means that this is his King's authority, making everything fall under the influence of his ability without limits. Thanks to this authority, his reversal ability can turn a gentle breeze into a massive storm. His victory is certainly inevitable, given our current situation, he can kill us without moving a finger. But he is waiting, but for what exactly? For some reason, he has two abilities. The first is reversing things, and it is clearly a Yin and Yang ability. His acquisition of it is strange, as he is clearly not human, after all, he is the King of the Akana. The second is his primary ability, which is absorption. In his fight against Stella before activating the third level, he absorbed all kinds of attacks he received. It seemed like his natural reversal method, but after he absorbed the attack, no counter-attack appeared afterward, and at the same time, he was reversing attacks without needing to move his body. If it were a mere reversal effect, he wouldn't need to raise his hand to block those attacks. He was known to be the strongest king in this world, but given the type of abilities he possesses, he is more like an absolute, impenetrable defense force. This means that it is likely that the ability of that weapon is an unstoppable attack. I fully understand the end of this battle. From the beginning of this battle, he has refrained from using his Aka (absorption). Most likely, he is trying to use a wide-range ability. And it seems it needs a massive amount of Aka. But what needs to be absorbed in this place? It is certainly his main goal from everything he is doing. The special things we lacked and obtained in this place. He is trying to get them for himself. It's unfortunate that the moment I got a heart, I am forced to give it up now. Well, this is better than dying here."
At the same time, Hiro was slowly advancing towards them, his face already healed. He suddenly stopped as his body began to evolve. Black symbols appeared all over his body. Then his third wing emerged from his right side. Unlike his first wings, this wing was incredibly beautiful; its transparent, straight appearance and the shimmering colors within it could have been a symbol of beauty on its own. But on the back of that monster, it was more like an omen of doom.