The soldier's blade came down toward Lunnaux in a lethal arc.
It never reached her.
Steel screamed as another force intercepted it mid-swing.
A hand.
No—Noa's hand.
Gasps rippled through the battlefield.
Noa stood between Lunnaux and death, his body battered yet unbroken. His left eye burned with an unnatural glow, a vertical slit cutting through the light like a blade.
Alive.
Impossible.
The soldier staggered back, horror flooding his face.
"W-What… how is this possible?"
Noa's voice was calm—too calm.
"You underestimated me."
With a sharp shove, he sent the soldier crashing backward.
He didn't turn as he spoke again.
"As I told you, Luna… I might get rusty. But I don't fall that easily."
The remaining soldiers charged.
In a single blink, the battlefield changed.
Noa moved faster than sight—ten figures collapsed almost at once. Blades cut through air where he had already been, every strike dodged with terrifying precision. Strength surged through him, beyond human limits. Speed. Endurance. Power that bent reality itself.
When the dust settled, bodies lay scattered.
Only one remained.
A massive soldier gripping a heavy mace, trembling with rage.
"I'll kill you!"
Noa faced him.
"Then come."
The giant charged.
One punch.
The mace shattered on impact, metal exploding outward. Another strike followed, decisive and final. The soldier fell without another sound.
But the power didn't fade.
It burned.
Flames crawled beneath Noa's skin, his body glowing as if it might tear itself apart.
"Noa…" Lunnaux whispered.
He turned.
And something was wrong.
The light in his eye pulsed wildly. His movements stiffened—uncontrolled.
He lunged at Lunnaux.
The attack was blocked.
Viviette.
"Damn it," Viviette muttered, forcing Noa back. "So you awakened that eye."
A kick landed squarely in Noa's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Snap out of it," Viviette shouted. "Don't let it take you over. Fight it, Noa!"
Noa lifted his head.
His voice came out distorted—twisted.
"Shut up… I'll kill you. You made me suffer."
Viviette froze.
Then Noa attacked again.
With no other choice, Viviette struck hard, a single blow to the chin. Noa collapsed, unconscious.
Silence returned.
"Lunnaux," Viviette said urgently, "are you okay?"
"Yes… yes," she replied shakily.
"Good. Get on my horse. I'll take him."
As Lunnaux obeyed, Viviette looked down at Noa's still body.
"So you really are the Eighth… just like Amity said."
Later
They reached the camp at full speed.
Viviette rushed Noa into the clinic, working relentlessly to heal the burns left by the power's backlash. Hours passed.
Five of them.
When Viviette finally stepped outside, exhaustion lined his face. The wounds had closed—but the mark left by the flames remained untouched.
Before questions could be asked, a disturbance erupted at the camp gates.
Midnight arrived with Zephio.
Jess was missing.
"Where is Jess?" Amity demanded.
Midnight clenched his fists.
"Ryujin took her. I couldn't stop them."
Amity's expression darkened.
"Damn it."
That night, Amity announced brutal training for the coming war. No excuses. No refusals. Anyone unwilling was free to leave.
None did.
Strategy of Blood and Steel
After training, Amity, Midnight, and Viviette gathered.
"We're already headed for war," Midnight said. "And now Kuro has declared us enemies too."
Viviette leaned back.
"Then we fight both."
Amity frowned. "Both at once?"
"Not two against one," Viviette corrected. "Three against each other."
Silence.
"Kuro and Ryujin are already enemies," Viviette continued. "Ryujin is damaged. They'll need help."
Amity's eyes widened.
"An alliance."
"Temporary," Viviette said. "We help them defeat Kuro. They return Jess. After that—Ryujin falls."
Midnight exhaled slowly.
"…I hate that it makes sense."
Amity grinned.
"I love it."
The Deal
The next day, they walked straight into Ryujin's camp.
Soldiers raised weapons.
Too slow.
Midnight and Viviette disarmed them instantly.
Amity stepped forward alone.
"We didn't come to kill," he announced. "We came to talk."
"Just a deal" Amity spoke
The Ryujin leader, Jaketsu, emerged.
"A deal, huh?" he said. "This war won't stop."
Amity met his gaze without fear.
"You won't survive it alone."
Silence followed.
Finally, Jaketsu sighed.
"What do you want?"
"Jess," Amity said coldly. "And we'll help you destroy Kuro."
"Why would we need your help?" Jaketsu asked
"We are stronger then you, have more weapons then you and after the war even if you win, even though u won't but you will be more weaker. Then Kuro will attack you and destroy you guys easily. "
Jaketsu hesitated-he was trying to prepare a attack by giving a sign to his soldiers but Amity saw it.
"Don't even try" Amiy said "I will kill every single person here."
"What makes you think, you can do that?"
"Do you find fear in my eyes?" Amity said "Try me once and see it yourself."
Jaketsu smirked and was ready to do the deal
"Deal."
Their hands clasped.
The war had just become far more dangerous.