The room was still shaking when Kazuki finally exhaled. The violet glow in his eyes dimmed slightly, but it didn't fade completely. It clung to him—like a flame that couldn't decide if it wanted to die or explode.
Rito stepped forward slowly, her hands trembling.
"Kazuki… can you hear me?"
He looked up.
His voice was hoarse. "Yeah… I can hear you."
Ayumi and Sutea had recovered, though both were visibly rattled. Ayumi's hair stuck out in random directions from static discharge.
"What the hell was that!?" she yelled. "You nuked the room while sitting down!"
Kazuki didn't answer immediately. He was staring at his hands. Dark-purple veins pulsed faintly beneath his skin, glowing with every heartbeat.
Sutea analyzed him with rapid eye movements. "Energy output has increased significantly. This may be a new state of awakening."
"A new form?" Kazuki muttered.
"More like an unstable mutation," Sutea corrected.
That did not help his anxiety.
Rito moved closer, kneeling at his side. "Kazuki… what happened in your dream?"
He hesitated, jaw clenching.
"The Void Dragon was there. But this time… so was Zephyr."
Ayumi snapped her head up. "Huh!? How!?"
Kazuki swallowed hard. "He spoke directly into my mind. He told me I fear my own heart… that I'm letting it destroy me."
Rito tensed, gripping the sheets.
Ayumi scoffed. "He's just trying to mess with you! Don't listen to that shadow freak."
Kazuki shook his head slowly. "No. It wasn't just him. The Void Dragon… agreed."
The room fell silent.
Sutea stopped typing. Ayumi stopped breathing. Rito stared at him with wet eyes.
Kazuki continued quietly, "It said I'm afraid of losing you all. Afraid of getting close. Afraid of… loving someone."
His voice cracked slightly at the last words, and Rito felt her breath catch.
Ayumi turned red instantly. "W-Wait—LOV—hold on—!"
Sutea calmly wrote something on her tablet:
"Kazuki emotional instability linked to romantic suppression."
Kazuki groaned. "Sutea, please don't document my trauma."
She blinked. "It is important for my research."
Ayumi crossed her arms. "It's important for my future blackmail."
Rito gently took Kazuki's hand.
"You don't have to be afraid," she whispered. "Not with us."
Kazuki stared at her… and the glow in his eyes softened.
But then—
BOOM.
The door slammed open.
A wave of icy wind blasted through the hallway—unnatural, sinister, crackling with dark mana.
Ayumi instantly drew her blade.
"What now!?"
Sutea scanned the air. "Distortion detected! Something is entering from an unstable shadow rift!"
Kazuki tried to stand.
"No," Sutea snapped. "You're not stable!"
"Ayumi and I can—" Rito began—
But the shadow in the hallway surged, forming a jagged tear in reality. The temperature dropped, the air thickened, and a figure began emerging.
A warped humanoid shape… but wrong. Flickering. Half-disintegrated.
Sutea's eyes widened. "It's the shadow soldier from before!"
Ayumi gritted her teeth. "Didn't Rito kill that thing!?"
"I did!" Rito said, raising her twin elemental blades.
But this one was different.
Its form was cracked, corrupted, leaking void energy just like Kazuki's. Its movements were jerky, its presence unstable.
Kazuki felt something twist inside him.
"That… thing… is reacting to me."
Rito braced herself. "Then we stop it before it reaches you."
The shadow screeched—high-pitched and broken—and charged into the room.
Ayumi dashed forward first, slashing downward. Her blade hit its torso—but instead of cutting through, the shadow soldier absorbed the impact like liquid darkness.
"What—!?"
Sutea fired a burst of purification seals. They hit the creature's body, glowing for a second before being swallowed whole.
Rito stepped in, swinging her fire blade in a sweeping arc. "Flamepiercer Slash!"
The flames erupted in a fiery spiral—but the shadow pushed through the blaze, its body sizzling but regenerating instantly.
Kazuki clenched his teeth.
"It's using void energy… like me."
The shadow lunged, claws aiming straight for Ayumi's chest—
Rito blurred forward, crossing both swords into a defensive X. Sparks erupted as the creature's claws scraped against her blades.
She gritted her teeth. "Ayumi! Back me up!"
Ayumi smirked. "Got it!"
She slid behind the creature, slashing upward to sever its legs. But the creature liquefied mid-strike—splitting into two tendrils of shadow that wrapped around Ayumi and hurled her across the room.
"Ayumi!" Kazuki cried.
She smashed into the wall, groaning. "Ow… okay… that thing hits hard."
Sutea fired a burst of glowing chains. "Containment Seal—Lock!"
The chains wrapped the shadow soldier's torso, pulsing with holy light—
The creature shrieked.
Kazuki's void veins pulsed violently in response.
Rito noticed instantly. "Kazuki—stop letting it get to you!"
Kazuki clutched his head. "It's… resonating with me! Like it's feeding off my energy—!"
The shadow soldier suddenly snapped the glowing chains, surging toward Kazuki like a starving beast.
"No you don't!" Rito roared, spinning her water blade. "Tidesplitter Barrage!"
A spiral of slicing water cut through the room, colliding with the shadow's form and pushing it back.
But the creature regenerated again.
Ayumi rejoined the fight, swinging her sword with renewed fury. "This thing is cheating!"
Kazuki forced himself to stand.
"Kazuki, don't!" Rito yelled.
He ignored her.
The void energy inside him surged—not violently, but with a strange clarity. Like instinct.
"I can feel how it moves," he muttered. "It's using my power—so I can counter it."
Sutea's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting synchronized resonance combat!?"
Kazuki cracked his neck. "Sure. Whatever that means."
Ayumi smirked. "Just don't explode."
Kazuki stepped forward, letting the void energy rise just enough to glow around his hand.
The shadow soldier screeched and lunged—
Kazuki dashed in, barely stable, but fast enough to intercept. His void-infused fist collided with the creature's core.
A shockwave erupted.
The creature froze—its form rippling like water under a thunderclap.
Kazuki grit his teeth. "Rito! Now!"
Rito leapt forward, crossing both blades.
"Infernal Tide Breaker—Full Release!"
Flame and water spiraled into a vortex of red-blue energy, crashing into the immobilized shadow.
The explosion lit the room in blinding light.
The creature screamed—and shattered into dust.
This time, it didn't regenerate.
Kazuki collapsed to one knee, gasping.
Rito fell beside him, catching his shoulders. "Kazuki! Are you okay!?"
He nodded weakly. "Yeah… I think so."
Ayumi stretched her arms. "Well, that was fun. I almost died."
Sutea took notes. "Kazuki's void output synchronized with the enemy for approximately three seconds. Dangerous, but effective."
Kazuki inhaled shakily. "I didn't do it on purpose. It just… responded to me."
Rito placed a hand over his chest. Her expression softened with both fear and affection.
"Your power… it responded to your heart."
Kazuki looked away. "That's what I'm afraid of."
Ayumi sighed. "Bro, stop being dramatic. You think too much."
Sutea nodded. "Statistically, Ayumi is correct."
Ayumi blinked. "Huh? Did you just agree with me? Mark the calendar."
Rito ignored them, focusing on Kazuki.
"You protected me again," she whispered. "Even when you were the one in danger."
Kazuki swallowed. "I couldn't let you get hurt."
Rito leaned her forehead against his, eyes soft.
"You're changing, Kazuki. But that doesn't have to be something scary."
Kazuki trembled slightly. "It feels scary."
Rito cupped his cheek gently. "Then we'll face it together."
Ayumi raised an eyebrow. "Should we… leave or…?"
Sutea turned to her. "Statistically, leaving now would increase romantic development by 46%."
Ayumi nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
They walked out, closing the door behind them.
Kazuki and Rito Alone
The room was quiet. Peaceful. For the first time in hours.
Rito sat beside him, brushing dust from his hair.
"You've been pushing yourself too hard," she said softly.
Kazuki stared at his glowing hands. "I don't know how long I can keep this under control."
Rito held his hand tightly.
"You're not controlling it alone."
Kazuki looked up.
Her expression carried a warmth that made his chest ache in a way no battle ever had.
"Rito…" he murmured.
She smiled faintly. "You don't have to say anything yet. Just… let me stay by your side."
Kazuki's breathing steadied. The void veins dimmed.
He squeezed her hand back.
"…Okay."
Rito blushed slightly—but didn't look away.
Kazuki felt something strange but comforting inside him.
Not fear.
Not void.
Not pain.
Something new.
Something warm.
Zephyr's Whispering Smile
From the far end of the arena, deep in the shadows of an abandoned tower, Zephyr watched through another dark crystal. His face was unreadable.
The Umbral Sister bowed. "Your second projection has been destroyed."
Zephyr didn't respond.
He simply watched Kazuki and Rito sit together, hands entwined, emotions raw and exposed.
A slow, dangerous smile curved across his lips.
"Good," he whispered. "Let the bond deepen. When I tear it apart… the collapse will be absolute."
His eyes glowed with sinister light.
"The dragon's fear is growing. And so is the power inside him."
The shadows around him rippled like living ink.
"The next stage begins."
End of Chapter 26.