CHAPTER 27 Aashin vs. Sen Ren Astro
The remains of Hoein lay in ruins. Buildings that once held life and warmth were now reduced to dust and burnt stonee. The air was thick with smoke and silence—broken only by the echoing aftershock of Aashin's Total Impact. The ground itself had cracked open in long jagged lines, glowing faintly with lingering spiritual energy.
Aashin stood at the epicenter of the destruction, his chest rising and falling slowly. His face showed no joy, no triumph. Only exhaustion. The Total Impact had drained not just his strength—but something deeper.
Zondra stepped forward, eyes widening at the devastation.
"You… Aashin. Again. You've done this again."
Before Aashin could answer, Bachi moved beside Zondra, his expression sharp.
"Haikano Form."
Energy swirled around him, forming an aura of shimmering turquoise flame.
Zondra nodded, his voice steady.
"Dark King Form."
A shadow-like aura rose from beneath his feet, warping the air around
him.
And then, stepping forward with determination burning in her eyes—Rita.
She clenched her fists.
"And I've learned how to fight now. It's my turn. Fairytale Form."
Her body glowed with pastel light—delicate yet powerful, like a dream given physical form.
Zondra turned sharply toward her.
"Wait—Astro cannott be defeated so easi—"
A blur cut through the air.
A flash.
A sound like wind slicing through metal.
Then silence.
Bachi blinked, confuused.
"What… just happened?"
A figure now stood before them—calm, unbothered, almost emotionless. His presence was heavy, not from rage or hatred, but from absolute certainty in his strength.
Sen Ren Astro.
His eyes were cold, the kind of cold that came from experience rather than cruelty.
He spoke quietly, as if stating a simple fact.
"I didn't even need my Sajura Blade Koras Myramusa to cut you into pieces. My Iton Bombs and Spenso were more than enough."
The wind blew dust past his feet.
Aashin tried to regenerate, his burned skin beginning to reform.
"Hah… I can regenerate, yes."
His voice was hoarse.
"But even then… I cannot do anything here."
His body flickered—
Teleport.
He vanished.
Rita's legs trembled as her Fairytale Form flickered out.
"Fairytale Form… off. But how… how do you have Spenso?"
Sen Ren Astro shifted his gaze to her slowly.
"The same way you were born with Fairytale Form," he answered.
"You had it from birth—but could not control it. Now you learned."
He inhaled calmly.
"And now—I have learned to control mine."
Rita took a step back, but her eyes did not waver. She understood—the battlefield was no longer one she could win.
But the silence did not last.
Goyota Shinge appeared—calm, collected, hands tucked into his sleeves like someone who had long left behind fear.
"Interesting," Goyota said.
"It seems I have finally accelerated my Reincarnation Banking. Now… I can reincarnate faster. Much faster. I can store the time between deaths and use it as fuel."
His tone carried no pride—only acknowledgment of growth.
Bachi grinned suddenly, excitement sparking.
"Oh! And I found something as well!"
He raised a blade, its dark surface pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
"I encountered it in the Underworld. This sword can only be drawn when one abandons the safety of their life force. But using it… drains stamina and Renzo like nothing else."
Goyota's expression shifted—surprise, then realization.
"Wait… I had forgotten. Our bodies have another reserve of energy… Second Stamina—stored for life-or-death situations."
Bachi nodded fiercely.
"Exactly. When our normal stamina is gone—we can use that. But only if the will is strong enough. Only if survival is chosen without hesitation."
The air stilled again.
Not because the battle was over—
But because the battlefield had broadened.
There were now too many powers in play.
Too many evolving demons.
Too many awakened forms.
Too many broken pasts driving every strike.
---
Scene Shift
Far from Hoein, beyond the fallen gates and burning fields, Kitaelin and Dieago Lee stepped through the shattered forest. Leaves fell around them like ash. The sky had darkened into early twilight.
Kitaelin walked silently, hands buried in his pockets. The chaos of battle seemed far away—yet it clung to him like smoke to cloth.
Dieago broke the silence.
"Kitaelin, look."
A figure stood upon a lone boulder, cloak fluttering in the cold wind.
His hair was pale silver.
His eyes held a cold stillness that felt ancient.
Sen Ren Seskō.
Another presence—another anomaly—another threat.
Kitaelin exhaled.
"Of course. Of course he would appear now."
Dieago's jaw tightened.
"Everything is accelerating. Too fast."
Kitaelin looked up at the sky—the same sky he once watched with someone who was now gone.
He closed his eyes.
"…The world is changing," he said quietly.
"And the worst part is—none of us are ready."
---
To Be Continued…