The moonless night stretched like a void above the caravan trail.
Their footsteps echoed across the empty plains as Yeshwanth, Lucia, and Tim pushed toward the next town. Yeshwanth's time was draining fast — he could feel the countdown ticking behind his ribs. Only a few hours left before his body in the real world would yank him back.
He needed to finish the mission tonight.
But the night wasn't silent.
Tim slowed, eyes narrowing.
"…Stop. Someone's been following us since we left the ridge."
Yeshwanth's grip tightened on the straps of his bag. "One person or more?"
"One. But his presence feels… wrong."
Lucia shivered. "What do you mean wrong?"
Tim didn't answer.
Because the ground shook.
A shadow dropped from the cliff above — landing so quietly the earth itself seemed afraid to make noise. The figure rose, tall and wrapped in black armor stitched with silver talismans. His mask had no mouth, only a pair of glowing red slits for eyes.
Tim's eyes widened in horror.
"That's— the Ninja Clan Leader."
Yeshwanth's jaw clenched.
"…Perfect timing."
The leader didn't speak.
He just raised one hand.
A vortex of swirling wind exploded outward—
PALM TORNADO!
Tim flew backwards like a ragdoll, smashing into a boulder with a sickening crack.
"TIM!" Lucia screamed.
Yeshwanth had already moved.
Excelone Dagger flashed into existence in his hand — silver, sharp, humming as if angry.
The Ninja Leader summoned a crackling weapon made of pure mana — a Lightning Kunai.
He lunged.
Yeshwanth met the strike head-on, sparks exploding between their blades.
The clash sent shockwaves tearing across the forest floor.
Tim stumbled up, coughing blood. "Yeshwanth—this guy is above S-Rank. Don't fight him alone!"
"Then stop talking," Yeshwanth snapped, "and fight with me."
Tim grinned through the pain.
"…Fine. Let's kill him."
They formed a tag team instantly — Tim attacking from above with aerial kicks, Yeshwanth countering from below with dagger strikes. It should have been enough to overwhelm anyone.
But not this man.
The leader dodged like he'd already seen every movement three seconds ahead. His strikes were surgical, efficient, lethal.
Lucia stood frozen, trembling.
Her mana was what they wanted.
Her life was the target.
And the leader knew it.
His eyes turned toward her.
A second Lightning Spear formed, crackling violently.
"No!" Yeshwanth roared —
But Tim saw it first.
He didn't think.
He didn't hesitate.
He just moved.
He threw himself in front of Lucia—
STAB!!!
The Lightning Spear pierced straight through Tim's stomach.
Lucia screamed, hands shaking violently as she caught his falling body.
"TIM!!! No—wake up! Stay awake! Tim!"
Tim coughed blood but managed a thin smirk.
"H-hey… don't cry. I just—didn't want you to die… like a coward."
That moment snapped something in Yeshwanth.
Something dark.
Something buried.
Something primal.
His vision blurred red.
His heartbeat roared in his ears.
His skin buzzed with raw energy.
This feeling—
He knew it.
Psychological Enmity.
It was activating.
Parallel Realm — Nila
Deep in the Realm, Nila gasped, breaking out of meditation. Her eyes burned with terror.
"No… no no no—why now?!"
Her mother rushed over.
"Nila, what is wrong?!"
Nila's voice shook uncontrollably.
"Yeshwanth… activated Psychological Enmity."
Her mother paled. "That technique? The forbidden one?"
"It's not a technique," Nila whispered, "It's his emotion. His rage and fear turning into raw power. When he activates it… he can fight stronger than anyone for ten minutes but…"
"But what happens to him?!" her mother demanded.
Nila broke down in tears.
"He gets paralyzed. His cells die. His body collapses. If he overuses it… he might never wake up."
Her parents froze in horror.
Nila trembled violently.
"He's going to die… if he pushes himself… he'll die…"
Her voice broke as she whispered:
"…please don't die, Yeshwanth…"
Back to the Battlefield
Yeshwanth didn't hear the world anymore.
He only heard his blood boiling.
His aura exploded outward in a violent shockwave that shattered nearby trees. The ground cracked beneath his feet. His eyes glowed a feral crimson.
Lucia staggered back in fear.
"…Y-Yeshwanth? What… what is that aura?"
Even the Ninja Leader paused.
For the first time,
He looked… unsure.
Yeshwanth lifted his Excelone Dagger.
But now the dagger wasn't silver — it was engulfed in swirling crimson-black energy.
His voice growled deeper, inhuman.
"You stabbed… someone under my protection."
He vanished.
Actually vanished.
The Ninja Leader barely saw the blur before a punch slammed into his ribs, sending him crashing into a mountain wall. Yeshwanth didn't wait. He arrived in the air above him, slamming his heel into the leader's mask—
CRACK!
The mask split.
A pair of terrified eyes stared back at him.
The Ninja Leader finally felt fear.
"What… what are you?!"
Yeshwanth didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
He lunged again, Excelone Dagger slashing faster than lightning. Each strike tore through the leader's defense, ripping the ground apart.
The leader tried a counter.
Lightning Spear!
Yeshwanth caught it by hand.
It burned through his skin, but his expression never changed.
"Pathetic."
He crushed the spear until it shattered into sparks.
The leader stumbled back.
This was beyond human.
He tried to retreat.
Yeshwanth's voice echoed like a demon.
"You're not running."
He unleashed his Yoyo Energy Extractor, hurling it forward like a spinning meteor. Threads of black energy wrapped around the leader's limbs, slowing him, draining his strength.
His speed dropped.
His mana dropped.
His breathing dropped.
And Yeshwanth stepped forward, aura burning like a beast's flame.
Lucia stared in horror and awe.
"That's… not the same person… he looks like a monster…"
Tim weakly grabbed her wrist.
"H-hey… don't… call him that…"
She gasped.
"He's doing it to protect you… stupid…"
Lucia froze.
Her eyes softened.
Yeshwanth was destroying himself… for them.
Final Clash
The Ninja Leader gathered every speck of mana in his body, forming a massive Lightning Spear — ten times larger than before. The air shook under its pressure.
"This is my strongest technique! DIE!"
Yeshwanth didn't flinch.
He raised his Excelone Dagger.
Both weapons glowed—
One with pure lightning.
One with feral crimson energy.
They charged.
They struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed the entire valley in blinding light.
Trees uprooted.
Rocks shattered.
The earth trembled like an earthquake.
Lucia shielded Tim with her body, crying as dust blasted past them.
When the smoke cleared—
Two figures stood.
The Ninja Leader dropped to his knees, coughing blood.
"You… monster…"
Yeshwanth swayed.
His eyes dimmed.
His breath slowed.
Lucia screamed, "Yeshwanth—NO!"
The Ninja Leader collapsed, defeated.
Yeshwanth took one step forward…
And fell face-first to the ground.
Lucia ran to him, catching him desperately.
"Yeshwanth! Please—wake up! Yeshwanth!!"
His body was heavy, limp, cold.
His cells were shutting down.
His aura flickered.
Tim forced himself upright.
"…He… saved you. Idiot… better not die for that."
A glowing hologram appeared beside Yeshwanth's unconscious body.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
"YOU HAVE REACHED THE LIMIT.
POWER LEVEL BREAKTHROUGH ACTIVATED.
NEW FORM — AWAKENING: STAGE ZERO."
Lucia's tears fell onto his cheek.
Tim exhaled shakily.
Nila trembled in the Realm.
And Yeshwanth lay there, unconscious…
but evolving.