The wind over the half–built town shifted.
Not the normal kind, not the warm plains breeze they had gotten used to.
This one was cold. Heavy. Electric.
Ryosen stopped mid-swing as he hammered a wooden beam into place.Aegis, carrying his little sister Ketsuki on his back, froze too.
Ketsuki tugged on her brother's hair."…something's coming."
Aegis' eyes sharpened. "Yeah. I feel it."
A low rumble rolled across the plains.
Then-
BOOM.
A cyclone of black storm clouds crashed down onto the far ridge, lightning spiraling upward like a serpent. Dust and wind whipped through the unfinished town, nearly knocking Kentarō off a half-built platform.
Shichiro swore. "What the hell- Who's causing weather like THAT?"
Katsu squinted into the distance. "No way. No… way."
Because standing in the middle of the storm-
Cloaked in swirling shadows.
Smiling like he'd been waiting for this moment.
-was TYPHON.
He hadn't fully regenerated, but he looked stronger than before. Darker. Hungrier.
Ryosen stepped forward immediately. "I'll go."
Aegis placed Ketsuki gently down beside Rokuro."Watch her for me."
Rokuro blinked. "Bro, what? You're going toward that thing?"
Aegis rolled his neck. "He's not here for all of us. He's here for someone."
He looked at Ryosen.
Typhon's voice echoed across the ridge, deep and jagged:
"RYOSEN… RYOSEN SHION."
Ryosen's blood ran cold.
"I knew it," Aegis muttered. "He recognizes you."
Typhon stepped forward, thunder cracking under each footstep.
"Little Ryosen… You were that child I saw back then. The one who couldn't even lift his own spirit."He grinned."And now look at you. Pretending to stand tall."
Ryosen clenched his fists. The Buddha aura flickered behind him.
"I'm not that kid anymore."
Aegis placed a hand on his shoulder."And you're not fighting alone."
The two stepped forward together, perfectly in sync, like they'd trained for years.
Typhon laughed. "Ahh… So the Heart of Protection joins the little monk. Interesting pair."
Aegis' armor began to shimmer, plates of silver-white forming around him, sealing into place as an unbreakable suit.
Ryosen's golden aura expanded, a massive Buddha silhouette rising behind him.
The ground vibrated.
"Ready?" Aegis asked.
Ryosen smirked. "Let's show him the combo."
Aegis raised an eyebrow. "We.. Don't have a combo but ill follow.."
THEIR COMBO, "HEAVEN'S SHIELD, BUDDHA'S FIST"
Aegis surged forward first, shield raised, absorbing a storm blast that could've leveled a mountain.
The shockwave shattered the earth, but his armor didn't even crack.
Behind him, Ryosen extended both palms.
A golden giant's arms formed behind Aegis' shoulders, like twin guardians.
Aegis slammed his shield forward, opening a path.
Ryosen shouted:"BUDDHA-!"
Aegis followed:"STORM-BREAKER!"
Their attacks combined in a blinding explosion, a beam of divine force wrapped in protective energy.
Typhon staggered, forced back for the first time.
His smile vanished.
"...So you have grown."
Ryosen glared. "We're not done."
Aegis raised his shield. "Your reign. Ends now."
And Typhon's expression finally shifted-
-to fear.