The moment the giant sword array began descending toward Hayash, the sky trembled like it feared what was about to happen.
Hayash raised his palm toward the falling blade, his expression calm… almost bored.
"I didn't want to fight here. Too many people would get dragged into our mess…"
He sighed softly.
"But I guess I have no other choice."
His eyes sharpened.
"Three Thousand Grains of Light… and the Dead."
As the final word left his lips, a mystic light sphere bloomed from his palm.
Black orbs—scraps of void energy—ripped themselves from the surroundings, spiraling and merging into the sphere, swelling it larger and larger until the entire sky flickered.
Dejuki's voice cracked.
"No… no way. He pulled that out?! Hayash, are you out of your damn mind?! What next? You planning to drag the whole city down with us?!"
Suryesh snarled back at him, his red aura burning wildly.
"Shut up, Dejuki! You've seen this before—distract him! Buy me time or we're dead!"
Suryesh closed his eyes, pressing two fingers to his forehead.
Then he sliced his hand downward—
and the Blood Sacrificial Array refined itself, tightening, glowing brighter, pulling energy from every direction.
The sky ripped apart, unable to bear the weight of the two opposing forces.
The giant crimson blade and Hayash's expanding orb of light-and-dark collided.
A shockwave detonated—
the nearby shook, skyscrapers bent, windows shattered in synchronized screams.
And in that vibrating chaos, Dejuki flashed behind Hayash, swinging his black scythe with everything he had.
"DIE, YOU FREAK!"
But the blade slipped—
as if Hayash's body wasn't even solid.
A sudden burst of hidden energy erupted from Hayash's torso, blasting Dejuki backward.
His body shot upward, freezing mid-air like a puppet caught in an invisible grip.
Meanwhile—
The clash of attacks ended with a blinding explosion.
Suryesh crashed onto the rooftop, coughing blood.
His array shattered into dust.
But Hayash's orb still flickered—alive… hungry.
Hayash lowered his hand toward Suryesh.
"I told you, Suryesh… you really shouldn't have done that."
He opened his palm.
The Orb of Glory, made of light and darkness intertwined, unleashed its wrath.
The blast sent Dejuki spiraling through the air like a broken comet, blood trailing behind him.
Suryesh was thrown to the edge of the building, barely hanging on.
Dejuki screamed through the pain:
"H-Hayash!! Are you trying to wipe us out or the entire region?! You monster!"
Suryesh growled through clenched teeth:
"I swear… when I survive this, I'll carve your damn spine out… Hayash…"
In desperation, Suryesh reached into his pocket and crushed a jade escape token.
A swirling portal opened behind him.
Hayash noticed immediately.
But Dejuki—frozen mid-air—couldn't escape.
In a blink, Hayash appeared in front of Dejuki.
His hand pressed against Dejuki's chest.
"You're staying."
A violent blast erupted.
Dejuki's body flew across the skyline, smashing through multiple skyscrapers like a bullet shot from a god's rifle.
Hayash shook his head slowly.
"Before. I Didn't think converting source energy into physical force would hit that hard…"
He looked toward the fading portal.
Suryesh had already escaped—barely alive.
Hayash's smile faded.
The sky darkened again.
But this time…
it wasn't his doing.
A voice echoed from behind him.
Ancient. Calm. Terrifying.
"You used the Three Thousand Grains… in a mortal city?"
Hayash's eyes widened for the first time.
A hand touched his shoulder.