The Nether refused to remain silent.
Collapsed tunnels stretched into endless shadow. Massive craters scarred the battlefield floor like wounds from some ancient cataclysm. Debris continued raining from the fractured ceiling with every violent shockwave. Dust and sparks hung thick in the air, turning the underground world into a hellish arena.
And at the center of that devastation, two brothers clashed like living infernos.
Shinra Kusakabe.
Shō Kusakabe.
BOOOOM!!
Shinra exploded forward on roaring jets of crimson flame bursting from his feet. Devil's Footprints propelled him in blinding bursts, his body twisting through the air with raw, breakdance-inspired fluidity. He spun into a devastating spinning heel kick, carving a blazing crimson arc straight toward his brother.
Shō stood unnervingly calm in the chaos.
Severed Universe activated.
The world around him chilled instantly. Time fractured and slowed for everyone except him. His katana flashed in a clean, surgical arc that arrived before Shinra could even register the threat.
SHING—KRAAAASH!!
Steel collided with flame-wreathed boot. The impact detonated like a bomb, sending Shinra skidding violently backward across broken metal and stone. Sparks exploded outward in a brilliant shower, lighting up the dark cavern for a split second.
Shinra stabilized with another burst of flames from his soles, Feet scraping deep grooves into the floor. His breathing was already growing sharper.
'He's not just fast… The entire world is slowing down around him!'
But something had changed inside Shinra. The Adolla Burst within him roared louder than ever. His perception sharpened to an impossible degree. The world around him stretched and warped as he pushed beyond human limits.
BOOOOM!!
Shinra vanished.
He reappeared behind Shō in a streak of light, delivering a devastating light-speed kick to the younger Kusakabe's side. The force of the blow created a sonic boom that shattered nearby stone pillars.
Shō slid back, eyes widening fractionally for the first time.
Up on the ruined scaffolding platform, Viktor Licht nearly fell over the edge in pure scientific rapture.
"NO WAY, NO WAY, HE DID IT!" Licht screamed, glasses flashing wildly. "Shinra just broke into light speed! That wasn't acceleration, that was relativistic movement! His Adolla Burst is directly interfering with inertia and perception! He's operating at literal light speed!!"
Yona squinted downward, floating lazily. "Still just flashes and booms to me…"
Haumea smirked faintly, arms crossed over her chest, electricity faintly crackling around her fingers. Charon stood like an immovable statue beside her, arms folded, absorbing every tremor in the air with quiet intensity.
Kidan watched from the edge with sharper, more focused eyes. Hands tucked into his sleeves, his posture remained relaxed on the surface, but his gaze tracked every micro-movement below with unnatural precision. Ritsu stood quietly behind him, her expression calm yet attentive.
"He actually reached it," Kidan murmured, a hint of genuine interest coloring his voice. "Light speed… Shinra's growth is ridiculous."
Below, the battle surged to new, blinding heights.
Shinra pushed forward with burning determination, flames roaring louder around his body. Each movement left afterimages of light trailing behind him.
"Shō!" he shouted, voice echoing powerfully through the Nether. "I know you're still in there! You're my brother! That night in the fire, you protected me! I saw it through the Adolla Link!"
Shō's katana swept low in a deadly horizontal cut, Severed Universe trying to slow the incoming assault.
Shinra simply blinked out of existence again. He reappeared from above, descending like a comet in a devastating dropkick wrapped in superheated plasma and light-speed momentum.
BOOOOOOM!!
The collision created a massive spherical explosion that lit up the entire cavern in brilliant red-white light. The shockwave tore through multiple collapsed tunnels, causing fresh sections of the ceiling to cave in. Debris rained down like fiery meteors. The platform above trembled violently.
Shō blocked at the last possible moment, but the force still drove him backward, boots carving deep trenches into the stone floor. His eyes flickered with something deeper. Something long-buried stirring behind the cold mask.
"Shinra…"
The single word slipped out quietly, almost lost beneath the roar of flames, collapsing stone, and the aftershocks of light-speed impacts. But it was real.
Shinra seized the moment. His movements grew sharper, more instinctive. He wasn't merely reacting anymore, he was piercing through the layers of distorted time at the speed of light. Kicks came faster, blending breakdance spins with lethal precision. A rapid combo of flaming, light-speed strikes forced Shō onto the defensive for the first time.
WHAM!! WHAM!! BOOM!!
A solid kick connected cleanly with Shō's guard, sending him sliding back further. Another light-speed reposition allowed Shinra to follow up instantly from the side. For one suspended heartbeat, their eyes met through the fire, fractured space, and streaks of light.
"Shō," Shinra breathed heavily, yet his voice remained resolute. "Come back with me. We're family. We can figure this out… together."
Shō's grip on his katana loosened, just a fraction. The cold mask cracked further.
"Brother…"
The fragile bridge of understanding formed between them.
Then everything shattered in an instant.
Haumea dropped from the upper platform like a bolt of living lightning. Electricity crackled violently around her body, golden adornments glowing with power as she descended gracefully yet menacingly.
"Enough of this pathetic sentimental drivel," she declared, her voice carrying across the battlefield with playful cruelty. "The Pillar belongs to the Evangelist. We're done playing house."
Shō's head snapped toward her immediately.
"Haumea, stop this!"
He moved to intercept, Severed Universe flaring around him in a desperate attempt to protect his brother. But Haumea was faster in her malice. She unleashed a concentrated burst of electrical shocks directly into his nervous system.
CRACKLE—BOOM!!
Shō's body convulsed violently. His eyes widened for a split second in shock before he crumpled unconscious to the ground, katana clattering uselessly beside him.
"Shō!" Shinra cried out, pure horror flashing across his face as he rushed toward his fallen brother, still trailing light from his speed.
Kidan didn't hesitate. He leaped down from the platform, landing lightly yet powerfully on the battlefield floor. His usual casual demeanor vanished completely. Clear anger burned in his eyes as he glared at Haumea.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to him?!" Kidan demanded, voice low and dangerously sharp. His hands slipped free from his sleeves, body tensing into a combat-ready stance. The air around him grew heavier with his rising irritation.
Haumea waved a hand dismissively, that dangerous playful smile still plastered on her face. "Relax, Kidan. I only knocked him out so he wouldn't interfere. He was getting far too sentimental for his own good. We need the Pillar secured without complications."
She glanced briefly at Shō's unconscious form, then turned her gaze back to Shinra with clear intent.
"Retrieve him," she ordered Kidan flatly. "Shō's brother will make an excellent prize."
Kidan's eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.
"Don't order me around like one of your subordinates," he snapped back. Then he exhaled slowly through his nose, glancing at Shō. "But… I'll do it anyway. Because it's Shō's brother."
Shinra stood protectively over Shō's fallen body, flames reigniting fiercely around his feet. The temperature in the cavern spiked dramatically as his Adolla Burst flared with protective rage. Light still flickered around his form from the residual light-speed momentum.
Before Kidan could take another step forward—
New arrivals burst onto the scene with explosive momentum.
The rest of Company 8 came rolling in like a unified force of defiance.
Captain Akitaru Ōbi charged at the forefront, his massive, muscular frame moving with surprising speed and unyielding resolve, fists already clenched. Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa followed right behind with precise, military-efficient steps, his modified guns drawn and ready.
Arthur Boyle made a dramatic entrance, plasma sword blazing brightly as he loudly declared his knightly vows. Tamaki Kotatsu landed with feline agility, flames forming playful cat-like patterns around her body. Iris moved with quiet but determined grace, ready to support from the rear. Vulcan Joseph brought up the rear, mechanical gauntlets and improvised weapons humming with readiness.
They formed a solid, unbroken defensive line directly in front of Shinra and the unconscious Shō.
Ōbi stepped forward, his voice booming with authority. "White Clad! You're not taking Shinra. Not today. Not ever. We protect our own, our family!"
Arthur raised his glowing plasma sword dramatically high. "As a knight of justice and honor, I vow to defend my comrades with my life!"
Hinawa adjusted his glasses with calm precision. "We stand united. No exceptions."
Tamaki nodded fiercely, despite the slight flush on her cheeks from her Lucky Lecher Lure activating. "Shinra's one of us! We won't let you touch him!"
Vulcan cracked his mechanical knuckles loudly. "Time to smash through some White Clad nonsense."
Kidan paused, studying the ragtag yet resolute group carefully. A slow, sinister smile gradually spread across his face. His eyes gleamed with dangerous, predatory excitement as he cracked his neck subtly, rolling his shoulders.
"Really?" Kidan said, his voice carrying clearly across the ruined battlefield. The smile deepened into something truly menacing. "Then show me what you're capable of, Company 8."
The tension in the Nether skyrocketed instantly.
Haumea watched the unfolding scene with open amusement, electricity dancing wildly between her fingers. Charon shifted his massive weight slightly, ready to absorb and redirect any incoming force. Yona observed everything from above with mild, detached curiosity. Ritsu remained watchful from the platform edge, her gaze steady.
Shinra, breathing heavily but now filled with renewed resolve, stood shoulder to shoulder with his comrades. Shō lay safely protected behind their defensive line.
Kidan took one deliberate step forward. His presence suddenly felt far heavier than before, pressing down on the air itself. The Nether seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.
Flames roared higher around Shinra and Company 8.
Plasma hummed menacingly from Arthur's sword.
Electricity crackled threateningly in the air around Haumea.
And at the center of it all—
Kidan stood ready, eyes locked directly onto the defenders of Company 8.
That sinister, challenging smile never fading from his face.
This was no longer simply a retrieval mission.
It had become a full declaration of war between the White Clad and Company 8.
The true battle for the Kusakabe brothers and the future of the Nether itself was only just beginning.