The Star Eyes Dojo
In the home of the Star Eyes Clan, the air was thick with the scent of tatami mats and incense. Renji stood opposite his father, kenjiro Hoshi (The head of the star eyes). Kenjiro stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes closed, yet he felt like a looming fortress.
"Begin," Kenjiro commanded.
Renji lunged. His Star Eyes flared to life, the geometric patterns spinning. He saw the "ghosts" of the future—he saw his father's palm strike coming toward his solar plexus three seconds before it happened. Renji pivoted, aiming a roundhouse kick at Kenjiro's neck. But as Renji moved, his muscles felt like they were dragging through molasses.
Kenjiro didn't even open his eyes. He caught Renji's heel with a single hand, swept his other leg, and slammed Renji into the wooden floor with a bone-jarring thud. Renji scrambled up, launching a flurry of precision strikes—a jab, a cross, a spinning back-fist. His eyes told him where to hit, but by the time his fist arrived, Kenjiro had already shifted an inch, causing the blow to whistle through empty air.
Kenjiro delivered a 1-2 palm thrust to Renji's chest. It was fast—faster than the eye could follow. Renji saw it coming in his mind, but his legs wouldn't move his torso out of the way in time. Crack. Renji flew backward, hitting the wall.
"Renji, your problem isn't your eyes," Kenjiro said, finally opening his eyes, which glowed with a terrifying, steady light. "It's your body."
"Huh... my body? I don't get it," Renji wheezed, clutching his chest.
Kenjiro cleared his throat. "When you activate the Third Edge, you are not just 'seeing' the future. Your brain is calculating billions of probabilities per microsecond and sending those signals to your nervous system. If your body cannot keep up with the speed at which your brain processes reality, it shuts down to prevent your muscles from tearing themselves off the bone. You are a supercar with a bicycle's engine."
"I see," Renji whispered, looking at his shaking hands. "I need to increase my physical capabilities to match the speed of thought."
Thousands of miles away, in a lawless border bar filled with the smell of ozone and cheap whiskey, Jaxen pushed through the swinging doors. The bar was packed, but one table stood out. A man sat surrounded by women in bikinis, holding a glass of glowing blue liquid.
Music playing, people drinking and strippers stripping,then Jaxen saw the man he was looking for.
"Milo," Jaxen said, his voice steady.
The man, Milo , looked up. He had spiked hair that occasionally discharged static and eyes that looked like miniature storm clouds. "Jaxen... long time no see. What do you want, kid?"
"I need your help," Jaxen said, ignoring the laughter from the girls. "I ....want to get stronger."
Milo laughed, a sound like rolling thunder. "You left the US, remember? You ran off to join the Xenocides and play soldier. Why should I help a deserter?"
"I know, and I'm sorry," Jaxen replied, his blue electricity dancing off his fingers in a sign of agitation. "But it doesn't matter. I need your help, and you're the only one who understands the ' lighting... me' better than anyone.please help... please"
Milo took a long sip of his drink, staring at Jaxen. The air between them began to hum. After a long silence, Milo sighed. "Tch... fine. I'll help. But you have to wait. I'm having fun right now."
Jaxen bowed his head. "Thank you. Milo"
At Zane's private estate, the training hall was silent. Zane and Elias stood in the center. No armor. No powers. Just two brothers Zane moved like a shadow. He didn't use his evoliths , but his movements were so efficient they felt supernatural. Elias lunged with a straight lead, but Zane parried it with a microscopic movement of his elbow, stepping into Elias's guard and delivering a sharp strike to the ribs. Elias tried to grapple, but Zane used a judo-style throw, using Elias's own momentum to pin him to the mat.
"You've lost," Zane said, releasing his grip.
"Your problem isn't close combat or your physique," Zane continued, his eyes piercing Elias's. "It's your power. You don't understand it."
Tyson leaned against a pillar, biting into an apple. "He's right, El. You're using your Evolith like a club when it's a scalpel."
"Huh... but I do understand it... I guess," Elias said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Ok, Elias. What is your Evolith?" Zane asked.
"Emm, rewrite DNA, I guess?" Elias replied as he run he's head.
Tyson dropped his apple and stepped into the ring. A smirk played on his lips. " Elias, let's spar. Use everything you've got."
Tyson's Adaptive Reality Core flared. The air around him shimmered like a desert mirage. Elias roared, his skin turning into obsidian scales instantly. He launched a high-speed dash, his fist glowing with heat. But as he got close to Tyson, Tyson dogde the attack and strike Elias , Elias flew and slammed against the wall, Elias stood back and kept attacking, but Tyson dodge all he's attack effortlessly, then started attacking, punching Elias, but Elias allowed to it, then he used he's ultimate move " zero point" the energy around him was intense breaking the walls, has he moved towards Tyson, Tyson stopped the attack with he's hand and kicked him,
BOOM.
Elias hit the floor, his obsidian scales shattering into dust. He couldn't move.
"You see?" Tyson said, "No matter how strong you are, if you don't understand your ability, you won't get stronger. You're trying to change your body to fit the world. You should be changing yourself to surpass the world."
The 10th Base:
Inside the gravity-amplified training room of the 10th Base, Rook and Kaelen were panting, their uniforms shredded. They had been attacking Drakye Void for three hours. Drakye hadn't even moved from his original circle.
"Stop," Drakye said, his voice echoing in the metallic room.
The two boys collapsed. Kaelen's blue flames were mere sparks. Rook's metal arm was smoking.
"You guys lack full control of your Evoliths," Drakye said, looking down at them. "Rook, you think your power is just 'metal.' Kaelen, you think yours is just 'fire.' But those are just the surface elements. In order to get stronger, you must fully understand the source of your ability. If you don't master the 'Why,' the 'How' will always fail you."
The lesson was the same across every sector: The time for "thinking" they were strong was over. The 10th Division was being torn down to their foundations, so they could be rebuilt into something the world had never seen.