[High Command Chamber – Yoru's Castle]
The tension in the room was already at a breaking point when a sharp, digital chime echoed through the stone chamber. Captain Carod's status window flared to life, casting a bright purple glow over his armored chest.
[NOTIFICATION: DUAL CHALLENGE INITIATED]
[TARGET: POSITION OF Z-ELITE]
Carod's visor flickered with irritation. "A challenge? Now?! Who is arrogant enough to challenge me for my seat in the middle of a Z+ Rank emergency?!"
He swiped the screen with a heavy, metallic finger to reveal the sender. His eyes widened behind his mask.
[CHALLENGER: LAPIS HONOURED]
[RANK: Z (PEAK)]
Techyon nearly tripped over his own feet as he leaned in to see the screen. "What?! Captain... Lapis is challenging you to become a Z-Elite? Right now?!"
Nefa let out a low, impressed whistle, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. "The 'Gifted One' finally has some guts. He knows that if he stays at Z Rank, he'll be left behind when we enter that dungeon. He's fighting for the right to stand beside us."
"That idiot," Yoru sighed, though a small, proud smile played on her lips. "He's forcing our hand. To become a Z-Elite, he has to prove his durability and output can reach Complex Multiversal levels. He's choosing the hardest way to level up."
Carod stood tall, his armor venting steam as his systems began to overcharge. "He wants my seat? Fine. In our world, strength is the only law. If he thinks he can handle the weight of the Northern Galaxy's defense, let him try to take it."
Techyon looked at the notification, a mix of worry and excitement bubbling in his chest. Lapis, his best friend, was about to go up against a man who could switch between six elements at will.
"Where is he?" Techyon asked, his mana starting to hum in resonance with the challenge.
"He's at the Sky Arena," Carod grunted, turning toward the exit. "Tell the maid to bring my combat modules. If Lapis wants to see a Z-Elite's true power, I won't disappoint him."
[The Sky Arena – Netland Upper Stratosphere]
The Sky Arena was a massive floating disc of reinforced obsidian, held aloft by ancient gravity-cores. As the group arrived, the wind whipped through Techyon's white hair.
"Everyone, activate the multi-layer barriers!" Captain Carod commanded, his voice echoing through the empty stadium. "This arena needs to hold Complex Multiversal shockwaves. And where is he?! He calls a challenge and shows up late?"
Techyon, Yoru, and Nefa moved to the high-altitude viewing seats, sitting behind a shimmering mana-shield. Carod stood alone in the center of the obsidian field, his six-element core humming with a low, dangerous vibration.
"Above," Yoru said suddenly, her green eyes tracking a disturbance in the clouds.
The space above the arena began to warp and ripple like water. A fracture in reality opened, and Lapis stepped out from the void as if he were walking down a flight of stairs. He descended slowly, his coat fluttering in the thin atmosphere.
"Lapis!" Techyon shouted from the stands. "Where are your sunglasses? You never take them off!"
Lapis landed softly, a few meters from the Captain. His Honoured Eyes were glowing with a deep, salt-magenta light—so intense that the air around him began to crystallize. He looked at Techyon and gave a faint, confident smirk. "I have achieved full control over my ocular abilities, Techyon. I no longer need the glasses to suppress the output. The world is finally ready to see what I see."
He turned his gaze back to Carod. Despite standing before a Z-Elite, Lapis didn't look intimidated. "Actually, Captain... you are the challenger here, not me. I am simply here to claim what is mine."
Carod's visor flared. "Bold words for an Z-Rank, boy."
Lapis raised a single finger, his magenta mana pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. "I'll give you exactly one minute. I know a high-tier gate is about to open, and I don't want to waste my energy or yours on a long fight. I'm ending this now."
"I am the challenger? Oh, I see," Captain Carod (1000021103.jpg) let out a metallic, grating laugh that vibrated through the obsidian floor. "You already know you're going to lose, so you're spouting crazy delusions to save face. Fine, boy. Let's see if your eyes can keep up with a supernova!"
Carod didn't waste another second. His core hummed with a violent, oscillating frequency as his armor shifted from gunmetal gray to a searing, incandescent crimson. [TYPE SWITCH: FIRE FORM]. With a roar of venting steam, he unleashed a Flaming Blast—a concentrated pillar of white-hot plasma that shrieked across the arena, melting the very air in its path.
Lapis didn't move an inch. As the fire roared toward him, the space in front of his outstretched palm began to ripple like a disturbed pond. The flames didn't hit him; they entered a localized warp and spiraled back out of a second rift directly behind Carod.
Carod tilted his head, the reflected fire singeing his shoulder plates as he narrowly avoided his own attack. But before he could recalibrate, Lapis was gone. A magenta streak of light cut through the smoke.
Clang!
Lapis's fist collided with Carod's forearm. Carod swung a heavy counter-hook, a move designed to crush a speedster's ribs, but Lapis ducked before the punch was even thrown. Lapis moved with a haunting, fluid grace, his body swaying mere millimeters away from every strike Carod attempted. It wasn't just speed; it was as if Lapis was reading a script Carod hadn't written yet.
"So, this is the power of the Honoured Eyes," Carod grunted, his boosters firing to create distance. "I've read the ancient archives. In the Honoured Clan, only one in a billion is born with the 'Future Sight' mutation. You aren't reacting to me... you're watching me move ten steps before I do."
Carod's mind raced behind his visor. The real question is... how far into the future can he actually see? If it's only seconds, I can overwhelm him with area-of-effect attacks. If it's minutes... I'm in trouble.
Lapis stood in the center of the arena, his salt-magenta eyes glowing so brightly they left trails in the air. He glanced up at the viewing stands where Techyon and Yoru were watching. A playful, arrogant smirk tugged at his lips.
"My friends are watching, Captain," Lapis said, his voice calm even amidst the chaos. "So, try to make me look a little cooler, okay? It'd be embarrassing to become a Z-Elite without a bit of flair."
Lapis clapped his hands together. The magenta light didn't just glow—it exploded. The obsidian floor beneath Carod's feet suddenly turned into a swirling vortex of crystalline salt. [SPACE WARPING: DESOLATION ARCHIVE].
Carod felt his Fire Form being smothered. The salt was absorbing the thermal energy, turning his plasma into harmless steam. "He's neutralizing my typing?!" Carod realized in shock.
"Forty-five seconds left," Lapis whispered. He vanished again, reappearing directly in Carod's blind spot. This time, his hand was glowing with a terrifying, concentrated void energy. "Let's see if your 'Type Switch' can handle a hit from a dimension that doesn't exist."
Techyon leaned against the barrier, his eyes wide. He had never seen Lapis fight like this. It wasn't just a duel; it was an execution of perfect timing.