Vince opened his eyes. Gold light surged from within. "Your numbers forgot one thing, K."

His voice thundered across the battlefield, alive with final purpose.

"Emotion doesn't follow probability."

K tilted his head, amused, as golden shockwaves tore through the field. "Hoh…" he murmured, his porcelain mask cracking slightly under the reflected blaze. "So even at the edge of death, the Wandering Fist still tries to defy logic."

Master Vince's body was blazing with light, each step shaking the earth beneath him. His veins glowed like molten gold, his aura expanding, devouring the mist itself.

"MASTER!!" Juno screamed, his voice breaking through the roar. He tried to move, to reach him but the sheer force of Vince's Taishin aura pushed him back like a wall of wind and fire.

"Stay back, Juno!" Vince shouted, his voice echoing like a hammer upon the heavens. "This path ends with me!"

K's smile widened, cruel and curious. "Emotion, you said?" He extended a hand, and dozens of Voidborn surged forward each one shaped from black mist, shrieking, clawing through the chaos. "Then let's test the strength of your 'emotion,' old man."

Vince's golden aura rippled once, then exploded outward. He met the first wave of Voidborn with his bare fists each strike detonating with divine impact. The earth split beneath him. The sky lit up with burning gold.

Every punch sang. Every movement was a lifetime of mastery.

Behind him, Khael, Andromeda, and Ceyla fought to hold back the outer swarms. The air reeked of blood and ozone, wind and thunder clashing against Voidborn mist.

Juno gritted his teeth, watching his master burn. "You idiot old man… you're going to kill yourself…"

"Taishin!" he shouted toward the other disciple. "We can't just stand here!"

Taishin's face was grim. "If we get closer, his Shinrei will crush us. He's burning everything his life, his soul, his gate all to hold them off."

Khael slammed a wind barrier in front of the group as a blast of energy tore past. "He's buying us time," he said. "Don't waste it."

But none of them could move. None could breathe.

Vince stood at the center of it all a lone pillar of gold amid a sea of shadows.

K watched from above, his cloak fluttering, his expression unreadable. "You always were too sentimental, Vince. Too human."

The tactician's eyes narrowed, his tone cold. "That's why you'll die here."

He gestured, and the ground cracked open. From the abyss rose a colossal Voidborn, a beast stitched from dozens of others, its body pulsing with corrupted Shinrei energy. It let out a scream that shattered the nearby hills.

Vince didn't flinch. He rolled his shoulders, blood dripping from his mouth, and muttered, "So that's your king piece, huh?"

The beast lunged. Vince stepped forward once.

His right arm coiled back, gold wrapping around it like a divine serpent.

"The Seventh Gate…" he whispered. "Heavenly Descent."

He punched.

The world broke.

Light consumed everything. The Voidborn king shattered into ash and screams. The shockwave reached even Khael and the others throwing them back, scattering dust and debris like storm petals.

Juno's voice cracked. "MASTER VINCE!!"

The light faded.

Vince was on one knee, his body burned and torn, but his eyes still burned bright. He looked up at K still standing amid the ruins, his mask now fully cracked, revealing a pale, expressionless face beneath.

K clapped slowly. "Beautiful. Truly beautiful." His voice held genuine admiration… and quiet pity. "But beauty doesn't win wars."

He raised his hand again, summoning another surge of black mist until Ryn suddenly stepped forward, standing between K and Vince.

"Enough." Ryn said, his voice shaking.

K's eyes flicked toward him. "You dare disobey me?"

Ryn clenched his blades, eyes wet. "He's already dying. You've proved your point."

K's gaze sharpened. "And you've proved your weakness."

He snapped his fingers. The Voidborn lunged straight toward Vince.

But before they could reach, Ryn moved.

He crossed the field in a blur, his twin daggers flashing violet. He cut through the Voidborn, each slash a streak of pain and regret. Blood spilled from his mouth as he forced himself through the storm.

K's eyes widened slightly. "You…."

Ryn's voice broke, hoarse. "I won't let you touch my sister… or him."

Mari screamed, "RYN!!"

Vince lifted his head weakly, eyes filled with sorrow. "You fool… you finally learned what it means to fight for something real."

The two forces collided gold and violet against black.

For one blinding instant, the battlefield froze.

And then the explosion came.

The night sky erupted. The wind howled like a thousand mourning souls.

When the light faded… only silence remained.

Khael stood, shielding Mari with his cloak. Juno knelt beside the fallen forms of Vince and Ryn. Vince was barely breathing. Ryn was motionless.

"Master…" Juno whispered.

Vince opened one eye, faintly smiling. "Emotion, Juno… that's the gate they can't close."

His hand fell limp. The golden light dimmed.

Ryn's mask lay shattered beside him, half of his face visible young, weary, and finally at peace.

K looked down from the ridge, his tone low and analytical once more. "So this is the cost of defiance. How… poetic."

He turned away as the night wind carried the scent of ash and rain. "The shard remains… and the war continues."

Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating Khael's face etched with fury and grief.

He clenched his sword, whispering under his breath,

"Master Vince… I swear. This won't be the end."

And thus, under the crimson moon, the Wandering Fist fell

but the flame he ignited in their hearts would burn long after the night was gone.

Sierra's boots crunched over the scorched earth, her red scarf fluttering behind her like a trail of blood. Smoke curled around her silhouette as she approached Ryn's fallen body, her expression unreadable part fury, part guilt. The violet glint of Ryn's shattered daggers reflected in her eyes.

"Ryn…" she muttered under her breath, voice trembling for just a heartbeat. "You stupid bastard… why'd you have to…"

A flash of silver.

Ceyla's blade intercepted her step, forcing Sierra back. The air cracked with Shinrei tension as both auras flared red and pale blue clashing like fire and ice.

"Step away," Ceyla hissed, her stance low, twin daggers drawn. The air around her shimmered with pressure. "He's not your concern anymore."

Sierra tilted her head, lips curling into a sharp grin. "Oh? And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Ceyla Nox," she said, eyes narrowing. "Veinwalker of the Veyl Academy."

To be continue

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