As the battle began, Takuma stood still, his eyes distant, lost in the shadows of his past.
"Do you know why I turned against the heroes?" he said quietly, as if speaking to the ghosts of memory.
The others paused—Kaien, Luna, even Ash—drawn in by the shift in his tone.
"Years ago… I was the leader of the Hero Guild. I believed in justice. In protecting the people."
His voice trembled just slightly.
"My wife… was a civilian. Innocent. One day, she got caught in a battle between heroes. A stray attack from one of our top-ranked members—he didn't even notice her."
He looked at Kaien, eyes burning.
"They told me it was a mistake. They apologized. But no one was punished. No one even remembered her name."
"My daughter…" he paused, swallowing hard. "…she hated heroes after that. She begged me to quit. To be a father, not a leader."
Tears glinted in his eyes.
"I told her to be strong. That justice would win. And then… one week later, she was killed too. By a hero who mistook her for a threat during a mission."
He looked at his hands—once hands of justice, now covered in darkness.
"Two lives. Two mistakes. Two apologies."
"That day, I realized… heroes don't protect. They destroy. And the guild covers it up with fake smiles."
He turned back to Kaien.
"So I disappeared. I died in the records. And I built something new… the Hero Hunters. A system not built on fame. But truth. Justice… even if it's bathed in blood."
Silence hung in the air like a heavy fog.
Kaien stepped forward, his voice tight.
"Takuma… I looked up to you. You were a legend. If what you say is true, why not expose them? Why become the same monster you swore to fight?"
Takuma's eyes were cold.
"Because monsters are what the world listens to. Not martyrs."
Misaki clenched her fists, struggling to hold back tears.
"You lost people… but so did we. Rei… he—he died saving us!"
Behind her, Ash lowered his head.
"If you truly wanted justice, you could've fought with us. But instead… you gave in to hatred."
Takuma raised his hand, halting their words.
"I don't expect you to understand. This world is built on broken promises. My justice… is survival. Revenge. Truth that cuts deeper than any blade."
Suddenly, from behind Takuma, masked Hero Hunter members stepped forward—among them… Rei.
Kaien's eyes widened.
"No… Rei?"
Misaki froze, breath caught in her throat.
Rei said nothing, his face hidden by a mask, his aura colder than ice.
Takuma's voice echoed:
"Let the next chapter begin. Hero Hunters—attack."
Amid the chaos, as Hero Hunters clashed with Kaien's team, Misaki ran forward—straight toward the masked figure standing still in the storm of battle.
"REI!" she screamed.
Rei turned slowly. His mask hid his expression, but the faintest flicker of hesitation lingered in his posture.
"Stop!" she yelled again, tears streaking her cheeks.
"I know it's you. I don't care what they've done to you—what you've become. You're not their weapon. You're my friend… you're Rei!"
The others paused at the intensity of her voice.
Rei stood silently. His fingers twitched slightly.
Misaki stepped closer, ignoring the shouts behind her.
"You said you'd protect us. You told me to live… so why are you standing with the ones who want us dead?"
The wind picked up, dust swirling around them.
Rei raised his hand—power gathering at his palm. Misaki didn't flinch. She walked right up to him and placed her hand on his chest.
"If you're going to attack… do it. But if the Rei I knew is still in there, then please… come back."
A spark of light flickered in his hand—then vanished.
Rei whispered, voice hoarse, almost trembling:
"Misaki… I…"
But before he could say more, a voice from behind barked—
"Rei! Stand down. That's an order!" —It was Takuma.
Rei's body stiffened. Misaki looked into his eyes, begging him to choose.
Rei's hand lit up with a dark energy, trembling as he pointed it toward Misaki's chest. His expression was unreadable behind the mask, but his body screamed conflict.
Misaki stood frozen, her hand still resting over his heart.
"Rei…"
Suddenly—
CLANG!
A gleam of steel flashed between them—Ash appeared, his sword locked against Rei's arm, forcing it back.
"What the hell are you doing, Rei?!" Ash shouted, fury and disbelief burning in his voice.
Rei staggered back a step, surprised.
"Get out of the way, Ash."
Ash tightened his grip, eyes never leaving Rei.
"You were about to kill her. You would've gone through with it."
"I had no choice!" Rei yelled. "They'll kill all of you if I disobey!"
Ash's voice cracked—anger mixing with pain.
"Then kill me instead! But I won't let you hurt her!"
Rei didn't respond. Instead, he charged forward, the air cracking as his aura flared.
ASH VS. REI.
Ash blocked the first strike—a blazing shadow punch—and countered with a spinning sword arc, forcing Rei to dodge. The two clashed violently, fists against steel, memories bleeding into every blow.
"You were our friend!" Ash shouted between attacks.
"That version of me is dead!" Rei snapped back.
Their battle shook the field around them. Misaki screamed, "STOP!" but neither could hear her through the storm of guilt and vengeance.
Then—Ash parried a final blow and pressed his blade to Rei's neck.
Both were heaving, blood and dust staining the ground between them.
"If you're going to keep pretending you're not him, then I'll fight you as an enemy. But deep down—I know you don't want this," Ash said, voice breaking.
Rei's fingers shook.
"Tell me... do you really want to kill the people who still love you?"
Silence. Then, Rei whispered…
"I never stopped loving you all… but I can't come back."
As Rei vanished into the shadows, the dust settling around Ash's trembling blade, a sudden voice echoed through the air.
"Rei… why didn't you use your god power?"
Everyone turned sharply. Two figures stepped out from the mist—Naoto Yatsuki, calm and sharp-eyed, and beside him, the stoic and towering Tenma.
Ash's eyes widened.
"Naoto? Tenma?"
Rei turned, his mask slightly cracked from the fight, revealing a sliver of his jaw.
"Ah… You're late. I almost killed Misaki. Did you come here to give me another lecture?" he said with a bitter grin.
Naoto didn't smile. His voice was cold.
"No. I came to stop you from crossing the line."
Ash stepped back, confused.
"Wait—what god power? What are you talking about?"
Tenma spoke for the first time, his voice like thunder.
"Rei was chosen… by a fallen god. He was granted forbidden power. But he's been suppressing it… because deep down, he still cares about you all."
Silence spread like wildfire.
"You're wrong," Rei muttered. "I didn't use it because I didn't need it… not for her."
Misaki's hand trembled as she clutched her chest.
Suddenly, loud clapping echoed.
Takuma Kairo, leader of the Hero Hunters, walked in confidently, eyes gleaming with madness.
"Well, well. How touching. But this is all pointless. I have evidence—real proof—that the heroes you all admire killed innocents and covered it up. The world will burn them in flames of truth!"
Naoto's expression didn't change.
"Yeah, about that… it's fake."
"What?" Ash asked.
Rei stepped forward and muttered, loud enough for all to hear:
"I changed it."
Takuma's eyes widened in shock.
"You… what are you saying?"
"I forged your evidence, Takuma. I made sure it was believable… because I needed a reason to justify becoming your weapon," Rei said, his voice cold.
"Why?" Naoto asked.
Rei looked at Misaki—his eyes briefly softening.
"Because if the world sees me as the villain… maybe they'll never drag her into this again."
The tension cracked like thunder in the air.
Takuma Kairo's face twisted in fury.
"You betrayed me, Rei…"
Naoto Yatsuki stepped forward, drawing his curved blade with calm precision.
"Takuma Kairo. Once the Hero Guild Leader. Now just a man blinded by hatred. Let's end this."
Takuma's aura exploded in red lightning, shaking the very ground.
"You think you can defeat me, Naoto?! I created you!"
"You lost your right to speak those words the moment you became what you once fought against."
And the battle erupted.
Takuma vs Naoto.
Flashes of blades clashed. Lightning and wind cut the skies. Naoto's sword was swift, weaving through Takuma's brute-force strikes, each impact shattering stone. Takuma summoned corrupted flames from the ground, but Naoto countered with divine seals, burning brighter than hellfire itself.
Meanwhile—
"We'll take care of the rest!" Ash shouted, standing shoulder to shoulder with Rei.
A dozen masked Hero Hunters charged toward them.
Rei cracked his knuckles.
"Try not to get in my way, Ash."
"Just don't fall behind."
The first attacker lunged—Rei vanished and reappeared behind him, knocking him out cold with a pressure strike to the spine.
Ash parried two swords at once, kicked off a wall, and delivered a spin-kick enhanced with energy.
"Flame Torrent Barrage!" Ash roared—fists blazing, sending enemies flying.
"Shadow Bind!" Rei whispered, trapping three assassins with dark tendrils and striking with Ghost Fang Blade—a move from his secret god powers.
But despite the teamwork, more enemies surrounded them.
Rei panted.
"Ash. Back-to-back?"
Ash smirked.
"Just like old times."
They stood back-to-back, fire and shadow swirling.
Takuma's body was bruised, blood trailing from his mouth.
Naoto stood tall, blade glowing with celestial power.
"This is justice for every soul you sacrificed."
Takuma laughed through the pain.
"Justice? The guild killed my wife and erased it like a mistake. What I did… I did because no one else would."
Naoto narrowed his eyes.
"You let vengeance blind you. That's not justice. That's obsession."
With a final roar, Takuma raised his hand—summoning black lightning.
Naoto dashed forward—
"Final Seal: Heaven Break!"
A blinding flash consumed them.
The lightning vanished. Takuma fell.
Ash and Rei's battle raged.
Bodies of Hero Hunters lay unconscious or defeated. But more came.
One of them stepped forward—a massive man wielding a chain axe.
"Let's see if the Crownless Prince and Fire Fist can survive this!"
Ash wiped sweat from his brow.
"Rei. You ready?"
Rei's eyes glowed—part godly, part broken.
"They hurt Misaki… they hurt everything I tried to protect. I'll make them pay."
Rei unleashed "Oblivion Zone"—a dimensional slash that cut space itself.
Ash followed with "Infernal Phoenix Drive!"—his flames forming a winged beast crashing through enemies.
Together, they were unstoppable.
The dust settled. The battlefield was quiet.
Then—
A dark portal opened.
A shadow stepped out.
"So you've survived… but the real war begins now."
It was Almirah.
Rei's eyes widened.
Ash clenched his fists.
"I won't let you control Rei again," he growled.