Bakuran:
— Here we go.
In a flash, he charged.
He appeared before Gaïus, who remained impassive, seated, his gaze empty.
No reaction. No tension in his muscles. As if he didn't even bother to notice his attacker.
Bakuran (determined):
— Let's see what you're made of!
He threw a first quick and precise punch.
But barely had his strike been launched… something invisible seemed to send it back, not only repelled… but amplified.
The shockwave came straight back at him, more powerful, distorting the air in its path.
Bakuran barely dodged, leaping backward. The wave cut through the sky, silently tearing the clouds.
Nairo (stunned):
— What was that…?
Everyone watched, tense, silent.
Bakuran launched another assault, this time with a variation.
Second attack — same result: the counter-waves sprang from the void, pushing everything back.
He had to dodge again narrowly, sliding through the rubble.
He landed, stood up, but instead of doubting… he smiled.
Bakuran:
— Strange… but fascinating.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
They shifted from black to bright yellow, radiating like two miniature suns.
— With my fault-detection eyes… I'm going to pierce your secret.
He resumed a series of lightning-fast attacks.
Each strike was faster, more precise, more complex.
But again and again, counter-waves emerged from the void, repelling everything.
Bakuran finally leapt one last time backward, landing heavily near the group.
He was panting but smiling.
Bakuran:
— I've understood!
Yuki:
— You discovered his secret?
Bakuran nodded.
— He has an invisible shield around him. It's not an ordinary force field…
It's a field that reflects the intentions behind the attack… and sends them back as amplified counterattacks.
A chorus of shocked voices rose:
— What?!
Sally (disturbed):
— The… intentions?
Bakuran:
— Yes. It's not just a barrier. It's an adaptive defense.
As soon as you emit the intention to attack, he reads it, interprets it… and throws it back at you, power x10.
You think you're attacking? You're the one being attacked.
ErMut (crossing his arms):
— That makes more sense. It perfectly explains what happened to Grafay…
Yuki:
— What if we attack without intention? Pure instinct, or even with an empty mind?
Maybe the barrier won't know how to react…
Nairo (calm, cutting):
— No.
Yuki:
— Huh? Why?
Nairo:
— Even a reflex, even an automatic attack has a purpose: to hurt, to defeat, to destroy.
That's enough to be perceived as an offensive intention.
We'd have to create an attack… that denies even the concept of intention.
An attack that this reflective field cannot understand.
A dense silence fell.
Bakuran:
— And is that… possible?
Grafay, still sitting on the ground, raised his hand groaning:
— I… I didn't understand any of your gibberish.
ErMut burst out laughing in his corner.
Sally, mocking, turned to Grafay:
— That's normal. A cactus doesn't have a brain.
Grafay (stung):
— And you, an aggressive bramble, do you think she has one, maybe?!
Sally smirked, her sharp gaze fixed on Gaïus, still motionless amid the ruins.
— In any case, one thing's for sure… this fight is potentially made for me.
Everyone turned their heads toward her, surprised. Even the silence seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then, in a slow surge of energy, her pink aura wrapped around her body, crackling softly, almost like a controlled flame. Her hair floated slightly, then a small white combat dress appeared, fluid, marked with moving ink patterns. Combat glasses materialized on her face, thin, translucent, and adorned with mystical inscriptions.
— I present to you… my Samurais of Inscription Form, she said calmly.
A murmur of astonishment ran through the group.
— Samurai… of inscription? repeated Yuki, frowning.
Grafay, eyes suddenly transformed into beating hearts like in an old cartoon:
— Wooohaaa! I take back everything I said before. Actually, you're a celestial bombshell!!
Bakuran, arms crossed, smiling:
— I won't argue with that…
Sally blushed slightly, then shot them a dark look, cheeks puffed with irritation:
— You bunch of perverts! Don't you have anything in your heads? We have a cosmic threat in front of us! Focus, damn it!
— And you should rather ask me what it means to be a Samurai of Inscription, huh!
Nairo, unfazed, hands behind his back:
— Go ahead, tell us.
Sally took a deep breath, then wore a proud and confident smile:
— The Samurais of Inscription are a rare lineage. We don't just cut flesh. We cut… emotions. Intentions. Convictions. Even intangible laws… like a causal barrier.
A heavy silence fell. All stared at her, mouths agape.
— And today, I'm going to prove it to you with this thing that's been strutting around without moving for a while.
Bakuran, intrigued:
— And what exactly do you plan to do?
Sally stepped back. Her aura intensified, stabilized, and she slowly joined her hands at chest and waist level.
A soft white light burst forth, almost sacred, then two inscription swords emerged from her being. One was thin, crystalline, and pulsed softly with blue light; the other, deep black, seemed to absorb the light around it, engraved with moving runes.
— I'm going to cut through this barrier… as easily as cutting wet paper, she said softly.
Grafay, still sitting on the ground, dramatically placed a hand on his heart:
— You're so beautiful… you… actually…
ErMut, laughing:
— He's going to have a love crisis in the middle of the apocalypse now?
Sally, without even looking at him:
— Next time you open your mouth, Grafay, I'll cut love with the left sword.
Grafay, shivering:
— I'm asking for more…
Nairo, stepping back slightly:
— Okay. She's serious.
All eyes turned again toward Gaïus, still seated, still silent, still invincible.
But something had just changed in the air.
The intention… had just disappeared.
Gaïus, sprawled on the ground after Bakuran's blow, seemed motionless.
But suddenly…
CRACK.
His limbs rearticulated, his body sprang up silently. He stood again. His head slowly turned toward Bakuran and Sally.
His empty gaze—two white pupil-less wells—seemed to vibrate with murderous calm.
Bakuran (taking a defensive stance):
— He's taking the hits well… too well.
Sally, swords ready, slightly panting:
— Bakuran… I think he just designated us as priority targets.
And he attacks.
In a lightning-fast movement, Gaïus surged at Bakuran. A series of rapid, precise, brutal strikes.
Bakuran (barely blocking the blows):
— His hits… are heavy! He hits like a golem but moves like a ghost!
He counterattacked, but Gaïus dodged. His hand twisted strangely to strike again at an angle.
Bakuran staggered, jumped back.
Sally intervened, swords crossed:
— Dodge this!
She attacked diagonally. Gaïus parried with his forearm. One sword pierced his flesh, but he didn't flinch.
He responded with a knee strike. Sally flew several meters.
Sally (coughing):
— Ugh… What is this monster?
Gaïus returned to Bakuran. This time, he chained more complex strikes, alternating arms, elbows, legs.
Bakuran (unleashing his green mana, his arms surrounded by raw energy):
— You want to play dirty? Fine.
He exploded with energy and launched a "Whirling Aeon Fist" attack, a spinning combo.
Gaïus took the hit full on… his torso bent, but he grabbed Bakuran by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
Yuki (shouting):
— Let him go!
He leapt, drawing his two daggers made of destructive atoms.
Yuki:
— Strike with the Bloody Cloud!
He sliced the air around Gaïus at high speed. Atom mists like insects surrounded him. But Gaïus ducked under the blows, dodged like a serpent, and elbowed Yuki's stomach.
Yuki flew back, breathless.
ErMut, who had been watching for a while, roared:
— My turn, you pile of coal!
He ran, his arms transforming into blocks of crystallized rock. He leapt, chaining a series of devastating ground strikes.
ErMut:
— Impact of the Telluric Heart!
A seismic wave exploded beneath Gaïus. He seemed to stagger.
But… he returned a spinning kick to ErMut's ribs. Armor shards flew. ErMut gritted his teeth.
Nairo, who had remained silent, finally stepped forward, hands in pockets.
Nairo:
— He's fast. He's strong. But he has a rhythm. He breathes indifference… and I'm going to inject chaos into him.
His eyes turned black with a red circle in the center. Symbols spun around his fingers.
Bakuran (panting, standing):
— Nairo? You're finally joining in?
Nairo (calmly):
— "Random Symphony: Break Accord."
He snapped his fingers. A square of space around Gaïus exploded in distortions of gravity, sound, fire, and void.
But Gaïus walked through it.
He was scratched, bleeding. He was hit, but still as cold, as calm, as fast.
Sally (wiping a wound on her cheek):
— This thing… is not a normal opponent.
Yuki:
— He regenerates… no, worse. He ignores pain.
Bakuran (breathless but still standing):
— He reads all our moves. He anticipates…
Grafay, farther away, leaning against a collapsed wall, watched, arms trembling.
Grafay (to himself, voice tight):
— It's a massacre… Even five against one, we can't push him back. I'm useless, damn it…
Gaïus, at the center, straightened to his full height.
A trickle of blood flowed from his torso, but he wiped it with his finger… then licked the blood without emotion.
He raised a hand. The air darkened around him, an intense pressure fell on the battlefield.
Sally:
— He's going to change levels…
Nairo (clenching his teeth):
— Get ready. That was just the warm-up.