Nato7

The Awakening: Around 150 years ago, a mysterious event known as "The Rift" caused a dramatic shift in the world. This event opened portals from another dimension, bringing Essences—mysterious and powerful entities—into the world. These Essences granted some individuals extraordinary abilities and set in motion a global conflict.

Essence Warriors: These are people who possess the power of an Essence, which can take various forms depending on the individual’s soul and affinity. Some are born with their Essence powers from birth, while others awaken them later in life. These warriors are ranked according to their power level, and the rankings play a significant role in their status, training, and missions.

Essence Reborn

Lightning carved jagged scars across the sky as the storm reached its peak. The battlefield was drowned in thunder and wind, but the center of the chaos remained eerily still.

Veynos lay broken in a shallow crater, body twitching, crushed beneath the overwhelming pressure of Celestial Nexus. Riku Hayashi hovered just above the ground, his form radiating cosmic authority. The swirling glyphs around him glowed with an ancient pulse — he looked less like a warrior and more like a divine punishment made flesh.

Veynos coughed violently, blood bubbling from his lips. His once-proud grin had vanished, replaced by a twisted sneer of defiance and desperation. His arms trembled as he tried to push himself up, but the bones in his shoulder cracked with the effort.

Riku slowly floated down until his feet touched the ground, his boots landing inches from Veynos's face.

"I thought you said you could defeat Divine Avatar and D.A.A.?" Riku asked calmly. "And here you are — barely breathing before you even saw what T.D.A. could fully do."

Veynos glared up, a single eye swollen shut. "You brat…" he spat out, voice cracked but laced with fury. "You... think this is victory…?"

Riku's smirk returned. He lifted a glowing hand, celestial energy swirling at his fingertips.

"This is victory," he said, tone final. "And your role in this world just expired."

Without hesitation, he drove his hand down.

The energy surged — a burst of golden, star-forged light consuming Veynos's form.

Only silence as Veynos disintegrated beneath the radiant pressure, his corrupted essence unraveling into dust, carried away on the howling winds.

Riku exhaled slowly, letting the Celestial Nexus form fade. The sigils dissolved, the glow dimming from his eyes. He looked down at the crater where Veynos had been, now just a scorch mark in the dirt.

A slow clap echoed through the rain.

From the edge of the shattered battlefield, a figure emerged.

He was tall, muscular, and cloaked in deep obsidian robes, but it was the bright yellow mask covering his face that stood out — angular, jagged, and grinning inhumanly, as if mocking everything it gazed upon.

Riku's eyes narrowed. He didn't recognize the mask — but the energy leaking from the figure was unmistakable.

The figure stopped a few paces away, folding his arms.

"I've been waiting," he said, voice deep, distorted through the mask. "Waiting to see if the rumors were true. If you were worth my time."

Riku stood straight, his aura beginning to stir again.

"And who are you supposed to be?" he asked.

"I am Gekido," he said simply, lightning flashing behind him. "And you're the only one left I want to fight."

Riku's smirk returned, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

"Good," he said. "I was hoping someone stronger would show up."

Chapter 146: The End of Veynos