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

The moment Riku and Zeru moved, the air between them exploded.

Zeru's hand blurred forward, fingers extended in a knife-hand thrust that carried the weight of compressed gravitational force. Riku tilted his head an inch—just enough for the strike to rip past his ear and detonate the stone behind him into mist.

Riku answered with a straight punch to the center mass.

Zeru caught it—just barely.

The ground beneath them cratered, and wind lashed out in every direction as the chamber struggled to contain the raw shock.

Riku's cloak fluttered, flickering with silver fractals.

Zeru's sleeves danced in the invisible breeze of his own essence.

He reappeared behind Riku with no sound, twin blades forming from condensed Stillblade energy, each one humming with layered precision.

He swung in perfect synchronicity—one diagonal slash, one reverse spin.

A brutal knee drove upward into Zeru's gut, disrupting his form. The blades slashed wide as Zeru coughed, stumbling—but he recovered mid-air and snapped his fingers.

"Fifth String: Crescent Lock."

The moment the words echoed, dozens of curved blades made of essence arced in midair around Riku like a trap—each one freezing in place like they were suspended in time.

Riku exhaled and moved.

His body weaved through the blades with godlike grace, inches between death, his eyes never leaving Zeru.

He closed the gap—punched once—Zeru blocked.

The second punch shattered Zeru's block and cracked his shoulder out of place.

The third blow launched him into the throne chamber's side wall, where the obsidian cracked under the force.

Zeru pulled himself out, coughing, blood lining his lip. But he was smiling.

Riku stood still, not even breathing hard.

"Not a monster," he said, eyes glowing faint blue beneath the white fractals of his Triad Divine Avatar. "Just what comes next."

Zeru adjusted his arm with a wet snap, and his aura surged again. A halo of blade-rings formed around his back, orbiting him like moons.

"Then I'll climb even higher," he growled. "Until I reach next."

Then he vanished—appearing in front of Zeru mid-sentence, slamming a fist directly into his chest.

Zeru blocked—barely—but the impact still sent him flying.

Through grit and blood, Zeru landed, skidding to a stop, blades forming again.

"You're the first one who's ever made me feel like this."

Riku stepped forward, silver sparks at his heels.

"And you're the first High Code who actually deserves the title."

They charged again—essence flashing, blades singing, fists and feet trading thunderous exchanges.

Akuma Kurogane watched from the throne, unmoved.

"…Good," he muttered, voice like a slow storm. "Push him, Zeru. Let me see how far the Triad truly reaches.

Chapter 172: Stillblade vs. Storm