Volume 2: Chapter 03: "Battle of Gotnova"

Annava --- Where Light Goes to Die

Part 1 – Arrival

The waters turned black beneath them.

Their ship carved a path through the silent waves, no wind to guide them, no stars above to light their course. Even the sea seemed reluctant to touch this land.

At last, they reached the coast.

Masashi stepped off first.

The beach was not made of sand, but fine gray ash. No birds sang, no insects chirped. The sky—eternally overcast—pressed down like a second grave.

Clara wrapped her cloak tighter.

Clara: "Is this… even alive?"

Yulleus knelt and scooped some of the ash.

Yulleus: "It's bone. Ground fine. Thousands of years' worth."

Vellia: "Welcome to Annava. The Kingdom of Nothing."

Before them stretched a continent unlike any other — cracked earth, petrified trees, shattered obelisks with no names. A land where the world had forgotten itself.

Elra whispered: "It feels wrong. Like time doesn't flow here."

Masashi nodded silently. Even the Phoenix flame inside him dimmed, its warmth muted. He held the three Fractals tightly — red, green, and gold — but here… they pulsed slow and heavy. Almost reluctant.

Crystella was still.

She stared at the ruins ahead. At something distant. Something only she could hear.

Part 2 – Ghosts of the Land

They traveled inland. The wind never blew. No sun marked the hour. Just the sound of their footsteps — and sometimes, the sound of… others.

Not enemies.

But voices.

Soft. Distant. Calling.

Clara froze when she heard it.

Clara: "…Mother?"

She turned.

No one.

Yulleus clutched his weapon tighter.

Yulleus: "I keep seeing something. Out of the corner of my eye."

Elra murmured: "They say the dead whisper here. But not because they're trapped… because they were forgotten."

They found the first ruin by dusk — a sunken temple swallowed by the sand, only the upper tower remaining. Statues lined the edges, half-buried, faces cracked. All depicted the same thing:

A veiled woman.

Her eyes covered.

Her arms open — as if waiting.

Masashi: "Another witch."

Crystella said nothing.

Then—

A voice echoed from within the temple.

Low. Gentle. Too calm.

???: "So the children come, bearing fire and ice. Light and time. But none of it matters here."

The door creaked open on its own.

Masashi stepped forward, and the shadows inside welcomed him.

Part 3 – The Mausoleum of Echoes

Inside, the temperature dropped — but it wasn't cold. It was absence.

The party passed through broken halls, murals that shifted when they looked away. Names faded. Memories erased.

Then they reached it.

A great chamber beneath the earth.

At its center — a coffin, made of obsidian and lined with unlit candles. Etched above it:

"HERE LIES THE FUTURE THAT NEVER CAME."

The final Fractal glowed faintly beneath the coffin, pulsing like a heartbeat in slumber.

But the air changed.

The torches extinguished.

A veil of shadow descended.

And she appeared.

Part 4 – The Voice in the Void

The Witch of Darkness did not walk — she drifted.

Her body wrapped in endless fabric of night. Her face hidden behind a dark glass veil. No eyes. No smile.

Only presence.

Crystella stepped forward — her breath caught.

Crystella (whispers): "…I know you."

The witch raised a hand. And Crystella gasped.

A shadow split from her own body — forming a mirror-self, chained and silent.

Crystella fell to one knee, clutching her head.

Masashi moved forward — fire in his palm.

Masashi: "Let her go."

The Witch's voice echoed—not from her mouth, but within their thoughts.

Witch of Darkness: "She was mine once. A piece of me. What you call 'Crystella' is simply what remains."

Masashi: "You're lying—"

Witch of Darkness: "No. I am memory. Decay. The author of all endings. I do not lie. I erase."

She turned toward Masashi, and from the folds of her robe, drew an object.

A pen. Made of white bone.

Its tip dipped in liquid void.

She held it out.

Witch of Darkness: "You are a writer, yes? Then write. Write your ending. But know this — all stories end in death."

Masashi's hand trembled as he took it.

He stared at the coffin.

Inside it, he somehow knew — was himself. A version that gave in.

Part 5 – Between Fire and Shadow

Crystella rose — eyes blazing ice.

Crystella: "You're not taking him."

The Witch raised her hand, and a tidal wave of black surged.

Masashi stepped forward.

He lit the Phoenix flame — but it flickered, resisted.

Then Clara, Elra, and Vellia joined him.

Together, their presence shone — not enough to burn the darkness, but to hold it back.

Masashi held the pen, then crushed it in his hand.

Masashi: "I won't write an ending just because you said it must happen."

The Witch paused.

Witch of Darkness: "…Then you'll see it. And bleed from it. And still it will come."

She vanished into smoke.

And the coffin split open.

Inside — the fourth Fractal rose.

Black and violet, spiraling like the stars beyond stars.

It floated into Masashi's hand.

And all four pulsed as one.

Outside, the world remained silent.

But something had changed.

A black wind howled across the plains for the first time in years — not evil… but mourning.

Crystella looked at Masashi.

Crystella: "That witch… she knew me. And I knew her. I'm not just Ice, Masashi. I… I might be her heir."

Masashi placed a hand on her shoulder.

Masashi: "Then let's rewrite what heirs are meant to be."

Above them, the grey sky cracked slightly — a ray of soft light breaking through for only a second.

And then it closed.

Arrival at the Gotnovaric desert continent.

They arrived, the ship docked and as they walk through the sandy port, a sudden light teleportation happen, leading to their separation.

Masashi POV:

First Watchtower – "The Broken Peak"

The wind across the cracked obsidian plateau howled like the lament of every soul that had ever fallen here.

Under a blood-red sun, the Broken Peak jutted skyward—a spire of jagged black stone, crowned by the battered ruins of an ancient guard tower.

From its summit you could see the endless dunes of Gotnovaric roll away in every direction, but up here, the world felt small, insignificant.

All that mattered was the circle of two warriors who faced one another across a field of fractured glass.

Masashi gripped the hilt of his blade, eyes closed. He remembered the moment he died—again—at this very spot. The Masked Mage's final, silent strike had ended his life, plunging him into the Void between worlds. And yet here he stood, heart pounding, Phoenix flame flickering beneath his skin, ready to finish what he'd started.

He opened his eyes. Across the nothingness, the Masked Mage stood impossibly still, his silver mask reflecting the red sky, his dark cloak whispering with shadow. Around him swirled motes of void-fire, each tiny ember able to incinerate flesh or tear the soul from bone.

Masashi took a steadying breath. "This time," he murmured, "I'm not dying."

His knuckles whitened on his sword's grip. With a sudden roar, he drew and ignited Phoenix Ascension—wings of molten gold bursting from his back, light brighter than the dying sun.

The Mage moved first. Void-fire blades erupted in each hand, slicing through the air with impossible speed. Masashi barely ducked beneath the first strike, feeling the heat of shadow singe his armor. He rolled forward, phoenix wings flickering as he closed the distance. Fire trailed behind him like a comet's tail.

Clash.

Steel met void.

A shockwave cracked the glassy ground.

Masashi shivered as the dark blade hissed past his cheek, carving a line of ash through his hair. He countered with a horizontal slash of flame that scorched the Mage's sleeve—but the dark cloak merely absorbed it, smoke curling in spite.

The Mage vanished in a ripple of shadows, reappearing high above. He threw both blades downward in a scything arc. Masashi leapt, Phoenix wings carrying him over the blow, and he landed behind the Mage. He spun, striking—only to find emptiness.

A whisper of movement behind him.

"Fool," the Mage's voice drifted through the wind, "you still don't understand."

Masashi whirled again. The Mage stood five paces away, mask raised in a silent challenge. He beckoned with one blade, lightning crackling along its edge.

Masashi steadied his breath. He could feel the Phoenix flame roaring in his veins—angry, impatient. But he forced himself to calm. He had learned from the Void: fear could kill you quicker than any blade.

He dropped into a low stance. "Show me then," he said softly.

The Mage lunged. Void-fire exploded across the plateau. Masashi flared into full Phoenix—a pillar of golden flame that swallowed the attack. When the fire subsided, the Mage was still standing, though the earth around him was scorched and split.

"You burn too bright," the Mage said. "What good is light without darkness?"

Masashi's wings pulsed. "Without light, there is only shadow."

They charged.

The final duel played out in blazing arcs and crashing void. Each strike of Masashi's sword left a trail of embers; each riposte by the Mage shattered reality in tiny fractures. Masashi remembered every moment of their first battle—the shock of defeat, the agony of falling. He channeled it now into every blow, every parry.

At last, the plateau cracked beneath them. The Mage tried to slip away—teleport—but Phoenix Ascension flared upward, golden wings sweeping him like a tide. Masashi soared, sword drawn overhead, and descended in a burning arc.

CRACK!

The Mage's mask shattered under the force of the strike. He staggered, silhouette flickering between flesh and shadow. Masashi landed lightly before him, body humming with power.

The Mage reached up to touch the broken mask. His fingers came away coated in ash. He let out a breath—a sound that could have been regret or relief or something else too deep to name.

He vanished into a swirl of dark mist, leaving only a wisp of shadow on the ground.

Masashi stood alone. Wings folded around him like armor. He stared at the spot where the Mage had stood, heart hammering.

"Why?" he whispered to the empty air. "Why do you fight me?"

Only silence answered—then, faint beyond the wind, the distant rumble of more Watchtowers calling.

He sheathed his sword. The Phoenix flame receded into his chest, leaving him warm but resolute.

Masashi turned to the horizon, where dunes of black sand stretched toward Gotnova's distant walls. He did not yet know what a "Rising-Void" was, nor that six such enemies waited. But he knew this:

He would finish this.

He took a single step—and the plateau trembled beneath his feet.

The next battle already began.

Clara POV:

Clara vs Rising-Void 2 – The Shattered Garden

The air was still.

Too still.

Clara stepped cautiously across a narrow stone path, broken and overrun by creeping vines that shouldn't have survived in the desert. Around her stretched a ruined courtyard, once a sanctuary of beauty, now twisted by time. Thorned flowers bloomed from dry sand. Pale, ghostlike petals drifted in the windless air. The Fifth Watchtower loomed behind her like a crumbled memory—silent, skeletal, and dead.

"This place... feels wrong."

Her voice echoed strangely. No birds, no wind, no life answered her.

Just silence.

And then…

A whisper.

Not spoken. Not heard. Felt.

> "Clara... why did you leave me behind?"

She froze.

That voice.

Her heart stopped.

"No..."

She turned. There—among the crumbled statues and broken archways—stood a figure. Familiar. Impossible. A girl with short black hair, dressed in soft scholar robes, holding a book clutched to her chest. Her smile was warm.

But her eyes were empty.

"…Sera?"

Clara took an unsteady step forward. Her oldest friend. Her first bond in the magical academy. The one she failed to protect when the Academy was attacked years ago.

But Sera was dead.

She had seen it happen.

> "You ran, Clara."

"You lived. I didn't."

"Why?"

Clara shook her head, eyes wide. "No. This isn't real. You're not her."

The illusion twisted. Sera's smile cracked, jaw stretching too wide. Her robes turned to ash, and her hands melted into glassy claws. She stepped back into shadow—and from that shadow emerged the true figure.

A tall woman, dressed in flowing violet robes, skin like porcelain, and eyes glowing white with illusion flame. A small lotus crest shimmered on her forehead.

Rising-Void 2.

"Memory is a powerful poison," she said in a voice that echoed like music played backward. "Let me help you remember… everything."

The battlefield warped.

The sky turned dark lavender. The courtyard twisted. Statues wept blood. Clara found herself standing in what looked like the academy halls again—but wrong. The doors blinked. The windows whispered. Every memory felt alive, as though stalking her.

The Rising-Void hovered inches above the tiled floor.

"This is your punishment, Clara: to live your greatest failure over and over again."

Clara gritted her teeth, summoning her twin daggers of wind. "I'm not afraid of the past."

"Then let me show you the truth."

The duel began.

Clara dashed forward, slashing through an illusion of vines—but they turned to hands, grasping at her ankles. She flipped midair and threw a wind-blade at the Rising-Void, but it passed harmlessly through her body. A clone. A decoy.

The real one appeared behind her, whispering, "Where were you when she screamed your name?"

A blast of nightmare magic slammed Clara against a wall.

She staggered up, bleeding from her brow. The halls turned into fire.

Sera's scream echoed again.

> "Clara!"

"No! I… I tried…!"

The illusion thickened.

Clara's body moved slower, as if trapped in syrup. Her magic was flickering, unstable. Every time she conjured wind, it turned into dust.

"You are weak," the Rising-Void said. "A petal trying to survive in a storm. Give up."

Clara fell to one knee.

A thousand memories flooded her—failures, doubts, screams, deaths. She bit her lip until it bled, trying to ground herself.

"I ran once," she whispered, "but not anymore."

The wind returned. It spiraled around her, sharp and blue.

She leapt again—striking straight at the illusion mage's heart.

The illusion shattered.

She connected.

For a moment, everything turned white.

The courtyard returned. Real. Broken. But real.

The Rising-Void coughed, surprised by the wound across her shoulder. Clara stood panting, blades dripping with wind magic.

"I'm not the same girl I was back then," she growled. "And I don't need your forgiveness."

The Rising-Void tilted her head. "No... you've grown."

She raised a hand. "But not enough."

Dark vines burst from the soil and pierced Clara's side, throwing her backward. Blood sprayed across the cracked stones.

"Clara!" she heard someone shout—but there was no one there.

She hit the ground hard.

Her blades scattered.

"Sleep now," the Rising-Void whispered, floating above her. "You'll join your memories soon."

Clara reached weakly for her weapon.

But she was too slow.

The world began to fade.

And then—

A hand. Rough. Warm.

Pulled her from the ground.

A cloaked man stood above her. Face hidden. Eyes glowing gold.

"You don't belong in the ground," he said. "Not yet."

He turned to face the Rising-Void, who narrowed her eyes.

"You are not from this story…"

The man smiled. "Neither are you."

With a flash of light, he vanished—taking Clara with him into the sands beyond.

Clara awoke later in a desert shelter, her wounds bandaged. The mysterious wanderer was gone. Only a carved lotus stone remained where he sat.

She clenched it in her hand and stared at the burning sky.

"I'm not done yet."

Crystella and elra POV:

The air was thin at the top of the Second Watchtower — a monolithic spike of black obsidian clawing into the violet sky. Heat shimmered along the edges of its jagged structure, though the wind howled cold.

It was a contradiction of nature, a place where sound bent and gravity flickered.

Crystella stepped first onto the hanging platform just beneath the tower's peak. Her breath formed frost on her lips, even as the obsidian burned beneath her boots.

"I don't like this place," she muttered, holding her ice-forged blade tighter. "The sound… it's not right."

Elra followed close behind, cloak fluttering unnaturally.

"The time here is unstable," Elra said, narrowing her eyes. "It's being distorted—by someone who understands the flow."

Then, with a low hum, the platform shook.

Chains—dozens of them—slithered out from the darkness. Each link pulsed with red magnetic runes. A sharp, rhythmic beat began to pulse through the walls, vibrating through their bodies like a second heartbeat.

The battlefield was ready.

And then he descended.

Rising-Void 4.

His form was tall and lean, cloaked in black and silver, with a crown of jagged soundstones protruding from his shoulders. His eyes were hidden behind a cracked white mask resembling a tuning fork. The moment he stepped down, all sound vanished.

Not even wind.

Only silence.

Then…

KRSHHHHHHHHHH—!!

A sonic blast exploded from his body, sending Elra and Crystella sliding back.

The voice that followed was deep and layered — like a chorus speaking at once.

"The Obsidian Spire accepts your sacrifice. Let the symphony begin."

The Battle Began.

Chains coiled from the tower's walls, aiming straight for Elra. Crystella intercepted with a frost wall, but the chain shattered it with vibrating force.

"His chains resonate," Elra shouted, flicking her fingers and stopping time for a second—just long enough to dodge.

But Rising-Void 4 had already accounted for it.

THRUMM—!!

A sub-sonic pulse locked her time field. He froze her magic for three seconds, and in battle, three seconds was an eternity.

Crystella moved fast, skating on summoned ice. She leapt above and struck down with her glaive. Rising-Void 4 blocked it effortlessly with a sound shield.

"Your melody is flawed," he said.

He unleashed another sonic wave, and Crystella went flying across the platform, blood trailing in the air.

"Elra—now!"

Elra raised her hand. Her time magic ignited.

Chrono Shift.

The world around her slowed. The chains lost speed. Her body blurred forward in stuttering motion, evading the rippling sonic walls and getting close to the Rising-Void's core.

She thrust her staff forward—

—only to hit a decoy.

A chain wrapped around her neck and slammed her into the platform.

"Time is noise," he said, standing behind her. "And I am its silence."

Elra coughed, struggling. Crystella rose again, wiping blood from her mouth.

"I've had enough of your music."

She smashed her glaive into the floor, summoning a storm of icicles. They shattered mid-air as sound pulses broke them apart.

Crystella leapt forward, this time freezing the very air around her.

She formed a spear of pure frost and hurled it.

It pierced the Rising-Void's left shoulder. He staggered—finally.

"You bleed," Crystella said.

Elra stood up. "Let's end this."

Their eyes met.

No words.

Just rhythm.

Elra's Chrono Seal activated — a delayed-time field that froze the Rising-Void's movements for two seconds.

Crystella's Frost Echo launched — five mirrored strikes from five angles at once.

Together, they hit him with a Dual Burst — a temporal freeze and glacial shatter.

Chains exploded around them. Sound ruptured. The platform cracked.

The Rising-Void screamed — a horrifying, off-pitch noise.

Then silence.

His mask shattered.

Beneath it — a face fading into static.

Just like the Masked Mage… he wasn't human anymore.

Just a shell.

The Obsidian Spire quieted.

Elra collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Crystella fell beside her, breathless.

"…That was brutal," Crystella said.

Elra nodded, eyes closed. "But we're not done yet."

They both looked toward the horizon—where other Watchtowers waited. Where Masashi was still fighting.

And where something darker loomed beyond the desert winds.

Masashi and vellia POV:

First Watchtower – Lower Chamber, "The Furnace Core"

Heat Level: Fatal.

Stability: Collapsing.

The stone door groaned behind them, sealing shut with a hiss of steam.

Masashi and Vellia stood in the heart of the Furnace Core — an underground crucible beneath the First Watchtower. The floor was scorched obsidian, and the walls pulsed with molten veins. Overhead, flaming pipes twisted like roots, dripping embers into the blazing chasm far below.

A thick haze choked the air, heavy with sulfur and heat. The oppressive warmth clawed at their lungs.

Masashi wiped the sweat from his brow. "We're not in a watchtower. We're in a forge."

Vellia's eyes narrowed. "No… we're in a battlefield."

A massive silhouette emerged from the flames.

Rising-Void 5.

Unlike the others, this one was unmasked — his body wrapped in tattered crimson cloth and plated armor made from obsidian shards. His head was shaved, skin scorched black with cracks of lava glowing beneath. His weapon: a titanic greatsword made of molten glass and steel, dragging behind him like a meteor trail.

He didn't speak.

He roared.

"ROOOAAAAAARRR!"

The platform shook violently as he lunged forward with terrifying speed for his size.

The Duel Began.

Masashi jumped, wings of flame bursting from his back. He drew his blade, igniting it in gold fire. "Vellia—split him!"

Vellia obeyed, sprinting to the side, twin daggers glowing with crimson light.

The Rising-Void swung his molten greatsword in a wide arc — the sheer heat melting the stone mid-swing. Vellia barely ducked under it, flames licking her cloak.

Masashi came from above, striking down — CLANG!

Their swords met.

Heat exploded outward like a furnace blast.

Masashi winced. "His strength… it's like a volcano!"

The Rising-Void swung again.

Masashi blocked — barely — the force sending him flying into a wall of iron pipes. They burst, releasing hissing steam.

Vellia rushed in from behind, slashing across the enemy's ribs. Her blades left glowing trails, but the Rising-Void turned and caught her by the throat.

"Ghk—!" she gasped.

He raised his sword to finish her.

Masashi's eyes flashed gold.

"Don't touch her!"

Phoenix Burst — Ignition Mode.

Masashi launched forward, blazing aura erupting like a solar storm. He collided with the Rising-Void mid-swing, sending him crashing through a wall into the next chamber.

Vellia dropped to her knees, coughing, clutching her throat.

Masashi landed beside her, teeth gritted. "You okay?"

She nodded weakly. "Finish it."

The Rising-Void emerged again — glowing brighter, now partially consumed by his own heat. His sword dripped magma. His skin cracked wider.

But Masashi had had enough.

He reached out his hand. Flames surged from his palm into the air, forming a second blade, twin to his main weapon.

"I'm done holding back."

"Let's go, Vellia."

She smiled faintly. "Let's turn up the heat."

Phase Two: Dual Assault

Vellia ran along the curved furnace walls, blades flashing with red light. Masashi charged head-on, both swords blazing. The Rising-Void slammed the ground — the floor collapsed into a spiral chamber of platforms suspended above a lava pit.

Now it was a death arena.

Vellia leapt between platforms like a comet. Masashi followed by flame-step, launching bolts of fire.

The Rising-Void leapt into the air — impossibly fast — and swung downward.

"SKKKRRAAARRGHHH!!"

Masashi blocked with crossed swords — but the impact shattered the stone platform.

He fell—

—and Vellia caught him with a chain of light.

"Don't die now!" she said, smirking.

Masashi grinned. "Not until we win."

The Final Move.

They landed on the center platform. Lava surged around them.

Masashi and Vellia stood back-to-back.

"Flame Union Style," Masashi said.

"Phoenix Lotus Dance," Vellia added.

They dashed in a synchronized spiral, spinning around the Rising-Void with blinding speed. Their blades formed rings of fire — cutting into the enemy from every angle.

The Rising-Void howled, flailing wildly, unable to keep up.

Finally, Masashi leapt high — flames in both hands, his swords now merged into a single golden lance.

"BURN OUT!!"

He plunged it straight through the Rising-Void's chest.

Explosion.

Lava burst upward like a geyser. The tower shook violently.

Silence.

The Rising-Void stood for a second, swaying, flames leaking from his body.

Then he collapsed — crumbling into glass and ash.

Masashi fell to one knee, panting.

Vellia sat beside him, face pale. Her arm was burnt, bleeding.

"You good?" he asked.

She chuckled softly. "I'm alive."

Masashi looked at the remains. "Another one down. And we still don't know what they are."

Vellia nodded grimly. "But I get the feeling… the next one will be worse."

Everyone POV--(masashi, elra,Clara, yulleus,crystella and vellia):

Location: Fourth Watchtower – "The Sinking Cathedral"

On Cracked marble pillars, dark water flooding the lower floors, echoing silence.

Masashi, Elra, Crystella, Vellia, Clara, and Yulleus stood together for the first time since being separated. Their silhouettes reflected in the black water covering the cracked marble floors.

The cathedral's ceiling stretched impossibly high, broken stained-glass windows letting in shafts of desert sun — dust motes dancing like fading prayers.

Yet… everything felt wrong. The floor trembled faintly.

Vellia frowned. "Why do I feel… like we're being watched from below?"

Masashi held his blade low. "It's coming."

Clara tightened her gloves. "Another Rising-Void?"

Yulleus nodded. "The sixth."

The Enemy Appeared.

From the shadows at the far end of the cathedral, something massive stepped forward:

A towering figure clad in black stone armor shaped like cathedral walls — with spires for shoulder plates, bell-tower horns, and a visor shaped like a cracked church window.

Where its heart should be, a pulsing red orb glowed faintly.

> Rising-Void 6.

"The Cataclysmic Sentinel."

Its voice was like a collapsed mountain:

> "Rising-Void 6… assigned: Extermination."

It raised both hands.

The entire cathedral shook violently.

Battle Start, Full Team Formation

Masashi stepped forward. "Everyone… positions!"

Elra summoned a clockwork staff, gears spinning with blue light.

Crystella's ice aura coated the floor instantly. "Ready."

Clara took point at Masashi's side, her speed magic already humming in her legs.

Vellia and Yulleus moved left and right, preparing flanking spells.

Rising-Void 6 stomped. Black shockwaves tore through the floor. Marble cracked, water surged.

Masashi charged first. Phoenix aura ignited. Clara blurred beside him, creating afterimages.

They slashed together — but the Rising-Void's stone arms blocked both attacks.

CLANG! Sparks flew. The stone wasn't breaking.

Phase One: Testing Defense

Crystella raised her hand.

> "Frozen Prism."

A massive spike of ice shot toward Rising-Void 6's legs — only to shatter harmlessly.

Vellia summoned flame chains, wrapping around one arm. It barely slowed the enemy down.

Masashi's voice cut through: "It's too tough! Elra, slow time now!"

Elra's staff clicked.

> "Chrono Shift."

A blue dome expanded outward, slowing Rising-Void 6's movements for three seconds.

That was all they needed.

Masashi and Clara blurred in again, striking at its exposed back.

Stone chipped slightly — but not enough.

---

Phase Two: Rising-Void 6 Activates Full Power

The cathedral walls cracked fully now.

Rising-Void 6 spoke again:

> "Phase Two… Earthquake."

Its entire body pulsed with red light.

Suddenly, the floor split wide open.

Water flooded in from underground reservoirs.

The team was forced onto floating debris and collapsing platforms.

Masashi cursed under his breath. "Now it's terrain AND enemy!"

Yulleus clenched both fists. "No choice. Everyone — group attack time!"

---

Six-Element Combo Attack Sequence

Vellia: "Infernal Serpent!"

A coiling fire-dragon spiraled upward.

Crystella: "Glacial Mirror!"

Ice mirrors reflected and amplified Vellia's flame.

Clara: "Phantom Steps!"

Speed runes circled the entire combo, accelerating the elements.

Elra: "Chrono Collapse!"

Time distortions slowed the Rising-Void mid-move.

Yulleus: "Shadow Fang!"

Dark blade projections struck from above.

Masashi: "Final Phoenix—Blazing Requiem!"

His entire body turned into golden flame, merging with all elements.

They combined into a spinning vortex — six colors, six forces, spiraling into a singular core.

> "ASTRAL FRACTAL STRIKE!"

The combined spell hit Rising-Void 6 directly in the chest orb.

---

Final Phase: Collapse of the Cathedral

The orb cracked.

Rising-Void 6 roared.

The entire cathedral began to sink into the sands below, pulled down by ancient magic.

Masashi shouted: "Everyone—move!!"

They jumped platform to platform as marble towers fell around them.

In the final moment, Rising-Void 6 knelt, armor crumbling. Its voice slowed:

> "Final log… complete…"

And then it disintegrated — leaving behind a faint, red crystal shard floating in the air.

Masashi caught it. "Another fragment…?"

Yulleus shook his head. "No. That was just his core. No Fractal yet."

The team regrouped outside the collapsing ruins, the sun burning overhead.

Crystella exhaled frost. "Five down… one more."

Masashi stared toward Gotnova's towering silhouette in the distance.

"…One more."

Final battle---everyone POV:

Location: Steps to the Throne Fortress – "The Final Gate"

Atmosphere: Endless stone steps carved into black cliffs, sky turning gray-red, wind howling like distant voices.

The desert storm had finally calmed. The sky was no longer blue—only streaks of ash and ember light.

Masashi, Elra, Crystella, Vellia, Clara, and Yulleus stood side by side. Ahead of them stretched hundreds of cracked obsidian stairs leading to Gotnova's throne fortress.

No more watchtowers. No more ambushes. This was the final ascent.

Yet standing at the halfway mark of the stairs… was a lone figure.

A man. No armor. No sword.

Just a long black coat, crimson lines pulsing faintly along the fabric. His face was hidden beneath a porcelain mask shaped like a blank human face—no eyes, no mouth.

He raised one hand slowly.

"Rising-Void 1... Initiation complete."

The wind stopped. Time itself seemed to pause.

Masashi's jaw tightened. "You… You're the last one, aren't you?"

The masked figure nodded.

"My designation is Echo."

"Your journey ends here."

Phase One: Echo's Mimicry Battle

Masashi stepped forward, flame aura igniting around him.

"No." Masashi's voice was low. "Our journey's just beginning."

He rushed first, blade drawn.

But Echo didn't dodge. Instead—his body glowed, and suddenly Masashi saw something terrifying:

Echo's form split into two glowing shadows. One shaped exactly like Masashi in Phoenix Mode. The other shaped like Elra with her Chrono Staff.

"What the—?!" Clara gasped.

Elra's voice tightened. "He's copying us…"

First Exchange: Masashi vs Echo-Mimic

Masashi clashed with the Echo copy of himself.

Every sword strike was matched perfectly. Flame against flame.

Even Masashi's Phoenix Wings spell was duplicated.

Yulleus called out: "Everyone—stay sharp! If he can copy one, he can copy all of us."

Clara blurred in next, trying to break Echo's focus.

But Echo's other copy—Elra's form—activated Chrono Shift, freezing Clara mid-step.

"She copied my time spell too?!" Elra hissed.

Phase Two: Team Coordination Under Pressure

Vellia and Crystella moved in together.

Vellia launched flame arrows. Crystella froze the steps themselves, creating an ice ramp.

Masashi shouted: "Don't fight separately! He'll always match us one-on-one—move as a team!"

Elra nodded grimly.

"Let's overlap abilities."

Clara used speed magic not to attack, but to boost Masashi's movements.

Yulleus threw dark chains to trap Echo's feet.

Crystella froze Yulleus's chains, doubling their strength.

Phase Three: Echo Pushes Back – Revealing the Truth

For the first time, Echo spoke mid-battle:

"You adapt… better than forecast."

Suddenly, Echo's entire body glowed blood-red.

He no longer copied just one or two members—he split into six glowing copies. One for each of them.

Masashi's eyes narrowed. "He's using all of us at once…"

Clara shouted: "Then there's only one choice!"

Final Phase: Overwhelming Echo

Masashi inhaled slowly.

"Everyone… combine!"

He activated Phoenix Ascension again, but this time—each member sent their energy into him:

Crystella's ice aura

Elra's time energy

Clara's speed pulses

Vellia's flame

Yulleus's shadow magic

Masashi became a living nexus of all six elements.

His blade shimmered with layered colors—gold, blue, black, white, red, violet.

"Let's end this."

He rushed Echo's true body—not the copies, but the original standing calmly at the top step.

Final Strike: Breaking the Mask

Masashi slashed.

The blade tore through Echo's chest.

The porcelain mask cracked slowly.

As Echo fell to his knees, the mask broke in two, revealing—

Nothing.

No face. No eyes. Just swirling red void.

Elra whispered: "He… was never human."

Echo's voice echoed one final time.

"This… was not failure."

"He waits… and you are not ready."

Then the void collapsed inward, leaving behind a single black coin marked with the symbol of a fractal.

Masashi caught it instinctively.

Silence fell.

Chapter Closing Scene: The Throne Awaits

The team stood at the final gate.

Masashi's knuckles were white around his sword hilt.

"Virroga…" he said under his breath. "Now it's your turn."

The sky split above them. The fortress gates slowly opened—revealing the burning throne room far beyond.

The final battle waited.

....

At The Throne of Sandfire – Inside Gotnova's Central Spire

Atmosphere: Red-black sky, molten rivers flowing through cracks in the stone, throne room surrounded by floating debris and dust storms.

Opening Scene: Entering the Throne Room

Masashi, Elra, Clara, Crystella, Vellia, and Yulleus stepped into the heart of Gotnova Fortress.

The grand hall was unlike anything they'd seen before—columns of black glass, walls lined with endless mirrors reflecting firelight.

At the center stood a colossal throne forged from fractured crystal and bone.

And upon it sat Virroga.

A giant compared to any normal man—armor made from desert bone fused with cursed glass, his eyes glowing molten red.

Embedded in his chest was the final Fractal—pulsing steadily like a second heart.

"So... you've finally reached me."

His voice rumbled like distant thunder.

Phase One: Virroga's Challenge

Virroga rose from his throne. Each step cracked the floor beneath him.

Masashi spoke quietly:

"Virroga... It ends here."

Virroga laughed—a low, echoing sound.

"Ends? No... This is where my legacy begins."

With one motion, Virroga drew his staff—a giant glaive made from blackened steel and crystallized sand. The blade shimmered like burning glass.

"Let me show you why I am King of the Bleeding Sand."

First Exchange: Testing Power

Masashi and Clara rushed first.

Masashi struck from above with Phoenix-flame strikes.

Clara darted from side to side, leaving afterimages.

Virroga blocked both effortlessly, his glaive moving like a hurricane.

Flames and speed magic barely scratched him. His armor absorbed most of the impact.

"Too slow."

With one swing, he sent Masashi flying back, crashing into the wall.

Phase Two: Elra and Crystella's Counterattack

Elra raised her staff, freezing time around Virroga for a moment.

Crystella followed, launching twin spears of ice aimed at his joints.

But as the frozen moment cracked—Virroga's aura pulsed, breaking the time-freeze instantly.

"Time... Ice... All worthless against the sands."

He slammed his glaive down, creating a quake that shattered half the throne room floor.

Phase Three: Yulleus and Vellia Step In

Yulleus released shadow chains, binding Virroga's arms and legs.

Vellia launched a barrage of flame arrows into the gaps of his armor.

For the first time, Virroga grunted.

"...Interesting."

But with a flex of his body, he broke the chains, sending shards of darkness flying everywhere.

Masashi, pulling himself up, watched this. His heart pounded.

He whispered:

"I have to go further..."

Phase Four: Phoenix Ascension Full Release

Masashi closed his eyes. The other four Fractals in his possession floated around him—glowing brighter and brighter.

"Let's go... Phoenix Ascension—Final Flame."

His aura ignited into golden-white fire, wings fully spread behind him. His blade shimmered as if holding the power of all five elements.

Elra and Crystella created a frost barrier to protect the others as Masashi charged forward.

Clara boosted Masashi's speed one last time.

Yulleus covered the air with shadow spears, forcing Virroga to focus on defense.

Vellia shot flame arrows from above.

Masashi roared:

"Final Flame—Fractal Severance!"

Final Clash

Masashi's blade clashed with Virroga's glaive, both of them surrounded by swirling fire and sand.

Virroga growled:

"You will not undo my reign—!"

But Masashi pushed through. The power of all five Fractals activated in unison.

His blade pierced straight through Virroga's glaive...

...then through Virroga's chest, shattering the embedded Fractal.

For a moment, all sound stopped.

Resolution

Virroga fell to one knee, sand and light leaking from his body like golden dust.

Masashi stood over him, sword in hand.

Virroga's voice dropped to a whisper:

"You... truly... gathered them all..."

Masashi said nothing—only watched as Virroga's form finally crumbled into ash and wind.

From the ashes, the fifth and final Fractal floated upward—glowing black-red.

Masashi reached out and caught it.

The Ember Relic... was whole.

Closing Scene: Silence Before Celebration

The group gathered around Masashi. No one spoke. The weight of everything they'd been through filled the air.

Elra said quietly:

"It's... over."

Crystella placed a hand on Masashi's shoulder.

"We did it."

But Masashi... kept staring at the Ember Relic.

Because even now, fully complete... it didn't glow like it was supposed to.

Something still wasn't finished.

He looked up toward the broken sky, wondering what waited next beyond this battle.