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Chapter 69 - 69)Fragments of an unfinished confrontation

In a scene shrouded in dust and debris, the ground shakes under the impact of stones falling from the shattered wall...

The masked man, submerged in the shadows cast by the cracks of refracted light, slowly rises.

His hands tremble, his mask cracks on the right side... Drops of blood fall from his nose, but he... laughs.

A low laugh... then rising... then turning into a terrifying maniacal laugh.

---

The masked man (putting his hand on the wall to support himself, his eyes shining behind the cracked mask):

> "Ha... ha ha... I didn't expect you to be this strong, oh..."

[He looks at the monster, at its ripples, at the shadows trembling around it as if praising it... then whispers:]

> "Natsumi Sato."

Her hair flutters, and the mana scarf around her still vibrates with the echo of the monster she just summoned.

---

Natsumi's gaze is steady... no fear, only determination.

The sound of the wind recedes, as if the whole world is preparing to fall silent in respect for what is about to happen.

---

The masked man (in a calm voice full of arrogance):

> "The youngest daughter of the Sato clan... You always hid behind books and shadows, and now... you're showing off your skills?"

---

Before Natsumi could respond, Miko quickly stepped forward and stood in front of her, arms outstretched, her eyes pleading:

> "Natsumi! Don't do this! You've already used up so much of your mana..."

---

But Natsumi, her voice calm yet firm, replied:

> "Miko... I swore. I swore to protect Reiichi, no matter the cost."

"I won't let that shadow touch him again."

[She raises her right hand, and the air around her begins to distort... as if space itself is preparing to split apart.]

---

The Masked Man (steps forward, looking directly into her eyes):

> "Beautiful... I see now what made you worthy of the name Sato. So, show me... if your oath is stronger than your death."

---

In an instant, a bluish-green mana explodes from Natsumi's hand and intersects with the visual range...

The air splits into slices of light, while the Masked Man begins to walk confidently toward her, his mana rising like black whirlpools around his feet, his eyes behind the mask glowing.

---

And so the battle begins...

Natsumi unleashes her first technique, "Dimensional Fade."

A wave of energy tears through space toward the masked man, but he uses twisted manic jumps to dodge it.

The masked man responds with a technique called "Rift Veil," which tears through the range and nearly hits Natsumi's shoulder, but she activates a hexagonal manic shield to protect herself.

The clash escalates, and here...

We see Reichi's face as he tries to get up, realizing that Natsumi is fighting in his place...

Natsumi whispers words in an ancient language, and multidimensional mana circles begin to appear around her, spinning slowly at first and then accelerating, forming a hexagonal pattern above the ground.

> "Activate Legacy of Dimensions - Interference Level 3: Fragmented Separation Gate"

Suddenly... the space around the masked man himself splits into fragments, and the pieces are pulled toward different areas.

The ground beneath his feet arches, and the light distorts as if reality itself is being reshaped.

---

But...

With astonishing agility, the masked man raises his palm and absorbs part of the mana in one decisive blow, then leaps between the cracks in the dimensions as if he already knows their layout!

> The masked man (sarcastically):

"The legacy of dimensions? What a dangerous weapon... It's only good for slow killing or disappearance. But you used it directly... Is that despair or anger?"

Natsumi doesn't respond. Her eyes glow with rare concentration, and in an instant she throws Manui's knife into the air, but it doesn't head toward the masked man.

Instead...

it pierces the dimension itself, appearing behind the masked man in the blink of an eye!

The masked man turns around, barely dodging the stab, but the edge of his cloak is torn.

---

> The masked man (smiling under the mask):

"Beautiful... That maneuver is very beautiful. But now I see where this path will lead you."

"Rift Reflection"

A dark version of Natsumi begins to form behind her, mimicking her every move...

A sword appears in the shadow's hand, and now Natsumi is fighting her deadly doppelganger!

---

Natsumi's copy vanished in a flash, and Manui's sword gleamed menacingly...

But Natsumi, with intense concentration, anticipated the coming attack, jumped backward, and quickly opened a dimensional rift behind her:

"Open, Gate of Time Lock—Thirteenth Dimension!"

In an instant, that gate swallowed the deadly copy, and before it could attack her again, the gate closed with a sealed mark.

---

Breaths were heavy, and the air was charged with a dangerous energy.

The masked man stood tall, looking at Natsumi as if he were seeing her for the first time.

> The masked man (coldly and sarcastically):

"So you managed to get rid of your image... Do you think that's enough to stand in front of me?"

Natsumi breathes steadily,

her eyes glowing turquoise, and the marks of the legacy of dimensions begin to spread across her arms and cheeks.

> Natsumi (in a calm, deep voice):

"I won't let you near Reiichi again... even if my whole world burns down."

---

Just as the Masked Man was about to take his next step...

A huge dimension opened up in the sky above him, like a tear in the fabric of reality, from which emerged a terrifying beast—

its body semi-liquid, its wings like pages from ancient books, and countless eyes...

It was Natsumi's legendary dimensional beast!

> The Masked Man (with rare surprise):

"...What?"

Without warning...

The monster struck him with a powerful blow from above,

and the Masked Man crashed violently into the ground, creating a huge crater and an explosion in the soil.

---

Dust rises...

Stones fall...

But from the midst of the smoke, we hear the Masked Man laughing, a laugh tinged with pain and surprise:

> "Hahaha... Girl... It seems you deserve to be taken seriously... Natsumi Sato."

> The masked man continues (loudly):

"So... you're going to let a creature from a forgotten dimension fight in your place?!

Fine! Let's see how long it can hold out against me."

In a flash, the masked man disappears.

---

A manic explosion in the sky...

The masked man appeared behind the beast and delivered a kick enveloped in dark energy, but the beast's body turned into a semi-liquid state, absorbed the blow, and then reformed itself at the other end of the arena.

The sound of dimensions being torn apart filled the air...

With each step the masked man took, the beast responded with an unexpected move: it stretched out its arm like strips of fabric from the fabric of time, wrapping it around the masked man's leg and trying to pull him down.

> Natsumi (in a low voice):

"You don't know who you're challenging..."

The masked man jumps high, spins in the air, then descends with a sword of pure black energy...

But the monster opens an "eternal eye" on its chest, firing a beam of manic distraction that hits the masked man in his right arm, causing him to lose his balance temporarily.

Suddenly, a dimensional portal opens next to the monster, and huge arms filled with eyes emerge from it, attacking the masked man from behind.

But he spins around at incredible speed, crushing those arms with precise and rapid blows so fast that the air cracks.

The monster lets out a roar that makes the sky shake, then spreads its wings like ancient books opening, emitting a dimensional wave that temporarily confuses the masked man... The fabric of reality wraps around him like a shackle.

Natsumi (raising her hand and weaving a new symbol in the air):

"This is not just a beast, it is the guardian of the forgotten dimension... Whoever attacks me attacks an entire world."

Amidst the smoke and ash left behind by the battle, the masked man stood, covered in minor wounds, breathing heavily, but his eyes behind the mask glowed with the fire of mad rage.

> The masked man (in a low, gruff voice):

"You worthless beast from a forgotten land... You dared to hurt me?! You will pay the price!"

In a moment when the eye could see nothing but gray manic fog, the masked man moved with terrifying speed,

disappearing... then reappearing above the beast of dimensions, his arms like shadow swords extending from his body.

He unleashed a series of forbidden attacks,

his movements leaving cracks in the fabric of space-time,

and mana explosions echoing with each collision.

The dimensional beast, despite its enormity,

retreated for the first time,

receiving a devastating blow to its chest that sent it flying into the sky and crashing into the ruins.

A terrible silence... even the place itself seemed to suffocate.

---

Natsumi was now alone in front of the masked man,

but she showed no fear... instead, she smiled.

> The masked man (in a low voice):

"You're smiling? After I destroyed your guardian?"

> Natsumi (calmly, as if she knew something he didn't):

"It's not me who should be afraid now... it's you."

A fleeting moment—complete silence...

Then, a dimensional gate suddenly opened beneath the masked man's feet!

> The masked man (shocked):

"What—!?"

---

The dimension closed around him like the mouth of a monster,

and the masked man disappeared inside it.

In an instant, he found himself in a space that belonged to no physical laws...

An upside-down land, walls sprouting eyes,

and endless darkness as if consciousness itself had materialized.

A terrifying voice emanated from everywhere:

> "Welcome... stranger."

The monster of dimensions appeared again...

But here, in its home.

It was no longer as it had been...

Its wings were wider,

its aura more terrifying,

and the echo of its voice shook the nerves of any creature.

---

The Masked One prepares himself again,

assumes a fighting stance, and whispers:

> The Masked One:

"Well... we'll see who survives this dimension first."

The monster's eyes glow,

and the real epic battle begins,

not just for power... but for survival in a dimension where weakness is unforgivable.

The moment the dimensional gate closed behind the masked man, a heavy silence fell over the place, as if time had bowed in respect for what had just happened. Natsumi's breathing was sharp, and her heart was beating fast... but she didn't hesitate.

She quickly turned her body and ran toward the scattered rubble near the cafeteria, where Reichi was lying, half-conscious, his body covered in dust and debris from the explosion, his eyes barely open.

---

Natsumi bent down beside him and placed her hand on his chest to check his pulse.

> Natsumi (in a trembling voice):

"Reiichi... Answer me... Can you hear me?"

Reiichi's eyes moved slowly... He tried to speak, but could only utter one word:

> Reiichi (whispering):

"...Ora..."

Natsumi gasped, realizing that he still thought Ora had been completely destroyed.

> Natsumi (gently but firmly):

"Calm down... We'll get everything back, Oura will come back, you just... don't break down now, please."

---

She moved closer to him and took his hand in hers, as if to convey a sense of security, her eyes filling with tears.

At that moment, Miko and Erika appeared from behind the rubble.

They ran towards them, and Miko carried the first aid kit.

> Miko (very worried):

"He doesn't look good... We have to get him inside!"

> Erika (in a low voice):

"... Did he do all this himself? For us?"

---

Natsumi looked at Reiichi, then at the sky,

and inside, she swore for the second time:

> "I won't let anyone hurt him again... even if I have to face the whole world."

In the midst of this distant hell... the masked man stands, panting slightly, facing the legendary beast that Natsumi summoned—a creature that is not subject to the rules of physics or time.

---

The Masked Man brushes dimensional ash off his elegant coat, then looks at the beast, whose features change every second, as if it were reshaping itself every moment.

> The masked man (with a sarcastic laugh):

"Great... an empty place, no eyes watching, no laws restricting... how I love this kind of arena."

> Then he continues, slowly moving his neck:

"But let's get this over with quickly, I have another appointment... with the destruction of this world."

---

The beast roars inaudibly... but it can be felt inside the bones.

It strikes with one of its liquid arms, creating a manic hole that swallows slices of the void itself, but the masked man disappears in a flash.

Boom!

He appears above the monster's head, striking it with a concentrated beam of light, shattering the creature's shell, but it reforms in an instant.

> The masked man (laughing maniacally):

"Hahaha! My God, you're tough... This is better than any fight I've had in recent weeks!"

---

The masked man extends his arms, and red manic "marks" begin to appear on his wrists...

He speaks in a low tone:

> "Exceeding the limit: Absolute Veil: Red Phase."

His body explodes with spectral rays, his speed doubles again, and he begins to strike the beast at a speed that even Mana cannot detect.

But the monster, despite all this, does not fall... Instead, it absorbs some of the blows and returns them in the form of waves that disintegrate the matter around it.

---

> The masked man (standing in the air with a cold smile):

"You know, if I had been around during the ancient wars... I might have respected you."

> Then he waves his hand sarcastically:

"But unfortunately... I'm fighting for a cause, and you? You're just a shadow summoned to protect it."

---

The moment the masked man tries to use his space-time folding technique to destroy the monster's core,

the monster surprises him with unexpected power. The masked man is sucked into one of its dimensional mouths and spat back out into a wall of "black nothingness" — an area where no manic abilities work.

The masked man falls to the ground, breathing heavily.

---

> The masked man (in a weak voice):

"Huh... the core of nothingness... Natsumi, you didn't disappoint me... But this battle won't end here."

The shot ends with the masked man's eyes glowing under his mask, while the beast lands in front of him with a sound that shakes the void, ready for the next blow.

The moment the dimensional beast prepared its final blow, its liquid body began to take on a terrifying form, as if time itself trembled at what was to follow.

Its countless eyes began to glow a dark purple, and its broken wings fluttered with a rhythm unlike any earthly beat...

Then it raised one of its arms, formed from both emptiness and reality, and mana began to condense around it in reverse...

✦ "Seal of Shadows: Curse of Abyssal Collapse" ✦

But...

At that very moment...

The sky darkened... A sudden sound rang out from nowhere.

It was not like thunder, but rather a cry of "the end."

On the ground, Miko and Erika were carrying Reichi's semi-conscious body.

Their eyes were filled with concern, and Natsumi approached him with nervous steps...

But suddenly:

Natsumi stops...

Her body trembles... Then blood begins to spurt from her mouth, nose, eyes, and even her ears.

Erika screams:

> "Natsumi!! What's happening?!!"

Miko rushes towards her, but...

---

The air shatters...

A crack appears in the sky, crimson lightning pierces the place,

as if the world is rejecting what is about to happen.

The sealed gate to the forbidden dimension begins to open against Natsumi's will...

The air becomes heavier, the ground shakes, and Mana goes mad.

Then...

---

A silent explosion...

A person... no, a creature... emerges from the gate, but it is not the same one that entered.

The masked man... but he has changed.

Iron thorns protruded from his back and arms.

His eyes burned with a fiery crimson color.

A deadly aura enveloped his entire body.

The floor of the college cracked just from him standing there.

Silence reigned... Fear hung heavy in the air.

Even Mana in the room recoiled, fleeing from his presence.

---

Erica stares in shock, unable even to scream.

Miko takes a trembling step back.

Natsumi collapses to the floor, her eyes tearful but strong.

Reiichi, despite his condition, opens his eyes slightly, sees the scene... and whispers:

> "What... is this...?"

---

The masked man looks at them...

His footsteps echo like bullets on the cracked ground,

then in a deep voice unlike his previous one:

> "The world will never be touched again... except through a hell befitting it."

His crimson eyes turn toward Riichi.

Amidst the destruction and heavy silence that followed the masked man's appearance in his new form, his breathing quickens as he stands amid the rubble, panting heavily, blood dripping from one corner of his partially cracked mask.

His crimson eyes glowed, and his aura was still burning, but the weakness in his voice was clear... the masked man had been drained.

Reiichi, having partially regained consciousness, advanced, in pain but heedless of it.

Each step he took caused cracks in the ground,

black lightning surrounding his body, pulsing around him as if his mana was crying out for vengeance.

Then... his gaze met that of the masked man.

---

Reiichi (with intense anger and a trembling voice):

> "I'm tired of your games... Enough is enough!!"

He raises his fist...

Lightning intensifies around his arm...

His face expresses unparalleled determination.

And before the fist strikes...

---

⛓️

"Shhh!"

Iron bars emerge like snakes from the masked man's body, quickly wrapping around Reiichi's body and immobilizing his arms and entire body.

The black lightning flares violently, trying to break free, but the masked man tightens his grip even more.

---

The masked man (panting, with a tone of admiration mixed with hostility):

> "You have those eyes... that look that is not born in a fragile body, but forged from pain and sacrifice."

Reichi (writhing, trying to break free):

> "Release me if you have the honor to face me."

The masked man approaches, his eyes glowing even more, then whispers to him:

> "But not today... not yet.

Next time... no girl from another dimension will save you,

and no monster from the void will protect you.

It will be between us... just you and me."

Then he lowers his voice, a mocking smile behind his cracked mask:

> "Only then will I show you why they call me... the coming disaster."

---

Before anyone could get close...

A crimson spark erupted from the ground beneath his feet, and the space around him cracked with a spiral flash...

In an instant, the masked man disappeared, as if he had never been there.

---

Natsumi collapses to the ground from exhaustion, staring at the empty space where he had been.

Erika rushed toward Reichi, who also collapsed after his body was freed from its restraints.

Miko stood in shock, clutching her arms as if a chill had crept into her very core.

Reichi whispered, barely conscious:

> "Next time... I won't need to be saved."

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