The world felt like it was splitting apart.

As Khael raised his blade against Selene, his heart heavy with sorrow, the storm of their powers raged around them. But just as the battlefield was about to consume them both, a familiar voice sliced through the tension.

"Khael!!!"

Ceyla stood a distance away, her form surrounded by an aura of dark energy. Her gaze was sharp, focused, but behind her eyes, there was a deep-seated worry. She wanted to help him, but the Voidborns were blocking her path. Her frustration was palpable as her fingers twitched, ready to unleash her Storm Affinity, but she couldn't get past the waves of corrupted creatures standing between them.

"Out of my way!!" Ceyla growled, her voice low and dangerous. She summoned a fierce gust of wind, cutting through the Voidborn ranks like a blade through silk. As the first wave of Voidborn scattered, the air around her began to twist, swirling in chaotic vortices.

Meanwhile, Juno, standing side by side with Khael, knew that words wouldn't change anything. The Rift Gate that had taken Selene was a power beyond reason. There was no saving her through normal means now, it would be a battle of wills, a battle of souls. And Juno had a front-row seat.

"Khael..." Juno murmured under his breath. His hand clenched around the hilt of his weapon. He had fought beside Khael, trained under the same master, and though his martial arts didn't rely on Shinrei or spirit, he had always been a force of nature. This time, however, Juno was not just a bystander, he had his own role to play.

At the far side of the battlefield, Andromeda and Matthew had already engaged the Voidborn, with Matthew showing the strength of his Wind Affinity. His Echo Spirit, Harmonae, was with him, two ethereal figures wrapped in ribbons of light, their presence soothing yet overwhelmingly powerful. The two spirits danced around him like specters, their soft voices melding into a harmonious song that made the air hum with power.

Matthew's eyes narrowed as the Wind Affinity coursed through him, his entire being vibrating with the raw strength of his Echo Arts.

"Echo Art: Wind Blast!!!"

With that command, Matthew thrust his hand forward. The air around him seemed to collapse inward as a massive gust of wind erupted from his outstretched fingers. The wind was not simply a breeze, it was a storm, cutting through the battlefield with violent force. Voidborn were flung backward, their forms disintegrating as they were blasted away, their twisted bodies crushed by the sheer power of Matthew's wind.

"Ha!" Matthew shouted, grinning as the current of air tore through the enemy ranks. But despite his victory over the Voidborn, he knew that the true fight lay with Selene and Khael.

Andromeda, always quick with a joke even in the darkest of moments, raised his hands and prepared for his own assault on the Voidborns.

He raised both hands, gathering energy in spirals of radiant blue, and called out, "Let's go, Junjun!!"

From the shimmer beside him, his Echo Pet burst forth a massive spectral hound with silver fur and eyes burning like embers. Junjun growled, claws scraping against the ground, rippling with Andromeda's Shinrei energy.

"Echo Art: Dual Resonance!"

The moment Andromeda spoke the words, a radiant surge of power flowed from his chest into Junjun. The hound's fangs glimmered white-hot, each breath radiating heat and light. The pair moved as one a fusion of human and Echo beast, rhythm in motion.

Their footsteps thundered as they charged into the Voidborn horde. Junjun lunged forward, jaws tearing through shadows, while Andromeda followed with spinning kicks laced with light energy, every strike accompanied by his laughter.

"Come on, boys! You think you can ruin my hair and live?!" he yelled mid-battle, voice echoing through the chaos.

Even in the heart of despair, Andromeda's humor kept the others grounded. Ceyla could only shake her head as she fought nearby, muttering under her breath, "He's actually enjoying this…"

Meanwhile, just a few meters away, the ground shattered beneath Juno's feet. His aura had turned into a wild tempest, the manifestation of the Taishin Gates, ancient martial gates that unlock the flow of life energy within the body.

And now, Juno stood before K, the shadowed figure whose presence alone seemed to crush the very air. The veins across Juno's arms glowed faintly blue as he forced open his sixth gate, "Gate of Torrent."

Power exploded outward wind, dust, and pure force ripping through the surroundings. Juno's eyes blazed with conviction as he charged, each strike shaking the ground. His fists moved so fast they left trails of light, each blow aimed directly for K's chest.

K, however, didn't even flinch. His cloak fluttered slightly under the pressure, his gaze calm, cold, unbothered.

When Juno's final punch stopped an inch from his face, K finally spoke, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Hoh… you've opened the 6th Gate of Taishin."

He tilted his head slightly, looking at Juno as though he were a child throwing tantrums.

"But it's not enough. The control, the mastery, you have is lacking. You burn your life too fast. You need more training…"

K's eyes gleamed faintly red beneath his hood.

"…Disciple of Vince."

The words struck harder than any blade. Juno's teeth clenched, fury boiling in his chest.

"Shut up!!" he roared, his voice echoing with raw emotion.

His aura flared violently, light swirling into his fists as he swung with everything he had left. The impact was devastating, a shockwave that split the ground and sent dust spiraling upward. But when it cleared… K still stood.

Unmoved. Untouched.

He sighed softly, as though disappointed in the very effort.

"Power without discipline is chaos." His hand lifted lazily, dark energy gathering at his fingertips. "And chaos… is boring."

A pulse of black energy surged from K's hand, striking Juno square in the chest. The air around them warped as the force sent Juno flying backward, slamming into the dirt with a thunderous crack. His vision blurred, his energy fading rapidly.

Still, even through the pain, Juno's gaze didn't waver. He thought of Master Vince, the man who taught him the path of Taishin, the one who always said, "The sixth gate opens not through rage, but through resolve."

Juno forced himself to his knees, blood dripping from his lip, muttering under his breath:

"I'm not… done yet…"

K smiled faintly.

"Then show me… the will of your master."

Lightning crackled across the battlefield. The wind howled.

And in the distance, Khael's dragon roar answered.

The final confrontation was only beginning.

To be continued...

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