Vianic looked at the tall, blond man.
"Could it be… Kaizen? The Mage of Mist?"
Kaizen smiled.
"Correct. I'm glad you remember me. My name is very well known, especially throughout the kingdoms. Mind if I ask your name?"
Vianic replied, "Don't really know. What's your name?"
Kaizen looked at him.
"My name is Vianic."
Then Kaizen looked at Kurno.
"What about you, young woman?"
She replied, "Kurno Benifer."
Kaizen smiled.
"I always ask people their names. That way, if I kill them, I can tell them who they are."
Vianic took his sword and said, "He is someone we shouldn't mess with."
Kurno looked at him. "What should we do about him?"
"You run. I'll take care of him."
Vianic looked at Kurno. "He is very strong. I can't let you do this. Perhaps you need to see for yourself how we can beat him."
Kaizen heard this and smiled.
"Defeating me, huh?"
Out of nowhere, two Bear-Headed Humans came and attacked Kaizen.
Kaizen didn't dodge or do anything. He simply stood there.
Without even touching them, their bodies were vaporized.
Kaizen looked at them.
"Oh… maybe ants? Maybe."
Both Vianic and Kurno were shocked.
Kurno said, "Eyes of Hector… give me the power to kill him!"
When she activated her eyes, Vianic assisted her.
Kaizen looked at them.
"You should not even try."
Out of nowhere, Kurno fell to her knees in front of him.
An immense amount of mana filled the area. Kurno could feel it pressing down on her, as if the gravity of the Earth itself were pulling her downward.
Vianic was affected as well. He remained on his knees, trying to resist.
"I won't…"
But eventually, he went down too.
Kaizen looked at them.
"How pathetic. Isn't it?"
He looked at them for a moment.
"I see no more good enough mana coming from you, anyways. I could kill both of you filthy creatures right now with just my presence and mana. It wouldn't take long, you know."
Kaizen turned away.
"But anyways, I should be going."
Tai Yang smiled.
"Guess it's tough, huh? Good thing Ren is giving me backup."
Tai Yang then charged forward, attacking the Bear-Headed Humans one after another.
He moved extremely fast.
One of the Bear-Headed Humans struck back, its attack destroying a mountain.
Tai Yang moved again at incredible speed, but he was caught by the Bear-Headed Human's attack and was injured.
Buzun looked at him.
"Tell me, kid… is that all you've got?"
Tai Yang moved extremely fast and attacked the Bear-Headed Human.
The Bear-Headed Human dodged his attack and began growing even larger.
Tai Yang looked at it.
"Guess this won't be enough. Then let me use it."
Tai Yang prepared his attack.
"Blast Dragon!"
A massive explosion erupted.
The large Bear-Headed Human was cut into pieces, and smoke filled the area.
Tai Yang looked at the result of his attack.
"Guess it did work."
Somewhere else, Buzun was watching.
Suddenly, the Bear-Headed Human split into two pieces, and two new Bear-Headed Humans with the same appearance were formed.
Tai Yang looked at them in confusion.
"What? How? Did he turn into two pieces and become two fresh Bears? Now I'm confused."
Ren continued fighting and destroyed the other Bear-Headed Humans.
Then he looked over and saw another Bear-Headed Human appearing.
It was the same violet Bear-Headed Human from before.
The scene shifted back to Tai Yang.
Tai Yang moved extremely fast.
"Damn it! But I won't let this one escape!"
Only one Bear-Headed Human remained.
Tai Yang took one side, while Ren took the other.
Tai Yang went back and looked at the Bear-Headed Human.
"Damn it… he looks very strong. And now he's divided into two. I wonder if he'll divide even more?"
The Bear-Headed Human roared and came toward him.
Tai Yang looked at it.
"He's coming here!"
It suddenly reacted extremely fast and attacked.
Tai Yang's sword was dodged, and he was forced to slide back.
"Damn, he's even faster than the previous one, I have to say!"
Tai Yang quickly dodged another attack.
Meanwhile, Ren looked over and saw another Bear-Headed Human.
"I see another Bear-Headed Human."
This one was even bigger.
Ren looked at it.
"Same as it, huh? Let me see what I can do to overcome it. It should be easy."
Ren said, "Anyways, let me do it."
Meanwhile, Kaizen was sitting in a tree, half-hidden behind it, holding his large sword upright.
Kaizen looked toward Sejimaru.
"They're both very interesting, isn't it, Sejimaru?"
Sejimaru replied, "Indeed, my lord. They look like ants to me."
Kaizen smiled.
"Perhaps it might be fun to catch him. But let's see what he can do."
Tai Yang looked at the Bear-Headed Human.
"I will not lose!"
He charged toward it.
"Hahahaha!"
The Bear-Headed Human became even stronger.
Tai Yang looked at it in shock.
"What?"
Buzun laughed.
"My Bears can absorb power and become stronger. No matter how much you try, you can't beat them because they're far too powerful!"
The Bear-Headed Human roared. Its body became dark violet as it attacked Tai Yang.
It moved extremely fast, and Tai Yang was injured by the attack.
Tai Yang quickly dodged another strike.
"If so, then I'll do my best!"
Tai Yang focused.
He remembered the candle.
He remembered the room where he had practiced his focus, sitting alone in the darkness with only the candle in front of him.
He said to himself:
"Remember, Tai… how did you do that focus? Do it. It's the only option left. You can do it."
Tai Yang concentrated.
"Haahhhhh!"
More and more mana began gathering around his body.
Tai Yang swung his sword extremely fast, with intense mana coming from him.
Seeing this, Buzun realized it was useless. Tai couldn't develop his power fast enough to defeat him. Even if Tai managed to attack him,bear would simply absorb the power.
Tai then attacked him again, and the Bear-Headed Human took heavy damage.
Their swords clashed, creating a powerful boom.
Ren watched from nearby.
"He's doing well."
The Bear-Headed Human suddenly fell to its knees as its legs were cut by Ren's leaves.
Ren looked at it and said, "Do you want me to finish you? Because it feels impossible to kill you. You just can't die. Or is my prediction wrong?"
The Bear-Headed Human roared and attacked Ren.
Ren was forced to slide backward.
Ren smiled. "I see you're still in the mood to fight. Let's end this."
The Bear-Headed Human's legs began regenerating.
Tai Yang moved extremely fast, attacking the Bear-Headed Human again and again.
His sword struck against it as he continued moving at incredible speed.
The Bear-Headed Human suddenly slammed its hand into the ground.
Tai Yang quickly dodged the attack and swung his sword again.
Buzun shouted, "Attack him with everything you've got, son!"
Tai Yang stopped for a moment.
"What? Son? What is he saying?"
The Bear-Headed Human suddenly attacked him.
Tai Yang moved backward, then quickly rushed forward again and attacked it.
"Blast Dragon!"
Tai Yang's mana continued growing, becoming more intense with every moment.
"I'm not going to lose here! Haaaaah!"
His mana became extremely powerful.
The scene shifted to Kurno.
"I'm sensing a very great amount of mana coming from there."
She looked toward Vianic.
"Leader Vianic…"
Vianic replied, "Yeah. I can sense it too. Who might it be?"
The scene shifted back to Tai Yang.
Tai Yang moved extremely fast and lunged toward the Bear-Headed Human.
"I don't know if he is your son, but if he's harming anyone, I'll do my best to stop him here! Haaaaah!"
The explosion ripped outward in a savage detonation, shredding the ancient tree into splinters and blasting the mountain slope apart. Chunks of rock and splintered wood sprayed in every direction as the shockwave tore a path straight toward the river, leaving a smoking trench of destruction behind it.
The Bear-Headed Human caught the full force of the blast. Its torso burst open in a spray of blood and viscera, ribs cracking apart as its arms were ripped from their sockets and flung across the clearing. One leg was torn off at the hip, the jagged stump spurting arterial blood while the other leg remained attached by a few strands of muscle and tendon. Its head lolled sideways, half its face caved in, one eye dangling from the socket by the optic nerve.
Buzun staggered back, eyes wide. "What… was that?" he gasped, before his knees buckled. Blood poured from multiple deep gashes across his chest and abdomen, soaking his clothes in seconds. He collapsed to the dirt, clutching at his wounds as crimson pooled beneath him.
Tai Yang stood motionless in the aftermath, drenched in thick red liquid that dripped from his hair and clothes. "Did… I do that?" he muttered, staring upward at the sky while the carnage settled around him.
Ren spotted the twitching remains of the Bear-Headed Human still trying to move. "Ferjiel," he growled. Leaves whipped around his body in a violent spiral before he thrust his palm forward. "Wind Cutter!" The leaves sliced through the air like razors, carving the creature's remaining body into ragged chunks. Its head split cleanly down the middle, brain matter spilling out as the two halves dropped separately into the dirt.
"You did enough," Ren said coldly, watching the leaves drift back to settle on his open palm, "but it won't help me get rid of it." He closed his fingers around the leaves. "I win.
Tai Yang was exhausted, slowly walking forward.
"Well done, Tai Yang. I have to say, you've grown a lot."
Tai Yang stopped.
"Who is that?"
It was Kaizen.
"Who are you?"
Kaizen smiled. "Well, I'm someone who is here to take you from here."
"What?"
Kaizen raised his hand.
Tai Yang suddenly began floating in the air.
"As I said, I'm going to end your life here. I want the dragon, just as I intended a very long time ago."
"What?"
Ren immediately reacted.
"I order you to surround him with leaves!"
Leaves rushed toward Kaizen, surrounding him.
Kaizen looked at Ren for a moment.
"Child's play."
He raised his hand, stopping the leaves in midair. A yellow light began radiating from his body.
"Is that all you've got?"
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"I have more."
Ren suddenly moved extremely fast.
Kaizen instantly grabbed his arm and slammed him through the air.
Kaizen looked at him calmly.
"You know, I'm holding back here because I really do care. If I were to unleash my full power, you might not even survive. You know that?"
Kaizen raised one finger and attacked Ren.
"Ahhh!"
Tai Yang shouted, "Ren!"
Ren struggled to react.
"I didn't even react to his powers…"
Ren was injured.
Kaizen looked at him. "Since you're standing in front of me without your body being erased by my presence, I'll give you that much. You're strong enough to withstand it. But now, it's time for you to die."
Kaizen raised his large sword.
Ren thought, He's injured me this badly, and he's very strong. I can't even move fast enough to counter anything.
Kaizen's blade came down extremely fast.
Suddenly—
"Dawn of Blade!"
Kaizen was forced backward.
The voice belonged to Hiroshi.
Ren looked toward him.
"So you're here, Hiroshi? Huh?"
Hiroshi adjusted his glasses and looked at Ren.
"Are you okay?"
Ren replied, "I'm just injured a little bit. But can you handle him all alone?"
Kaizen smiled.
"I might say you are one of the strongest here, aren't you?"
Hiroshi broke the magic, and Tai Yang came back down to the ground.
Tai looked toward Hiroshi.
"Tell me, who is he?"
Hiroshi replied, "Just stay behind me. The guy you're looking at is not someone you can take lightly."
Tai nodded.
"Alright, I get it. But tell me, how can we beat him right now? We got here, and you're here too, Hiroshi-sensei."
Hiroshi looked at Kaizen.
"Taking him down would be foolish. We can't even touch him. And he hasn't even shown us what he can really do. At the very young age of nine, he had already mastered three elements and the forbidden technique."
Tai's eyes widened.
"What? What even is he? What can he do?"
Kaizen smiled.
"Well, well. I am that much special, aren't I? However, compliments don't surprise me. Just lend the Blue Dragon to me, and I'm going from here."
Hiroshi immediately replied,
"Never. I know you'll use him."
Kaizen looked at Hiroshi.
"Very well, then. It might cost you your life."
Kaizen raised his sword.
Hiroshi adjusted his glasses.
"Well, let me demonstrate what I can do."
Hiroshi raised his hand.
"Dawn Raizen!"
Kaizen smiled and drew his sword.
"The Shield of Faith."
His sword reflected the attack, sending Hiroshi's own power back toward him.
Hiroshi was struck and staggered backward.
Kaizen looked at him.
"Come on. Tell me… is that the best you've got?"
Tai Yang looked at Hiroshi with concern.
"Are you okay, Hiroshi-sensei?"
Hiroshi steadied himself.
"I won't lose here. So this might cause something…"
Kaizen smiled.
"Why? I made it very easy for you, didn't I? Now, let me kill you first."
Kaizen raised his sword.
"So… Spirit Dogma."
Hiroshi suddenly staggered backward.
He felt blood coming from his mouth. His vision became blurry, and he struggled to understand what was happening.
Kaizen looked at him.
"Well, I warned you. It might cost you your life if you stand before me."
Hiroshi could barely see anything clearly.
Tai Yang stared in disbelief.
"He's defeating Hiroshi-sensei? Who is this guy? I get that he's strong, but taking him down like this out of nowhere… Is he really something else?"
A huge amount of mana suddenly began to gather.
A familiar voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Kaizen. I'm warning you. Stay back from here, or else it might be bad for you."
It was Reigo Gensaki.
Suddenly, a massive rock fell from above Kaizen.
But out of nowhere, Sejimaru appeared and cut the rock apart with his ropes.
Reigo said, "Leave them alone, or it will be bad for you, Kaizen."
Kaizen smiled.
"Well, well. I never expected to see that face again. It's you, old man—Reigo Gensaki, the Stone Heart Man himself, also known as the Black Lotus. It's been a while."
Reigo replied, "I have no time to waste or to talk. I'm ending this so you won't attack anyone."
Kaizen smiled.
"The grumpy old man personality again, huh? I think we should head back to our place. It would be foolish to even take a battle with you."
Sejimaru looked at Kaizen.
"Is he really that strong?"
Kaizen replied, "Yeah, he is. We should head back, or it might become a problem for both of us."
Kaizen looked toward Tai.
"We will meet again soon, Tai."
He smiled.
"When we meet again, I'd like to see how much the beast inside you has grown."
Kaizen and Sejimaru vanished into the air.
Tai looked after them, confused.
"What even were they?"
He then looked toward Reigo.
"Old geezer Reigo saved us?"
Reigo looked at Hiroshi.
"Are you alright?"
Hiroshi replied, "Yeah… I guess I am."
He was still bleeding.
Reigo looked at him seriously.
"You don't seem alright. Go back to headquarters and we need to talk ."
Tai looked toward the direction Kaizen had disappeared.
"However… he was really strong, though."
"Are you okay?" Tai asked as he held Ren.
The scene then shifted.
All of them were back at the Kisidian Order headquarters. Tai was lying down in his room, while Hiroshi and Ren were also in their own rooms, recovering from their injuries. Both of them were covered in bandages.
As Tai lay there, he began to wonder.
"I wonder… who even is he? Do I even know him? That Kaizen guy… really, he is someone, I might say. But I really don't know that much about him at all."
For a second, Tai wondered, "Where is that frog-headed guy? I don't know where he is, but I did defeat him."
Then he remembered.
"And what was the name of those Bear-Headed Humans? C-2-7 or something… never mind."
And then the scene shifted.
Buzun was sleeping in pose
Buzun lay sprawled across the blood-soaked earth, his body twitching with each shallow breath. The Bear-Headed Human's mangled remains rested only a few feet away, its torso split open, ribs cracked and jutting outward like broken spears. Blood pooled beneath both of them, mixing with the dirt and torn leaves.
Buzun's lips parted, voice hoarse and cracking. "Sorry, son… that I wasn't able to be a good father to you. Really." His eyes lifted toward the horizon where the sunset bled across the sky, painting everything in deep reds. "I don't know why it's gotta end like this. The sunset… it's beautiful, isn't it? But what can I say… this was fun, wasn't it?"
He chuckled weakly, the sound turning into a wet cough that sprayed fresh blood across his chin. His mouth overflowed with it, thick streams running down his neck. "Oh… I forgot. You can't talk. You're dead, aren't you?" Another broken laugh escaped him before more blood bubbled from his lips.
"Now I'm feeling something else, you know? Son?" His fingers twitched in the dirt. "But I enjoyed it. I remember when you were young… I used to do experiments on you. You told me you wanted to be the strongest. That's why I pushed you so hard. But because of my foolishness… I'm seeing it now." He smiled faintly, eyes glazing over. "Well then… it's me who's dying too."
His smile faded, the light leaving his eyes as his chest stilled. Buzun was dead.