The Citadel had become completely silent after Yoshiro's last words. Dracula, Reji, and Seiyan stood in front of him, their bodies surrounded by the power Judas had awakened within them. None of them fully understood the changes yet, but they could feel it. Their abilities felt familiar, yet completely different, as if they had suddenly remembered something they had been destined to learn years from now. Judas remained behind them, exhausted from forcing their potential into the present, but she refused to sit down.
Yoshiro raised his hand.
"Let's see how long your little miracle lasts."
He disappeared.
Dracula smiled.
"Too slow."
BOOM!
Yoshiro's fist struck empty air.
Dracula was already behind him.
Then above him.
Then to his left.
Then directly in front of him.
Yoshiro tried to follow him, but Dracula had already moved again. To Dracula, the entire battlefield had become strangely quiet. Falling rocks barely moved. Dust seemed frozen in the air. Even Yoshiro's movements appeared slower than before.
Dracula looked at his own hand.
"So this is..."
He vanished.
"...my future speed?"
He crossed the entire Citadel in an instant.
But it wasn't simply speed.
Dracula could feel himself moving through space, crossing distances that should have required time without allowing that distance to slow him down.
Yoshiro suddenly appeared behind him.
"Found you."
Dracula turned.
Their fists collided.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave destroyed several nearby structures.
Dracula was pushed backward.
Yoshiro looked surprised.
"You survived that?"
Dracula wiped his mouth.
"I thought I was supposed to be faster."
Yoshiro smiled.
"You're fast."
He raised his hand.
"But you're still not faster than my erasure."
Dracula disappeared again.
Yoshiro's attack missed.
"Not yet."
Meanwhile, Reji slammed his hand against the ground.
CLANK!
Chains erupted everywhere.
Yoshiro looked around.
He erased dozens of them.
Nothing happened.
More chains appeared.
Yoshiro frowned.
"I've already erased these."
Reji pulled his hand backward.
"You erased the chains."
The chains suddenly appeared around Yoshiro again.
"But you didn't erase the thing they're connected to."
Yoshiro's eyes narrowed.
The chains were no longer simply attached to his body.
They were connected to the space around him.
Reji pulled.
Yoshiro's movement suddenly became restricted.
"What..."
Reji gritted his teeth.
"Absolute Chain Dominion."
The chains tightened.
"You can erase whatever you want..."
He pulled harder.
"...but I can still decide what stays."
Yoshiro forced himself forward.
The chains began cracking.
Reji's eyes widened.
"He's breaking them."
Yoshiro smiled.
"You're going to need more than that."
Reji suddenly created hundreds more.
"Good."
His smile appeared.
"Because I've got more."
Across the battlefield, Seiyan raised his hand.
The sky illuminated.
Countless energy lines appeared, spreading across the Citadel like an enormous constellation.
Yoshiro looked upward.
"What are you doing?"
Seiyan remained completely still.
"Watching."
Yoshiro frowned.
Seiyan closed his eyes.
Every possible path around the battlefield appeared in his mind.
Dracula's movement.
Reji's chains.
Yoshiro's attacks.
Every trajectory connected.
Seiyan opened his eyes.
"Horizon Sovereign."
One energy line suddenly moved.
Then another.
Then hundreds.
Yoshiro moved toward Reji.
A blast appeared directly in front of him.
He dodged.
Another appeared behind him.
He moved sideways.
Another attack was already waiting.
Yoshiro stopped.
His eyes widened.
"...You're predicting me."
Seiyan shook his head.
"No."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"I'm controlling where the battlefield leads you."
Yoshiro looked around.
Every direction he could move toward had already been covered.
For the first time, Yoshiro was surrounded without a single physical wall around him.
Dracula appeared behind him.
Reji's chains tightened.
Seiyan's network activated.
Judas watched them from behind.
The three warriors attacked simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Yoshiro was blasted through the Citadel.
The explosion continued for several seconds before finally fading.
Dracula landed beside Reji.
"Did we finally get him?"
Seiyan shook his head.
"No."
Judas looked toward the crater.
"He's still alive."
The rubble suddenly exploded.
Yoshiro emerged.
His clothes were torn.
Blood covered one side of his face.
But he was laughing.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The three warriors stared at him.
Yoshiro slowly raised his head.
"Now I understand."
His eyes became completely serious.
"Those aren't temporary powers."
Judas' expression changed.
Yoshiro looked directly at her.
"You didn't strengthen them."
He smiled.
"You brought their future here."
Judas remained silent.
Yoshiro's smile disappeared.
"Then I'll simply erase that future."
White energy began gathering around him.
The entire Citadel trembled.
Dracula stepped forward.
Reji's chains rose.
Seiyan's Horizon network illuminated the sky.
None of them backed away.
Judas looked at the three warriors.
"This is only the beginning."
And Yoshiro finally released the full force of his erasure.