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The cracked white expanse trembled under the weight of Kaipo's unleashed power, reality itself groaning as the four warriors struggled against the overwhelming force pressing down upon them. Blood streaked down their faces, their transformations flickering like dying flames, yet their resolve remained unbroken.
Arion wiped crimson from his mouth, his Imperial Aether Tyrant form wavering but holding steady. As he watched the others fight desperately around him, a crucial realization struck him like lightning.
"We're fighting like individuals again!" he shouted over the chaos, his voice cutting through the din of battle. "Look at us—we're attacking one at a time, letting him counter each of us separately!"
Novachro barely dodged a casual swipe from Kaipo that would have decapitated him, rolling away with his shattered Kōken fragments still crackling with residual energy. "What do you mean?"
"The only way we landed any real damage was when we attacked together!" Arion's aura flared with renewed determination. "We need to synchronize—no more solo attempts, no more individual glory. We work as one or we fall as four!"
Damasin heard Arion's words as he phased out of reality to avoid another devastating blow, his mind racing. Something had been nagging at him since their Celestial Convergence attack—a pattern he'd almost grasped but lost in the chaos of battle.
"Wait," he thought, his eyes widening with sudden understanding. "When I landed those Yami no Chūnyū strikes earlier, they drew blood because they bypassed his physical defenses. But what if... what if I could bypass more than just his body?"
Emerging from his Kyomu Ho phase, Damasin called out: "Novelius! I need an opening—but not a physical one. I need you to create a distraction that hits his soul!"
Novelius, his Seishin no Shōten transformation blazing despite his injuries, immediately understood. "Arion! Help me create a celestial resonance—something that will make him focus on protecting his essence!"
The two warriors moved with perfect coordination. Novelius ascended higher, drawing cosmic energy from the artificial galaxy above, while Arion channeled his Imperial Aether Tyrant power into the very fabric of space around Kaipo.
"Tenjō no Kagayaki—Soul Resonance!" Novelius unleashed beams of celestial light that didn't aim for Kaipo's body but instead sought to harmonize with his spiritual essence.
"Cosmic Dominion—Essence Lock!" Arion simultaneously attempted to bind Kaipo's soul within temporal constraints, not to damage but to expose it.
For the first time in the battle, Kaipo's attention was truly divided. The combination attack forced him to protect both his physical form and his spiritual core, creating the opening Damasin needed.
Damasin raised his hand, pointing two fingers directly at Kaipo like a gun. His black lightning crackled around the gesture, but this time it carried something more—something that resonated with the deepest darkness of existence itself.
"Yami no Chūnyū: Enhanced Technique!"
The Soul Strike
The Enhanced Technique was fundamentally different from Damasin's previous attacks. Where the original Yami no Chūnyū infused dark energy into physical strikes, this evolved version bypassed the physical realm entirely. The dark energy became weaponized intent, targeting not flesh and bone but the very soul of his opponent.
Hundreds of invisible slashes erupted from Damasin's fingertips in the span of mere seconds—each one a concentrated burst of soul-cutting darkness that struck at the fundamental essence of what made Kaipo Kaipo. The attacks moved faster than thought, faster than light, faster than the concept of speed itself because they existed in the realm of pure intent.
Kaipo's eyes widened in genuine surprise as the soul strikes connected. For the first time since the battle began, he staggered backward, his hand clutching at his chest where no physical wound existed but where his very essence had been carved.
"Impressive," he breathed, black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You're attacking the soul directly..."
Novachro seized the moment of vulnerability, appearing behind Kaipo with blinding speed. His broken Kōken had been replaced by raw energy manipulation, and he channeled every ounce of his remaining power into a single, devastating blast.
"Infinity Cannon!"
The concentrated beam of energy erupted from Novachro's hands with cataclysmic force. Unlike his previous attacks, this one struck Kaipo while he was still reeling from the soul damage, unable to fully absorb or deflect the incoming assault.
The Infinity Cannon tore through Kaipo's defenses, sending him skidding across the cracked white expanse. Smoke rose from his form, his black kimono singed and torn, actual damage visible for the first time.
"We're actually hurting him!" Arion shouted, his voice filled with fierce triumph. "Together—we can actually—"
But Kaipo did something that defied all logic and understanding.
He reached out with his bare hand and grabbed his own aura—the 100% Essence Manifest energy that had been radiating outward in an unstoppable field of power. The impossible energy, which had been flooding the battlefield and destabilizing reality itself, began to condense in his palm.
"What is he doing?" Novelius gasped, his celestial transformation flickering with confusion.
Kaipo compressed his own unleashed essence into a small, brilliant orb that pulsed with concentrated universal power. With casual precision, he held the orb directly in the path of Novachro's continuing Infinity Cannon blast.
The orb absorbed the remainder of the attack completely, growing brighter and more condensed with each passing second. Then, with a motion as simple as drawing breath, Kaipo reabsorbed the orb back into himself.
The effect was immediate and terrifying. Kaipo's form blazed with enhanced power, the absorbed energy from Novachro's attack now adding to his already overwhelming might. His wounds healed instantly, his torn kimono reformed, and his presence became even more suffocating than before.
"He just... he absorbed his own aura and used it as a shield," Damasin whispered in disbelief. "Then took our attack and made himself stronger with it."
The four warriors barely had time to process what they'd witnessed before Kaipo moved.
He appeared in front of Novelius with speed that transcended movement itself. Before the cosmic warrior could react, before he could raise his defenses or attempt to teleport away, Kaipo's fist punched straight through his chest.
The impact was devastating. Novelius's Seishin no Shōten transformation collapsed instantly, his connection to the cosmic heavens severed as Kaipo's fist emerged from his back in a spray of blood and celestial energy.
"Novelius!" Arion roared, leaping down from his elevated position to help his fallen ally.
But Kaipo had anticipated the move. Without even turning around, he drove his other fist backward, meeting Arion mid-descent with perfect timing.
Arion's Temporal Dictate activated on pure instinct, slowing time around the point of impact just enough to distribute the force and prevent instant death. The technique saved his life, but the blow still sent him flying across the battlefield like a broken doll.
A casual kick from Kaipo sent the battered Arion tumbling even further, his Imperial Aether Tyrant form finally flickering out from the sustained damage.
Novelius collapsed to his knees, the hole in his chest leaking both blood and cosmic energy. His eyes met those of his remaining brothers, filled with apology and determination.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I couldn't... I wasn't strong enough..."
Kaipo knelt beside the fallen warrior, his expression almost gentle. "Your sacrifice won't be meaningless," he said quietly. "This fight will serve a greater purpose."
He placed his hand on Novelius's forehead, and the same absorption process that had claimed Novachro's attack began to work on Novelius himself. The cosmic warrior's form began to dissolve, his essence flowing into Kaipo like water into an ocean.
Novelius's Seishin no Shōten transformation, his connection to the celestial heavens, his very soul—all of it was absorbed completely, leaving nothing behind but empty space on the cracked white expanse.
Kaipo rose slowly, his power now enhanced by Novelius's absorbed essence. The artificial galaxy above flickered and died as the source of its power was integrated into something far greater.
Novachro, Damasin, and the barely conscious Arion stared in horror at the spot where their comrade had been moments before. The reality of their situation crashed over them like a tsunami.
It was now three against one.
And Kaipo had just become even stronger.
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