Inside a sleek chamber glowing with red security lights, Deo dashed and weaved between dozens of laser beams that were moving at extremely high speeds. His movements were swift, calculated, and precise—each dodge a near miss that pushed his agility to its limit. Watching from a control booth above, his elder brother Sughi monitored the patterns closely, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
After a few intense minutes, Sughi finally pressed a button, deactivating the chamber. The lasers shut down, and Deo dropped to the floor, panting slightly before stretching his arms with a groan.
"You've had enough training for the day," Sughi said, stepping down from the booth.
Deo cracked his neck and smirked. "Yeah, guess my agility's gotten better."
Sughi patted him lightly on the head. "You've improved, you really have. But remember, don't overdo it. You're not fully in sync with your fused watch yet. If you overuse yourself too much, the energy that was forcfully infused into your body by your watch would start to act out."
Deo's face tightened a bit. "I can't always depend on my nanotech watch. Ever since it fused with me, it hurts every time I try turning my body parts robotic."
"You'll be fine," Sughi assured him. "Just take it easy so you don't mess yourself up."
Deo nodded. "The fusion gave me the same abilities, just stronger. The only issue now is control."
"And that's the key," Sughi replied, putting on his lab coat. "You need to learn how to live with your new power, not fight it. It can be annoying, but you'll be fine."
As Sughi prepared to leave, Deo asked, "Where are you going this time?"
"I need a walk," Sughi said with a light smile before stepping out.
Meanwhile, in a different training area, energy surged like a storm. Alex gritted his teeth, focusing everything he had on manifesting the Ultimate Blade of Death. Diablo stood nearby, observing silently. A dense mass of energy swirled in Alex's hands, slowly shaping into a blade—but before it could stabilize, it exploded, knocking Alex off his feet and burning his hands.
He hit the ground hard, grunting, then sat up slowly, clenching his fists. "Dammit…"
"You should rest," Diablo said calmly.
Alex shook his head. "No. I have to perfect this. If I don't, then what's the point of any of this?"
"The Ultimate Blade of Death isn't something mastered in a week," Diablo replied. "Even Misaki Mio, the one who created it, took two years to perfect its final form."
Alex's expression hardened. "I've been practicing it non-stop for a week, no sleep, and still nothing."
Diablo sighed. "Frustration is natural, but don't let it blind you. Your energy reserves have gotten higher since you've been practicing. The fact that you haven't gotten results yet doesn't mean you aren't improving."
"Whatever you say sensei. 'm heading home," Alex muttered, dusting himself off and walking away.
As Diablo watched him go, he smirked lightly and whispered to himself, "Still a hot head huh. Hopefully, that same fire is what will push you. Just don't lose your humanity… that's all I ask."
As Alex walked through the quiet streets of the city, his body was weary, but his mind was restless.
"Why isn't it working? What am I doing wrong?"
As he stepped into his house, he noticed it was silent. "Where's Tobi…?" he muttered, confused.
He flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Am I really going to become the strongest if i keep floping like this?" He sighed. "Whatever I do now… it decides everything."
Turning toward the window, something caught his eye—a potter outside, carefully molding clay with some machinery. Watching the gentle and deliberate process, Alex's eyes widened. A thought struck him. "Wait a minute..... THAT'S IT!"
He jumped from his bed and launched out the window in a blur of motion.
Down by the river, Alex stood alone. Energy surged around him as he began forming the Blade of Death once more. This time, he whispered to himself, "I finally get it. I kept imagining a giant dagger. But that's not it. I need to picture… a sword and shape my energy into becoming that sword! Manipulating energy to take a form is a very difficult thing. But once you've been practicing, and have enough energy reserves, then there's nothing to it any more! I just need to shape it."
As he visualized the elegant form of a sword and was giving the energy he was building up a proper shape, the energy around him shifted. The chaotic shape stabilized, forming a sleek, glowing blade of red energy. Alex's eyes widened in awe.
"I… I did it," he said, smiling. "I actually did it."
With a burst of speed, he leapt high into the air and fired the completed Ultimate Blade of Death down at a nearby waterfall. The explosion was cataclysmic—the river and waterfall evaporated instantly, replaced by a steaming crater.
Alex paused for a moment before he just smirked "YES!" Alex shouted in triumph. "I finally perfected it!"
From a distance, Diablo watched quietly, a small smile playing at his lips before he turned and walked away "He figured it all on his own. Good for him."
Elsewhere, deep in the forest, Tobi sprinted and leapt across tree branches at incredible speeds. Hours earlier, Kojin had briefed him—two members of the Dark Sign had been spotted nearby. Tobi's task: take them out.
As he soared through the trees, he grinned. "It's been a while since I let myself go loose a bit. I can finally cut something In half."
Not far from there, Mirio and Kirihai lounged on a large tree branch at the forest's edge, enjoying the calm breeze and sun light.
Suddenly, a bolt of purple lightning crashed down from the sky, Mirio sensed this attack coming at them with full speed. The purple lightning had detonated, a massive explosion turned a large portion of the forest to ashes. Smoke and debris clouded the area, but Mirio had acted fast—his chains forming a barrier around them just in time.
"What the hell was that?!" Kirihai coughed.
As the smoke cleared, they looked up—and standing above them was Kazuki, his eyes blazing with power.
"You two…" Kazuki said coldly. "You're from the Dark Sign, aren't you? Tell me… where is Shinki?"
TO BE CONTINUED…