Scene shifts to Kazuki as he made his way back towards the South Ryehem camp. The morning air was still heavy with the scent of ash and earth from the ongoing war. As Kazuki approached the camp, Shang noticed him and immediately stepped forward.
"We couldn't find you anywhere in the camp — where were you?" Shang asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
Kazuki gave a small smile and replied casually, "Oh, I just went for a morning walk. Nothing else."
At that moment, Arthur and Ezabela arrived as well. All three of them — Shang, Arthur, and Ezabela — could sense it. Kazuki's aura had shifted. It was subtle, but unmistakable to those trained in sensing Spritual Force. The boy was no longer in Body Refining Tier 2. He had broken through to Tier 3.
However, none of them said anything. They chose to stay silent, each wanting to confirm their suspicion properly later.
An hour passed swiftly, and with it came the thunder of war drums in the distance. The next attack wave from North Ryehem was approaching — and this time, it was different.
A massive formation of heavy troops marched forward, the ground trembling beneath their feet. But what made it worse was that many of them were clones. The ability of Sazuki, stolen long ago, was still being abused. One soldier had multiplied himself fifty times, and around one hundred and fifty original soldiers had done the same — making it an overwhelming force of thousands.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, the soldiers of South Ryehem stood firm. Their strength, honed through hardship and loyalty, made them far superior in skill and willpower.
Ezabela unleashed her spirit ability 'Flame Eruption', a towering wave of fire that engulfed dozens of enemy soldiers and clones at once. Arthur, on the other hand, skillfully manipulated the stolen spirit abilities used by the enemy and hurled them right back at them with his 'Spiritual Force Manipulation'.
Some North Ryehem soldiers, however, managed to copy Arthur's abilities as well — turning the battlefield into utter chaos.
In the midst of it all, Kazuki stood silently, a faint smile curling on his lips. He raised his hand, and suddenly, without warning, several North Ryehem soldiers began bursting apart, their bodies disintegrating as if an invisible force was ripping them from within.
The battlefield froze for a moment. No one knew what had happened.
Within seconds, the entire attacking force from North Ryehem had fallen, defeated by an unknown force. The few remaining South Ryehem soldiers stood shocked but victorious.
Kazuki dusted off his hands and muttered with frustration, "They always come at us with those two overpowered abilities — one they stole from Big Brother Sazuki. Yet, we still manage to equalize the borders every single time. When are they going to give up already?"
Shang shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Who knows."
Kazuki let out a small growl of irritation and kicked a nearby stone, sending it flying across the war-torn field.