Arc I: “Apocalypse”
Chapter III: “Armageddon”
Episode IX: “Return of The Chosen One! Akira vs. Bowl!”
Akira laid Rikito gently on the black sand and held Asuka tightly in his arms.
“Are you alright?”
“Akira!” she cried, clinging to him, tears streaking her cheeks.
Bowl’s eye twitched as his mind raced.
Dammit! When did this guy even show up!? This is my domain—my King’s Crown—and I didn’t even sense him. How did he pull those two out of my attacks?
“When did you get here? And how did you manage to save those two from my attacks?” Bowl demanded answers.
“Huh? Oh. It was simple, really.”
Akira offered an almost playful smile.
“I just hid my energy… and used this.”
Yellow runes carved themselves into the ground around Akira as he picked Rikito up with one arm and cradled Asuka with his other.
In a blink, they vanished—teleported away. Akira reappeared moments later.
Teleportation!? Impossible!
Bowl’s heart pounded.
Even if he could do that, I should’ve felt his energy flare. His aether control must be… unthinkable. Wait… His eyes darted to the empty battlefield. The Earthlings. They’re gone, too. Not even the girl noticed when he moved them.
“I call it Dragon Shift,” Akira said, tone almost teasing.
“Do you like it? Personally, I think it’s pretty cool.”
“Enough!” Bowl barked, aura flaring violently.
“Where did you put them!?”
Akira’s smile faded.
His voice dropped to a cold, lethal tone.
“Don’t worry about it. You won’t be alive long enough to see them again anyway.”
Bowl chuckled, though unease crawled under his skin.
“Bold words. You Kaelithians never fail to amuse me. Rikito thought the same thing before I crushed him.
And now you’re thinking you’ll do better? HAHAHA! You’re all truly comedic creatures.”
Akira’s fists clenched, his eyes narrowing.
“Watch your mouth. Rikito fought with honor—a proud warrior.
You? You’re just scum who hides behind threats and victims. You don’t even deserve to say his name.”
Bowl sneered. “Then show me how a real warrior fights.”
“Hmph. Prepare yourself. You should start with your strongest form,” Akira said flatly.
“Though it won’t make a difference.”
Bowl growled, “Stupid savage-blood—”
His words cut off as Akira’s power surged.
What!? How is his yield climbing so fast!?
Akira finally charged up to unleash the full extent of his natural state. He cracked his neck.
“Are you ready? Don’t blink.”
In an instant, Akira blitzed forward, his fists blurring into a storm of strikes. His final kick sent Bowl skidding across the black sand for meters.
“Argh!”
Bowl spat blood.
How is he overwhelming me when our yields should be near equal? His fighting style… It’s completely unorthodox. Who the hell did he train under!?
Akira hovered calmly, just a few inches off the ground.
“Is that the best you can do? Go ahead. Use your Demon Forms.”
“You brat…” Bowl snarled as he powered into his Demonic Base Form.
Akira tilted his head.
“That’s still not enough. Show me the third level. Dragon Flash!”
Akira blurred again, his knuckles slamming into Bowl’s gut before Bowl could react.
“Jack’s Blade!” Bowl screamed, launching a flurry of slashes.
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Akira smirked. “Utopic… Star Destroyer!”
A golden beam tore through Bowl’s attack like paper, forcing him to dodge.
“How… how did your attack overwhelm mine!?” Bowl’s mind reeled.
“Hey, watch out,” Akira said almost casually before appearing above him.
“If you don’t pay attention, this will be too easy. Dragon Star Destroyer!”
The blast hit Bowl directly, detonating against his torso.
“AH!” Bowl wheezed, smoke and blood dripping from his mouth.
“Dammit… how are you doing that!?”
“Oh, that?” Akira raised his hand, golden energy dancing between his fingers.
“I evolved my old technique. It used to be Hyper Energy Mode—small bursts of aether with dangerous strain.
But now? Golden Energy Mode. Fueled by Utopic aether, it stabilizes my body, heals the meridian strain, and best of all…”
He flared his aura, golden energy erupting like a second sun. “…it stacks. Want to see?”
“DAMN YOU! DEMON FORM LEVEL TWO!”
“Alright. Then I’ll use… Golden Energy Mode Layer Ten.”
A thin golden cloak shimmered around Akira before detonating into a radiant inferno of light.
“I guess I can try out one of my new moves too…”
Akira ascended into the air as he began gathering his aether and casting his art.
Bowl panicked.
I can’t let him finish— “Jack’s Blade!”
“Star… BREAKER!”
A grand light of heavenly gold energy radiated from Akira’s hands.
Akira’s beam covered ground at magnificent speeds as it ripped through Bowl’s attacks and kept going.
Oh no! I have to block this—
“Queen’s Shield!” Bowl roared, erecting his defense.
It shattered instantly like glass.
The blast consumed him.
No… It’s not enough!
Bowl attempted to block the attack, but the beam destroyed his shield and hit Bowl dead on.
“Oops. Maybe I overdid that.”
Akira floated down, his aura dimming as he returned to his natural state.
“Hold it right there! I’m not finished with you yet, vessel!”
Bowl’s voice echoed as he rose from the smoke, half his body regenerating as his skin began to blacken.
“You’ve left me no choice. I’ll use my third form. And when I do, it’ll be your funeral.”
“Woah, yikes. Are you alright? Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you suffer.”
It seems that the third level can fully regenerate destroyed limbs.
His hair turned a violent purple, his aura became a raging storm of black, red, and violet, and his skin darkened to void.
“Silence, you savage-blood.”
Bowl was furious. He was so tensed up he could pop a blood vessel.
“Ah. Demon Form Level Three.” Akira’s voice remained calm.
“The same form you used to brutalize Rikito.”
Bowl grinned, “And the same form I’ll use to kill you.”
“Hehehe. Right. I guess I’ve wasted enough time… I should get this over with now.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself! Just because you had the upper hand in the beginning of this fight doesn’t mean you can beat me! Not only have I reached my final form, but I’ve also been hiding my best move from you!”
“We’ll see about that… let me show you… my Spirit Resonance.”
So, he can also use that Kaelithian form? No matter. Even if he’s stronger than Rikito, his form should be the same.
“You’re not making the same mistake Rikito did, are you?”
What!?
“Please tell me you didn’t assume… that I can’t reach a level higher than him.”
“Impossible!”
“Wrong. I’ll show it to you right now! Huhhhhhhhhh!”
Akira began powering up.
His energy created shockwaves in the ground and sky.
His eyes and aura sparkled creamy-white, and his yield level soared.
“So, how do you like it?”
Bowl’s expression eased as he burst out laughing, “HAHAHA!”
He was bluffing! This is the first form that Rikito was using. If this is his limit, then I can win this!
“Ah damn, it didn’t work. This is only my Mastered Spirit Resonance. Guess I’ll have to keep working to perfect it.
I was already able to use Spirit Resonance pretty freely, but with my improved level of aether control, I’m able to magnify my energy while not wasting any of it.
Rikito may have found one way to ascend, but this is my way! I’ll just make up for the difference with my energy mode!”
He combined his Golden Energy Mode Layer Two on top of his Spirit Resonance, his grand, golden aura encapsulating his creamy-white one like molten gold solidifying around an armor of light.
His yield increased a bit… but with Resonance, his physical body must be much stronger!
“Dammit! That’s not enough to beat me! King’s Crown!”
“Star Breaker!”
They clashed again, Bowl unleashing a maelstrom of beams, and Akira releasing his heavenly light.
The air was filled with fireworks as their attacks canceled each other out.
Akira Aether-Skipped through them like flowing light. He reached Bowl and gut-punched him.
“It’s over. Give up.”
No! I will win!
“Argh… you leave me no choice… father forbade me from using this technique… BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE!”
Hmm?
“ACE’S GAMBLE!”
Bowl’s body exploded with energy, altering the battlefield into a warped, suffocating pocket dimension.
“Behold! My ultimate technique. Here, I control everything. This is your end!”
Space and gravity contorted unnaturally as the air within the barrier grew heavy with crimson fog.
What is this? It’s like his energy created a new dimension around us.
Akira closed his eyes.
“This aether… It’s Utopic.”
Akira opened his eyes, glowing.
“You created a domain of pure Utopic aether. But here’s the problem…”
His aura pulsed, unraveling Bowl’s technique from the inside out.
“…my control is better than yours.”
“What!?”
Akira returned to his natural state and closed his eyes.
“Yeah, I can feel it. This attack… won’t work on me.”
Akira opened his eyes to see Bowl’s technique dissipating.
“NO—! H-how did you do that!?”
“I told you. I can control Utopic energy. I have the Heart of Utopia after all.
A technique like this where you’ve created a domain of pure Utopic energy… that will only work if your control over Utopic energy is better than your opponents.”
“Curses!”
“Now, let’s really end this.”
“King’s Crown!” Bowl launched a fast attack at Akira before he could transform.
“Dragon Flash.” He blinked forward, gut-punching Bowl before launching a final Star Breaker, amped by his Layer Ten Golden Energy Mode, point-blank.
The explosion left a crater. Bowl’s twitching body hit the ground.
“You should still be alive. I held back on that last attack.”
Akira stood before him in his natural state.
“Hehehe… curse you… vessel…” Bowl croaked, coughing blood.
“You may have defeated me… but with my death… an even greater monster will be unleashed.”
“What?”
“My father… Apocalypse… lent us generals his energy to seal himself. Now that we’re dead… all of it returns to him.
His seal will break before he recovers on his own. He will rise. And when he does…”
Bowl’s fading eyes glimmered with spite.
“…you’ll learn that the Heart of Utopia isn’t a blessing. It’s the curse left by the man who killed Rikito’s mother. And now… father will finally… have his revenge…”
Akira’s fists trembled for a moment before he closed his eyes with a breath.
“Let him come. I’ll beat him, too.”
The light faded from Bowl’s eyes.
“Now… let me go get the others.”
[A few weeks ago]
“I’m sure of it… Rikito’s reached a higher transformation. I can’t let him get ahead of me! I’m going to surpass Spirit Resonance, too!”
“Don’t concern yourself with that. You’ve mastered your aether control and learned how to tap into your Utopic energy.
You should focus on mastering that energy so that you can call upon the true power of Utopia when you fight Apocalypse.” Grom stated flatly.
“I’ll worry about that later. I’ve already practiced that a lot, but I haven’t made any progress. I’m taking a break to improve my Spirit Resonance instead.”
“You already improved your energy mode. By realizing that you were laying runes inside your body… and reinforcing them with Utopic aether, you’ve made quite some progress.”
“Yeah, but this is this, and that was that,” Akira grumbled.
And so, Akira spent the next two weeks developing a new Spirit Resonance form that incorporated his Mastered Spirit Resonance with his improved aether control.
[Today – Giant Forest]
Akira stood in the forest, lost in his thoughts.
Rikito was able to combine his Demonic Base Form with his Spirit Resonance… what if I could do the same with my Utopic energy?
“Hey, Akira. Rikito is awake now.” Asuka said as she found Akira in the Giant Forest. They were staying with Fevee in Woodberry again.
“Right.” They walked back to the village together.
[In Woodberry]
They entered the house to see Fevee waiting for them. Her face lit up when they walked in.
“Akira!” She ran up to hug him.
“Hey… It’s been a while.”
He hesitated, then hugged her back.
Asuka watched them with a hint of jealousy.
“I’ll take you two to see Rikito. Darc and Rayon are still resting in the other room.”
“Thanks.”
[In Rikito’s room]
“There you are… Akira.” Rikito was sitting up in bed when Akira and Asuka walked in.
“Hey, how’re you feeling?”
“Hmph. I don’t need your comfort. I want to know how you did that.”
“Did what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Akira. How were you able to beat Bowl so easily…? And your yield…”
“He was weaker than me. It’s that simple.”
“Simple, huh.”
“I noticed that you have a new Spirit Resonance form as well. Spirit Ascension, right?”
“…”
“I was able to find my own way to ascend… but of course I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Akira.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you do it?”
“Do what?”
“…can you… beat him?”
Akira and Rikito were in a locked gaze. Akira waited, then replied.
“Of course. There’s no way that I won’t.”
Rikito looked down at his hands with a grim expression.
“I’m counting on you.” He turned over to his side to lie down.
“Right!” Akira said before he left the room.
Asuka stayed, watching Rikito lie on the bed.
“What do you want, Asuka?”
“Nothing, I’m just… worried.”
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Rise of Apocalypse”
[Yield Levels]:
Akira: 1b
- Star Fist Style: x1.1(Combat Style)
- Suppressed: 5
- GEML2 -> L10: 2b -> 3b -> 10b
- SR: 100b (Physical)
- SR + GEML2: 2b (200b) (Physical)
- Dragon Shift: Teleportation
- Dragon Flash: x1
- Utopic Star Destroyer: x10
- Dragon Star Destroyer: x3
- Star Breaker: x1000
Rikito: 100m
- Weakened: 5
- Recovering: 500
Asuka: 5m
Bowl: 1b
- DBF: 5b
- DFL2: 10b
- DFL3: 100b
- Jack’s Blade: x10
- Queen’s Shield: x100
- King’s Crown: x1,000
- Ace’s Gambit: x10,000