Arc III: “Return of Darkness”
Chapter II: “Lady Soap”
Episode X: “The Unrivaled Duo Reunites!”
“This battle is just getting started!”
Akira reappeared in a flash of golden light, boots skidding across black sand as pressure rippled outward.
Rikito’s eyes flicked sideways. “Akira…?”
Akira smirked, breath heavy but steady. “You didn’t think I’d let you steal the spotlight, did you?”
He settled into his stance. His irises ignited gold, a faint yellow eyeshadow pooling beneath them as he adopted his True God of Utopia state.
“Divine Utopic Spirit Resonance!”
Divine aether flooded his meridians, braiding cleanly with his existing forms. Golden wisps rolled off his frame as his hair shone radiant gold—Golden Energy Mode stacking atop it as his Yield surged again.
Rikito felt it immediately. He’s not forcing this…
Akira’s Flow wasn’t straining—it was overflowing.
“Akira… I’ll fight with you,” Rikito said quietly. “But this isn’t a battle we can win. The most we can do is die honorably.”
Akira chuckled. “Heh… actually, I think I might know a way for us to win this.”
“What? Convergence?” Rikito scoffed. “I don’t have enough Utopic aether to maintain that. Even if I did, it’d be unstable—we’d burn out before it mattered.”
“No, not that. While the Spirit was showing me its memories, I caught a glimpse of an Art that has the potential to defeat Apocalypse.”
“A new technique? But how can you be so sure that it’ll work if you’ve never done it before?”
“I don’t… so this will be a gamble. But it’s not like we have much of a choice, so we might as well give it a try.”
“Hmph. To think I would die fighting with you, of all people, by my side.”
“I don’t plan on dying here, Rikito!”
The two of them took up their stances, preparing to fight against Apocalypse’s awesome strength.
Akira dashed past Rikito, tapping him firmly between the shoulders.
A surge of golden aether poured into Rikito’s circulation—clean, stabilizing, deliberate.
Rikito’s breath caught. “…You’ve got energy to spare,” he muttered.
“Use it,” Akira replied, already airborne. He charged an instantaneous beam.
“Celestial Rend: Golden Draconic Verse of Aureate Stellar Fracture: Utopic Dragon Stardust Breaker!”
The golden beam tore across the battlefield.
Apocalypse didn’t move.
He stood at its center—unflinching—as the blast swallowed him whole.
“One of my strongest moves and not even a scratch, huh. This guy is a monster!” Akira said, sweat running down his face.
“Infuscate,” Rikito whispered.
Black vapor burst from his mouth as his skin darkened. Using Akira’s attack as cover, he slipped into Apocalypse’s blind spot. This is my window. I’ll use everything!
“Nox Aeterna: Cursus Atrum: Black Lightning Dash… and… Tenebris Ruina: Psalm of the Lightless Hour: Last Rites: Midnight Ruination Cannon!”
Apocalypse turned, even while still being blasted by Akira, and gathered his aether into his right hand. “Noctblade: Black Noon Severance—Severance of Night: Stygian Saber.”
After focusing his energy into a blade around his hand, a single wave was all it took to cut Rikito’s beam in two. The severing wave punched through the beam and carved across Rikito’s shoulder—bone nearly exposed as his arm went numb.
His Infuscate collapsed instantly.
“D-damn!” he cried as he jumped back.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Draconic Kata Verse: Wyrm Liturgy: Dragon Festival!”
A lattice of Utopic sigils snapped into place — not to bind Apocalypse, but to interrupt his Flow of aether.
While Apocalypse was dealing with Rikito, Akira created three Astral Clones and formed an array around Apocalypse.
Hopefully this will seal his Arts! he thought. “Now’s our chance, Rikito, this will only last a moment!”
“Right!” Rikito said as he focused his Utopic aether of his Demon Form to heal his wound.
The two of them both flew directly above Apocalypse and gathered their aether together.
“Twilight Vector: Eschaton Nexus: Chaos Breaker!!”
Their voices overlapped perfectly as royal blue and black aether fused into a single catastrophic beam.
For a moment, their Flows resonated.
“Hrm!” Apocalypse grunted as he flexed his power to break Dragon Festival’s array and destroy Akira’s Astral Clones. “Insidious Dark Veil!”
He attempted to block the attack, but his shield was destroyed.
“Rikito,” Akira said, already retreating. “I need as much time as you can buy. At least five minutes.”
Rikito exhaled slowly. “Five minutes… I could’ve managed that before.” His eyes hardened. “Now? You’d better not be late or else my ghost will be sure to haunt you.”
“Ha-ha, yeah, don’t worry. This won’t take too long,” Akira said as he flew several dozen meters away.
“Alright…” Rikito looked towards Apocalypse, who was slowly being revealed from the cloud of smoke caused by their attack. He’s wounded… as long as we can outdo his healing factor, we might be able to weaken him! “I’ll do as much damage as I can before he has a chance to recover! Infuscate!”
Argh! Rikito felt his body strain as he boosted his power again.
“Oblivion Break: Psalm of the Lightless Hour: Archon of Ruin: Midnight Implosion!”
Normally, Apocalypse wouldn’t need to block this attack, but in his weakened state, he decided not to underestimate it.
“Dark Veil. Dark Rain!” After surrounding himself in a bubble of energy, he created an endless rain of small lasers around the area.
A single one of those lasers could be lethal! Rikito thought as he barely managed to evade them. “Black Lightning Dash!”
He continuously skirted around the raining onslaught.
[Where Akira was hiding]
“Right… I think it was something like this…” Akira said as he raised his hands to his sides.
Millions of dust-fine aether particles poured outward, filling the sky like a newborn nebula. Without Akira straining, the particles continued flowing.
This reminds me of my Stardust aether form… is this the right way? Spirit?
“Yes, this is indeed Nebulus. This rate… even your father never achieved it this quickly. No one will be able to sense the ambient aether until you form the star.”
Alright, that’s good. It’d be a problem if Apocalypse jumped me while I was getting ready. And he shouldn’t be able to sense my signature as long as I’m circulating Divine aether.
[Rikito vs. Apocalypse]
The Dark Rain came to an end.
“Finally,” Rikito panted.
His Flow nearly depleted, his transformations were reduced to Spirit Ascension and Abyssal Lightning Cloak.
“If Akira doesn’t hurry up, it might actually be the end of me…”
Apocalypse undid his veil, as he was finished restoring his wounds.
“It’s time to end this,” he bellowed.
“Darling! As long as we have the Dark Heart, we could always resurrect Rikito and use a collar to control him!” Cataline shouted.
“That’s true… There is no reason for me to delay this any longer.” He raised his palm to Rikito, corrupted aether surging through his meridians. “Dark Departure.”
Apocalypse released a small orb—one that siphoned all light.
“Shit.”
The instant Apocalypse released the orb, a golden array snapped into place below Rikito.
Using Dragon Shift, Akira appeared inside it—dragging the nebula with him.
“W-what… what is all this, Akira?”
Is that... What I think it is? Apocalypse thought to himself. That dust cloud looks even larger than the one Raida was able to form! No, stay calm. “No matter, my Dark Departure will eat through everything.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure!” Akira yelled. Alright, Spirit, it’s time to shine! “The technique I’ve inherited from my father—Star Creator!”
The large cloud of particles quickly started condensing into a single point. The hissing sound created by the technique was deafening.
“What the hell…?” Rikito covered his ears.
“What is that!?” Cataline muttered as she fell to her knees.
“Is that Akira?” Sikira said from a mile away as she watched the star form on the horizon.
“Damn you…” Apocalypse murmured. Utopians and their accursed techniques… there’s no reason why one person should be able to command such a large mass of aether by themselves!
“Here goes! Nuclear Fusion—Higher Fusion! Supernova!”
Akira unconsciously absorbed some of the strength of his star, greatly increasing his Yield.
The core of the star collapsed as Akira launched it at Apocalypse—before all of the dust particles could assimilate into the technique.
The blast created by the collapsing star swallowed Apocalypse’s orb.
“Throne of The Cataclysmic Knight: Mass of Oblivion: Tenebrous Destruction!!”
Apocalypse poured all his aether into his ultimate Art, attempting to counter Akira. He created a colossal orb of dark energy and launched it at the supernova.
The two large masses of energy clashed, but the supernova overwhelmed Apocalypse’s dark purple orb. The supernova pushed the orb back until Apocalypse grasped his own attack with his hands in an attempt to push it forward.
Here comes the hard part! Akira thought. I can’t let this destroy the planet.
Akira tilted the blast upward—actively fighting his own technique. It lifted Apocalypse off the ground.
I can’t stop it! Apocalypse thought. “Insidious Dark Veil!” He was still attempting to push back the attack, even after shielding himself.
“I think that’s far enough! Let’s do it now, Spirit!!”
Akira expanded his aura, unleashing a large cloak of Utopic aether, and used it to form a dome around the supernova and Apocalypse.
The supernova exploded, destroying Apocalypse’s attack and his shield.
Not even Akira’s barrier could contain it—it quickly cracked through the barrier and continued expanding.
If Akira hadn’t raised it out of the atmosphere and compressed it as much as he could, it would have easily destroyed the planet.
Shockwaves were sent throughout the entire globe as the energy began to dissipate.
“Oh no…” Cataline breathed. Is he…?
“I-impossible!” Rikito shouted as he looked at the smoke-filled sky. “He survived that!?”
Both Akira and Cataline widened their eyes.
Apocalypse, half his body destroyed, could be seen slowly descending from the Earth’s atmosphere.
Covered in blood, he was barely breathing.
Akira had already powered down to his Natural State, exhausting all of his strength and falling to the ground.
“Rikito! I don’t think he can fight anymore! Look, his wounds aren’t healing, and he isn’t in his Demon Form anymore!”
He’s right. Now’s my chance to finish him! Rikito thought. He stepped forward, aura flaring. “Stay down,” he growled. “You don’t get to walk away from this.” He funneled his remaining Flow into his palm, forming a blast of pure aether.
But, before he could make a move, Cataline had already dashed into the air and swooped up Apocalypse.
Out of nowhere, a spaceship flew next to them, and a woman was standing in the doorway as she pulled Cataline and Apocalypse aboard.
“No!” Rikito roared, firing the blast in desperation.
But it was too late.
The ship vanished into the void.
As white ash rained from above, silence followed—heavy, unresolved.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Aftermath”
[Yield Levels]:
Rikito: 5z
- DP: 6z
- DP + SR: (DDSR) + TDF + PDF: 15z
- DP + SR: (DDSR) + TDF + PDF + ALC: 16z
- DP + SR: (DDSR) + TDF + PDF + ALC + I: 17z
- DP + Spirit Ascension + ALC: 200 – 7z
- Midnight Ruination Cannon: x7z
- Midnight Implosion: x3z
Apocalypse: 12z
- DHB: 17z
- DHDF: 21z
- Dying: 5
- Insidious Dark Veil: x5z (Shield / Counter)
- Dark Departure: x5z (Counter)
- Dark Rain: x1 (Continuous)
- Sytigian Saber: x6z
- Tenebrous Destruction: x7z
Kyte: 6z
Cataline: 11z
- Weakened: 6z
- Recovered: 8z
Akira: 5z
- DP + True God of Utopia + Soul Resonance: (Divine Utopic Spirit Resonance) + Golden Energy Mode: 15z
- DP + TGoU + SR: (DUSR) + GEM + Photoreception: (40% - Supernova): 20z
- Weakened: 5
- Utopic Dragon Stardust Breaker (Amped): x5z
- Dragon Festival: x1z (Sealing)
- Astral Clones: x(2/#)
- Dragon Shift: x1 (Teleportation)
- Photoreception: x20% (Buff)
- Nuclear Fusion: (Star Formation)
- Supernova (Amped): x10z
Marie: 3
Kate: 1,000
Sikira: 6z
Akira + Rikito:
- Chaos Breaker: ~27z
Earth's Core: 10z