"Ash Phantom: The Legend Reborn"

Sumasu stood up, coughing blood. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a soft, twisted laugh."You're tough, kid... I shouldn't have underestimated you."

Raising his hand high, he summoned a massive iron sword from thin air. It shimmered with weight and rage.

FWOOOOSH!He swung.

A massive slash tore through the air, shaking the ground. The surroundings trembled, and trees shook violently.

Veon was sent flying deep into the forest, crashing through branches and vanishing into the darkness.

Even the nearby mages froze, feeling the heavy pressure ripple through the battlefield.

***********

Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound echoed across the battlefield.BOOM.

Sumasu narrowed his eyes."What is this sound...?"

The ground trembled again. The sound was coming from the wall.

Mekamaru was there—punching it with full force.

Suddenly, the gates burst open.

From within, a massive army of Yuzen mages stormed out, roaring across the battlefield like a wave of destruction.

Weapons drawn. Arrows ready. Floating war vehicles humming through the air.

The sight stunned even Mekamaru's unit.

The echo of their marching footsteps thundered across the field—so loud that even Sia's left unit could hear it.

Sia's heart dropped."There are massive numbers of troops… We'll have to retreat soon."

Mekamaru's squad was heavily outnumbered, but he stood tall.

Mekamaru shouted: "SHOW THEM WHO WE ARE!!"

His unit roared back, laughing: "YES, SIR! We'll show them WHO WE ARE!"

Both sides charge, clashing in the middle of the battlefield. Screams, blood, blades, and cannonfire.The battlefield became a crimson hell.

From the flank, Sia looked toward the forest: "Veon… win that fight. Mekama,ru si r needs you now."

Meanwhile, Mekamaru kept taking hit after hit from enemy cannons—Yet he remained unshaken.

He slammed the wall again—BOOM! A massive crack appeared, tearing through the side structure and creating a new entrance.

Sia (thinking to herself): "That wasn't part of the plan... Why did he break the wall?"

Mekamaru, as if hearing her thoughts, muttered: "I had to do this. Their numbers are too many. If we want to hit them hard… it has to be from the inside. I see no other way."

Sia clenched her fists and charged toward the wall.

From the towers, enemy mages screamed: "They're breaching! More troops, from the left side—STOP THEM!"

More enemy forces appeared, surrounding Sia's group.

Sia shouted: "Avoid them as much as you can! We're going inside the wall! Don't stop!"

The army around her was massive—but she didn't break.

Inside the wall, Mekamaru had already entered. He began fighting the Yuzen mages one by one—Each blow from his massive fishookking the very floor beneath him.

Crushing towers, cannons, vehicles..

Purely maniac..

***********

Veon lay on the ground, breathing hard."Damn... such a hard man to fight… I need to come up with something..."

Suddenly, Kaen's eyes spotted a green spell bottle lying near a tree.

Veon shouted: "Use the bottle!"

Kaen, panting heavily, ran toward it—But Sumasu charged, roaring, sword raised.

Kaen grabbed the bottle, but just as he did, Sumasu's blade came down.

The sword accidentally struck the bottle's opening.

A drop of the green liquid hit the ground. Fusssssssss…

Everything around them shifted.

Kaen and Sumasu's movements slowed—Kaen was falling slowly, and Sumasu's sword was swinging through the air in slow motion.

Veon's eyes widened."So that's the special effect of the spell…"

He got up fast—this was his chance.

Veon charged toward Sumasu, flames surging from his hand.

Sumasu's eyes widened. His throat clenched as he felt the strange weight of time around him.

"Why… Why is my movement so slow?"

He watched, helpless, as Veon rushed in—faster than he could process.

"NOOOOOO—"

Veon's blazing hand pierced Sumasu's chest. A hole ripped through his heart, and it fell out, lifeless.

Kaen smiled, barely able to stay standing.

"We did it…"

Veon stepped closer, eyes soft but intense.

"Can you show me your face, mage?" he asked.

Kaen averted his gaze. His head shook gently—like the answer itself was painful.

Veon narrowed his eyes, watching him.

Kaen's voice came low, filled with quiet truth."You're my brother."

Veon's breath caught. I knew it …?"

Kaen, still caught in the spell's slow-motion effect, fell to his knees like he was surrendering to something greater than just the battle.

Above them, a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky—Sia's thunder, bubu, lit up the battlefield. Chaos all around.

But in that moment, for Veon and Kaen, time stood still.

Kaen's tears fell, tracing down his cheeks as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

His voice broke through the noise, soft and aching."Brother... I wanted to prove to you that I can fight... even if I'm just 13..."

He gasped for breath.

"Today is my birthday... and my only wish was to fight... in this battle... with you..."

Veon looked at Kaen, his voice soft but heavy with emotion."The intensity of war distracted my thoughts so much… I didn't even realize today is your birthday."

He gave a faint smile, eyes proud."Happy birthday, Kaen. Today, I saw you fight… and it makes me proud to call you my brother. If you weren't there—I might've died."

Kaen's eyes lit up, a tear still lingering."I'm so happy, brother... that I made you proud."

Veon glanced at the broken spell bottle."That spell… It's something else. And we still have more. Our troops need this."

Kaen nodded firmly.

Veon asked:"Can you move now?"

Kaen stretched his limbs and stood up straight."Yes, the effect is over."

Without wasting time, Veon turned to his unit.He raised his fist and roared:"Move forward!"

The remaining troops followed him with fierce determination.

Veon then turned to Kaen, eyes sharp."Kaen—use your water technique to deliver the spell bottle into the battlefield. But make sure we're not within a 1-kilometer radius. Got it?"

Kaen nodded, then summoned his magic."Water Cannon!"

With a loud BOOM, the spell bottle was launched into the center of the battlefield.

Over in the distance, Ryuki's mages were being overwhelmed by Yuzen's mages.Suddenly, the spell detonated.

BOOOOOM—

The sky darkened. A thick, cloudy mist spread across the battlefield.

And then—

Silence.

When the clouds cleared, the enemy mages moved in slow motion, as if caught in a dream.

Veon raised his sword:"Charge, my troops!"

His soldiers roared in response, eyes wide with opportunity.

Veon struck first, slicing down a slowed Yuzen mage.

One by one, they fell—caught in the mysterious time-slowing spell.

Sia, watching from a distance, smiled faintly."That old man… he's a genius."