The void screamed.
Reality shuddered as Abyssor raised his arms. Behind him, the black space twisted into a cyclopean eye—planet-sized, pulsing with threads of crimson and abyssal blue. It wasn't just an attack. It was a devourer of timelines. A Devourer Eye, feeding on existence itself.
Akira and Kuroo hovered in the shattered fragments of space. Bloodied. Breathing hard. But not broken.
> Akira: "That thing... it could erase everything."
Kuroo: "Then we don't let it blink."
---
The Final Arena
As the Eye opened fully, the battlefield shattered into concentric floating rings. Each ring bore a different environment:
Ring 1: A flaming jungle.
Ring 2: A frozen battlefield of ancient warriors.
Ring 3: A swirling sea of anti-gravity.
Ring 4: A mirror world where they saw twisted versions of themselves.
Abyssor stood in the center—untouched, floating, arms wide.
> Abyssor: "Each ring tests your mind, flesh, and fate. Survive them all... or vanish."
---
Ring 1 – The Jungle of Flame
The heat was unbearable. Firestorms raged.
Akira used his Lightstep to skate over lava.
Kuroo summoned shadows to cloak the flames.
But from the fire, emerged beasts made of flame and bone. Sentient. Screaming. Hungry.
They fought side by side—burning, bleeding, but adapting.
> Akira: "No more holding back." Kuroo: "Finally."
Their blades clashed together for the first time in synergy—a dual strike that split the beasts in half. The jungle shattered. Ring 2 began.
---
Ring 2 – Battlefield of Echoes
Here, every warrior they'd defeated appeared again. From Vorrak to lesser minions. But each was stronger.
Akira faced them with grace, light-speed slashes.
Kuroo danced like a demon, brutal and precise.
But the biggest challenge? Their past selves.
Akira saw his weaker self—fearful, uncertain.
Kuroo faced a version ruled entirely by hatred.
They conquered them not with violence, but by accepting them.
> Akira: "I needed you to become me." Kuroo: "You're who I escaped from. Not who I am."
The illusions dissolved. Ring 3 spun.
---
Ring 3 – Sea of Chaos
No gravity. No up or down. Only chaos.
They floated, drifted, lost. Until their god-essences flared.
Akira became a beacon of light—guiding the way.
Kuroo wrapped himself in shadow wings, stabilizing the drift.
Suddenly—monstrous serpents of time emerged, devouring the environment.
Together, they flew in synchrony, blades swirling, slashing through time-beasts in an aerial ballet of destruction.
Abyssor, watching, narrowed his eyes.
> Abyssor: "They evolve... too quickly."
---
Ring 4 – Reflections
A final test.
The arena turned mirror-like. Their opponents? Mirror Akira and Mirror Kuroo.
Mirror Akira was corrupted by perfection.
Mirror Kuroo was chaos incarnate.
Every strike felt personal. Every move was predicted.
It took both of them switching opponents—Akira facing Mirror Kuroo, Kuroo facing Mirror Akira—to gain the edge.
> Akira: "He's not you. He's who you feared becoming." Kuroo: "Now die, dream version."
One final slash. The mirrors cracked. Reality reset.
---
Eye of the Tyrant
The Devourer Eye opened completely. A black hole of ancient hunger.
Abyssor raised his hands—ready to erase them.
But then—their eyes glowed once more.
Akira burned white.
Kuroo burned violet-black.
They crossed their weapons and channeled their god powers—a combined beam of cosmic rage blasted toward the Eye.
Abyssor screamed.
> Abyssor: "NO! THIS TIMELINE WAS MINE!"
The Eye began to collapse.
As the explosion engulfed the battlefield—Observer whispered:
> Observer: "The Devourer Eye is gone... but what it awakened... sleeps no more."
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 21: "The Sleepers Stir."