Empedocles sat on top of a towering stone ledge.
Below him, Adam and Sasaki Kojiro glared up at him intensely.
"Come on now… you guys are way too tense. Chill out a little."
Empedocles spread his wings and began to lift off into the sky.
"You know what's even better than sleeping with someone you love?"
Adam and Sasaki glanced at each other, confused by the unexpected question.
"It's discovering the secrets of the universe!"
Empedocles hovered upright, and suddenly, the ground beneath them shot upward.
Adam and Sasaki jumped back, dodging the rising pillars of earth.
"Shiryū!"
With a swift slash, Sasaki sliced the stone spikes into chunks.
Meanwhile, Adam smashed through the rest with ease, breaking them apart.
"This is just the warm-up!" Empedocles shouted, raising his right hand.
A giant fireball—easily a hundred times his size—formed in his palm.
With a flick of his hand, the fireball came crashing down toward Adam and Sasaki.
The two of them jumped into the air, dodging together in sync.
"I've got an idea! Let's combine our powers!"
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing!"
They leapt toward the descending fireball.
Sasaki braced himself, gripping both swords tightly.
Adam stopped mid-air, closed his eyes briefly.
A glowing mark slowly lit up along his right arm—he now understood how to use this power.
It felt like a force born from pure imagination.
"You ready?" Sasaki called out.
"Yeah! Let's hit it together!"
Both of them jumped straight at the fireball.
"Ninkan!!!"
"Haaa!!!!"
BAMMMM!!!
Their joint attack shattered the fireball.
Sasaki's slash split it into chunks, and Adam's punch blasted it away into nothing.
Their teamwork was on point!
Still hovering in the air, Empedocles clapped his hands, impressed.
"Wow!!! Impressive! I didn't think you two would team up like that…
but don't think it's over yet!"
He flapped his wings hard and dived straight into the ground.
Suddenly, jets of water burst from the earth, turning the surface into unstable waves.
"Not this again!" Sasaki groaned.
"We need to get out of here! The surface'll suck us under just like before!"
Even though they figured out Empedocles' trick, it was already too late.
Just as they tried to run, a massive tentacle wrapped around both their legs and yanked them into the depths.
When Adam opened his eyes, a giant octopus—roughly the size of a pyramid—was right in front of him.
The creature flailed its tentacles in every direction.
Adam tried to swim away—but he couldn't move.
Just as one of the tentacles was about to strike him—it was suddenly cut off.
He turned and saw Sasaki Kojiro, standing nearby with his sword drawn.
They couldn't speak underwater.
All they could do was look at each other.
Adam got into position.
The octopus raised one of its limbs and launched it toward them.
But unexpectedly, the tentacle split into several smaller ones that spread out in all directions.
Sasaki and Adam were both caught off guard.
They could only dodge the swarm of tiny tentacles.
They weren't big—but there were so many of them, it was overwhelming.
Sasaki slashed through them one by one.
Adam, struggling to move, was overwhelmed.
Noticing that, Sasaki reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him upward—they were both running out of air.
Sasaki swam upward as fast as he could, but the surface seemed so far—he couldn't even see light anymore.
More tentacles came after them.
Adam let go of Sasaki's hand, pushed off Sasaki's back with his feet, and rocketed through the water—smashing straight through the incoming tentacles and tearing them apart.
He looked up and gave Sasaki a thumbs up.
Sasaki returned the gesture with a grin.
'This is working—'
But suddenly, Adam felt dizzy.
His head spun, and he started to lose consciousness.
His strength gave out—he couldn't fight anymore.
The octopus slowly moved toward them, reaching out to snatch Adam as he floated helplessly.
A thick tentacle wrapped around him—got him.
Sasaki reacted instantly, throwing one of his swords.
The blade hit the tentacle, piercing it—but then sank inside.
Sasaki's eyes widened.
The octopus… was made of water?
It was hard to tell in these conditions, but now it made sense why everything felt so slippery and strange.
He couldn't even see where the attacks were coming from.
Luckily, one of his STARK abilities was "beast instinct."
He could feel movement—sense the presence of things, even from very far away.
Adam was weak.
He was gasping, his chest tight, out of breath.
The octopus was gripping him tightly—he couldn't move an inch.
"Damn it…"
Sasaki Kojiro had a brilliant plan! He began loosening his whole body and stood firmly in place. Gripping one of his swords tightly, the water around him began bubbling and swirling.
The octopus slowly pulled Adam toward it and pointed several of its tentacles at the still-standing Sasaki.
"Feel it… the calm… the sensation… imagine its form, visualize every movement—gather them all into one point!"
Sasaki Kojiro raised his sword with both hands and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes glowed bright blue, and the water around him spun like a protective shield.
The octopus paused, staring at Sasaki—it sensed something. It lashed all its tentacles toward him. As the massive limbs neared Sasaki, any that touched the whirl of water were instantly severed.
Realizing the danger, the octopus backed away. Adam was still trapped in its grasp, but it didn't care. It swam away from Sasaki Kojiro as fast as it could.
"Receive your punishment… in the afterlife!"
"UMI NO… KAGAYAKI!!!!!"
WUSHHH!!!!!
The sea around them erupted, shooting high into the sky. The clouds and the ocean split in two—the octopus's body also split apart, its flesh scattering. Slowly, its form disappeared, and suddenly, Empedocles appeared above them, his body torn apart by Sasaki Kojiro's slash.
Adam sank to the ocean floor. He tried to stand and slowly opened his eyes, feeling dizzy and his ears ringing from the water. As he looked around, he saw Sasaki and took in the scene.
The once submerged battlefield was now dry land. The surrounding waters towered on both sides like parted waves. Adam was stunned. But then, he spotted Empedocles off guard. He jumped up and launched a powerful punch right into Empedocles's face, sending him crashing down to the ground.
Adam and Sasaki Kojiro slowly descended. The seawater began to evaporate upward, replaced by thick clouds of steam. Empedocles stood up, his wings spread wide, and his head spun until he faced them again.
"Even though he's just bones now, he's still insanely strong…" said Sasaki Kojiro. "We don't know what's coming next. Get ready, Adam!"
"Got it!"
The flames on Empedocles's head dimmed. Suddenly, a sharp horn of earth grew from his skull, piercing through it. His eyes glowed golden. Both arms began to tremble and swell. His entire body grew larger. Even though his legs were short, they were enough to support his massive frame.
"What the hell is that form…?" said Adam.
"This guy is full of plot twists!"
"Is that his new form?"
"How should I know? I'm not his dad…"
A strange noise came from Empedocles. Adam and Sasaki Kojiro turned to look at him again.
"This… is just a fraction of my power. You both shall witness the second form of my elemental evolution!!!"
Empedocles let out a mighty roar, his deep voice shaking the ground beneath them. Adam and Sasaki had to cover their ears, unable to move under the force of his scream.
"What is this sound…" muttered Sasaki, weakened on the ground.
"He said it's the second stage of his evolution… earth element. He's using it to toughen his body. That means… there are two more forms left!"
"So that's it… each element has a different form in its evolution. Earlier, we saw the water form—he turned into a giant octopus. Now he's using earth to reinforce his own body. Makes sense… and it's clever."
Sasaki Kojiro stood up, using his sword for support. "This is gonna take a while. Real pain in the ass. You ready?"
Adam stood, following Sasaki's lead. "Yeah… let's finish this and reunite with the others!"
Empedocles lunged forward with incredible speed despite his massive body. Both Sasaki and Adam were surprised and dodged instinctively, splitting up.
Sasaki unsheathed his dual swords and unleashed a flurry of long-range slashes. Empedocles blocked the strikes with his left arm. Adam took this opening—Empedocles was distracted. He ran in and landed a strong punch to Empedocles's head. The ground beneath cracked from the force, but Empedocles didn't even flinch.
Adam was shocked. Empedocles slowly opened his mouth and fired a laser. Adam dodged just in time.
'That punch… didn't even faze him? Impossible. I cracked the ground beneath him!'
Sasaki Kojiro dashed in close and launched another barrage. But from the first strike, he realized something—his blade bounced off. Even with all his follow-ups, Empedocles's body remained untouched.
"Oi, Sasaki! Use that move again—like when you sliced the octopus and the ocean!" Adam shouted as he circled around.
"I wish I could—but that move's a one-time finisher. It takes a long time to charge again."
"How long!?"
"No idea, but definitely not in a few minutes!"
"You got anything else? Like… rock-slicing techniques?"
"I've got a few… but what about you? Don't you have some kind of unique technique too?"
Adam paused. "…Not really sure," he said, tilting his head.
"What?! You don't even know how to use your own powers?! That's ridiculous!"
"I just haven't figured it out yet, okay!?"
Suddenly, a sharp stone projectile shot from Empedocles's body, aimed at both of them.
They dodged. Sasaki slashed the rock into fragments.
"Then how did you beat Elizabeth and Cleopatra?"
Adam paused again. "…I just punched and kicked?"
'Seriously?!' Sasaki thought.
"Wait! How do you even know I fought Elizabeth and Cleopatra?"
"Oh… no big deal. Don't overthink it. Hahaha!"
'Why is this old guy laughing!?' Adam wondered.
Empedocles launched another barrage. Occasionally, he charged them with his massive body.
Suddenly, he stopped. Adam and Sasaki exchanged confused glances. Slowly, a hump on Empedocles's back expanded. Molten lava burst out, forming a massive fireball heading straight for them.
"Watch out!!!" Adam yelled.
"This guy's seriously a pain!"
The fireball loomed over them. Sasaki drew both blades and sliced it in half.
"Whoa…"
Adam noticed a clump of earth inside the fireball. That meant it wasn't entirely made of fire. Which meant—he could touch it.
He stepped forward, standing in front of Sasaki.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Adam smiled. "Stand back, I've got an idea."
Sasaki tilted his head, confused. Empedocles fired another, even bigger fireball.
"Hey, move!!!" Sasaki shouted.
Quickly, Adam leapt up and kicked the fireball right back at Empedocles.
BAMMMM!!!
The explosion hit to Empedocles's left.
"Damn! Missed!"
"That was smart. How'd you think of that?"
Adam looked a bit smug. "Simple—this fireball isn't all fire. Or rather, it's not pure fire. If it was, I wouldn't be able to touch it. I'd leave it to your sword. But when I looked closely, I saw a chunk of earth inside. That means… it's physical. I can hit it."
"Ah! That makes sense. So that's why you couldn't fight the octopus—it was made entirely of elemental matter. Your strength is physical, so you can't attack pure elements. Got it!"
"DAMN YOU!!!!"
Empedocles roared. The hump on his back expanded again. He launched flaming rocks twice the size from before, firing them in rapid succession.
Adam ran and jumped, kicking the firestones one by one. Sasaki sliced through the rest.
Adam landed, leapt again, kicked—repeating the motion. He'd never felt this free before. From afar, Sasaki noticed the ground under Adam bouncing like a trampoline. Strange… but maybe just another illusion from Empedocles.
"This is endless!" Sasaki muttered.
As the stone barrage eased, Empedocles watched Adam carefully. When Adam landed, Empedocles fired a beam of firelight from his mouth.
In an instant, Sasaki leapt in front of Adam and split the beam with both swords.
The split light exploded and slowly faded.
"Thanks…"
Sasaki rested one sword on his shoulder. "Don't mention it. Just don't let your guard down."
The smoke around them began to clear. Empedocles glared at them—and began to shrink. The massive hump on his back also started to shrink.
"You two… better be ready…"