CHAPTER 59: ISOLATION

As Aeri and Junk Dog’s clash grew fiercer above, the battlefield below raged just as violently. Though the Shikkoku and Ashes had numbers on their side, ZEAL’s fighters proved far superior in skill, their mastery of abilities and combat discipline giving them the edge.

At the heart of the battlefield, Kaela and Minato shone brightest. Their coordination seamlessly balanced offense and defense, striking heavy blows while shielding their allies, making them the true anchors of the fight.

But momentum never lasts forever. Just as ZEAL pressed their advantage, the atmosphere shifted. It was ominous and suffocating. After all, the Messengers had arrived.

The first appeared atop a crumbling rooftop, a man in his mid twenties with golden braided hair that caught the light like fire. In his hand was no ordinary weapon, but a branch like bow with no string nor arrows. Calmly, he drew it back, mimicking the act of a shot.

A golden aura surged to life between the tips, forming a golden string and a blazing arrow of pure drive energy. He fired it.

The arrow cut through the sky with a hum, space itself rippling in its wake. In less than a second, it struck the ground and the area detonated. A massive golden explosion engulfed the battlefield, its shockwave tearing through stone, dust, and soldiers alike.

The second Messenger emerged next, a woman with long brown hair, wielding twin psionic whips that cracked through the battlefield like lightning. Each strike tore through ZEAL’s forces, the sheer force sending fighters sprawling.

Minato rushed forward, branches surging up to intercept her blows, but the whips sliced through them effortlessly, shattering his defenses on impact.

Then, with a vicious flourish, she drove one whip into the ground. The earth split and quaked as a pulse of psionic force erupted outward. A crushing headache seized ZEAL’s fighters, their vision wavering, bodies momentarily frozen in disarray before the sensation dissipated.

"What... was that?" Minato muttered, clutching his head.

Kaela parried an oncoming strike, her eyes narrowing. "Her whips aren’t just physical weapons. They send out shockwaves that scramble the mind. For a few seconds, it stuns us, like a forced reset."

Before the two could regain momentum, the battlefield trembled again.

The third Messenger arrived. He descended from the sky like a burning comet, his massive, metal-clad body gleaming like aluminum under the fractured light. The ground split as he landed with a wild, devastating punch, the impact ripping apart the terrain and scattering ZEAL’s forces in a single crushing blow.

"Is this it? Can’t believe the so-called elites are this weak!" Muttered the Messenger clad in metal, his voice echoing through the battlefield.

"Let’s just finish them quickly. Once Sir Junk Dog is done with that warden, this battle is over," the whip wielding woman added, her tone laced with disdain.

But Minato and Kaela only smirked in response. The trap had been sprung. They had gotten exactly what they wanted.

"Welp," Minato said, his grin widening, "I don’t think it’ll be that easy."

A sudden crash shook the battlefield. A wall of dark violet aura erupted like a tidal wave, slamming into the armored Messenger with bone shattering force. His body was hurled through buildings, tearing through concrete and steel.

From the haze of rubble, Shin emerged, his presence radiating raw gravity. Without pause, he pursued, unleashing a relentless barrage, each strike was a crushing burst of gravitational force that drove the Messenger deeper and deeper through the wreckage, dragging him further away from the main fight.

Before the second Messenger could even react, the skies split open. Seth and Sora descended in tandem, streaks of aura trailing in their wake. Seth unleashed a massive emerald bullet of condensed energy, blasting into the earth with cataclysmic force. The ground ruptured, collapsing beneath the whip wielder’s feet, sending her plummeting into the abyss below.

Seth and Sora dove headfirst into the collapsing rubble, pursuing the whip wielding Messenger as he plunged deeper. Every time she tried to brace herself, Seth’s emerald bullets hammered down, forcing her further underground.

With that, two Messengers had been successfully dragged into isolated duels. The battlefield above was spared their havoc, at least for now.

But the golden haired archer wasn’t about to let up. From his position, he drew back his branch bow. Arrows of pure light rained like a storm, tearing through the air with blistering speed.

Kaela raised her petal barrier, the blossoms flaring in luminous defense. The barrier shattered under the relentless bombardment, but it had blocked the majority of the barrage. The rest were caught by hastily raised elemental shields from ZEAL’s fighters, layers of flame, stone, and water intercepting the remainder of the attack.

"That firepower sure is something, and he’s not even trying yet." Minato muttered, eyes narrowing as the dust settled. "If that’s his warm up, then his real fight isn’t with us. Good luck handling that beast of ours."

Before the words had even fully left his lips, chains of crackling lightning burst forth. They snaked across the battlefield like living serpents, coiling tightly around the Messenger’s legs. His golden eyes widened as the chains yanked him violently off balance, dragging him across the ground in a blur of sparks and smoke.

It was Ren.

He sprinted after successfully getting a hold of the messenger, every muscle burning with focus. He knew the lightning wouldn’t hold for long, not against a Messenger, but he didn’t need long. Just a moment. Just enough.

The chains strained, the Messenger’s aura surging in golden resistance. In a flash of force, he tore free, scattering the lightning into arcs across the ground. He landed hard, regaining his stance, his bow already forming in his hand.

But it was too late. Ren had succeeded.

The battlefield was behind them now, swallowed in chaos and distant shouts. The Messenger stood before him, isolated at last. No allies. No distractions. Just the two of them.

And only one would walk away.

"So that’s your plan." the Messenger muttered, voice calm but edged. "Separate us from the battlefield, send your strongest to face us one on one. Clever. But all you’ve done is send your best men to meaningless deaths."

Ren smirked, black lightning sparking faintly across his body. "Oh, you think so? Let’s see if you’re still saying that when this is over."

The Messenger’s golden eyes narrowed with mild amusement. "Interesting. You’ve got some bite. Tell me, what’s your name?"

"Ren. Ren Asakura."

At that, the man’s grin widened. "So you’re the one who defeated Luciena, our weakest."

Ren’s smirk faltered for just a second. Weakest?With how strong she was, I thought she might’ve been the top of their ranks. If she was the weakest, then what in the world does that make the rest of them?

The Messenger straightened, golden aura gathering around him and his bow. "I am Laon. Leader of the Messengers."

Ren clenched his fists, black lightning dancing fiercely across his skin. His heart pounded, not from fear, but from the sharp clarity that this battle would demand everything from him.

From the far side of the ward, the Messenger clad in metal finally rose, rubble and debris sliding from his frame as he pushed himself free. He cracked his neck and stretched his arms, a grin splitting his face.

"Whoooo! That hit actually stung. ZEAL’s got more in them than I thought."

Shin stood across the wreckage, violet aura rippling faintly around him. His smile was calm, almost playful.

"Still kicking? Good. It wouldn’t be fun if you broke too easily. Now,entertain me a bit."

The Messenger slammed his fists together, the impact splitting the air with a tearing gust. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and his grin widened.

"Of all the places to drag me, you chose a battlefield littered with metal scraps. Big mistake."

"I don’t care," Shin replied coldly. "You’re losing to me anyway."

The Messenger’s grin soured into a sneer. "You’ve got no idea. I’m a metal type. As long as there’s steel, iron, scraps, it’s all mine. I can bend it, forge it, enhance it. This is my territory."

Shin tilted his head, unimpressed. "You done yapping?"

The mocking words indeed cut deep. The Messenger’s face twisted with fury, feeling mocked, ridiculed by someone he deemed far beneath him. With a roar, dozens of jagged metal poles from the area rose into the air and streaked toward Shin with murderous speed.

Shin didn’t move. A dark violet barrier shimmered into existence, warping space itself. The poles bent, folded, and collapsed under the crushing weight of his gravity.

"Sleep, ZEAL brat!" the Messenger yelled as he charged, his body encased in gleaming metal. His right fist slammed forward with the force of a collapsing building.

The barrier shattered on impact, and even Shin staggered back, eyes widening for the briefest instant before his grin returned.

"Not bad. Guess you’re not just all bark after all. May I get your name?"

"Just call me Finian, and I’m crushing you!" Brawn roared, rushing again.

Shin’s smile only widened. His aura flared, the ground beneath him warping under the pressure.

"I don’t think so." His voice dropped to a growl. "I, Shin Amano, we’ll be the one doing the crushing. Core Release: Graviton Nexus."