Arc III: “Return of Darkness”
Chapter III: “Fading Darkness / Tales Untold”
Episode I: “Aftermath”
“Dammit!” Rikito’s fists trembled, aether boiling under his skin. “I couldn’t stop them.”
He drifted down to the scarred sands, violet aura thinning into nothing.
For a second, he stared at the cratered horizon like it might argue back—then his jaw clenched harder, as if refusing the mercy of relief.
For all his power, the battlefield still reeked of failure—scorched earth, fractured skies, and the thin, sickly hum of aether dispersing into dead air.
“Rikito…” Akira whispered as he tried to look up. He was still lying on the ground, unable to move due to the strain on his body.
“Guys! Are you okay?” Sikira called as she descended beside Akira, her hands slicing through the smoke.
Suddenly, a dark portal split open above the sands.
Is that…? Rikito’s eyes narrowed as the shadows widened.
A familiar pressure rode the wind—controlled, practiced—nothing like the Dark Heart’s chaos.
Akaza and Kazuma flew out of the portal, followed by Reito, Kyoto, Asuka, Leo, and Fevee, who all walked out shortly after.
“DAD!” Akaza and Kazuma yelled as they went to hug him.
“Ha-ha, hey Akaza, Kazuma!” Akira said, trying to sit up before they hugged him.
Asuka walked up to hug him too, a soft smile curling from her lips.
“Akira…” Fevee whispered, clutching her hands close to her chest.
“See, I knew my dad would win!” Kyoto said confidently.
Voices overlapped—praise, laughter, relief—while Asuka knelt beside Akira and pressed warm aether into his strained meridians.
Rikito didn’t answer the congratulations. His eyes stayed on the crater—like he was waiting for the universe to prove him right.
Meanwhile, Reito wandered towards the remnants of the Dark Heart out of curiosity. He slid down the sands into the depths of a crater.
What is the true nature of it… this Dark Heart? He reached out towards the cracked shell of an orb.
Without intent, Reito’s Shadow Drain flared—thin, hungry—dragging the orb’s final spark into his palm.
The light slid into him like ink through water, leaving only a faint shimmer of black dust.
“Ah!” He jolted, his fingers twitching after it was gone—like they missed it.
For an instant, the world seemed to breathe with him—then, like a slow infection, the whispers began.
Power…
Chaos…
Death…
And underneath it—so quiet it almost sounded like his own thought—more.
—The words echoed to him as his head throbbed.
He braced his temple, stumbling backwards. What is this?
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Hey, Sweetie, are you alright?” Sikira asked, coming to check on him.
The whispers snapped off. The headache dissolved. Reito’s posture steadied like someone had tightened a string down his spine.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing happened.” A faint pink sheen flickered across his irises—there, then gone.
Sikira hesitated, as if she’d almost ask a second question… then swallowed it.
Everyone else gathered around the crater where the Dark Heart lay.
“What really is this thing?” Kazuma asked.
“It seems like all the energy ran out,” Leo mentioned.
“We should let Riella take a look at it,” Akira said. “She may be able to tell us more about its origins. The Cosmic Guard has a large archive of information on different artifacts.”
“Where is she?” Leo asked. “The Cosmic Guard doesn’t keep the same presence on Earth anymore. After the A.S.S. Gang mess, they’ve been rebuilding their ranks.”
“Oh, right, that’s true,” Akira mumbled, putting his hand on his chin to think. “Then we’ll have to track her down.” Akira glanced at the Dark Heart again. “Soon.”
“Last I remember, she took Draig back to his world,” Asuka said.
“In that case, we can send someone to talk to him later. For now, I’ll seal it at my shrine.”
Prepping his Dragon Shift, Akira stepped forward. Yellow sigils spread from his foot and locked into a circular array—clean, deliberate geometry against the crater’s chaos.
The array hummed—not loud, but authoritative—like a rule being enforced.
“Hmph.” Rikito didn’t look at anyone when he launched into the sky—only the horizon, like it owed him answers.
Sikira sighed. “Where’s he going now? Bye sweetie, I’ll see you later, okay?” Sikira waved to Reito as she tailed Rikito.
“Well, in that case,” Kyoto started, “I think it's time to get back to training. What do you think, Reito?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure,” Reito said. What is this weird itch I’m feeling…
Asuka smiled. “In that case, how about I give you guys some training. You too, boys,” she said, turning toward Akaza and Kazuma.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to join you all,” Leo said. “Did you have a location in mind?”
“Yeah, the UFA has a nice training facility we can go to. But first, I think we should go home for the day.”
“Alright. In that case, how about we meet at the UFA in three days, so we have some time to relax and regroup. I can also reach out to Rayon and check up on Darc.” I guess I can also check on him.
“I feel like we’re forgetting something…” Fevee murmured.
Her stomach twisted—an instinct she didn’t have words for yet.
[In the sky, near Pine Island]
“Dammit…” Kyte panted. This thing won’t stay beaten… it seems like he keeps getting stronger as we fight—and I haven’t been able to do any real damage. If I fall here, I don’t just lose a fight—I lose the chance to warn them.
Cloaked in a torrent of golden flames threaded with emerald arcs, Kyte was already using his Soul Resonance: Divine Limit-Breaking Mythical Spirit Resonance.
At first, I could handle it in my Natural State—but now… And I don’t think he’s been holding back. “Just what are you?” he asked.
The humanoid creature dashed towards Kyte, ready to continue fighting. Kyte threw a punch to punish the humanoid’s reckless approach, but it tanked all of his hits without hesitation.
He’s sturdy!
Instead of avoiding the attacks, the humanoid now launched his own attack, sending Kyte flying backwards.
Damn… he’s gotten stronger again! “How’d you like this!” Kyte bared his teeth. “Celestial Rend: Mighty Canticle: Legend Star Destroyer!”
The sky rippled as emerald streaks of molten starlight spiraled toward the Adaptoid, each pulse echoing the same rhythm as Kyte’s heartbeat.
The humanoid dodged the attack.
That’s the first thing he’s attempted to dodge this entire fight! He didn’t even try blocking one of my punches until now! “So that’s it, huh.” He must have really high physical resistance! But he avoided my aether-based attack. While it’s strong, I wouldn’t say I have Arts as potent as my brother’s. “In that case, I’ll just make an opening for myself!” Kyte said, his aura surging.
The pressure around him increased as he powered up.
I’ll unleash my Mastered Primal Boost and Prime Utopian! A yellow energy surged up around him as his pupils gained an orange outline. I’ll quickly overwhelm him with a burst of power, then hit him with my strongest technique when his guard is down.
Kyte blitzed the humanoid, hitting him with brute force. Every punch he swung was aimed directly at the humanoid’s face, pushing it back with each blow. Then, in his nimble style, Kyte spun around with a roundhouse kick and sent the humanoid flying.
Now! He Aether-Skipped behind the humanoid mid-flight, his presence snapping into place like displaced light. This technique still needs some work… but it’ll get the job done nonetheless! “Fierce Destruction!”
A green and blue aura surrounded Kyte’s fist as he thrusted it into the humanoid's back, then blasted him into the ocean.
“That should finish it…” Kyte muttered, his breathing uneven. The sea still churned from the backlash of his Flux output.
His meridians quivered—warning him he’d burned through nearly half his reserves on that last Art alone.
Then, there was an abrupt shockwave that came from the south.
W-what is that!? Kyte thought as he braced himself to withstand the shockwave.
Taking advantage of this moment, the humanoid quickly rose from the ocean and took Kyte by surprise.
Dammit, and he’s even stronger now! It seems like my attack did some damage, though.
After the humanoid knocked Kyte back with a kick, he was able to get a full display of its body.
It’s… not human!
He laid his eyes on the mechanical inner workings of his opponent, thanks to the large wound that he made through its core. Sparks and electric currents zipped out from the wound as the humanoid hovered before Kyte. Looking towards its neck, Kyte was able to see a fine print that was branded on it.
Adaptoid-P…? Kyte narrowed his eyes. “What does that stand for—prototype? parasite?”
The humanoid rushed towards him in another assault.
“Looks like I don’t have time to worry about that!”
The two of them entered an even melee clash, dishing out blows to one another at a constant rate. However, Kyte’s attacks did little to stop the humanoid, while he began to accumulate damage.
I won’t last much longer at this pace… its physical resistance is too high! “I’m not sure if I can get an opening!” Kyte said as they continued clashing.
The humanoid started overwhelming him, moving faster than he could keep up with. Eventually, Kyte was under a barrage of hits from the humanoid, barely able to block the onslaught of attacks. The humanoid raised both its hands into the air and clasped them together over its head. Then in one smooth motion, it slammed Kyte down into the ocean.
After a minute, Kyte was able to refocus and sent a multitude of aether blasts up towards the humanoid. Unable to predict where he was coming from, the humanoid tried to fly higher into the air while dodging the attacks.
“A higher vantage point won’t save you!” Kyte yelled as he tore apart the water’s surface while flying upwards. Using his aura to enhance his speed, he quickly caught up to the humanoid. “One more time! Mythical Canticle: Pygmē Olethria: Fierce Destruction!”
This time, the strike tore clean through—severing the humanoid’s head in a single, brutal line.
Panting, Kyte finally powered down.
“Quite the ordeal…” Kyte exhaled, letting his body drift atop the cold waves. The horizon shimmered with dawn light—peace, for the moment.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “The Guardian Returns”
[Yield Levels]:
Kyte: 6z
- Soul Resonance: (Divine Limit-Breaking Mythical Spirit Resonance): 9z
- SR: (DLBMSR) + Mastered Primal Boost + Prime Utopian + Divine Pressure: 12z
- Fierce Destruction: x4z
Humanoid: 5z
- Growth 0 (Old Base): 5z
- Growth 1 (Akuma – Adapted): 9z
- Growth 2 (New Base): 10z
- Growth 3: 12z
- Growth 4: 13z