A Clear Blue Sky  

"That old fart's power is out of this world!"

"He's amazing!"

The Sand Devils and Pyro Warriors, who had gathered at a safe distance to watch the battle, stared in awe and disbelief as Sorah held his own against the Eden Ryuu Titan Avatar. They had never seen anything like it. An old man, armed with nothing but a wooden staff, was battling a colossal dragon that could level mountains.

"This... this is impossible!" screamed one of the soldiers. "He... he's not even using a Titan Avatar!"

"He's... he's a monster," another added.

Warden Poahf, who had finally regained her composure, watched the battle with a bitter expression. She had underestimated the old man more times than she could count, dismissed him as a feeble relic of a bygone era. But now, she realized that he was a force to be reckoned with, a warrior with power and skill that rivalled even the most seasoned Titan Avatar Masters.

'Just what the hell is he?' she wondered. 'And where did he get such power?'

…

"Kuhahahaha! Well done, old man! Well done!"

Kahless's laughter resounded across the airspace as he witnessed Sorah's tenacity. He was impressed by his resilience, and his ability to withstand the onslaught of his Eden Ryuu Titan Avatar. But he also sensed that the old man was reaching his limit.

"But it's over for you now." Kahless said with a smirk. "Witness my power! Eden Ryuu - Earth Dragon Uprising!"

Rumble!

The ground beneath Sorah's feet began to tremble as a series of fissures appeared, spreading outwards like a spiderweb. From the depths of the earth, massive forms began to emerge, their bodies sculpted from wood and earth.

They were Earth Dragon Plants, remnants of Kahless's earlier attack, but now, they were larger, more menacing, and more numerous. There were dozens of them, towering over Sorah as they surrounded him from all sides.

"Annihilate him!" Kahless commanded.

The Earth Dragon Plants surged forward with a terrifying killing intent. Their jaws gaped open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, and their claws extended, ready to rip and tear.

Trapped between the Earth Dragon Plants and the Eden Ryuu Titan Avatar, Sorah had to act fast.

"Extend!" he yelled, pouring all his remaining energy into the Dawn Sky Crusher.

Whoosh!

The staff quickly extended upward, reaching a height of more than one kilometre. Its tip pierced the clouds as it towered over the battlefield.

Sorah was now standing atop the staff, liken unto a tiny figure against the vast expanse of the sky.

"What the..." Kahless was stunned by Sorah's unexpected manoeuvre.

"He's... he's gone mad!" one of the Sand Devils exclaimed.

"He thinks he can run away from death? Pathetic!" another added.

"I hope he fall to his doom!"

Though he was at a high altitude, Sorah could hear their insults. He ignored their taunts and focused his intent. He visualized the swirling patterns of the Zephyrswept Waltz.

Whoosh!

He retracted the staff with lightning speed, pulling himself downwards until he was just a few hundred meters above the ground. The Earth Dragon Plants, caught off guard by his sudden descent, were unable to adjust their attacks.

"Hah!" Sorah cried as he slammed the staff into the gathered horde.

"Expand!"

Boom!

The staff expanded with a thunderous crash and crushed the Earth Dragon Plants beneath it with its massive form. They were reduced to a pile of rubble and dust.

Kahless watched in fury as his Earth Dragon Plants were obliterated. He had underestimated the old man once again.

"Swim – Eden Ryuu!"

The dragon desperately lounged towards Sorah in a slithering fashion through the air. Sorah was forced to retract his staff and ride the wind currents higher to avoid getting smashed into.

Whoosh!

The dragon swung back around a glared at him. It opened its mouth then a massive, swirling sphere of emerald-white energy began to from. It was a Kana Beast Bomb, but unlike any that Sorah had seen before. This one was enormous, easily the size of a small moon. It pulsed with a destructive power that threatened to obliterate everything in its path.

"Eden Ryuu - Kana Beast Bomb!"

The sphere shot upwards towards Sorah with incredible speed, leaving a trail of distorted air and spatial ripples in its wake.

Sorah stared down at the oncoming sphere in horror. He couldn't evade this attack for it covered to much of a surface area. He couldn't block it either. He couldn't even hope to survive it.

However…

He rebelled against his unfavourable fate with outpouring defiance. He would not give up. He would not let Kahless win. Neither would he let Rice Guru and the others die in vain.

"HAAAAA!"

He positioned the staff behind his back and fiercely tossed his arms downwards, expelling a massive torrent of Sage Curse energy from his body. The glyphs that adorned his skin flared with a blinding golden light and were dancing around him like a miniature storm.

"Sage Curse Eruption!"

Whoosh!

The glyphs shot outwards, expanding rapidly as they enveloped the Kana Beast Bomb. They entwined themselves with the swirling energy and tried to take control of it.

It was a mesmerizing spectacle, a dance of chaos and order, of destruction and creation.

As the glyphs made contact with the bomb, Sorah felt a burst of power that left his body hanging in midair. It was as though he had discovered an infinite supply of energy, a power that existed outside of himself and gave him a brief grasp on the structure of reality itself.

But this power came at a price. As the glyphs spread across the surface of the Kana Beast Bomb, Sorah could feel the Sage Curse's corrosive influence intensifying, its intangible tendrils reaching deeper into his soul, gnawing at his will and sanity. His vision blurred, and his mind swam with a torrent of alien thoughts and emotions - the echoes of countless souls that had been consumed by the curse, their pain and despair now mingling with his own.

'I can't… I can't give in…' He struggled to maintain his focus, to hold onto his sense of self amidst the swirling chaos of the curse. He had to complete the ritual, to redirect the Kana Beast Bomb back towards Kahless, to protect his student and the others.

"Grrrr!"

He gritted his teeth, forcing the curse's influence back, pushing it to the edges of his consciousness.

"Control… calm…" he muttered through gritted teeth as he felt the dance's harmonious flow counteracting the curse's chaotic energy.

He was reversing the flow of energy, forcing the Kana Beast Bomb to descend back towards Eden Ryuu Titan Avatar.

"Hmm?"

Kahless noticed strange characters spreading across the surface of his Kana Beast Bomb. He could sense the old man's struggle, his desperate attempt to control the bomb's immense power.

"You think you can handle something that massive, old man? I'm well-endowed you know." Kahless words shook the mountains. "You think you can control the power of the earth?"

He opened his maw again and a second Kana Beast Bomb, just as massive and destructive as the first, materialized above him; radiating raw power.

"Eden Ryuu - Double Kana Beast Bomb!"

Whoosh!

Kahless launched the second bomb. It shot upwards like a comet, dragging a wake of warped air and ripples in space.

The two Kana Beast Bombs collided in mid-air and began merging and amplifying. The glyphs that had been spreading across the surface of the first bomb were overwhelmed by the sheer force of the impact. The golden-black patterns flickered and faded into the emerald-white light.

"Kuhahaha!" Kahless laughed triumphantly. "You've lost, old man!"

Still entangled with the glyphs, Sorah was caught in the blast. He was propelled upwards with incredible speed, soaring higher and higher into the sky until he vanished from sight and was swallowed by the thick blanket of clouds that shrouded the mountain peak.

And then, the world exploded.

Boom!

The combined Kana Beast Bombs detonated with a force that defied comprehension. The sky above the Rendil Temple was ripped apart, the clouds were scattered and dispersed, revealing a vast expanse of clear blue sky and the brilliant light of the midday sun.

The shockwave from the explosion rippled outwards, spreading across the landscape like a tidal wave. Trees were uprooted, rocks were shattered, and the very ground trembled as if in fear.

The onlookers were thrown to the ground, battered and bruised by the force of the blast. They shielded their eyes from the blinding light, coughing and sputtering as dust and debris rained down upon them.

And as the echoes of the explosion faded away, a stunned silence descended beneath the clear blue sky.