The Final Hurdle

He gave the monstrous fish no chance to escape. Raising one finger, he aimed the Black Hole at it.

A black beam burst forth. It seemed to pierce space itself, leaving a warped black line in its wake. In an instant, it appeared beneath the fish's enormous mouth, shot straight through its body, then vanished into the clouds above.

Had anyone been above those clouds, they would have seen black light burst from the cloud sea and shoot skyward until it disappeared beyond sight, as though it meant to break free of this world and fly into outer space.

Where the black light had pierced the clouds,

a narrow black hole stretched all the way down through the cloud sea.

The space around it looked damaged, twisting without pause and keeping the surrounding clouds from closing over it.

Only after a long, long time did nature finally mend the hole.

"What was that?!"

No one paid any attention to the Sky Fish above them. Its body had been pierced by Kuta's attack, and it was rapidly shrinking as it drifted down.

Every gaze rested on Kuta's finger, every expression grave.

The instant that black light erupted, the hair on their bodies had stood on end. It had been far too dangerous.

Even Kuina, the strongest among them, had sensed a mortal threat.

She turned to Kuta. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Kuta, what was that?"

An ordinary attack would never have startled her like this. No matter how powerful an attack Kuta unleashed, she would not have been surprised.

To her, Kuta could do anything.

But that black-hole-like attack was different. She could not dismiss it.

The others had sensed only danger. She had sensed more.

The attack had felt as though it did not belong to this world.