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Black arcs crawled over his skin, crackling softly.
He licked the corner of his mouth, his grin growing wilder.
"Then break its rules."
"Fufufu..."
A soft chuckle rang out.
The young man in the pink coat finally drew his hands from his pockets. Nearly invisible threads flashed through the air at his fingertips. "Rules were made to be trampled."
He walked forward, past the other two, straight toward the halo.
He did not attack. He merely reached out and gently pressed his palm against its flowing, silvery-white surface.
Cold.
Smooth.
With a pulse that felt almost alive.
"You see,"
he said without looking back, "it's 'breathing' too."
The moment he finished speaking, the halo suddenly began to fluctuate violently.
These were not ripples caused by an attack, but surges welling up from within, like waves.
The silvery light abruptly became blinding, and an invisible force erupted outward from the castle!
The sword-wielding man instantly held his blade across his body. His feet sank into the ground as he slid several meters backward.
The man who had thrown the punch gave a low shout. Pitch-black Haki covered his entire body as he forcibly withstood the impact.
Yet the young man standing closest merely had the hem of his coat blown backward. His body did not move an inch.
He kept his hand extended against the surface, the smile at his lips deepening.
"Finally,"
he said softly, "something interesting."
The castle gates slowly opened amid the silver light.
They made no sound.
The heavy doors, carved with intricate patterns, simply receded inward, revealing the profound darkness beyond.
An even older, colder presence flowed out through the doorway.
As though a giant beast that had slept for countless ages had opened its eyes.
The wind over the ruins stopped.
Every sound vanished.