### Volume 2: Upper World
**Chapter 5: The Heart's Fury**
The Upper World trembled under Jane's boots, the split sky above churning like a storm about to break—blue on one side, pink bleeding into violet on the other. Vines twisted around them, sticky barbs glistening, the fleshy ground pulsing slow and heavy. Demons in the distance scattered like rats, red eyes wide with something like fear. Yuka stood opposite, coat torn at the edges, blood trickling from his lip, but that calm smile still holding, like nothing could touch him.
Yuka moved first—fast, sword whipping out in a red arc, Veil Blade glowing faint with illusion energy, edge sharp enough to cut reality itself.
Jane blocked it casual—one hand snapping up, palm meeting blade with a clang that echoed like breaking glass. The impact sent sparks flying, but Jane didn't budge. Sky's tall frame held steady, muscles coiling under the black shirt.
Then Jane struck back.
His fist drove forward—straight into Yuka's chest, knuckles sinking deep with a wet crunch. Yuka's ribs gave, blood spraying from his mouth in a hot arc. He flew upward—body twisting mid-air, coat flaring like broken wings—then crashed back down, ground splitting under him in a fleshy crater.
Yuka coughed, pushing up slow, blood dripping down his chin. He grabbed his sword tighter, Veil Blade humming as illusion veils shimmered around the edge, making it look like ten blades at once.
Jane walked forward—slow, deliberate, knife twirling loose in his other hand. The Heart's laugh bubbled up again, low and rolling, echoing across the vines.
Then Jane crossed his fingers.
“Realm: Eternal Mirage.”
The world warped—endless burning illusions folding in, flames licking at Yuka's skin, heat real enough to blister. Cuts appeared on Yuka—thin at first, then deeper, blood welling up in lines across his arms, chest, face. He staggered, sword dropping as he clutched at the wounds, illusion fire and slashes blending until he couldn't tell what was fake.
Yuka's calm cracked—a grunt, blood spilling faster. But he focused, will energy surging, healing the cuts slow—flesh knitting back together, scars fading to pink lines.
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Jane tilted his head, amused.
Then his body shifted—eyes glowing faint as he "rolled" internally.
“Jackpot Pulse.”
The air hummed. Luck hit—777.
Energy exploded through him—will infinite, body unbreakable for the next four minutes and eleven seconds. Jane moved like a blur, kicking Yuka up into the air—boot to gut, launching him twenty feet high.
Yuka twisted mid-flight, but Jane was already there—rift-stepping up, grabbing his ankle, slamming him down hard into the ground. The impact cratered deep, flesh-ground splitting open like a wound.
Yuka coughed more blood, pushing up on one elbow. “Blood Shot.”
A condensed orb of crimson blood-energy fired from his palm—fast, aimed at Jane's chest.
Jane dodged casual—body twisting out the way, the shot scorching the air past him.
Then he ran—quick, predatory—and copied what he'd seen from Sky's memories, twisting it dark.
“Echo Fist.”
The punch hit Yuka's side—first impact cracking ribs, delayed echo detonating like a bomb inside. Yuka flew sideways, crashing through vines.
Jane laughed—loud, manic. “Yes! Yes! Oh yes! You think you can win?”
Yuka hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop, body broken but eyes still calm.
Jane loomed over him.
“Dismantle: Ruin's Grasp.”
Invisible cuts shredded Yuka—five hundred lines appearing at once, body slicing apart in a spray of blood and flesh. Yuka didn't scream. Just fell in pieces, dead before he hit the ground.
Jane stood there a second, breathing steady.
Then he formed it—a small fire ball in his palm, swirling red-hot.
He floated up—rift energy lifting him off the ground, higher and higher, the ball growing, feeding on the Upper World's essence. Bigger than a house now, than a building, flames roaring like a sun.
“Make sure you keep this feeling forever,” Jane said, voice echoing across the world.
He slammed it down.
The fire ball hit like a meteor—exploding outward, breaking the Upper World in a cataclysmic wave. Flesh islands shattered, vein-bridges snapped, the gooey mass cracking like glass. Demons—trillions—fell screaming from the sky, plummeting toward Earth below. Villains scattered in rifts, but some caught in the blast, bodies burning as they dropped. Everything from the Upper World—goo chunks, vine-trees, devil hordes—rained down on Japan, crashing into cities and mountains in fiery impacts.
Jane landed light, laughing as the world broke around him.
Then the body jerked.
Sky took control.
He fell to his knees—hard, gasping, blood pouring from his mouth again. The Heart fought, but Sky pushed back, chains manifesting inside his mind, binding it down.
Tears came hot and fast.
He cried—over and over, sobs wracking his tall frame. He knew—felt it in his gut—one of his friends had died. Most likely. The blast, the fall—someone didn't make it.
He pushed up slow, wiping his face.
The Upper World was crumbling, but Earth below was chaos now—demons falling like rain, devils crashing into buildings.
Sky walked—staggering at first, then steady—toward a small town on the edge. Demons howled in the distance, but he slipped into shadows.
Found a bar—abandoned, door hanging open, bottles shattered on the floor.
He hid inside, barricading the door with a table, sinking into a corner booth. Demons and devils rampaged outside, evil spilling across Japan like a flood.
The blame fell on Sky.
Word spread fast—system feeds, whispers, survivor radios. The one who broke the Upper World. The Vessel. The cause of the fall.
Sky was up for execution.
And none other than Mara himself—SS+ rank, the strongest in the modern era, leader of the SS-rank party that had helped kill the initial demons—stepped up.
Mara forged a pact with his blade—will energy binding him to the hunt.
To make sure Sky died for real.
The chapter ended.
To be continued…
