Arc III.5: “Zero”
Chapter II: “Conquest of Utopia”
Episode IV: “The Pride of the Cosmic Guard”
“I’ll have to go all out—right now!” Ryoda snarled. “Prime Utopian!”
Golden aether erupted around him, not flickering—condensing, as if his meridians had opened a second sky inside his body.
Solid’s eyes narrowed. His Yield just spiked.
Even from here, the pressure was clean—royal.
Solid glanced past Ryoda for half a heartbeat, toward the distant rocks. If Geal is fighting someone near this output… he’ll lose.
“I told you,” Ryoda snapped, closing the gap in a blur, “keep your eyes on me!”
A kick screamed toward Solid’s jaw.
Solid slipped under it—minimal movement, Predator Form still light on his feet—and reached toward Ryoda’s chest.
Ryoda recoiled, but ice spines burst from Solid’s palm like sprung traps, skimming Ryoda’s coat and shaving frost into the air.
“Ah… close,” Solid murmured, eyes cold. “I almost tagged you.”
Solid’s frame remained lean—Predator Form built for pursuit, not dominance. But even in that configuration, his frost carried weight, not flare—like the air itself was being disciplined.
This guy is bad news… Ryoda thought. It’s a good thing I already signaled the other Sages not to get involved. They should just focus on fortifying defenses in case there are other enemies, or I fail to stop this guy. Our planetary barrier should be able to stop them just in case….
Ryoda’s mind raced—defenses, barriers, contingency plans—
And Solid punished the distraction instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Solid asked, voice mild. “You wanted my attention.”
His knee flashed toward Ryoda’s face.
Ryoda bent back, and the strike missed by inches—
But Solid’s hands carved the air, releasing crescent slashes of frost that screamed past Ryoda and then curved back like hunting blades.
“Icy Blades.”
Two more followed—layered angles, no wasted output.
“Grand Javelin!” Ryoda formed twin spears of golden aether and threw them in opposite arcs—one intercepting the first return slash, one detonating the second.
The explosions washed the battlefield in smoke and glittering ice dust.
In the moment the light went blind—
Solid Aether-Skipped.
Not a burst. Not a vanish.
A clean displacement—Predator Form using efficiency like a knife.
“Gah!” Ryoda grunted as Solid’s strike landed, sending him sliding back.
Solid exhaled once, his gaze flicking toward the rocks again. “Geal won’t last long at this rate.”
Then his crystalline meridians clicked—a subtle shift that made the air feel heavier.
“Dominion.”
Light didn’t explode. It restructured.
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Solid’s silhouette shifted—not growing, not glowing—just locking into place, as if his body had found the correct angle to kill from.
His frost stopped behaving like an element and started behaving like a rule.
Ryoda’s eyes widened as the pressure changed.
He’s… too strong.
[Acier’s Fleet]
Acier’s fleet carved through space in disciplined formation—until another armada slid into position and sealed the lanes.
“Lord Acier—we’ve been cut off!” a soldier reported, breath tight.
Acier’s eyes lifted, unimpressed. “Who?”
A figure stepped forward from the opposing command ship, voice carrying through comms and the void alike.
“My name is Hikari! In the name of the Cosmic Guard—you are under arrest!”
“Tch.” Acier rose from his throne. “I’ll handle him.”
His gaze didn’t flare. It measured.
“Organize the troops. Prepare to deploy.”
“Yes, sir!”
[Vs. Geal]
Mizuka kept her hands just above Raida’s chest, sealing his wounds closed with her barriers.
Chrollo watched her closely, his brows raised.
“Oh. Healing others is useful. I’m impressed that a mortal such as yourself is capable of such a thing.”
Hesitant, she lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, thanks.”
She kept her focus on Raida, pushing more aether out of her hands.
This wound was deep, but thanks to the strong vitality of Utopians, I think I can save him!
Raida’s eyelids fluttered open. He raised one hand and felt ambient aether swirl faintly around his fingers—thin traces responding even through pain.
“Raida! Are you alright!”
“Y-yeah,” he coughed.
“Don’t worry, just stay still. I’ll have you fixed up in no time!”
Raida looked up, watching Carrie go toe to toe against Geal.
She’s strong! But… so is he!
Geal’s jaw clenched.
Crystalline meridians tightened, drawing his structure inward—then forcing it outward again, denser, heavier.
I will not lose here.
His Dominion configuration didn’t “power up.”
It re-anchored—output limiters easing as his frame thickened just enough to turn every strike into a heavier verdict.
Frost crawled across Geal’s shoulders like armor being assembled molecule by molecule—quiet, efficient, merciless.
“Dammit…” Carrie said, wiping sweat off her cheek.
Until now, Carrie was able to apply pressure towards Geal, but now that there was a significant gap in power, this was no longer the case.
“Harden!” Geal thrust his palm forward.
An icy pillar of aether compressed into a spear-thick surge—more mass than flash—ripping toward Carrie like a glacier thrown.
Carrie’s eyes widened. I can’t clear it—!
“Dark Orb!” Kukito flashed in—barely—forcing a sphere of Negative aether into its path.
The black mass swallowed the pillar’s momentum, grinding it down into a violent, muffled detonation that shook the barrier’s air.
“Kukito!? You can still move?” Carrie was shocked.
“Yeah…” Kukito looked down at his hands as he thought. It’s a mystery as to how I’m still able to move… is this… the Blessing? It must be enhancing the healing capabilities of my transformation.
Golden aether seeped through Kukito’s meridians—thin at first, then steadier—stitching pain closed in small, stubborn increments.
“Rah!” Geal screeched as his aura surged again. These damned mongrels… he thought.
Carrie and Kukito faced off against Geal, just barely able to hold him off with their combined strength.
[Ryoda vs. Solid]
“It’s over,” Solid said, almost regretful. “Solid Freeze.”
A beam of icy-blue aether lanced out—cold so clean it looked silent—aimed to end Ryoda before he could retaliate.
“Ryoda.”
A voice—inside him, not outside.
W-what—?
“Do not give up…”
Ryoda’s eyes snapped open as warmth flooded his meridians—Spirit power sealing ruptures, restoring circulation, forcing his stance back into shape.
“This is…” Ryoda breathed. “The Spirit…”
“Grand Javelin!”
His spear tore through Solid’s beam, splitting the ice-light like a cracked mirror.
Solid’s eyes narrowed. He’s even stronger.
“The real fight starts now!” Ryoda roared.
Solid exhaled once. “Then I have no choice.”
Crystalline meridians reconfigured—not flashy, not loud—just absolute.
Biomorphic armor folded out across his frame like a crown being built from bone and frost.
The air grew heavy. The battlefield felt anchored.
“Imperium,” Solid said quietly.
And the universe treated it like a declaration of war.
[Acier vs Hikari]
Coating themselves in a layer of aether, Acier and Hikari were able to fight despite being in the depths of space.
Hikari looked toward the tyrant before him. He’s just a boy… but I can’t underestimate him.
Acier’s soldiers and the Cosmic Guards were equipped with space gear, enabling them to join in the fight. In addition, the ships from both sides opened fire on one another, trying to destroy the opposing fleet’s shields first.
“Damn you…” Acier hissed as he slid back through the void.
His crystalline meridians shifted—combat architecture engaging with a quiet, lethal precision.
“Dominion.”
His presence gained weight instantly—efficient, controlled, war-born—
Yet even with Dominion active, Hikari’s pressure met him cleanly.
“You’ll have to do more than that,” Hikari said, eyes sharp.
My troops are at a disadvantage… Acier thought. At this rate, not only will we be unable to conquer Utopia, but I may also lose my fleet.
He gritted his teeth. “Tsk.”
“Lance’s Spear!” Hikari fired an energy spear at Acier.
Acier didn’t dodge.
He caught the spear—and Dominion’s lattice answered immediately, flash-freezing it until it shattered into glittering shards in his grip.
His expression didn’t rage. It hardened.
Hikari narrowed his eyes. Something’s coming…
“Everyone, get back!” he tried to shout.
But it was too late.
“Absolute…” Acier whispered.
A slow inhale—then a decision.
“…Zero.”
A blizzard didn’t form.
The temperature of reality dropped.
Ice raced through the area in an expanding kill radius—ships, armor seals, exposed joints, oxygen lines—everything seized at once.
Even his own soldiers were caught in it, frozen mid-command, mid-breath.
Hikari braced against the frost. “Knight’s Armor!”
His shield was destroyed, just barely able to save himself and a handful of Guards.
What insane power… he killed his own soldiers, too!
Acier panted, puffs of icy frost coming out of his mouth with each breath.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Raida and Ryoda, Rising”
[Yield Levels]:
Solid: 500 – 2z
- Predator Form: 50 – 2z
- Dominion: 3z
- Imperium: 50 – 3z
- Icy Blades: x300
- Solid Freeze: x500
Geal: 2z
- Dominion: 2 – 2z
- Congeal: x100 (Formless Ice)
- Harden: x10
Ryoda: 50,000
- Prime Utopian: 50 – 2z
- PU + Utopic Pressure: 50 – 3z
- Grand Javelin: x1z
Raida: 20,000
- Protos: x1z
Kukito: 15,000
- Utopic Boost (Level 2): 150,000
- UB (L2) + Blessed Utopian: 5 – 2z
- Dark Orb: x1z
Carrie: 20,000
- Spirit Resonance: 20,000 (Physical: 2 – 2z)
Mizuka: 2 – 1z
Chrollo: ???
- Suppressed + Divine Pressure: 11z
Acier: 10z
- Reserved Core Form: 9z
- Dominion: 2 – 10z
- Absolute Zero (Imperfect): x3z (Area of Effect – Freeze)
Hikari: 10z
- Lance’s Spear: x1z
- Knight’s Armor: x2z
Acier’s Soldiers: 1,000-10,000
Cosmic Guards: 1,000-30,000