"I already made this energy especially for you, bull!"

  Bright green energy streams surged into the almost-transparent body of the bull, spreading like roots that snaked through him and reached the colorful blocks inside.

  The iron bull didn't let Kazuha fight back easily. With immense strength, he grabbed Kazuha's shirt and hurled him forward, slamming him into the wall without effort.

  Seeing how effortlessly the bull had thrown Kazuha, Azura jumped back into the hole and pushed the dagger even deeper before the bull's hand could reach up and pull it out from his head.

  Suddenly the bull-headed man convulsed violently after Azura drove the dagger in further. Though Azura didn't fully understand what was happening, he trusted that Kazuha had planned this.

  The man's movements became jerky, like a robot short-circuiting in water. Even though he looked weakened, he still tried to grab Azura and do the same thing he had done to Kazuha.

  When the green roots finally touched every colorful block inside the bull's body, his form abruptly reverted. The almost transparent body disappeared, leaving a normal male human body—completely naked.

  In a distorted, robotic voice, the man spoke. "Damn it! How did you neutralize my JV Form!?"

  Now back in human form, Jeffy yanked Azura down from above and threw him toward Kazuha. But his strength had dropped drastically, so Azura landed safely beside Kazuha, who let out a small, wicked laugh.

  "Jeffy Vinton… now I finally know it's you, you damn bull!" Kazuha shouted with a sly grin.

  Kazuha tore open the buttons of his shirt and pulled it apart, revealing his chest.

  Azura couldn't see clearly because Kazuha's hand was covering part of it while holding the fabric aside.

  In a stuttering robotic tone, Jeffy answered, "Ka-Kamihojo Ka-Kazuha… It's been a long time since we last met… after that last time with th-th-that girl."

  Kazuha closed his shirt again and buttoned it up. "An unexpected reunion. My anger is still just as hard to control as it was back then."

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  Azura stayed silent. He didn't want to interfere in personal matters. Still, he would help Kazuha get what he deserved.

  Even so, both of them watched as Jeffy pulled the green dagger out of his head. He had returned to human form, but it clearly wasn't enough to stop him.

  "He's still moving?" Azura asked Kazuha.

  "It takes five neutralizer daggers—one in each vital spot. Head, both hands, both legs," Kazuha answered seriously.

  Kazuha summoned the daggers into his hand. Four green daggers floated above his palm. "Take two of these. Help me stab them into the spots I told you about."

  Azura grabbed the two floating daggers. The green energy seemed to absorb into his hands, and the daggers vanished after the light flowed completely into his palms.

  Now Azura could enhance them further—by transforming both his hands into those same green daggers, only much larger, sword-sized.

  "Like this, it'll be easier to drive them into you," Azura said with a sly smile.

  Kazuha and Azura braced their feet, ready to charge forward.

  But suddenly—

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

  The scream was so loud that all three of them inside the room instinctively covered their ears, even though their headsets were sealed tight.

  "What the hell is that!" Kazuha shouted, grabbing Azura's arm for balance.

  "You tell me!" Azura replied, struggling to stay upright as the whole room shook.

  The scream caused Jeffy's colorful blocks to burst out from his head again, moving wildly and chaotically—as if they had gained their own consciousness, writhing in pain and trying to escape his body.

  "N-Now!" Kazuha yelled, hurling one dagger with perfect precision toward Jeffy's left arm.

  The dagger sank in like lava pouring into an open wound. Jeffy and the blocks screamed in agony as green roots pierced into them, forcing the blocks to retreat back into the iron bull head.

  With great effort, Jeffy ripped the green dagger out of his arm and threw it back at Kazuha—who easily dodged it.

  "YOU DAMN BRAT!" Jeffy roared in his robotic voice.

  He slammed his fist into the floor with tremendous force. Suddenly massive blocks erupted from the ground beneath them, lifting all three into the sky.

  "Phase 2: Blockify!" Jeffy shouted as a yellow block grew rapidly beneath him, carrying him highest of all.

  Azura and Kazuha were separated by the uneven heights of the rising blocks. Azura stood on a red block that wasn't as tall as the others. Kazuha balanced on a medium-height green block, staring up at Jeffy on the tallest one ahead.

  Azura tried to peek toward the concert—and his eyes widened in shock.

  Thousands of fans were pouring out of the stadium like they had suddenly broken free from Miracle's spell.

  Looking closer, he saw Aeko had managed to snatch the microphone from Miracle's hand. Just as the wave of fans was about to crash over her, Aeko leaped forward, ripped the mic away, and unleashed the scream she had held inside for so long.

  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

  The raw, powerful cry instantly shattered the oncoming wave of fans. They fell from the stage in pain, clutching their ears, writhing on the ground. Even Miracle doubled over, hands pressed to her ears in agony.

  Like chains snapping, some fans fled the stadium in panic, running toward the nearest hospitals—meaning Aeko's scream had forcibly broken Miracle's control over them.

  "Looks like Aeko did it," Azura said—only to be startled as a block suddenly surged toward him when he turned.

  In an instant, the block in front of him shifted direction. What had been growing vertically now extended horizontally after a blue block reached the same size as the one Azura stood on.

  With incredible reflexes and speed, Kazuha stabbed his green sword—once a dagger given by Kazuha—into the end of the extending block and hung on. "Damn it! Kazuha! Can you give me a hand?"

  Kazuha, who had been about to leap upward to chase Jeffy, heard Azura's voice. "Azura!?"

  He looked back and saw Azura being pushed farther away as the block continued growing horizontally. Kazuha glanced up again—Jeffy was still rising higher into the sky.

  In this moment, Kazuha hesitated.

  Should he chase his revenge… or save his friend?