Noah's POV
We sat in silence for a while, letting the calm of the soul space seep into us. The ethereal ground beneath us shimmered like water touched by starlight, and the sky above pulsed with soft, dreamy hues—like the gentle heartbeat of the world itself.
Scarlett leaned her head on my shoulder, her fingers still wrapped around mine.
"Do you ever wonder," she whispered, "if this place is what your heart really looks like?"
I glanced around.
"It's peaceful," I replied. "But it only feels complete when you're all here with me."
Layla gave a soft, content hum and nuzzled against my chest. "Mmm… you're getting good at saying nice things, Noah. I approve."
Lyra stretched her legs and rolled her eyes, but the soft curl on her lips betrayed her fondness.
"It's strange," she murmured. "We're inside your soul, and yet… I feel at ease. Like nothing out there can hurt us here."
"They can't," I said. "Here, we're safe. Here, we train, we rest, we grow stronger… together."
My soul imprint pulsed suddenly—gentle at first, then more insistent. It wasn't alarming. Just… a call.
I closed my eyes.
Let's begin.
In an instant, the soul space shifted. The dreamy landscape warped into a vast, open clearing surrounded by crystalline trees. The ground beneath turned into polished marble, etched with runes that glowed with soft light.
The girls stood, looking around in awe.
"What is this place now?" Scarlett asked.
"A training realm," I explained. "A space inside my soul… where time flows differently. One hour here is just a few minutes outside. We can train, sync our powers, and even—"
"Bond more deeply," Layla finished, stepping forward, her aura already flaring with gentle shadow.
"Exactly," I said.
Lyra's eyes lit up. "Then let's not waste time."
They stepped forward—Scarlett bathed in a warm, dark aura of shadow and wind, Lyra surrounded by misty frost, and Layla covered by her cursed flames.
I summoned two clones two counter Scarlett and Lyra's elemental attack .
I gripped my sword ready to face Layla who was smiling at me with scythe on her hand.
I feel their magic resonate with mine. And for the first time… it felt effortless. No struggle, no imbalance.
Just connection.
When I activated my Mana Domain, the change was immediate.
Scarlett's wind didn't resist me—it danced with my mana. Her shadows wrapped around my movements, cloaking my steps like a ghost. Lyra's ice surged to reinforce my blade when I parried, shielding me with elegant shards. And Layla's curses? They pulsed behind each strike, weakening invisible enemies that weren't even there.
It felt natural. Like breathing.
We trained together, coordinating strikes. Scarlett used her shadow movement to vanish and reappear beside me. Lyra launched a chilling mist that slowed time inside it, giving me space to counterattack. Layla anchored cursed seals on imaginary foes, and I felt how it drained magic from around us.
And I wasn't leading them.
We were moving together.
[Ding!..]
[Emergency Quest Completed: Soul Synchronization Initiated]
Reward: +1000 CP, +10 SP
Bonus Passive Unlocked: "Soul Resonance – Lv1"
Effect: Combat synergy increased by 10% when fighting alongside bonded companions. Each unique bond amplifies a specific attribute.
Scarlett: +Agility and stealth speed in shadows
Lyra: +Resistance to magic and elemental defense
Layla: +Curse resistance and debuff strength
We stood together under the star-lit sky of my soul space, exhausted but at peace.
Lyra folded her arms. "We're stronger than ever."
Scarlett brushed hair behind her ear. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"
Layla wrapped her arms around me again. "Let's stay like this for a while…"
I smiled, pulling them a little closer.
-------
"All right, girls—ready for round two?"
Noah smirked, rolling his shoulders as he stood across from the trio. His obsidian sword hummed faintly, the soul space amplifying every sensation. To his left and right, two Astral Mirage Clones shimmered into place, identical to him in stance, expression, and lethal intent.
Across the battlefield stood Layla, spinning her midnight-black scythe with a teasing grin. Lyra stood silent, cold air gathering around her as frost coated the ground beneath her boots. Beside them, Scarlett crouched low, her twin daggers gleaming with shadow and wind, her crimson eyes locked on Noah like a predator.
The soul space rumbled.
Three against three.
Battle start.
Boom!
The moment shattered into chaos.
First Exchange
Layla lunged first, her scythe sweeping in a deadly arc toward the right-side clone. Hex of Misfortune shimmered around her blade, distorting reality. The clone blinked back using Flash Step, barely dodging—until Cursed Touch laced Layla's follow-up jab, forcing the clone to misstep and leave an opening.
Meanwhile, Lyra conjured a glimmering Frost Lance and hurled it at the center. The left clone met it with a vertical slash of Earth Blade, forming a stone shield that shattered from the icy pressure. Ice Shard rained in next—razor-sharp, fast, deadly.
Scarlett vanished into shadows—Shadow Step.
She reappeared behind the center Noah, slicing forward with Assassin's Mark activated. Her dagger grazed his back, but he twisted midair with Wind Dash, retaliating with a Flame Arc from his sword. Scarlett grinned, spinning away with a Dagger Storm, peppering the battlefield with steel and gusts.
"Web Shot," Noah muttered.
Strings of glowing mana webbed through the air, tangling Layla's scythe momentarily and yanking it mid-swing.
She laughed. "Really, darling?" But in that second, the left clone blinked behind her and struck—but was caught in Shadow Bind, Layla's cursed tendrils locking it down.
Lyra raised her hand—Blizzard's Wrath.
The soul space dimmed as snow and ice howled into a vortex.
Both clones were erased in the storm.
Noah skidded back, shielding with fire and earth. The cold cut through.
And then—Scarlett, Lyra, and Layla rushed together.
"Let's break him," Layla whispered with a giggle.
Hex. Frostbite. Shadow Spear.
Cursed Reflection. Icy Veil. Veil of Shadows.
Noah was bombarded from all sides. Pain rippled through him—even in the soul space, where it faded fast, the intensity was overwhelming. He dropped to one knee, panting.
[Mind Acceleration – Activated.]
Everything slowed. His breath steadied. Their movements, wild and powerful just a second ago, became readable.
"Alright… my turn."
[Mana Domain – Deployed]
The world bent to his will. Fire surged, lightning cracked, and the ground split.
Layla paused mid-lunge, her cursed energy faltering under the overwhelming pressure. Lyra's frost faltered. Scarlett's step stuttered.
Noah rose, cloak of fire around him, lightning dancing along his blade.
"Let's dance again."
Final Clash Begins
He reappeared behind Lyra in a blink—Flash Step—his sword clashing with her Glacial Barrier, cracking it apart. A clone returned, hurling Mana Bullets to disrupt Scarlett. The second clone engaged Layla, dodging her Soul Drain while using Earth Spikes to box her in.
Noah clashed with all three now, sweat dripping, grin wide. "You girls hit hard…"
Layla panted, "But not hard enough, huh?"
Scarlett smirked. "Next round… we won't go easy."
Lyra's ice aura shimmered faintly, already reforming another lance.
Noah stood tall, exhausted yet smiling.
"Good," he said. "Because neither will I."
Noah stood surrounded, breathing hard, flickers of lightning across his skin, flames swirling around his blade. His clones had just reformed, slightly weaker but still functional.
Layla flipped her scythe onto her shoulder, smirking.
"Geez, Noah~ Are you trying to show off in front of your girlfriends?"
She winked at Scarlett and Lyra. "Boys these days, full of ego~"
Scarlett twirled her daggers. "Just shut up and focus, Layla."
Then, casting a glance at Noah: "He's dangerous now. His mana domain is stabilizing."
Lyra said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes—the frost building around her was forming elegant, cruel spikes of ice. Her expression was calm, but sweat slid down her cheek. Even she was nearing her limit.
"Then let's go all out," Noah said, tightening his grip on his sword. "No more holding back."
Second Wave – Chaos Unleashed
Scarlett vanished into Veil of Shadows, reappearing above Noah with her Shadow Spear hurled downward. He tilted his body, dodging mid-air using Wind Burst, but Layla was already there on the ground, laughing.
"Surprise~!"
Cursed Touch + Hex of Misfortune.
She struck his side with her scythe, and a wave of nausea hit Noah. His body staggered—not from the damage, but from sheer bad luck. A stray icicle from Lyra missed its target… only to bounce from the terrain and nick his shoulder.
"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered.
"You're fighting Layla," Scarlett called from above. "That's the least annoying thing she'll do."
Layla blew him a kiss.
Lyra stepped in silently, raising her hand—Chill of the North.
The soul space air plummeted. Even Layla winced.
"Ugh, snow again? My hair's gonna freeze~!"
"Then move," Lyra replied sharply.
Blizzard's Wrath hit again—Noah's clones disintegrated under the storm, and his sword-arm went numb from frost. He stabbed the blade into the ground, channeling Earth Pulse to heat the area and stabilize himself.
Climax – All Limits Broken
Scarlett and Layla didn't give him a second.
Dagger Storm + Shadow Dance + Cursed Reflection.
Scarlett spun through the shadows, flickering, slashing, striking.
Layla's scythe glowed purple with Soul Drain, echoing with a low hum.
They moved like synchronized chaos.
"You're not getting away this time, my sweet sword boy~!" Layla shouted.
"Just keep pressing!" Scarlett snapped.
Noah grunted, his body pushed past its limit. Even with Mind Acceleration active, his mana burned dangerously low. His aura cracked, and his sword—his companion all this time—splintered under the strain of the next blow.
Crack.
He stared at the fracture down the center of his blade.
"…Damn."
"You're done," Lyra said, summoning a final Frost Lance, taller than her body, glowing like a glacier.
The girls gathered side by side—Lyra's frost swirling, Scarlett's daggers dancing, and Layla's scythe raised with cursed black light.
Noah's lips curled.
"I'm not."
Final Push – Last Stand
He extended his palm.
" Web Shot "
A flick of his wrist, and sticky mana threads exploded, wrapping all three girls briefly.
"What the—?!" Layla flailed. "This again?!"
"Annoying," Lyra muttered, freezing her web.
Scarlett cut through hers, but it gave Noah enough time.
He took one final breath—Flame Surge roaring from his broken blade, augmented by Lightning Pulse running up his arms. His domain shrunk—focused—not to overwhelm, but to strike.
"Sword Art: Form III – Phantom Edge."
He dashed past them, faster than they could react, a blur of afterimages and elemental fury.
When he stopped, all three girls stood frozen.
Seconds passed. Then—
Boom!
A delayed blast sent them all crashing backward.
Aftermath :
Scarlett groaned, lying in the crater.
"…I'm going to stab you later."
Layla just giggled weakly. "Not gonna lie… that was hot~"
Lyra sat up with a pained expression. "My ribs are broken."
Noah collapsed backward, arms spread. "Good. Then I wasn't the only one suffering."
They all laid in the snow-covered soul space, completely exhausted.
Layla broke the silence with a wheeze:
"I...I..want a massage after this."
Scarlett threw a dagger at her, which she lazily deflected with her scythe.
-to be continued...