At that moment, time paused for a brief instant. Place and time froze, and everything around came to a standstill.
On the left side of Alpha's chest, the tattoo appeared more clearly. It was the Dragon's Chain—not just an ordinary mark, but a symbol of immense power inherited through generations from ancient kings. This power did not activate by Alpha's will; it manifested automatically in moments of extreme danger, when he stood on the brink of death. It emitted a tremendous energy that changed the color of his skin and noticeably increased his strength, but it carried the risk of explosion—either the user could explode, or their power source, or even an entire continent might be destroyed if unleashed without limits.
Alpha's skin gradually changed color until it became completely white, and even his hair turned pure white. Time resumed its normal flow precisely at the moment the sword touched Alpha's head.
In the sky, X890 quickly retreated, his eyes full of shock and fear as he looked at his hands, which had started to be covered with a strange green layer.
He spoke in a trembling voice: "What just happened?... The sword definitely touched my head!"
Alpha stood firm. His body was uninjured, his breathing steady.
X890 advanced from the right, X891 from the left. They attacked simultaneously.
Alpha blocked X890's strike with his left hand, then grabbed X891's arm with his right hand and twisted it forcefully until he heard the joint crack. He kicked her in the chest, causing her to retreat swiftly, but she quickly regained her stance and charged again.
X890 tried to punch Alpha's face, but Alpha bent down to dodge, then struck him hard in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. X890 tried to get up, but Alpha grabbed his neck and lifted him, then threw him toward X891 with force.
The impact was violent. Both fell to the ground, but their bodies began regenerating again.
Alpha said calmly:
"No use. You don't die."
X891 stood first, then X890 seconds later.
X890 said as he approached:
"Our power is not just for show. We exist for continuous fighting."
Alpha replied:
"Good. I don't give up easily."
He rushed at them, delivering a direct blow to X891's head. She dodged but wasn't fast enough—she was hit partially and fell. As she tried to get up, Alpha pressed his foot on her back.
X890 lunged from behind, but Alpha quickly turned, grabbed his arm, and slammed it into the ground hard.
Both were on the floor.
Alpha said calmly:
"Let's see how many times your bodies can rebuild."
He then walked toward X890, pulled his arm, and began breaking his joints one by one without hesitation.
X891 crawled toward him, but Alpha kicked her in the head, pushing her away.
Both lay motionless for a few seconds.
Then their bodies began regenerating again.
Alpha looked at them and said:
"I will keep going until your power collapses or your patience runs out."
Only moments passed before X890 and X891 attacked together again. Their coordination was clear: she charged from the front, he from the side, striking simultaneously. Alpha didn't dodge the blows; his body was thrown forcefully backward, crashing into a building and breaking a large part of it.
But before they could complete regenerating their bodies, Alpha appeared before them again—silent, without warning.
He landed a direct blow to X891's face, sending her back to the ground. At the same moment, X890 struck Alpha's chest with enough force to push him back into the air.
They fell again, yet their wounds healed rapidly. Bones mended, skin repaired, internal organs restored.
They stood again, without uttering a word.
Alpha looked at them coldly and said:
"Raise your hand again and prepare for the next attack."
After standing up again, they looked at Alpha differently.
X890 said quietly: "I get it now, we need to increase our durability."
X891 nodded, and their bodies changed. Their skin darkened and thickened. Muscles grew tougher, and their bones gained extra layers of protection. The transformation took only seconds.
Alpha attacked again, delivering a punch directly to X891's neck, but it didn't have the desired effect. She stepped back but didn't fall, simply staring at him with focus.
Meanwhile, X890 punched Alpha's stomach, a direct hit that made him step back a few paces.
But Alpha didn't give them time. He spun quickly and kicked X890's left side. The force was enough to push him away, but he showed no obvious damage.
X891 took advantage of the moment and attacked from behind. Her fists struck Alpha's back hard, pushing him forward toward X890, who had regained his balance and elbowed Alpha's face.
Alpha stepped back but quickly steadied himself, then launched forward again. He jumped into the air and attacked X891 with a knee aimed at her head. This time she shook slightly but blocked the strike with crossed arms.
Alpha landed on his feet, then spun and slapped X890 with his full right arm. The blow pushed X890 a short distance but he remained standing.
X891 said audibly: "The new durability works. That's good."
Alpha replied coldly: "Alright... fine. Let's see how much you can endure."
The three stood for a moment, catching their breath, then charged again. The next exchange of blows was more precise, more violent, and more steady. There was no clear advantage; just three fighters moving fast—hitting, blocking, trying to break the other's defense without stopping.
With every passing second, the fight escalated to a new level.
Amid the exchange, between every punch and kick, Alpha suddenly stopped moving. He raised his hand and said coldly:
"Let's end this farce."
All sounds ceased. Silence reigned, until his next words echoed through the entire place:
"Spacetime."
In an instant, everything froze. The air stopped, dust halted mid-motion, and X890 and X891's eyes fixed on their last gaze. Time itself had contracted and closed around them.
Alpha breathed calmly, as if what he did required no effort.
He stepped steadily toward X890, who remained frozen in a ready stance. Alpha raised his hand and placed it directly on X890's chest, then whispered:
"I'm tired of this fight."
In a moment, X890's body shrank from the center of his chest, as if his energy condensed. His entire body twisted in on itself, then gradually shrank until it became like a small energy orb in Alpha's palm—leaving no trace.
Alpha turned without hesitation and approached X891.
He stood before her and said softly:
"You... talk too much and can't even block a single strike."
He slowly extended his hand and placed it on her stomach. For a moment, nothing happened... then he uttered a single word:
"I'll explode you."
At the same instant, X891's body exploded from within, shattering into energy fragments scattered in the frozen air.
Then, without saying another word, Alpha lowered his hands.
Time resumed as before.
The wind moved, shards scattered, and the void left by X890 became clear. Everything continued as if nothing had happened... except Alpha, standing alone in the arena.
Alpha lay down quietly on the ground. His exhausted body showed no wounds, but his eyes were fixed, silently staring at the crater left by the battle.
The ground still trembled slightly from the residual energy, dust swirling around the deep hole that swallowed part of the field. He wasn't breathing rapidly, wasn't in pain, just... lying there, eyes never leaving the crater.
Moments of silence passed, then he muttered softly:
"Is this their end?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them calmly:
"No... not yet."
In less than a second, black chains burst out of the vortex swiftly. They reached Alpha and wrapped tightly around his entire body. His body began to be restrained; he couldn't move. Alpha remained still, silently observing the situation.
He didn't understand what had happened in those seconds. He saw the chains come out and coil around him, but he couldn't do anything. He wondered silently: What's going on?
His eyes slowly began to close. The chains pulled his body forcefully, dragging him toward the vortex without resistance. Every movement was restricted, every attempt to break free failed. He turned inward as the vortex swallowed him bit by bit.