Rhian stood in front of Aras's avatar, both of them positioned at the center of a massive open arena within the simulation.
The scale of the place was ridiculous, wide, clean stone floor stretching out in every direction, like it was built for giants to fight comfortably.
Far above them, in the virtual spectator stands, was Ash.
His avatar was slouched casually like he was watching a movie, no doubt throwing out comments or talking to himself in pure Ash fashion. But neither Rhian nor Aras bothered turning on the setting that allowed them to hear him.
Neither of them looked interested.
Especially not now.
Aras's avatar looked exactly like him. Clean, sharp, calm. Same casual posture, same quiet confidence.
Rhian's avatar was no different, same build, same slightly rough look, glove still on his left hand. In this space, it was all skill.
Rhian's plan was simple. Direct.
He had never fought Aras before.
He didn't know the guy's full style. Never saw him go all out. But what he did know was that Aras was a gravity manipulator, and from everything he'd seen so far, that power alone made him dangerous.
Rhian wasn't expecting anything easy.
But he wasn't here to play safe either.
His eyes narrowed slightly, locking onto Aras across from him. His body felt lighter than it should, the simulation perfectly matched his real abilities and strength, but no exhaustion, no soreness from earlier remained.
This was his shot.
That 0.02%.
That final push to hit 1%.
If Ragnarok Physique really worked the way he thought it did, then there was no better target.
Aras wasn't just another opponent.
He was the wall Rhian needed to crash into.
Hard.
Aras gave a small, rare smile.
"Ready?"
Rhian snorted, rolling his neck, the weapon materializing in his hand, a long, twin-bladed staff, sharp on both ends with the handle at the center.
"I was born ready."
It wasn't a weapon you'd see every day. Hell, it wasn't even practical for most people outside simulations.
Too dangerous. One wrong swing, one slip, and you'd cut yourself just as easily as your opponent. But in this place, no injuries, no risk, it was perfect for Rhian to experiment.
The countdown finished. The field signaled the start.
Rhian moved first.
His footwork wasn't perfect, raw, messy at moments, but there was power in every step. Closing distance against Aras was the obvious plan, and Aras knew that too.
Aras stood calm, fingers subtly twitching.
And then it hit.
The shift.
The gravity around Rhian thickened instantly, like invisible chains latching onto his body, slowing the swing of his weapon mid-air, pulling at his feet like the ground was trying to swallow him.
Rhian's eyes sharpened.
So this was the feeling.
Heavy.
Crushing.
But not impossible.
He leaned into it, forcing his body to push through. Ragnarok Physique wasn't just words on a screen. His body had been adapting every day, every spar. Every fight with Nia was a piece of this moment.
Rhian spun the twin-blade, using its weight to yank himself forward, forcing momentum where his muscles struggled to provide it. He twisted low, using his smaller frame to his advantage.
Aras's eyes followed him calmly.
A shift in his fingers.
The gravity dragged harder.
The stone beneath Rhian's feet cracked, his steps slowing under the weight, but not stopping.
'Too slow to dodge completely.'
Rhian gritted his teeth and powered through.
He reached Aras's range, close enough.
He twisted the twin-blade for a full horizontal sweep aimed straight at Aras's torso.
Aras didn't even flinch.
A gravity pulse hit.
Rhian's blade dropped mid-swing like it was made of stone, crashing down hard into the ground beside Aras as if it weighed hundreds of kilos now.
Instant readjustment.
Rhian didn't pause, using the motion, he let go with one hand, stepped in with his body, and swung his fist toward Aras's head.
Aras caught the punch clean.
Their arms shook under the force.
Rhian's strength was real.
But Aras's body, refined by a higher core, didn't fold.
Without changing expression, Aras shifted his footwork and used Rhian's momentum against him, adding a subtle gravity pull behind Rhian's back, just enough to unbalance him.
Rhian felt it, too late.
Aras's knee drove clean into his ribs, launching Rhian backward like a cannonball.
Rhian crashed, skidding across the simulation floor, dust and energy kicking up.
He coughed once, wiping his mouth.
'Harder than I thought.'
But his smile crept up.
This was what he wanted.
A real fight.
A real wall to break through.
Rhian flipped his weapon back into his hand and sprinted again, faster this time, ignoring the pull, ignoring the weight.
Adapt.
Aras didn't chase.
He didn't have to.
He simply adjusted his stance, raising the gravity in bursts, like spikes on the battlefield, zones of heavier pull forcing Rhian to dodge not just him, but the entire ground itself.
Rhian ducked under a pulse.
Leapt over another.
He skated barely past the crushing zones, flipping his weapon for a feint, then reversed the motion aiming low.
Aras sidestepped. Gravity coated his leg like armor, blocking the strike with minimum movement.
But this time, Rhian had something else in mind.
He dropped the weapon mid-motion, baiting Aras's attention, and rolled into a low tackle, pure physical.
Unexpected.
The weight kicked in instantly, gravity trying to pin him down mid-tackle.
But Rhian pushed harder, strength against nature itself, slamming his shoulder into Aras's torso, forcing the D-rank back half a step.
For anyone else that was a win.
Aras narrowed his eyes slightly, impressed.
But that was as far as Rhian would go.
Aras shifted completely now.
The real difference between them showed.
Gravity surged, not in sharp bursts, but as a constant, crushing dome around him.
Rhian's body locked, frozen like every inch of him now weighed ten times more.
His muscles screamed.
His feet cracked the ground trying to move.
But there was no room left.
Aras stepped forward, completely calm, and brought his elbow down across Rhian's back.
Rhian hit the ground hard, the simulation floor cracking beneath him.
Pain flared, dulled by the system but clear enough to leave an impression.
Aras didn't follow up.
He let the gravity fade slowly.
"Good fight," Aras said simply.
Rhian stayed there, breathing hard, but laughing quietly under it.
He couldn't move yet.