The man lunged at Ron. With his powers flaring, Ron caught him like a ragdoll and hurled him aside without even breaking a sweat.
But the true battle was elsewhere. Black Heart was overwhelming both Eleanor and DA at once. Each strike carried a weight neither of them could fully counter. Yet his gaze was fixed almost entirely on DA.
Ron teleported behind him. His fist slammed into Black Heart's jaw, launching him across the globe. Without hesitation, Ron pursued, blow after blow driving his enemy forward, faster and faster. Their clash circled the strange world twenty times, each impact shaking the land below.
Finally, Ron hurled him back toward the battlefield where DA and Eleanor stood. Teleporting ahead, Ron struck one last time, sending Black Heart crashing into the earth.
"You are strong," Black Heart muttered from the dirt, a strange smile curling his lips. "I knew you would be useful. Everything is unfolding… perfectly according to plan."
To Ron's shock, he pulled a cigar from his coat, lit it, and inhaled with infuriating calm.
"Now the only thing left," he whispered through smoke, "is Wulkranoth versus the Watcher of the Universe."
Ron's instincts screamed. Convinced he was casting a spell, Ron rushed forward—only for Black Heart to catch his fist with one hand while still lying down.
Ron strained, but the grip was unbreakable. After a long second, Black Heart finally let go, and Ron stumbled back. In a blur, Black Heart rose and appeared at his side. His palm pressed gently against Ron's head.
"You are strong, because you have the 4th Wall" he said 4th Wall in whisper.
Ron readied to strike again, but Black Heart's voice cut through him:
"Don't. Your time is nearly up. The power you're using… won't last much longer."
Then he turned and walked away.
Ron froze. How does he know?
"Do you think you're special?" Black Heart's voice drifted back, calm and cold.
Ron's breath caught.
"Your act is convincing. Natural. But anyone wielding the Fourth Wall would behave exactly as you do. The Wall isn't on your side—never forget that. It devours. Cosmic entities, ancient beings, Beyonders, Outers… even Gravo and Gudango fear it. It's only a matter of time before the Fourth Wall devours you as well."
Ron's fists tightened. "What is this Fourth Wall? Why do I have it?"
DA appeared beside him, a heavy hand gripping his shoulder, silently shaking his head.
Black Heart's laugh was low and bitter.
"Do you think you are the first wielder? Do you think power like the Fourth Wall obeys its host? No. You may surpass everyone, but the Wall enjoys feeding on the strong. One day… it might eat you."
He summoned a black blade. Like DA, he cut through the fabric of space and time. The tear began closing instantly—yet in the span of a trillionth of a second, Ron leapt inside.
"No! Ron—don't!" DA shouted.
But it was too late.
Black Heart stepped through a doorway beyond the rift, unaware Ron had followed. He opened another into a dimly lit world. A towering mansion loomed ahead, oppressive and majestic, radiating power far beyond mortal scale.
Inside, Black Heart finally noticed him. With a swift kick, he sent Ron crashing behind a statue.
Ron rose to retaliate—but the glare in Black Heart's eyes froze him where he stood.
Meanwhile, in Scrubskey Gelenia-2:
"What happened?" Eleanor demanded.
"Ron… he followed Black Heart," DA said grimly. "He's entered the forbidden part of the universe."
"The… ____?" Eleanor's voice broke. The word itself was censored, silence swallowing it.
DA nodded. "Yes. Even its name is erased. That alone proves the danger."
Eleanor trembled. "If the name itself is censored, then no one should be able to even hear it…"
"Exactly," DA said. "That place is home to beings beyond abstraction itself. Beyond narrative. Beings who can create existence from nothing and alter reality as though it were a story they were writing. Aurora. The Watcher. The Titan race. All of them come from there."
Eleanor's face drained of color.
"And Titans are not even the strongest," DA continued. "They are only the second mightiest. Aurora, the Watchers—weak compared to the rest. Even so… a single Titan can rival a Beyonder. And the Beyonders rule the second layer."
"I just hope Ron doesn't make a mistake in there," Eleanor whispered.
Within the mansion:
The rift sealed shut behind him. Darkness pressed in from every direction—thick, suffocating, yet somehow alive. Then, through the fog, a colossal silhouette emerged.
A mansion towered over him, stretching so high its spires pierced the clouds. Its walls were carved from obsidian-like stone, veins of crimson light pulsing through them like a heartbeat. Windows blazed faintly with golden fire, as if unseen eyes were watching from every floor. The air carried the weight of something ancient—older than stars, older than memory itself.
Ron's chest tightened. This place… it doesn't belong to any world.
Each step toward the mansion sank into a floor that shifted beneath him, like he was walking on a dream. Gargoyle statues lined the path, but their eyes followed him as though alive, faint cracks splitting their stony faces with whispers he couldn't understand.
The doors groaned open without a hand to move them. A hollow wind poured out, carrying a chorus of voices—some screaming, some laughing, some weeping, all overlapping in unbearable harmony.
Black Heart entered as if it were his home. Ron followed, each nerve screaming for him to turn back.
Inside, chandeliers dripped molten light onto marble floors veined with shadows. Murals sprawled across the ceiling, depicting wars he didn't recognize—giants clashing with faceless gods, the cosmos itself shattering into pages of a book. And in the center of it all, painted larger than anything else, was a colossal eye with no pupil, staring down.
The mansion hummed with power. The sound was not heard but felt, crawling under his skin, vibrating in his bones. Ron realized with a chill—it was the mansion's heartbeat.
At last, Black Heart turned, his gaze settling on Ron. His smile was razor-thin.
With one swift motion, his boot connected with Ron's chest, sending him crashing behind a cold, towering statue.
Ron staggered to his feet, fury burning, but froze as Black Heart's eyes caught his. For a moment, the world blurred, and Ron felt as if he were falling through endless mirrors—his own reflection staring back, countless copies dissolving into dust.
Then the world snapped back into place.
A message flickered before his vision:
['Black Heart' has activated The Whisper. He invites you. Accept / Decline]
Ron swallowed, then pressed Accept.
"Ron? How did you come?" Black Heart's voice curled through his mind.
"I thought I'd take some information from you," Ron answered, forcing strength into his tone.
But then—another voice.
It wasn't just heard; it split through his spirit like lightning, thunder that shook the marrow of his bones.
"Black Heart… you came. Did you find Eleanor?"
The sheer weight of the voice nearly tore Ron's soul apart. Blood rushed from his nose as his vision went white.
[Fourth Wall has lessened the intensity and bloodlust of the voice.]
He gasped, collapsing to one knee, clutching his chest. Another message appeared:
[Mr. Gonzalez suggests you find a way to leave.]