Kenji hit the ceiling seconds before **Nyx's** portal fully stabilized. He didn't engage the infiltrator; he slammed his entire weight, amplified by his absolute **Mana Efficiency**, onto the shimmering tear in space.
The pure, physical force of his impact, honed to surgical perfection, was meant to collapse the portal, but it only slowed it. **Nyx's Covert Portal Manipulation** was too fast and too focused on the entry point. The portal ripped open just enough for two figures to drop through onto the floor of the Vault.
It was **Akira**, holding a glowing, concentrated orb of pure, victims' **Mana**—the **Shattering Charge**—and **Nyx**, who immediately executed a **Covert Portal Jump** to the opposite side of the chamber, ready to cover the main assault.
### The Duel of Efficiency
"You're too late, Grandmaster," Akira said, his voice cold and triumphant. His posture was rigid, radiating the high-level **Jujutsu control** that had earned him the rank of Master Enforcer. "Your sloppy, physical reactions can't stop the inevitable."
Kenji landed, his eyes fixed on the Shattering Charge. The orb was beautiful and terrifying: pure, destabilized Mana designed to perfectly counteract the **Original Suppression Protocol** that bound the **Dark Magic**.
"You wanted elegance, Akira," Kenji countered, slipping into a low, defensive stance. "This is just a crude bomb disguised as science."
Akira moved first, demonstrating the efficiency he preached. He didn't use a flashy spell; he used a **single, highly focused kinetic strike**, amplified by his own Master Enforcer-level **Mana Augmentation**. The blow was aimed directly at Kenji's core, fast and lethal.
Kenji countered with the ultimate expression of his own discipline: his **Mana Efficiency** allowed him to anticipate the precise trajectory and required force. He met the blow with his palm, using a micro-cast of Mana to **neutralize the kinetic energy** at the exact moment of impact. The two forces canceled each other out with a soft *thud*. No explosion, no wasted movement. The perfect, physical duel.
### The Snap Cast Saves the Protocol
But the duel was the distraction. Nyx was moving, opening a rapid succession of tiny, destabilizing portals aimed at **Ren's** position.
"Stop him, Ren!" Kenji barked, knowing he couldn't break off the engagement with Akira.
Ren, focused on the **Shattering Charge**, saw the greater threat. If Nyx destabilized him, he couldn't execute the **Nullification Snap** in time. Ren deployed a **Snap Cast**—not a neutralization spell, but an **instantaneous, flawless micro-barrier** deployed across the floor between himself and Nyx. The barrier was invisible, powered by **Mana Compaction**.
Nyx, attempting a final, surgical portal jump to flank Ren, hit the barrier. Her portal, designed for empty space, met the instantaneous, rigid Mana structure. The portal instantly collapsed, throwing Nyx back against the wall, momentarily stunned.
Ren was safe, but the action had pulled his concentration.
"Now, Master Enforcer!" Akira shouted, seeing his window. He hurled the **Shattering Charge** directly at Kenji's chest.
Kenji couldn't neutralize this. It wasn't a kinetic strike; it was pure, destabilized energy designed to bypass all physical defense and directly target the **Protocol**. To intercept it with his hands meant accepting the immediate release of the **Dark Magic**.
### The Final Choice
As the orb of corrupted Mana hurtled toward him, Kenji's internal world screamed. He felt the cold pressure of the **Dark Magic** surging, ready to explode the moment the charge made contact.
"**Nullify!**" Kenji roared, turning to Ren.
Ren executed his ultimate move: the **Nullification Snap**. He deployed an instantaneous, surgical pulse of perfect Mana aimed at the **Shattering Charge**. His goal was not to destroy it, but to surgically **dissolve the corrupted Mana structure** from within.
The pulse hit the charge. For a second, the two types of Mana—perfect, surgical efficiency versus corrupted, destabilizing chaos—fought a silent war.
The charge didn't explode. It imploded, collapsing into a small, harmless wisp of vaporized energy. **Ren had done the impossible.**
Akira stared in disbelief. "You... you stabilized it? It was designed to break the Protocol!"
"It was designed by a man who overestimated his own control," Kenji said, breathing hard, the crisis averted. "Ren's control is better than yours ever was."
With the core threat gone, the fight evaporated. Akira, stunned by the loss of his ultimate weapon, was instantly wrapped in a vibrating, high-tensile **Concussion Web** deployed by a triumphant **Sora** from outside the chamber. Nyx, still recovering, was quickly contained.
The **Dark Magic** remained contained. Kenji was safe. But the victory was bittersweet. Akira's confession and the use of the **Shattering Charge** proved the true, catastrophic fragility of Kenji's containment to every Enforcer present. The secret was safe, but the danger was now a tangible, active concern.