As Ethan entered his Juggernaut Drive form, the humanoid slime fled for its life. Despite its home-field advantage and unique existence, the primal instinct of survival told it that a single strike from the current Ethan would erase it from reality.
Less than a minute had passed. Though he had exceeded the one-minute limit promised to Arthur, Ethan reached the target before the barrier collapsed. In this state, Ethan possessed power comparable to a Dragon God; the Dimensional Gap no longer hindered him. He quickly overtook the fleeing energy mass.
Seeing its destruction was imminent, the featureless slime suddenly manifested Loki's face. "You again!" Loki snarled, before grinning maliciously. "But thanks to you, I've finally mastered this power..."
"Is that so?" Ethan didn't stop. He didn't have time for a chat while Arthur was turning pale from exhaustion. "You can thank me in hell."
BOOM!
Ethan's fist punched straight through the center of the slime. Loki's words died in his throat as he stared at his crumbling body. "Fine... I didn't finish my speech, but I've left a little gift for you."
The slime disintegrated into nothingness. Ethan waited, but saw no "gift."
"Just a dying spite, probably," Ethan muttered, turning back toward the barrier. But as he reached for the golden shield, a burst of red light erupted from where Loki had died. A figure appeared—an exact replica of Ethan in his Balance Breaker armor.
The copy possessed all of Ethan's power but none of his reason. It began wildly firing demonic beams at the dimensional walls, causing the space to crack like a shattered mirror.
"Tch..." Ethan cursed. If he didn't stop this, the dimensional barriers would collapse, ending his peaceful daily life. "Go on without me!" Ethan shouted to the others, turning back to face the clone.
Vali, Arthur, and Bikou didn't hesitate. Arthur was at his limit, and they knew they couldn't help. But as the barrier began to teleport, Kuroka suddenly leaped out of the safety of the shield.
"Kuroka?! What are you doing?" Vali yelled.
"I can't let Ethan be lost here alone, nya!"
"He's fine! He can survive the Gap!" Vali argued, but Kuroka didn't listen. She dove toward Ethan.
The barrier vanished, taking the men with it. In the infinite multicolored void, only Ethan, Kuroka, and the mindless clone remained.
"Ethan, watch his left hand!" Kuroka called out. Her combat power wasn't enough to fight the clone, but her sensory abilities allowed her to guide Ethan's interceptions.
The battle raged for ten minutes. Ethan had to hold back his own attacks to avoid further damaging the dimension, often using his own body to shield the "walls" from the clone's blasts. Suddenly, the clone vanished as abruptly as it had appeared—a temporary projection fueled by Loki's life force.
Ethan panted, his armor retracting. Thanks to his Phoenix bloodline and Life Mastery, his horrific wounds began to knit together instantly.
"Ethan, are you okay?" Kuroka rushed to him. She was amazed by his regenerative speed.
"I'm fine. That thing was just a hollow shell with the power of the Boosted Gear," Ethan replied, leaning on her. He had used nearly half his energy. "I guess only I can defeat myself..."
He stroked Kuroka's hair, touched that she stayed. "Let's recover for a day or two. If no one comes for us, I'll have to force our way out."
In the Dimensional Gap, time had no meaning. With no beds and no gravity, the two drifted in the void. Ethan looked at the sexy cat-lady in his arms. Her black kimono was disheveled, revealing her pale shoulders and the tops of her heavy breasts. Her twin tails twitched nervously.
Ethan's desire, fueled by his previous battle, began to boil. He pulled Kuroka closer, smelling the sweet scent of her hair.
"Ethan... love me... everything of Kuroka belongs to you," she whispered, her face flushed with heat.
Ethan didn't say a word. He reached into his storage space and pulled out a pair of leather handcuffs and a blindfold. "You need to be punished for staying in such a dangerous place... and for that slutty outfit you wear every day."