The flames surrounding Raithasu continued to rise, illuminating the ruined cave with a fierce, crimson glow.
The remaining Eclipse Units stared at him in disbelief.
Only moments ago, his bones had been shattered, his body had been battered beyond recognition, and he had lain unconscious among the rubble.
Now he was standing before them as if the battle had barely begun.
Kairon took an involuntary step backward.
"How...?"
His eyes widened as he examined Raithasu from head to toe.
"How is this even possible? His bones were broken! I saw him fall! How did he recover from injuries like that?"
Nyx, who had been clinging to Darev's enormous body, lost his grip as the unstable machine suddenly lurched.
"WHOA!"
He slipped off and crashed onto the ground.
THUD!
"Ow! Damn it!"
Nyx pushed himself upright, then looked toward Darev.
The giant machine was trembling violently. Sparks erupted from his joints, and waves of heat rolled off his body.
Nyx's expression changed.
"Uh... guys?"
Auren glanced at him.
"What now?"
Nyx pointed at Darev.
"Remember how we were just trying to stop him from killing us?"
He swallowed.
"Well, I think we have a much bigger problem now."
Darev's entire body began to glow.
The light grew brighter with every passing second. His internal mechanisms rattled, his armor expanded under the pressure, and the temperature around him climbed at an alarming rate.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEP!
Warning signals echoed from inside his body.
Auren looked down at his readings.
His expression immediately turned serious.
"His temperature is rising too quickly..."
Kairon turned toward him.
"How high?"
Auren's mechanical fingers moved rapidly as he checked the readings.
"Too high. His internal systems are failing. If this continues, his entire body will explode!"
Nyx stared at Darev.
"Explode?"
He looked at the giant machine, then at his own liquid body.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
Auren suddenly noticed movement below.
His gaze dropped toward Darev's leg.
Raithasu was standing beside it, one hand resting against the giant machine's scorching surface.
Despite the heat, he appeared completely unfazed.
Auren's eyes widened.
"Raithasu..."
He looked at Kairon.
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS CAVE! NOW!"
Kairon didn't argue.
Both machines immediately launched themselves toward the laboratory entrance.
WHOOSH!
Auren shot upward using his mechanical propulsion system, while Kairon disappeared in a flash of speed.
But Nyx and Raithasu were still below.
Nyx looked from the escaping machines to Darev's glowing body.
"Hey! WAIT FOR ME!"
Before he could move, Darev's body reached its limit.
For a fraction of a second, everything became silent.
Then...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Darev exploded.
The blast swallowed the entire lower chamber in a sphere of blinding light and fire. The shock wave tore through the cave, obliterating broken pillars and hurling massive chunks of stone into the air.
The explosion was so powerful that even the surrounding laboratory shook violently.
The temperature soared beyond anything the chamber had been designed to withstand.
Metal structures began to warp.
Machines melted.
And the laboratory's specially engineered materials, capable of surviving temperatures as low as minus one hundred degrees Celsius, began to soften under the overwhelming heat.
KRRRRRRAAAACK!
The floor split apart.
Auren and Kairon barely escaped the blast zone, throwing themselves through the upper passage as a wall of fire surged behind them.
They landed hard in the upper laboratory.
CRASH!
For the next several minutes, the heat remained unbearable.
Neither dared to return below.
They could only wait as the flames slowly weakened and the temperature began to fall.
Eventually, the alarms quieted.
The blinding glow faded.
And the laboratory fell into an eerie silence.
Auren slowly stood up.
His armor was scorched, and several components on his mechanical arms had been damaged.
He looked toward the passage leading down.
"The temperature is finally returning to normal."
Kairon rubbed his injured shoulder.
"Great. So we survived the explosion."
He gave a tired laugh.
"Now tell me why I feel like we're about to discover something even worse."
Auren ignored the remark and checked the readings again.
"Something doesn't make sense."
"What?"
"The heat was strong enough to melt the laboratory's reinforced structures. The entire lower chamber should be nothing but molten debris."
Kairon looked down the passage.
"So?"
Auren turned toward him.
"So we need to see what remains."
Kairon stared at him.
"You're joking, right?"
"No."
Auren stepped toward the edge of the broken floor.
"We need to confirm whether Raithasu survived."
Kairon sighed.
"Of course we do. Why would anything ever be simple?"
Together, they jumped into the lower chamber.
WHOOSH!
They landed among the scorched remains of the cave.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The sight before them was almost impossible to comprehend.
The walls had been torn apart. The ground was covered in blackened rubble, and thick smoke drifted through the chamber.
Yet scattered across the ruins were countless pieces of gold, precious minerals, and ancient treasure.
They had survived.
Some of the metal surfaces had changed shape under the heat, but the treasures themselves remained remarkably intact.
Kairon slowly turned in a circle.
"What...?"
He walked toward a pile of gold and picked up a piece.
"This much heat, and the treasure is still here?"
He looked around in disbelief.
"Forget Raithasu for a second. What kind of place is this?"
Auren didn't answer.
His attention had shifted toward a movement behind them.
Something was gathering on the ground.
A dark liquid spread across the scorched stone, slowly pulling itself together. It thickened, rose, and began forming the shape of a humanoid body.
Auren turned fully.
His eyes widened.
"Oh, hell..."
Kairon followed his gaze.
The liquid mass continued to rise until a familiar figure stood before them.
Nyx.
His body was badly damaged, and his movements were sluggish, but he was alive.
Kairon stared at him.
"You're alive?!"
Nyx looked down at his own arms, flexed his fingers, and grimaced.
"Apparently."
He touched his shoulder.
"Although my entire body feels like it's been sitting inside an oven."
Kairon let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You actually survived that explosion!"
Nyx glared at him.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if nobody made me survive another one."
Auren looked around.
"Wait. Where's Sera?"
Nyx paused.
He glanced toward the passageways, then shrugged.
"No idea. Maybe she died in the blast."
Auren's expression tightened.
"She could have escaped before the explosion."
"Maybe." Nyx rolled his shoulder, wincing at the lingering pain. "Honestly, I don't care right now. My body is burning, and I need a minute."
Kairon gave him a mocking smile.
"At least you're alive. That's more than we can say for Darev."
Nyx's expression darkened.
For once, he had no sarcastic reply.
Darev was gone.
The realization settled over them as they stood among the ruins.
Then a voice spoke from behind them.
"Looking for someone?"
All three froze.
The voice was calm.
Almost casual.
Yet every instinct inside them screamed that something was wrong.
Kairon's head turned first.
His eyes widened.
Raithasu stood several feet behind them.
His clothes were torn, and traces of blood remained on his skin, but his body had recovered almost completely. Flames flickered faintly around his arms, and his posture was steady.
He looked as though the explosion had never happened.
Auren stared at him.
"You're... alive?"
Raithasu tilted his head.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Kairon took a step backward.
"That's impossible. You were caught in the explosion!"
Raithasu looked at him without emotion.
"And yet, here I am."
Auren examined him carefully.
Then he noticed something.
Raithasu's eyes were not entirely normal. Although the injuries around them had improved, Sera's poison had not completely disappeared from his system.
His recovery was extraordinary, but it was not perfect.
Auren swallowed.
"How are you still standing?"
Raithasu's expression hardened.
"Because I haven't defeated my enemies yet."
He took a step forward.
"And I don't accept defeat before the fight is over."
Kairon clenched his fists.
"Listen to this guy! He can barely walk, and he's still talking about defeating us!"
Raithasu turned his gaze toward him.
"Then come closer and find out."
Kairon's face twisted with anger.
"That's it. I'm going to shut you up!"
Auren raised one hand.
"Kairon, wait. We need to—"
"SHUT UP!"
Kairon vanished.
FLASH!
He reappeared beside Raithasu, reaching for his neck.
But Raithasu shifted sideways.
Kairon's hand caught nothing but air.
Before Kairon could recover, Raithasu struck him with a side kick.
BAM!
Kairon flew sideways and crashed into a pile of broken stone.
CRASH!
Nyx's mouth fell open.
"Okay... that was fast."
Raithasu lowered his leg.
"And that was your warning."
Kairon pushed himself out of the rubble, his face twisted with fury.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Auren's mechanical fingers unfolded. Small metallic rods slid from his hands, each one aimed at Raithasu.
"Don't underestimate us!"
He launched the rods.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Raithasu barely moved.
The instant the projectiles entered his range, he activated his time-pause ability.
The world stopped.
The rods froze in midair.
Dust hung motionless.
Even the faint flicker of the remaining flames seemed suspended in place.
Raithasu walked between the frozen projectiles and glanced at Auren.
"Still relying on tricks?"
He released the pause.
The rods dropped harmlessly to the ground.
CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!
Auren's eyes widened.
"He stopped them in midair..."
Nyx immediately liquefied his lower body and surged toward Raithasu, transforming his arms into thick, whip-like tendrils.
"Let's see you dodge this!"
The tendrils wrapped around Raithasu's torso.
Nyx grinned.
"Got you!"
His body began transforming into a foamy, corrosive substance that clung to Raithasu's skin like acid.
SSSSSSSS!
Raithasu's expression tightened as the substance began eating into the outer layer of his body.
Pain shot through his nerves.
"Argh!"
Nyx laughed.
"What's wrong? Not so invincible now, are you?"
Raithasu grabbed the tendrils wrapped around him and pulled.
Nyx's grin vanished.
"Wait. What are you—"
Raithasu twisted his body violently, breaking free of the hold and flinging Nyx across the chamber.
BANG!
Nyx crashed into a stone pillar, his liquid body splashing across the surface before slowly reforming.
Raithasu staggered a step, breathing heavily.
The corrosive attack had hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
His strength was returning, but his energy was far from unlimited. Using his time-pause ability had already consumed a considerable amount of it.
He looked at the three remaining enemies.
Auren.
Kairon.
Nyx.
Three opponents. Three different abilities.
His eyes narrowed.
I can't keep fighting all of them at once.
He remembered how Nyx had restrained his body, how Auren had attacked from a distance, and how Kairon had used his speed to strike before he could react.
If I want to win, I'll have to take them down one by one.
Raithasu turned toward Kairon.
"You're next."
Kairon cracked his knuckles.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
Raithasu's flames rose around his arms.
"No."
He clenched his fists.
"Now come and prove that your speed is worth something."
Kairon disappeared.
FLASH!
Raithasu turned, but Kairon was already behind him.
A hand clamped around Raithasu's neck.
"Too slow!"
Kairon spun and hurled him across the chamber.
BOOM!
Raithasu struck the ground, rolled over broken stone, and forced himself back onto his feet.
Kairon was already moving again.
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
He attacked from every direction.
A punch struck Raithasu's ribs.
THUD!
A kick slammed into his shoulder.
BAM!
Another strike caught him across the back.
Raithasu attempted to block, but Kairon's speed made it difficult to track his movements. Each time he turned toward one attack, another came from somewhere else.
BAM! CRACK! THUD!
Raithasu gritted his teeth.
He couldn't keep up.
Kairon was moving faster than before, burning through the last of his energy to push his ability beyond its normal limits.
Raithasu raised his arms and shifted into close combat.
For the first time, he stopped trying to predict every movement and began fighting on instinct.
Kairon threw a punch.
Raithasu blocked it.
CLACK!
Raithasu countered with a strike to Kairon's chest.
Kairon twisted aside and drove a knee toward his stomach.
Raithasu caught the attack with his forearm, then retaliated with an elbow strike.
THUD!
Kairon stumbled.
Raithasu advanced.
Punches and kicks flew between them in rapid succession.
BAM! CRACK! WHAM!
Some attacks landed cleanly. Others were blocked at the last moment. Every collision sent sharp echoes through the ruined cave.
For a brief moment, neither fighter gained the advantage.
Then Kairon jumped backward.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. His movements had become less precise, and his breathing was growing heavier.
Raithasu noticed immediately.
He's nearly out of energy.
Kairon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"You think... this is over?"
Raithasu said nothing.
Kairon lowered his stance.
"Then let me show you my real speed!"
The energy around his body surged.
VMMMMM!
His outline began to blur.
For a moment, it looked as though his entire body had disappeared.
Raithasu's expression tightened.
He's pushing himself beyond his limit.
Kairon attacked.
Invisible blows struck Raithasu from different directions.
BAM! BAM! CRACK!
A punch slammed into his ribs.
Another struck his shoulder.
A third caught him in the side of the head.
Raithasu staggered.
He couldn't see Kairon's movements clearly enough to dodge every strike, and Sera's poison still clouded his vision.
Kairon pressed the advantage.
THUD! WHAM! BAM!
Raithasu was driven backward, his body accumulating fresh injuries.
Kairon appeared several feet away, breathing heavily.
His entire body trembled from the strain of maintaining his speed.
But he forced a grin.
"What's wrong, Raithasu? Can't keep up anymore?"
Raithasu slowly straightened.
His arms hung at his sides for a moment.
Blood trickled down his face.
Then he raised his head.
"You're fast."
Kairon smirked.
"Finally admitting it?"
Raithasu's expression remained cold.
"But you're making one mistake."
Kairon's smile faded.
"What mistake?"
Raithasu lowered his stance slightly.
"You're so focused on making sure I can't see you..."
His fingers slowly opened.
"...that you think I can't touch you."
Kairon's eyes narrowed.
"Enough talking!"
He vanished once more.
FLASH!
He circled around Raithasu, moving so quickly that even his shadow seemed to disappear.
Then he launched himself toward Raithasu's side, preparing another devastating punch.
He was certain Raithasu wouldn't see him coming.
But Raithasu didn't turn around.
He didn't chase the movement.
He simply waited.
At the final instant, his hand moved backward and pressed against Kairon's stomach.
Kairon's eyes widened.
"What—"
Raithasu's palm ignited.
A concentrated burst of energy formed between his hand and Kairon's body.
Raithasu leaned forward.
"Got you."
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion erupted at point-blank range.
A shock wave blasted through the chamber, sending dust and fragments of stone flying outward.
Kairon's body was thrown backward.
He struck the ground, bounced across the rubble, and finally came to a stop beside a shattered pillar.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then he tried to lift his head.
His arms trembled.
His body refused to respond.
The light in his eyes flickered as his remaining systems struggled to function.
"N-no..."
He attempted to rise once more.
But his strength was gone.
Kairon collapsed.
THUD.
He had been defeated.
Raithasu remained standing, his chest rising and falling with each exhausted breath.
The flames around his body had weakened, but they had not disappeared.
He looked toward Kairon.
"One down."
Then he slowly turned toward Auren and Nyx.
"Two left."
Nyx stared at the unconscious Kairon, then at Raithasu.
His expression changed from disbelief to anger.
"You little monster..."
He rose from the broken pillar, his liquid body rippling with agitation.
"Fine. If you're going to take us down one by one, then I'll be next."
His body spread across the ground, forming a dark, unstable pool.
The liquid began to bubble.
Raithasu narrowed his eyes.
Nyx's voice echoed through the ruined chamber.
"Let's see how you handle me when I stop playing around!"
Raithasu clenched his fists.
His energy was running low. His body was injured, his vision was still impaired, and two dangerous opponents remained.
But he didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
"Come on, then."
The flames around his hands flickered once more.
"I'm ready."
And as Nyx's liquid form began to rise, the next battle was about to begin.