The wind drifted slowly across the ruins.
Ash and smoke from the fires still lingered in the air.
In the distance, faint cracking sounds echoed from collapsing structures.
At the center of the battlefield,
Lucian and Dawolf stood facing each other.
No one spoke.
Even the distant gunfire began to fade.
Because everyone could feel it—
what came next was no longer a fight on an ordinary level.
Dawolf slowly rolled his shoulders.
After shedding his heavy armor,
he had become even more dangerous.
Muscles tightened gradually,
like a beast preparing to pounce.
On the other side,
Lucian simply stood there calmly.
The Azure sword in his hand emitted a quiet glow.
No flames.
No electricity.
Not even a visible surge of energy.
And yet its presence
seemed to slowly split the surrounding air apart.
Scope stood behind,
watching the sword seriously for the first time.
Even he
had never seen Lucian truly fight before.
And now, he finally understood.
That was not an ordinary energy weapon.
It was more like—
a fixed form of an ability.
The next second—
Boom!!!
The ground exploded.
Dawolf surged forward head-on.
Even faster than before.
The air let out a deep sonic crack.
Lucian finally raised his sword.
No extra movement.
Just a calm downward swing.
The next instant,
blade and fist collided head-on.
But—
no sound.
No metal clash.
No explosion.
Not even sparks.
The entire battlefield seemed to freeze for a moment.
Many pupils shrank at once.
Because the scene was utterly bizarre.
Dawolf's fist
had truly struck the Azure sword directly.
Yet the blade did not cut through the fist.
Nor did the fist knock the sword away.
At the point of contact,
it was as if two forces canceled each other out.
Silently.
The next second—
Boom!!!
The impact finally spread.
But it wasn't the sound of collision.
It was the vibration of air compressed by two opposing forces.
Lucian was pushed back violently,
his feet carving cracks across the ground.
Yet his posture remained steady.
Left hand gripping the hilt,
right hand pressed against the flat of the blade—
as if forcibly stabilizing the direction of force.
The azure glow began to intensify.
The once-quiet blade
grew brighter.
And as he slid backward,
Lucian kept adjusting—
like recalibrating something.
Dawolf slowly pulled back his fist,
his gaze fixed on the sword.
No confusion.
No surprise.
Because he knew exactly what had happened.
Structural Lock.
It was not merely physical enhancement.
It was—
structure fixation.
Bones.
Muscles.
Joints.
Even internal force distribution—
all locked into a stable state.
Unaffected by impact.
Unaffected by cutting.
In a sense,
his body itself
was already close to "indestructible."
That was why
the Azure sword could not truly cut him.
But likewise,
he could not destroy the sword through Structural Lock either.
Because that was not a physical object.
At least, not in the conventional sense.
At the moment of impact,
he could feel it—
his strike had landed,
yet it was like hitting an extremely stable structural layer.
Impossible to shatter.
Lucian was observing as well.
Because that exchange
had already confirmed enough.
Structural Lock was not "defense."
It was—
structure fixation.
Which meant
cutting itself lost meaning.
Unless
the output exceeded the structure's limit,
the Azure could not truly sever Dawolf.
Dawolf finally spoke again.
"Interesting."
His voice was low,
but serious for the first time.
Because it had been a long time
since anyone could confront him like this.
The next second—
Boom!!!
Dawolf charged again.
Faster than before.
His massive body shifted directions rapidly through the ruins,
no longer like a heavy warrior—
but like a giant hunting beast.
Lucian finally began to move.
Completely different from Bear.
No direct clashes.
More like flowing motion.
The blade kept redirecting,
deflecting force,
altering trajectories.
Each collision with a fist
remained silent.
Only the air trembled.
A strange scene—
violence within silence.
Boom!!!
Dawolf's elbow smashed downward.
Lucian gripped the hilt with one hand,
pressed the blade again with the other,
blocking horizontally.
The next instant—
a massive shockwave erupted.
Lucian was blasted backward again.
But mid-flight,
the azure light suddenly spread outward.
The air itself seemed dyed pale blue.
The next moment,
his body abruptly stopped—
as if fixed by some force.
Lucian lowered his gaze to the blade.
As if the adjustment was complete.
Scope suddenly realized—
Lucian hadn't been suppressed earlier.
He was testing.
Testing the stability range of Structural Lock.
And adjusting the Azure output accordingly.
Dawolf clearly realized it too.
Because the azure glow on the blade
had begun to change.
The once gentle light
became denser.
Even the surrounding air
showed slight distortion.
Dawolf lowered his stance slowly.
Muscles tightened further.
He had finally entered true combat mode.
Because he knew—
the boy before him
was nothing like the others.
Boom!!!
The ground shattered.
Dawolf charged again.
This time,
he grabbed a broken steel pillar nearby.
Hundreds of kilograms
swung with one hand.
The air itself tore.
The next second—
Lucian swung.
Slash.
Still no sound.
The steel pillar
split instantly.
The cut surface was terrifyingly smooth.
As if no resistance had ever existed.
The severed half
crashed into a building behind,
sending debris skyward.
But Dawolf didn't stop.
Because he had never expected ordinary steel
to block that blade.
His real objective
was simply to close the distance.
Boom!!!
His massive body crashed into close range.
A heavy punch slammed down.
And for the first time,
Lucian swung directly head-on.
Slash—
Still silent.
Dawolf raised his arm
and blocked it head-on.
Everyone held their breath.
The next moment—
fist and blade collided.
Still silent.
No blood.
No severing.
Only the air
shuddered violently.
The ground beneath Dawolf's feet
collapsed instantly.
Because even if the Azure sword
could not cut through Structural Lock,
it still released cutting force.
That force spread through the air,
tearing apart everything around it.
And Dawolf pushed forward against the blade,
like an immovable war machine.
Lucian's gaze shifted slightly.
Because this was the first time
someone had truly advanced against the Azure.
The next second—
Dawolf's other hand swung out.
Boom!!!
Lucian sidestepped.
But the building behind him
was shattered by the shockwave.
Lucian retreated with the motion.
The blade traced a half-circle.
The azure light suddenly compressed.
Then—
it fell.
Slash—
No explosion.
No roar.
Not even a visible trajectory.
Only a faint blue arc,
flying like wind.
Silently terrifying.
Dawolf's pupils shrank slightly.
His arms crossed instantly.
Structural Lock—fully engaged.
The next moment—
the azure slash struck head-on.
But—
still no wound.
No blood.
Not even torn fabric.
Because Structural Lock
still held his body intact.
The Azure could not truly sever him.
But the surrounding air—
suddenly twisted unnaturally.
The next second—
behind Dawolf,
boom.
A heavy sound echoed.
Everyone turned at once.
Then—
their pupils shrank.
Because behind him,
dozens of meters away,
an entire abandoned building
was slowly sliding apart.
Not an explosion.
Not a collapse.
But—
a clean cut.
The whole structure
split silently down the middle.
The surface was smooth like a mirror.
Then—
Rumble—!!!
The upper half finally slid down completely.
Dust surged into the sky.
Farther back,
abandoned vehicles,
steel fences,
even concrete barriers—
all split at once.
As if something
had pierced straight through the entire area.
The battlefield fell into complete silence.
Because everyone finally realized—
that slash
had not been blocked.
It had—
passed through.
Passed through Dawolf,
and continued beyond.
Only Structural Lock
held his body together,
preventing it from being cut apart.
Dawolf slowly lowered his arms.
For the first time,
his eyes truly changed.
Not fear.
But—
battle intent.
Because he had finally met
someone
who could face him head-on.