BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield erupted into a continuous barrage of close-combat exchanges.
Fists collided.
Elbows struck.
Knees tore through the air.
Every impact produced another explosion.
This Dragon wasn't simply powerful.
He knew how to use that power.
That was what made him dangerous.
His destructive Energy was immense, but more importantly, he possessed the skill and experience necessary to control it.
Combined with a body that was almost indestructible...
He was practically a perfect fighter.
No obvious weakness.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary Energy.
BOOM!!!
His fist passed inches from my head.
I twisted my body, allowing it to pass.
The pressure behind the punch tore apart everything several meters behind me.
I clicked my tongue.
Good thing I had made Prime Instinct my own.
Without it, I wouldn't be able to react to his movements properly.
And if I couldn't...
I'd already be in trouble.
But that was exactly what made this battle worthwhile.
BAM!!!
Another fist.
I blocked.
BAM!!!
Another.
I deflected it.
BAM!!!
A third.
I slipped beneath it.
I continued moving backward, allowing his attacks to pass around me.
He was fast.
Very fast.
But Prime Instinct allowed my body to react before my conscious mind could even process his movements.
Then—
I saw it.
An opening.
My eyes sharpened.
My right foot dug into the ground.
My fist pulled backward.
A phantom of a crimson Tiger appeared around my arm.
Its jaws opened.
ROOOOOAR!!!
I punched.
BAM!!!
My fist struck his chest with full force.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The air erupted in every direction.
The ground beneath us collapsed.
The Demon King was blasted backward.
His body traveled several hundred meters through the air before finally stopping.
He remained suspended several meters above the ground.
His scales were slightly reddened from our rapid exchange.
But there wasn't a single wound.
Neither of us had gained the upper hand.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Then—
A predatory smile slowly appeared on his face.
His eyes burned brighter.
The strange red split within his purple irises glowed like a blood-red galaxy.
He looked...
Excited.
"You are strong."
His voice carried across the ruined battlefield.
"Far stronger than I expected."
He slowly straightened his body.
"And you're skilled as well."
His grin widened.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Before this battle, I thought you were simply another annoying mindless beast."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now..."
He cracked his neck.
"I must confess..."
He crouched.
His muscles tightened.
Energy began compressing inside his body.
"You are calculating."
The pressure around him suddenly disappeared.
Not because his power had weakened.
Because he had compressed it completely into his body.
"You are chaotic..."
His eyes began glowing like stars.
"...yet you control that chaos perfectly."
His smile became wider.
"I have a lot to overcome if I want to win."
BOOOOOOM!!!
His Energy exploded for a moment before disappearing completely beneath his skin.
His presence became terrifyingly concentrated.
Then his predatory grin returned.
"Show me..."
His voice dropped.
"...what you can do."
BOOM!!!
I shot forward like an arrow.
Sonic rings formed around my body.
The distance between us disappeared in seconds.
BAM!!!
I caught his fist with the back of my hand.
Our eyes met.
I grinned.
"Challenge accepted."
I whispered the words just loudly enough for him to hear.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
His second fist shot toward my face.
I tilted my head.
It passed inches away.
My fist immediately followed.
He caught it.
BOOM!!!
His elbow came toward my ribs.
I blocked.
BAM!!!
My knee struck his abdomen.
He twisted.
BOOM!!!
His shoulder slammed into me.
I was sent backward.
I stopped myself in midair.
Then charged again.
BOOM!!!
Our fists collided.
BOOM!!!
Again.
BOOM!!!
Again.
The ground beneath us couldn't endure the pressure.
It collapsed.
Cracks spread through the barren land.
Dust rose into the sky.
Mountains in the distance began crumbling from the aftershocks.
We continued moving.
Fist.
Elbow.
Knee.
Kick.
Headbutt.
Every attack was answered.
Every opening was exploited.
Every mistake was immediately punished.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
We crossed the wasteland at terrifying speed.
Our battle expanded across hundreds of kilometers.
Distant mountains collapsed from the shockwaves.
The barren earth shattered beneath our feet.
The heavens trembled.
Yet neither of us stopped.
Our fists collided in the middle of the battlefield.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive shockwave erupted.
It tore across the land like a gigantic sonic attack.
Dust and broken stone were blasted into the distance.
I landed several meters away.
The Demon King did the same.
We stared at each other.
I had landed several attacks.
He had barely touched me.
But that didn't mean I had won.
Not even close.
My attacks left fist and kick marks across his body...
But the marks were superficial.
Dust.
Nothing more.
He simply brushed it away.
I looked down at myself.
I had a few bruises.
Nothing serious.
My eyes narrowed.
He was learning.
Fast.
Every exchange made him better.
If I became careless...
I could actually lose.
Then—
A wide smile appeared on my face.
Prime Instinct had created a strange situation.
I couldn't hurt him.
He couldn't hit me.
A perfect stalemate.
And that...
Made my blood boil.
This was what made a hunt worthwhile.
If the prey was too weak...
There was no excitement.
But when the prey was difficult...
When victory wasn't guaranteed...
When every exchange carried the possibility of death...
That was when the hunt became satisfying.
The hunger inside me grew stronger.
I wanted to devour him.
More.
And more.
And more.
My aura began leaking from my body.
BOOOOOOM!!!
An overwhelming wave of pressure spread outward.
Behind me, the phantom of a massive crimson Tiger appeared.
Its red stripes burned like flames.
Its eyes resembled twin galaxies filled with blood-red stars.
Its jaws opened toward the Demon King.
I stared at him.
"I won't transform."
My grin widened.
"Not yet."
BOOM!!!
I disappeared.
Hundreds of meters vanished between us.
BAM!!!
Our fists collided.
The ground beneath the point of impact collapsed into a bottomless crater.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave spread across the wasteland.
Distant mountains shook.
Some collapsed completely.
The heavens seemed to cry beneath the force of our battle.
Neither of us cared.
This was only the beginning.
---
Meanwhile — The Fortress
Far away from the battlefield...
The Celestial Guardian sat quietly inside his office.
His expression remained calm and composed.
A cup of tea rested between his fingers.
A mountain of documents covered the desk before him.
Yet beneath his serene expression...
There was a faint gleam of excitement in his eyes.
The ground shook.
He slowly raised his gaze.
His eyes glowed like galaxies.
As if he could see through the walls.
Through space.
Through reality itself.
He took another sip of tea.
Then calmly placed the cup down.
"Hmm."
A faint smile appeared.
He waved his hand.
WHOOSH!
The mountain of documents transformed into streams of Energy.
The Energy entered his forehead.
In an instant, the information was analyzed, understood, classified, and stored.
The documents themselves vanished.
Only to reappear exactly where they belonged.
He leaned back.
A satisfied sigh escaped him.
"Ah..."
He closed his eyes.
"This is life."
His smile became slightly wider.
"I suppose coming to the Realm of Inborn Divinity wasn't such a bad decision after all."
The Aeons were different from ordinary gods.
The beings of the lower universes had to struggle through countless realms, cultivate for countless years, comprehend Laws, survive tribulations, and eventually ascend toward godhood.
Aeons were born with what countless cultivators spent their entire lives pursuing.
They were born divine.
Born at the beginning of the road others spent eternity trying to reach.
Yet even they had to cultivate.
Even they had limits.
Even they had a peak to pursue.
And after countless eras of cultivation...
The Guardian had grown tired.
"Life can't be cultivation all the time."
He glanced toward his tea.
"Besides..."
His smile became peaceful.
"The food here is surprisingly good."
He had spent countless cycles cultivating.
Countless eras comprehending Laws.
Countless years following restrictions imposed by the higher realms.
Coming to the lower universe had finally allowed him to relax.
And the Chaotic Expanse had given him something even better.
Freedom.
He sighed happily.
"Coming here really was the right decision."
Then his expression suddenly changed.
A devilish smile appeared.
"I only wish that breach would open sooner."
His fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"I haven't stretched my limbs in far too long."
Then his expression became serious.
As an Aeon...
He had responsibilities.
He couldn't simply interfere with everything.
He had to remain neutral.
At least...
That was what he was supposed to do.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
"But..."
A strange smile appeared.
"...there are exceptions."
His gaze shifted toward the distant battlefield.
Toward Velzahar.
The true Pure One.
The original.
The existence whose very birth had become intertwined with the broken balance between Zeraphyx and Neraphyx.
The Guardian's smile disappeared.
His eyes became solemn.
I cannot let the Master's family fall.
The thought echoed through his mind.
That is why I am here.
His fingers tightened around the teacup.
I cannot risk the Master falling onto the dark path.
A brief silence followed.
Then his eyes returned to the distant battlefield.
A faint smile appeared again.
That is a duty I must not fail.
Far away...
Two monsters collided again.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire wasteland shook.
And the Guardian quietly watched.
Because whatever happened next...
Would determine far more than the outcome of a single battle.