The battlefield shifted again.
Golden light and endless darkness clashed violently, tearing through the quiet night. The ground beneath them cracked and sank, unable to withstand the constant collision of opposing forces.
Kael stood firm.
His breathing was heavier now.
His body strained.
But his eyes—
Sharper than ever.
⸻
The cloaked man stepped forward slowly.
His aura had changed.
It was no longer just cold—
It was consuming.
Dark tendrils spread outward from his body, twisting along the ground like living shadows.
"You've adapted faster than expected," he said calmly.
Kael didn't respond.
Because he was focused on something else.
Not the enemy.
But himself.
⸻
The Ring of the First Pulse began to glow.
Faint at first.
Then stronger.
Kael felt it.
A subtle connection.
Not forced.
But responding.
To him.
To the battle.
To the pressure.
The Origin Core pulsed in sync with the ring.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Perfect alignment.
Kael's energy changed.
Not more.
But clearer.
Sharper.
More precise than ever before.
⸻
The cloaked man noticed immediately.
"…So it's reacting."
His smile widened.
"Good."
His aura surged again.
Darkness thickened around him, swallowing the light.
"Then let's push it further."
He moved.
Faster than before.
His body flickered through space, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
Void energy gathered around his hands, distorting everything it touched.
Kael didn't panic.
Didn't rush.
He stood still.
Watching.
Feeling.
Listening.
⸻
The moment the man phased—
Kael moved.
Not before.
Not after.
Exactly at the transition.
Origin Flash.
Golden light cut through the darkness.
Kael appeared beside him—
And struck.
Origin Pulse — Refined.
BOOM!
The attack connected cleanly.
The cloaked man was forced back several steps.
For the first time—
His composure cracked.
"…Interesting."
Kael didn't stop.
He pressed forward.
Each movement precise.
Each strike timed perfectly.
He wasn't chasing the man anymore—
He was intercepting him.
Reading the pattern behind the void.
⸻
The two forces collided again.
But this time—
The balance had shifted.
Kael's strikes began landing more frequently.
Not overwhelming.
But consistent.
Controlled.
The cloaked man's body flickered as he retreated slightly.
His eyes narrowed.
"You're synchronizing…"
He looked at the ring.
"…with that artifact."
Kael said nothing.
But his aura answered.
Golden light intensified.
Not spreading wildly—
But condensing around him like a focused flame.
⸻
Behind them—
The chest reacted.
Violently.
The chains around it trembled.
The markings flared brightly.
A pulse of dark energy spread outward—
Stronger than before.
Everyone in the camp felt it.
Daren jumped to his feet.
"What the hell is happening?!"
Sera's eyes locked onto the wagon.
"…It's waking up."
⸻
Back on the battlefield—
Kael felt it too.
The pull.
Stronger.
Clearer.
The void inside the chest resonated with the one before him.
And—
With him.
Kael frowned slightly.
It's reacting to all of us…
The cloaked man laughed softly.
"You feel it, don't you?"
His aura surged again.
"Perfect."
He raised his hand.
Darkness gathered intensely.
"Then let's break it completely."
⸻
Kael's eyes sharpened instantly.
"No."
He moved.
Faster than ever.
Origin Flash — Limit Push.
He appeared directly in front of the man before the attack could release.
Golden energy condensed to its absolute limit.
Not expanding.
Not exploding.
But compressed into a single point.
The ring blazed.
The Origin Core pulsed violently.
Kael struck.
Origin Pulse — Resonance.
BOOM!
The impact exploded outward.
Golden and black energy collided violently.
The cloaked man was forced back—this time clearly.
His body slid across the ground, his aura flickering for a brief moment.
Silence fell.
For just a second.
⸻
Then—
The chest pulsed again.
Stronger.
Louder.
CRACK.
A faint sound echoed.
The chains around it trembled violently.
A thin fracture appeared on the surface of the seal.
Everyone froze.
⸻
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
That's bad.
Very bad.
The cloaked man saw it too.
And smiled.
"…It's beginning."
Kael stepped forward again.
His aura steady.
Firm.
"We're ending this now."
The man chuckled.
"We'll see."
But his stance had changed.
More cautious.
More serious.
Because now—
This wasn't just a fight.
It was a race.
Between stopping the seal—
Or breaking it.