The sound wasn't an explosion.
It was a rupture.
A thunderous crack tore through the chamber the instant Kaelen moved, the air itself buckling as Ryker realized—too late—that the distance between them had ceased to matter.
Ryker barely had time to register it.
Kaelen was already there.
Invisible pressure wrapped his body like layered armor, reality tightening around him as multiple skills overlapped seamlessly. There was no wasted motion. No flare. Just execution.
Ryker skidded backward from the impact, boots carving shallow trenches through obsidian stone. His eyes widened as he stabilized himself, staring at Kaelen like he'd just watched physics give up.
"…Do you have an endless pool of energy or something?" Ryker snarled. "Casting that many skills like it's nothing?"
Kaelen didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Ryker's crimson aura surged again, fury feeding his innate power as flames crawled up his blade. He activated Infernal Breaker, closing the gap in a blink, sword coming down in a brutal arc meant to cleave straight through Kaelen's chest.
The strike landed.
And bounced.
Unseen Aegis flared—silent, absolute—and Ryker was thrown back again, the force rattling his bones.
Ryker stared.
Kaelen hadn't moved.
Not a scratch. Not a scorch mark.
Grinding his teeth, Ryker activated Infernal Breaker again, forcing himself forward as he spoke, words spilling out like poison finally finding a voice.
"You want to know why I believe in strength?" he growled. "Before all this, I was nothing. Bottom of the family. No respect. No job. No future."
His sword slashed again, flames bursting as Crimson Devastation coated the blade. Kaelen sidestepped with minimal effort, the attack glancing harmlessly off his invisible defenses.
"I used to worship the rich. The powerful. The ones everyone called heroes," Ryker continued, voice cracking with rage. "I told myself I'd get there one day. Money. Power. Fame."
His attacks sped up.
Still nothing landed.
Then the world ended.
"And I was chosen," Ryker shouted. "I awakened! Me!"
His aura thickened, pressure building as his innate ability fed on his obsession. The stronger his emotions became, the stronger he grew.
This time, the blade connected.
Fire exploded outward on impact.
BOOM.
Kaelen was blasted backward several meters, dust and debris billowing up around him.
Ryker smiled.
Then the dust cleared.
Kaelen stood up calmly.
Unharmed.
Ryker's smile widened—not in relief, but excitement. Good. Knocking this guy down now was the right move. Letting him grow would've been a mistake.
Infernal Breaker activated again.
"Everyone I looked up to?" Ryker continued, rushing forward. "They're dead. Or working for me now. The world flipped, and suddenly I was on top."
Kaelen wove between strikes effortlessly, letting Unseen Aegis absorb what little made it through. Ryker's attacks grew faster, hotter, fueled by desperation masked as pride.
"They send me favors now," Ryker spat. "Their daughters. Their wives. Just to stay on my good side."
Kaelen stopped testing.
He spoke.
"That isn't strength," Kaelen said coldly. "That's cowardice."
Ryker froze for half a second—just long enough.
"I was weak once too," Kaelen continued. "Looked down on. Powerless. But when I awakened, I felt free. Not to dominate people—"
A weapon formed.
The QP Array partially deployed, a singular construct unfolding into existence. The Singularity Kusarigama snapped outward like living chains, wrapping Ryker's body in crushing coils of condensed gravity and void.
Ryker screamed.
"Aaaagh!"
His aura flared violently as Crimson Overlord's Aura surged to B+ intensity, muscles bulging grotesquely as he forced the chains apart with raw power. With a roar that shook the chamber, he shattered the construct and lunged again.
Kaelen met him head-on.
"Strength is responsibility," Kaelen said evenly. "That's why I came here. To stop a dungeon break. Not to play king."
Ryker roared back, sword blazing, his attacks relentless.
Kaelen exhaled.
Ten orbs formed around him—each no larger than a baseball, blackened spheres etched with faint silver veins, spinning slowly as compressed reality folded inward.
They moved.
Not rushed.
Not frantic.
They slammed into Ryker one by one, detonating on contact, concussive blasts rocking the chamber.
Ryker laughed through the explosions.
"Morals? Justice?" he bellowed. "Bullshit!"
Kaelen's expression hardened.
He thought a single command.
Silent Verdict: Detonate.
Ryker screamed.
He dropped to one knee, clutching empty space where his right arm had been a moment ago. Blood sprayed, his face contorted in disbelief.
"What did you do to me?!" he howled.
Kaelen rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.
"Don't," he said. "Just stop."
Ryker's aura deepened, madness burning in his eyes as he forced himself upright, gripping his sword with his remaining hand and charging again.
Kaelen didn't move.
Severance.
Ryker crashed face-first into the ground, his left leg tearing free mid-motion. He skidded across the stone, screaming, finally collapsing in a broken heap.
Panting. Bleeding. Broken.
He stared up at Kaelen, terror finally drowning his arrogance.
Kaelen looked down at him, eyes cold.
"Stand," he said quietly.
"Down."