The man facing Ethan blinked, clearly stunned. It was obvious no one had ever hit him before, and his combat instincts were a mess. Ethan's slap technique didn't miss, and while the Coreborn stood there trying to process what had just happened, Ethan didn't give him time to recover. He pulled his arm back and swung again.
WHAM.
This time, Ethan put almost everything into it. The impact echoed through the cavern, low and heavy. The Coreborn duplicate, Ethan's own Energy Core given physical form, was launched through the air like a cannonball, spinning fully around before smashing headfirst into the cave wall.
Ethan hadn't held back. Whatever this thing used to be didn't matter anymore. It had grown its own consciousness and wanted to take his body. Mercy wasn't part of the equation.
"YOU HIT ME?!"
The Coreborn scrambled to his feet, his face twisted with rage. Behind him, the nine-tiered tower vibrated violently as waves of raw energy surged outward in all directions.
BOOM.
