The sky trembled as I steadied myself in the air, wind from Ashura's earlier attack still roaring past me like a storm. Sparks of divine and cursed energy flickered around my body as I looked up at the towering giant.
Ashura cracked his neck slowly. The middle head—Draguel—was still smiling like a lunatic who had finally found a worthy opponent.
"Oh?" the middle head rumbled with excitement. "You're thinking of using something stronger already?"
The left head narrowed its eyes, studying me carefully. "He's changing his aura… something is different."
The right head just roared with laughter. "GOOD! Stop holding back, little warrior! Entertain us!"
I let out a slow breath.
"…Alright," I muttered.
Golden light flickered faintly around my body, like embers slowly catching fire.
Mimir spoke quietly in my mind."Careful, lad. If you release too much at once, this entire region could collapse."
"Yeah, yeah," I replied under my breath. "I'll keep it contained."
Far behind me, the angels were still fighting the remaining giants. Blazing pillars of light crashed into the battlefield while massive shadows moved like living mountains.
Even so, several of them had paused, glancing in our direction.
They could feel it.
The air itself had started to change.
Ashura took one massive step forward, the ground splitting beneath his weight.
"Come on then," the middle head said eagerly. "Show me the power you're hiding."
I raised my hand slowly.
Energy gathered around my palm—not explosive like before, but dense… controlled. The light twisted into thin rings that rotated slowly, humming with pressure.
Ashura's left head frowned.
"That energy… it's not normal magic."
Mimir chuckled softly in my mind."Now he's noticing."
I clenched my fist.
The rings collapsed inward, compressing into a single glowing point.
Ashura's grin widened.
"Yes… YES!" the middle head roared. "That's what I wanted to see!"
Without another word, he lunged forward, his enormous fist cutting through the air like a falling mountain.
But this time—
I didn't dodge.
I stepped forward.
Our movements collided in the center of the ruined battlefield.
Ashura's fist came down with enough force to flatten a city.
My glowing hand met it head-on.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then a deep shockwave rippled outward, pushing clouds aside and shaking the ground for miles. Dust rose like a wall around us.
Behind us, several angels paused mid-battle again.
Even the giants hesitated.
When the dust cleared, Ashura's massive arm had stopped mid-strike.
Blocked.
My hand was still pressed against his stone-like knuckles.
Ashura blinked.
The middle head tilted slightly, eyes widening with surprise.
"…Now that," he said slowly, "is interesting."
I looked up at him calmly.
The light around my body flickered brighter.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
Golden light flared brighter around my body, sparks of energy dancing across my arms as I stepped forward through the pressure.
I looked straight into the middle head's burning eyes.
"I ACKNOWLEDGE THIS POWER OF YOURS," I said, my voice carrying clearly across the battlefield. "OUT OF ALL THE BEINGS I HAVE FOUGHT— OTHER THAN MY SIBLINGS—I VELSUN DECLARE THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST OF THEM ALL."
For a moment, the battlefield went quiet.
Then Ashura's middle head burst into booming laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Finally!" he roared, clearly delighted. "At last, someone who speaks honestly!"
The right head bared its teeth in savage excitement, while the left head watched with cold interest.
Ashura leaned forward, muscles tightening like coiled steel.
"Then come, warrior!" the middle head growled. "Show me if your strength matches those words!"
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then both of us moved.
The ground shattered beneath Ashura's feet as he charged forward like a living avalanche.
At the same instant, I launched toward him like a bolt of lightning.
The distance between us vanished in a heartbeat.
And when our fists met—
The sky split with thunder.
Ashura's massive arm shuddered as I pushed forward. The ground beneath his feet groaned, deep cracks spreading outward like lightning across the shattered plain.
For the first time since the fight began, the grin on the middle head faded into something sharper—focused.
"Oh?" Draguel murmured. "You've got more bite than I thought."
The right head snarled and swung the other arm toward me like a falling cliff.
I twisted my body, sliding past the strike as the air exploded from the force. The impact slammed into the ground behind me, throwing up pillars of stone and dust.
"Still too slow," I said quietly.
Ashura laughed—a booming, triple-voiced sound that shook the battlefield.
"Good! GOOD!" the middle head roared. "That's what I wanted!"
His left head narrowed its eyes again, studying every movement I made. "Careful. His energy is compressing. He's not just attacking—he's controlling the output."
"Tch," the right head spat. "Then crush him before he finishes!"
Ashura lunged forward again, his colossal form moving with terrifying speed for something that size. Each step split the ground, sending tremors racing across the battlefield.
I shot upward into the air just as his fist smashed through the place I'd been standing.
BOOOOM!
Chunks of rock the size of houses were thrown skyward.
From the corner of my eye I saw flashes of radiant light as the angels continued battling the remaining giants. Zalario's blade cut through the sky like a streak of silver, while pillars of divine energy rained down across the battlefield.
But even they kept glancing toward our fight.
Ashura leapt upward, his enormous body rising with surprising speed.
"You think you can escape upward?" the middle head laughed.
His right arm swung again, tearing through the air.
I raised my hand.
A thin barrier of golden energy formed in front of me.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered from the impact, but it slowed the strike just enough.
I slid back through the air, boots skimming across invisible currents of energy before stabilizing myself.
"Still testing him?" Mimir asked calmly in my mind.
"Yeah," I replied. "But he's stronger than I expected."
Ashura landed again with a thunderous crash.
The middle head tilted slightly, eyes burning with excitement.
"You're holding back," he said.
I shrugged lightly.
"Maybe."
The right head roared angrily. "Stop playing with him! Crush him already!"
But the left head spoke calmly.
"No… let him show it."
Ashura's three gazes locked onto me at once.
The pressure in the air doubled.
The clouds above began swirling in a massive vortex from the collision of our auras.
Ashura rolled his shoulders slowly, cracks running through the earth beneath him.
"Alright then, little warrior," the middle head said with a feral grin. "Let's stop warming up."
Dark crimson energy began gathering around his body, swirling like a violent storm.
Behind me, several angels froze mid-attack.
Even the remaining giants hesitated.
Zalario's voice carried across the battlefield.
"Velsun… he's raising his power."
I exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
Golden light flared brighter around my body, sparks of energy dancing across my arms.
Ashura leaned forward, muscles tightening like coiled steel.
"Show me," he growled.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then both of us moved.
The ground shattered beneath Ashura's feet as he charged forward like a living avalanche.
At the same instant, I launched toward him like a bolt of lightning.
The distance between us vanished in a heartbeat.
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