Ivandoe tightened his grip on both the Sword of the Paradox and the Runes Blade. Despite the exhaustion from the previous battle, a determined smile appeared on his face.
Behind him, Narissa, Jax and Aria stood ready, their Hyperbooks glowing brightly.
Thantos watched them in silence before letting out a low, mocking laugh.
"So... you've chosen death."
Ivandoe stepped forward.
"No."
He raised both swords.
"We've chosen to fight."
Without another word, he charged.
Narissa followed close behind, summoning countless magical projectiles from her Pandora Hyperbook.
Jax slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Gravity Field!"
The space around Thantos distorted as gravity suddenly increased, slowing its movements.
At the same moment, Aria began playing a powerful melody through her Music Hyperbook. Invisible waves rippled across the battlefield, disrupting Thantos's concentration.
Thantos growled.
"You insignificant insects..."
Darkness exploded from its body.
Massive waves of dark energy swept across the battlefield.
Ivandoe leaped high into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack before bringing down the Sword of the Paradox in a swift slash.
Clang!
Thantos blocked it with a blade forged from pure darkness.
Narissa's projectiles struck moments later, forcing the Devourer to retreat several steps.
Jax increased the gravity once more.
"Now!"
Ivandoe seized the opportunity.
His Hyperbook suddenly projected a warning before him.
PARADOX SYSTEM
Synchronization Stable
Health: 78%
Energy: 70%
Mana: 72%
WARNING
Skill Available: DILATION
Side Effects
• Heavy Mana Consumption
• Muscle Fatigue
• Temporal Backlash
Ivandoe clenched his fists.
"If this is what it takes..."
He activated it.
"DILATION!"
Time itself distorted.
Everything around him slowed dramatically.
Even Thantos.
To Ivandoe...
The world had nearly stopped.
His breathing became steady.
His vision sharpened.
He vanished.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
The Sword of the Paradox and the Runes Blade moved together like flowing water, striking Thantos from every direction.
Narissa quickly understood what had happened.
She synchronized her attacks with Ivandoe's movements.
Jax compressed gravity around Thantos, making every dodge slower.
Aria's melody reached its peak, weakening the darkness surrounding the Devourer.
For the first time...
Thantos struggled to keep up.
When Dilation finally ended...
Time snapped back to normal.
Thantos staggered backward.
Dark cracks spread across its armor.
PARADOX ALERT
THANTOS STATUS
Health: 82%
Energy: 72%
Mana: 65%
Ivandoe dropped to one knee.
His breathing became heavy.
His muscles trembled violently.
"So... that's the backlash..."
His Hyperbook flashed again.
Health: 76%
Energy: 48%
Mana: 39%
Warning:
Temporal Strain Detected
Narissa quickly rushed to his side.
"You idiot... don't push yourself too hard."
Ivandoe smiled weakly.
"We finally hurt him."
Jax laughed.
"So the monster can bleed after all."
Aria nodded.
"He's not invincible."
Thantos slowly lifted its head.
Its glowing crimson eyes burned with fury.
"You..."
Darkness began swirling violently around its body.
"You dare wound me?"
Its aura exploded.
The entire chamber shook.
Columns of stone collapsed.
The light from the Keystone flickered wildly.
Without hesitation, Thantos launched another relentless assault.
Dark blades rained from every direction.
Ivandoe blocked with both swords while Narissa created barriers of magical energy.
Jax manipulated gravity to divert several attacks.
Aria's music disrupted the remaining projectiles.
Even so...
The team couldn't avoid every strike.
TEAM STATUS
Ivandoe
Health: 70%
Energy: 42%
Mana: 35%
Narissa
Health: 76%
Energy: 60%
Mana: 68%
Jax
Health: 72%
Energy: 63%
Mana: 61%
Aria
Health: 70%
Energy: 58%
Mana: 73%
Thantos laughed.
"You are exhausting yourselves."
"You cannot defeat eternity."
Ivandoe slowly stood once more.
His eyes drifted toward the Runes Blade.
"...Then evolve."
His Paradox Hyperbook answered.
Ancient runes ignited across the blade.
Blue.
Silver.
Crimson.
The weapon dissolved into thousands of glowing symbols before reforming in his hands.
Reality itself distorted around the new blade.
The chamber trembled.
The Hyperbook spoke.
WEAPON EVOLUTION COMPLETE
PARADOX REQUIEM
Ivandoe stared at the transformed weapon.
The blade radiated overwhelming power, as though space itself bent around its edge.
It no longer felt like he was holding a sword.
It felt...
Alive.
A surge of power coursed through his entire body.
His synchronization with the Paradox Hyperbook increased dramatically.
For the first time...
Thantos took a step backward.
"...Impossible."
The darkness surrounding him wavered.
"The Paradox..."
"...still exists?"
Ivandoe slowly raised Paradox Requiem.
Its blade shone brighter than the Keystone itself.
The Keystone suddenly responded.
A brilliant pillar of light erupted into the sky.
Every Hyperbook in the chamber resonated.
Ivandoe's vision blurred.
His Hyperbook flashed one final message.
PARADOX SYSTEM
Synchronization Threshold Reached
Compatibility Confirmed
Hidden Function Detected...
UNLOCKING...
"...What?"
The chamber exploded with blinding light.
Darkness and light collided.
And then—
Everything went white.