My arms stretched outward.
Perfectly aligned.
Two fingers pointed in opposite directions.
---
Still.
Precise.
---
On my left—
A dense mass of crimson energy gathered at my fingertip.
Compressed.
Condensed to its absolute limit.
---
It pulsed like a living heart.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
---
On my right—
Red lightning converged violently.
Forced into a single point.
---
It crackled.
Screamed.
Resisted.
---
Two forces.
Two natures.
---
Opposed.
---
Slowly—
I brought my hands together.
---
The moment they aligned—
The air distorted.
---
A low hum spread outward.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
---
Both energies fused—
Forming a rotating sphere between my palms.
---
Unstable.
Violent.
---
Alive.
---
I spread my hands slightly—
Holding it.
Containing it.
---
Then—
I bent my knees.
Grounded myself.
---
An electromagnetic field erupted outward.
Lightning spiraled—
Forming a cage.
---
No—
---
A domain.
---
The violent clash within stabilized.
---
Not calmed—
---
Dominated.
---
I pressed my palms inward.
---
The sphere shrank.
---
Denser.
Heavier.
---
More dangerous.
---
Space bent.
---
Light warped.
---
Even gravity…
---
Seemed to hesitate.
---
Preparation complete.
---
I lifted my gaze.
---
Across from me—
The avatar moved.
---
Its stance lowered.
Legs spread.
Arms extended.
---
One hand below.
One above.
---
Like the jaws of a beast—
Preparing to devour the world.
---
Behind it—
A phantom emerged.
---
A massive white tiger.
---
Majestic.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
---
Its claws mirrored the avatar's hands.
---
Energy gathered.
Compressed.
Forced together through raw power.
---
Its body trembled.
Veins bulged.
---
Slowly—
It drew its hands to its waist.
---
Between its palms—
A sphere formed.
---
Larger than mine.
---
Wild.
Unstable.
---
Blue lightning exploded outward—
Raging violently—
As it struggled to compress it further.
---
"BEAST ROAR!!!"
---
It thrust forward.
---
The phantom tiger roared.
---
ROOOAAARRR!!!
---
The attack surged toward me—
A massive blue tiger head tearing through space.
---
Ten meters.
---
Five.
---
Three—
---
I moved.
---
One final compression.
---
Then—
---
I pushed forward.
---
BOOM!!!
---
The two attacks met—
---
But—
---
There was no explosion.
---
No clash.
---
No resistance.
---
---
My sphere passed through it.
---
Like a star collapsing through mist.
---
The crimson lightning erupted—
Shredding.
Tearing.
---
Devouring.
---
The electromagnetic field pulsed violently—
Dragging everything inward.
---
Feeding.
---
Growing.
---
The avatar roared.
---
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
---
It poured in more power.
More force.
More will.
---
But it didn't matter.
---
The more it gave—
---
The stronger my attack became.
---
Faster.
Hungrier.
---
I stood still.
---
Arms crossing.
---
Watching.
---
Letting it feed.
---
For the first time—
---
The avatar hesitated.
---
Then—
It stopped.
---
Its attack vanished.
---
It changed stance instantly.
---
One hand forward.
One bracing it.
---
Energy condensed—
---
Not outside—
---
But within.
---
Its arm trembled violently.
---
Its body screamed.
---
Veins bulged.
Breathing shattered.
---
Its form flickered—
Between human…
And tiger.
---
"VOID… FINGER!!!"
---
Then—
---
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
---
Everything it had—
Poured into a single point.
---
A needle-thin beam—
Compressed beyond reason—
Shot forward.
---
Piercing.
Absolute.
---
Its body began to fade.
---
The energy sustaining it—
Burning away.
---
The beam struck my sphere—
---
For a moment—
---
Silence.
---
Then—
---
CRACKLING—!!!
---
The sphere reacted.
---
Violently.
---
The core destabilized—
---
Then—
---
Evolved.
---
The crimson vanished.
---
Replaced by pure lightning.
---
Wild.
Endless.
---
It was no longer a sphere.
---
It was—
---
A storm.
---
No—
---
A devouring abyss.
---
Everything bent toward it.
---
Pulled.
Consumed.
---
The beam resisted—
---
For a second.
---
Then—
---
It began to disappear.
---
Erased.
---
Devoured completely.
---
Like light falling into a black hole.
---
The avatar pushed more power—
---
But half its body had already faded.
---
It didn't matter.
---
Nothing did.
---
The storm surged forward—
Faster.
Unstoppable.
---
"…Goodbye."
---
I smiled.
---
Calm.
---
Clear.
---
Back to myself.
---
"Thanks for the fight."
---
---
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
---
The Devouring Thunder Core struck.
---
And everything—
---
Disappeared.
---
The explosion didn't expand.
---
It erased.
---
Space folded inward—
Then tore apart.
---
The training ground shattered like glass.
---
Walls vanished.
---
Metal melted.
---
Lightning devoured everything in its path.
---
For a split second—
---
Even silence was destroyed.
---
---
Then—
---
Caelion moved.
---
Not fast.
---
Not rushed.
---
But absolute.
---
His hand rose slightly.
---
And space itself bent.
---
A transparent barrier formed—
Not blocking—
---
But redirecting reality.
---
The explosion curved—
Split—
---
And was forced away from the spectators.
---
The trainees collapsed—
Some screaming.
Some frozen.
---
All of them—
---
Alive.
---
Barely.
---
Without him—
---
They would have been erased.
---
---
At the center—
---
The avatar was gone.
---
Completely.
---
Only fragments of blue lightning remained—
Before fading.
---
A small spark—
Returned to Caelion.
---
Weak.
---
Less than a fraction of what it was.
---
The rest—
---
Consumed.
---
---
The aftermath—
---
Silence.
---
Absolute.
---
The training ground—
Gone.
---
The walls blown open—
Revealing the outside.
---
Smoke.
Lightning.
Destruction.
---
Everything destroyed—
---
Except two places.
---
Where I stood.
---
And where Caelion stood—
Protecting the others.
---
---
I exhaled slowly.
---
The last traces of lightning faded from my body.
---
Calm.
---
Still.
---
---
Across from me—
---
Caelion looked at me.
---
Not smiling.
---
Not amused.
---
---
For the first time—
---
His expression…
---
Was complicated.
---
Interest.
Shock.
Calculation.
---
And something deeper.
---
"…You…"
---
He paused.
---
As if choosing his words carefully.
---
"…That wasn't just power."
---
Silence.
---
Heavy.
---
"…That was authority."
---
---
Behind him—
---
The trainees stared.
---
Wide-eyed.
---
Shaking.
---
They had just witnessed—
---
Something they couldn't understand.
---
And barely survived it.
---
---
I said nothing.
---
Just looked at my hand.
---
Flexed my fingers slightly.
---
---
That power…
---
Still lingered.
---
Faint.
---
Waiting.
---
---
And deep inside—
---
Something answered.