The battlefield fractured into stillness.
Sylviana's blade moved—
and time itself reacted.
For five seconds, everything froze.
Wind stopped.
Dust hung in place.
Even mana forgot how to flow.
Her strike completed.
Draco Jay's arm was severed cleanly.
A perfect cut through something that normally couldn't be touched.
But then—
Draco Jay smiled.
Not in pain.
Not in shock.
In approval.
"…Interesting."
He lifted his remaining hand slightly.
And touched space itself.
Shane appeared instantly.
Not arriving.
Replacing motion.
His hand stopped Sylviana mid-follow-through.
Just a single touch.
No force.
No violence.
Only absolute interruption.
"I ADMIT IT," Shane said calmly.
"All of you have made it this far."
The pressure in the air deepened.
Like the battlefield had become an audience chamber for something far larger.
Jhonathan staggered slightly.
His breathing was uneven.
His hands trembled.
"…Why am I afraid…?"
His voice cracked.
Anger and fear mixed in his chest.
"…I've fought gods… I've killed kings… I've survived everything…"
"…So why—why now…?"
The world darkened slightly.
And then—
a voice answered him.
The God of Benevolence.
"You are not afraid because you are weak."
A pause.
"You are afraid because you are human."
Jhonathan clenched his fist.
Tears formed briefly—but didn't fall.
"I chose you for a reason."
The voice softened.
"You are kind."
"You are courageous."
"And you are resilient."
A pause.
"…You are my reincarnation, Jhonathan."
Something shifted.
Not externally.
Internally.
Fear didn't vanish violently.
It dissolved.
Like it had never belonged there.
Jhonathan exhaled once.
Slow.
Steady.
Then lifted his head.
His eyes changed.
A deep red glow ignited within them.
"…I understand now."
He stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Not from force—
but from presence awakening.
Draco Jay raised an eyebrow.
"…Oh?"
Jhonathan moved.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
A single strike.
It passed through Draco Jay's unbreakable bone structure like it was never meant to exist.
Silence.
Then—
the bones shattered.
Not broken.
Erased from durability itself.
Draco Jay stumbled back for the first time.
"…That's new."
Jhonathan stood still.
His aura expanded violently.
The sky itself bent downward slightly under his pressure.
He spoke quietly.
"…Peak divinity."
The ground beneath them split outward in a massive circle.
The shockwave didn't just destroy terrain—
it divided the battlefield itself.
Half the world cracked like glass.
Even Draco Jay stopped smiling for a moment.
Jhonathan lifted his blade.
And the air around it screamed with power.
"…Let's end this."