The forest bent under an unnatural wind.
Trees swayed—not from weather, but from presence.
Something wrong was watching them.
The monster emerged slowly.
Not rushing.
Not hiding.
Just confident.
Its smile stretched too wide, as if it had already decided how the fight would end.
Then it moved.
Alluring speed.
Not just fast—but tempting, like the world itself wanted to follow its motion.
One swing.
The forest split.
Earth shattered beneath it in a cascading quake that rolled outward like a collapsing horizon.
Jhonathan stepped forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
"…Benevolent Blade."
His stance shifted.
Not aggressive.
Not defensive.
Balanced.
Patience Push.
The monster struck again.
Jhonathan didn't block with force.
He redirected impact.
Softly.
Precisely.
Like guiding a storm away instead of resisting it.
But the beast adapted instantly.
Its body reacted to damage with escalation.
Speed increased violently.
Jhonathan's ribs were cut open mid-movement.
Pain erupted through his body.
"…Tch…"
He staggered.
Blood hit the ground.
The monster roared—now faster, more unstable, more dangerous.
It surged forward—
and overwhelmed him.
Jhonathan fell.
Silence.
"…Phase Two…"
His hand moved slightly.
A faint glow returned.
Then—
everything stopped.
Not time.
Not space.
Intent.
Jhonathan stood again.
But differently.
His blade struck.
Two milliseconds.
That's all it took.
A single precise thrust.
Straight into the monster's chest.
Into its core.
Into its "star-corrupted contract heart."
The beast froze.
Its smile broke.
For the first time—
confusion.
Then it collapsed.
Death exhaled softly from the distance.
"…He has mastered it."
Arthur appeared behind him, watching the falling monster.
His expression… impressed.
"He is becoming strong enough," Arthur said quietly.
"…to face the gods alone."
A pause.
Then Arthur's tone shifted.
Serious.
"These are not natural beasts."
"They are failed contracts from other gods."
He glanced toward the horizon.
"They couldn't handle the stars they consumed."
"And now…"
A distant tremor shook the world.
"…Levincia is full of them."