Blood dripped
Not fast.
Not violently.
But with a slow, steady rhythm that felt almost deliberate.
A drop slid down Ryuji's arm, tracing the faint lines of his trembling muscles before falling.
Another followed.
Then another.
Each one struck the stone floor with a faint, hollow sound.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
In the suffocating silence of the chamber, it echoed louder than it should have.
Like time itself was counting down.
Ryuji's fingers twitched.
His grip weakened.
He could feel it.
The subtle loss of control.
The disconnect.
As if his hands no longer fully belonged to him.
His breathing was uneven.
Too shallow.
Too strained.
Each inhale scraped against his throat, dry and burning.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
The poison had spread.
There was no denying it now.
But it wasn't pain.
Not the kind he was used to.
Not the sharp, clear agony of a wound.
This was different.
Something far worse.
A creeping exhaustion.
A slow decay.
As if something invisible was eating away at him from the inside.
Piece by piece.
Moment by moment.
His strength wasn't being taken.
It was… fading.
Quietly.
Like a flame running out of fuel.
And yet—
That wasn't what terrified him.
No.
His body failing?
That, he could accept.
That, he understood.
But this—
This pressure—
His eyes slowly lifted.
It felt heavy.
Even that simple action.
And then—
He saw him.
Marcellus.
Walking forward.
Step by step.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Each footstep echoed with terrifying clarity.
Not loud.
Not forceful.
But absolute.
Like nothing in the world could interrupt his advance.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Just certainty.
Cold.
Unshakable certainty.
Ryuji had fought monsters before.
Creatures that screamed.
Creatures that tore.
Creatures that overwhelmed through sheer numbers.
He had fought a golem—an unstoppable mass of destruction that crushed everything in its path.
And yet—
None of them—
None—
Had ever made him feel like this.
This suffocating pressure.
This invisible weight pressing down on his entire being.
It wasn't fear.
Not exactly.
It was something deeper.
Something more primal.
Like standing before something that simply could not be defeated.
— "…he's the real problem…"
The thought came without resistance.
Clear.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Not the poison.
Not the wounds.
Not the exhaustion.
Him.
Marcellus.
Before Ryuji could react—
He vanished.
Not fast.
Not blurred.
Just—
Gone.
And in the very next instant—
He was there.
Right in front of him.
Too close.
Far too close.
His blade was already descending.
A perfect vertical strike.
No wasted energy.
No hesitation.
Just pure intent.
To kill.
Time slowed.
Or maybe Ryuji's perception sharpened in that instant.
He didn't think.
There was no space for thought.
But his body—
Moved.
Barely.
He twisted.
Shifted.
Escaped the blade by the smallest margin.
The sword tore through the air beside him.
Then—
BOOM.
The impact shattered the ground.
Stone cracked violently.
Fragments exploded outward.
Dust surged into the air.
The sheer force of it rattled his bones.
But Marcellus didn't follow up.
Didn't press.
Didn't chase.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because he didn't need to.
He knew.
The poison was doing its work.
And Ryuji—
Was destroying himself.
Every movement cost him.
Every second drained him further.
Victory?
It was never on the table.
Ryuji was already losing.
So—
He smiled.
It wasn't pretty.
It wasn't confident.
It was tired.
Crooked.
Almost broken.
But it was real.
He forced his body upright.
His legs protested.
His balance wavered.
But he stood.
His fists rose.
Unsteady.
Imperfect.
But raised.
His eyes burned.
Still.
— "…come."
A whisper.
A challenge.
Or maybe just stubbornness refusing to die.
And then—
He charged.
No strategy.
No plan.
No calculation.
Just instinct.
Just will.
Just the desperate need to do something.
Marcellus watched.
For a brief moment, a faint hint of surprise crossed his expression.
Just a flicker.
Because he could already see it.
Every opening.
Every flaw.
Every mistake.
Ryuji's attack wasn't just reckless.
It was doomed.
Marcellus moved.
Once.
That was enough.
His blade flashed.
Fast.
Precise.
Aimed to end it cleanly.
But—
Ryuji slipped past it.
Barely.
A single step.
A breath's difference.
And suddenly—
He was inside.
Too close.
Too fast.
His hand shot out.
Grabbing Marcellus by the collar.
And then—
BAM.
His forehead slammed forward.
A brutal headbutt.
Raw.
Desperate.
The impact rang out sharply.
Marcellus stepped back.
One step.
Ryuji staggered as well.
Blood trickled down his face.
But—
He was smiling.
— "Take that…"
It was childish.
Petty.
Meaningless.
And yet—
It mattered.
To him.
But—
Marcellus slowly raised his head.
Calm.
Unbothered.
As if nothing had happened.
Their eyes met.
And in that instant—
Ryuji felt it.
A chill.
Cold.
Deep.
Absolute.
Then—
BOOM.
An invisible force exploded outward.
Ryuji's body was thrown back like a ragdoll.
He hit the ground hard.
Air left his lungs.
His body slid across the stone before coming to a stop.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Crushing.
He tried to move.
His arms shook.
Refused.
— "…damn…"
His vision blurred.
His body no longer responded.
And around him—
There were others.
Soldiers.
They had been there all along.
Watching.
Frozen.
Caught between fear and duty.
Unable to interfere.
Because this—
Was beyond them.
Then—
Marcellus stopped.
Completely.
And something changed.
The air shifted.
Pressure descended.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Invisible.
But undeniable.
His magic—
Was released.
The entire chamber reacted.
The soldiers staggered.
Some dropped instantly to their knees.
Others gasped, struggling to breathe.
Weapons slipped from trembling hands.
It felt like gravity itself had multiplied.
Like their bodies were being crushed from all sides.
Ryuji felt it more than anyone.
His body, already weakened, was pinned down completely.
Like a mountain pressing against him.
— "…give up."
Marcellus spoke.
Softly.
But his voice carried.
Heavy.
Absolute.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Yellow.
Cold.
Inhuman.
He raised his sword.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
— "Light Slash."
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Completely.
Then—
Light was born.
Blinding.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
A blade of pure energy formed at the edge of his sword.
It pulsed.
Vibrated.
Unstable.
Yet perfectly controlled.
And then—
It was released.
It tore through the air.
Straight toward Ryuji.
Too fast.
Too wide.
Too powerful.
Impossible to dodge.
The soldiers saw it.
Panic erupted.
— "MOVE—!"
— "GET DOWN—!"
But it was already too late.
IMPACT.
DOOOOOOM.
The explosion consumed everything.
Light swallowed the chamber whole.
The shockwave hit instantly.
The nearest soldiers were thrown violently through the air.
Their bodies slammed into walls with sickening force.
Some collapsed.
Others didn't move again.
The blast scorched the ground.
Cracked the walls.
Tore through everything in its path.
The torches flickered wildly before dimming.
The air burned.
The entire prison trembled.
A deep rumble echoed through the structure.
As if the world itself had reacted.
And then—
Slowly—
The light faded.
Dust filled the air.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
The aftermath revealed itself.
The floor—
Destroyed.
A massive crater carved into the stone.
Debris scattered everywhere.
Soldiers lay across the room.
Some groaning weakly.
Some completely still.
And at the center—
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
Just emptiness.
Ruin.
And silence.
A silence so deep it felt unnatural.
As if even the world itself refused to speak.
As if—
Something—
Had truly come to an end.