The pressure didn't ease.
It intensified.
Kael could feel it now—
Not just from the enemy in front of him…
But from within.
His core pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Sharper.
"…Tch—!"
Pain shot through his chest.
Not enough to stop him.
But enough to remind him—
He wasn't in control.
"…You're pushing it too far," she warned.
Kael didn't respond.
Because he already knew.
The figure stepped forward again.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"…Your instability is increasing."
"…Your structure is degrading."
"…You will collapse."
Kael smirked faintly.
"…You talk too much."
The figure moved.
Faster than before.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Kael reacted—
But slower.
Just slightly.
And that—
Was enough.
The attack grazed him.
But unlike before—
It didn't just cut.
It erased.
A piece of his arm flickered—
Gone for a split second—
Then returned.
Unstable.
"…That's not good," Kael muttered.
"…No."
He stepped back.
Re-evaluating.
Because this fight—
Had changed.
Before—
It was about adapting.
Now—
It was about surviving long enough to adapt.
"…Alright…"
Kael steadied his breathing.
"…Let's not get erased."
The figure didn't pause.
Didn't hesitate.
It attacked again.
Precise.
Relentless.
Kael dodged—
Barely.
Shifted—
Countered—
But the gap was closing.
"…You're slowing down," the figure said.
"…You're getting predictable."
Kael clicked his tongue.
"…And you're getting annoying."
Another strike.
Another near miss.
Kael's movements weren't as clean now.
Not as sharp.
The core pulsed again.
Stronger.
Pain followed.
Worse.
"…You can't keep this up," she said.
"…Then I'll end it faster."
"…That's not how this works."
"…It is today."
Kael stopped retreating.
Just for a moment.
The figure noticed instantly.
"…You've given up optimal movement."
"…Yeah."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Because I'm done playing safe."
The air shifted.
Not around them—
Around him.
The core pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It surged.
"…Kael—!"
Too late.
He didn't suppress it this time.
Didn't control it.
Didn't limit it.
He let it go.
The world slowed.
Not just mentally.
Physically.
The figure's movement—
Clear.
Every detail.
Every intention.
Every outcome.
Kael saw it all.
"…So this is what you were hiding…"
His voice was quieter now.
Colder.
Sharper.
The figure attacked.
Perfect.
Unavoidable.
But not anymore.
Kael moved.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
Just—
Ahead.
He stepped into the attack—
Before it fully formed.
Redirected it—
Before it completed.
And struck—
Before it could react.
The figure froze.
"…Prediction… exceeded…"
Kael didn't stop.
Another step.
Another strike.
Each movement—
Perfect.
Not learned.
Known.
"…This is it…"
He whispered.
"…This is what that memory was…"
Not power.
Understanding.
Absolute.
The figure staggered.
For the first time—
It was losing.
"…Threat level critical…"
"…Correction—"
Kael stepped in.
"…Too slow."
And struck.
The figure shattered.
Not erased.
Broken.
Its form collapsed—
Fragments dissolving into nothing.
Silence.
Complete.
Kael stood there.
Still.
Unmoving.
Then—
The world snapped back.
Time resumed.
The forest returned.
And the pain—
Hit.
"—GHK!"
Kael dropped to one knee.
His chest burned.
His body trembled.
"…You idiot…!"
She rushed to his side.
"…You forced it…"
"…Yeah…"
He laughed weakly.
"…That was… worth it…"
"…No, it wasn't."
"…We're alive, aren't we?"
"…Barely."
Kael tried to stand.
Failed.
"…Okay… maybe not that barely…"
But even as he joked—
His vision blurred.
The core pulsed again.
Weak this time.
But unstable.
"…What… did I just do…"
"…You crossed the limit."
"…And?"
Silence.
"…And now it will start taking something real."
That—
Wasn't good.
"…Define real…"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"…Not power."
A pause.
"…Not energy."
Her voice dropped.
"…Something you won't get back."
Silence.
Kael didn't respond.
Because deep down—
He already understood.
This wasn't about strength anymore.
This wasn't about growth.
This was about sacrifice.
And now—
The real cost—
Had begun.
Kael forced himself to stand.
Unsteady.
But upright.
"…Then I guess…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…I just have to make sure it's worth it."
Because if he was going to lose something—
Then the future he created—
Had to be worth more.
No matter what it took.
No matter what he lost.