The moment of collision…
It wasn't merely a strike.
It was a clash between two powers that were never meant to meet. The air around them exploded violently, forming a pressure wave that forced Cain, Lyra, and Sern several steps back. The ground beneath Nir's feet cracked.
As for the man…
He remained standing.
Motionless.
"Interesting..."
He said, looking at his hand. Small black cracks were spreading across his skin, as if something were trying to devour him from within.
"So, you don't just absorb magic..."
He raised his eyes to him.
"...you corrupt it."
Nir did not answer.
But the void within him…
Was churning violently.
> "Kill him."
>
The man moved his hand slowly.
In the next moment…
Dozens of magic circles appeared behind him.
Fire.
Wind.
Spears of light.
Black chains.
All of them lunged at once.
But Nir…
Did not move.
Everything that approached him…
Vanished.
The fire was extinguished before it could touch him. The wind was shredded. The chains turned into black dust.
The spells were collapsing around him…
As if his very existence rejected them.
Lyra stared at him, her eyes wide.
For the first time…
He no longer looked like a student.
But like something else. Something that did not belong to this world.
"Stunning..."
The man muttered.
But despite that…
He was not afraid.
Rather…
He was delighted.
"But..."
He raised a finger.
"...what about this?"
Suddenly…
A small circle appeared beneath Cain's feet.
Then another beneath Lyra.
Then Sern.
Nir's eyes widened.
"No—"
The ground exploded.
Massive black chains erupted, coiling around their bodies with terrifying speed. Lyra screamed as the chains wrapped around her neck and arms. Cain tried to burn them away…
But for every one he broke…
Two more appeared.
"Magic doesn't work well when you're anxious..."
The man said calmly.
Then he looked at Nir.
"...And now?"
Silence.
"Can you nullify everything?"
He tightened the chains further. Blood began to seep from Cain's arm. Lyra's voice was choked. As for Sern…
He was trying to resist, but his face began to grow pale.
"Choose."
The man said.
"Either you save them..."
He smiled.
"...or you kill me."
Nir's fist trembled.
> "Leave them."
>
His voice came out low.
"Then come closer."
Nir moved.
One step.
Then another.
But this time…
The man was not attacking him. He was merely watching him. Studying him.
Until Nir stood directly before him.
"Good..."
The man whispered.
Then…
He placed his hand on Nir's chest.
At that same moment…
Nir felt something piercing his body.
A black energy.
Cold.
Searching for something inside him.
> "Found you..."
>
The man smiled.
But…
Suddenly.
He trembled.
His eyes widened.
Because something inside Nir…
Caught him.
Not by his hand.
Nor by his power.
But by that void.
The man tried to pull his hand away.
But he couldn't.
"What is this...?!"
For the first time…
Fear appeared in his voice.
The black cracks began to spread over his arm rapidly.
From his fingers…
To his shoulder.
"Stop!"
He screamed, trying to pull away.
But Nir…
Grabbed his wrist.
He slowly raised his head.
And his gray eyes…
Were terrifyingly cold.
"You were the one who approached."
Then…
He tightened his grip.
The man's scream tore through the air.
His entire arm…
Collapsed.
It didn't explode. It wasn't severed.
Rather…
It vanished.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
The man fell backward, clutching the spot where his arm used to be, his eyes filled with terror.
"Impossible..."
He was breathing raggedly.
"You... you erased it..."
The chains around the others vanished instantly. Lyra fell to her knees, gasping for air. Cain stared at Nir in silence. As for Sern…
He could no longer even hide his fear.
The man took a step back.
Then another.
And for the first time…
He wasn't looking at Nir as a target.
But…
As something to be fled from.
"Damn it..."
He whispered.
Then he raised his head, his eyes full of panic.
"...He's beginning to adapt faster than we anticipated."
In the next moment…
He vanished.
The silence returned.
But this time…
It wasn't peaceful.
Because everyone…
Was looking at Nir.
At his hand.
At the place where the man's arm had disappeared.
Then into his eyes.
Even Nir himself…
Was looking at his hand.
Because what he had just done…
Wasn't absorption.
And it wasn't destruction.
It was…
A total erasure.
And for the first time…
He felt afraid of himself.