The world went silent.
All sound—gone.
All motion—stilled.
Only one thing remained.
Jiang Chen's voice.
"Primordial Strike…"
The energy in his palm condensed beyond stability. Golden qi twisted with that darker, primal force—collapsing inward, compressing into something that shouldn't exist.
"…Core Break."
He moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
But absolute.
The distance between him and the Enforcer vanished.
And then—
He struck.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The arena exploded.
A pillar of light and darkness tore into the sky, ripping through clouds, shaking the very foundation of the Inner Clan grounds.
Stone disintegrated.
Air fractured.
Even space seemed to ripple outward from the impact point.
Everyone was thrown back.
Chen Yu crashed into the outer barrier, coughing violently.
"…What… was that…"
Han Wei shielded his face, barely standing.
"…That wasn't a strike…"
"…That was destruction."
Lin Xue's domain instinctively flared to protect herself—but even that cracked under the pressure.
Her eyes remained locked on the center.
"…Jiang Chen…"
Zhou Yan narrowed his gaze.
"…Did it land?"
At the heart of the explosion—
Two figures stood.
One… unmoving.
The other—
Falling.
Jiang Chen's body dropped from the smoke, crashing hard into the shattered arena floor.
His aura—
Gone.
Golden qi—
Extinguished.
The system flickered erratically:
[Core Override Terminated]
[Body Integrity: Critical]
[Emergency State Activated]
Blood spread beneath him.
His arm—
Cracked completely.
His breathing—
Barely there.
"…Too much…" Chen Yu whispered.
Lin Xue took a step forward—
Then stopped again.
Because the second figure still stood.
The Enforcer.
Smoke cleared slowly around him.
His chest—
Damaged.
A visible fracture ran across his torso where the strike had landed.
Fragments of dark armor-like energy fell away.
For the first time—
He looked… affected.
"…Significant damage received," he said.
But his voice—
Still steady.
Still cold.
"…But not sufficient."
A wave of dread swept across the arena.
Zhou Yan clenched his jaw.
"…Even that… wasn't enough?"
Han Wei staggered.
"…Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!"
The Enforcer stepped forward.
Each step—
Heavy.
Decisive.
Unstoppable.
"Target weakened," he said.
His gaze locked onto Jiang Chen's fallen body.
"Termination will proceed."
"No!" Chen Yu shouted, forcing himself forward despite his injuries.
But he couldn't reach him in time.
No one could.
Not Zhou Yan.
Not Lin Xue.
Even Luo Tian—
Didn't move.
He simply watched.
"…So this is your limit," he murmured.
The Enforcer raised his hand again.
Dark energy gathered—
Not rushed.
Not strained.
Certain.
Final.
Jiang Chen lay still.
The system flickered weakly:
[Warning…]
[User Condition: Dying]
Darkness crept into his vision.
So this… is it…?
His fingers twitched slightly.
Memories flickered.
Rebirth.
Power.
Struggle.
Every step he had taken—
Only to fall here?
No…
Something deep within him stirred again.
Not the system.
Not the override.
Something older.
Something that didn't accept defeat.
The system glitched violently:
[ERROR… ERROR…]
[Unknown Source Interference]
The Enforcer's attack—
Descended.
And then—
It stopped.
Mid-air.
Frozen.
A thin layer of frost spread across the Enforcer's arm.
Crackling.
Resisting.
Lin Xue stood there—
Hand raised.
Blood dripping from the corner of her lips.
"I said…"
Her voice trembled—
But didn't break.
"…you're not touching him."
Her aura surged.
Not controlled this time.
Not contained.
Explosive.
Her Frost Domain—
Expanded.
Wild.
Dangerous.
Beyond her limits.
Zhou Yan's eyes widened.
"…She's forcing it…"
Chen Yu clenched his fists.
"…She'll collapse at this rate…"
The Enforcer looked at the ice forming across his arm.
"…Interference detected."
He flexed—
CRACK!
The frost shattered instantly.
Lin Xue staggered.
Her domain—
Collapsing.
But she didn't fall.
She stepped forward again.
"I won't…"
Her vision blurred.
"…let you…"
Another surge of frost exploded outward—
Stronger than before.
Desperate.
Final.
"…take him."
The Enforcer raised his hand once more.
"Secondary target identified."
And then—
He struck.
BOOM!!!
The impact sent Lin Xue flying.
Her body crashed hard across the arena—
And didn't rise.
"LIN XUE!!" Chen Yu screamed.
Zhou Yan's composure cracked for the first time.
"…Damn it!"
The battlefield—
Falling apart.
One by one—
They were breaking.
And through it all—
Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open.
Something inside him—
Finally awakened.
Not rage.
Not desperation.
But something deeper.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
The system—
Went silent.
And a new voice—
Echoed within him.
"…So you finally reached the edge."
Jiang Chen's pupils—
Shifted.
"…Who… are you…"
The voice answered—
Calm.
Endless.
"I am what lies beyond your system."
The ground beneath Jiang Chen began to tremble.
"…And now…"
A pulse of primordial energy exploded outward—
"…you may borrow my power."
The Enforcer turned.
For the first time—
His expression shifted.
"…Unknown existence… confirmed."
Jiang Chen rose.
Slowly.
Broken body.
Shattered limits.
But something else—
Had taken hold.
And this time—
Even the Enforcer—
Did not move forward immediately.