Silence dominated everything.
Not the kind of silence Karam had known before.
This one was different.
Controlled.
Frozen.
Paused.
Karam stood still.
Not because he wanted to—
But because he was written that way.
The Author watched him calmly.
"You're resisting even now."
Karam's fingers twitched slightly.
A small movement—
But impossible under normal conditions.
"...Of course I am."
The Author's eyes narrowed just a bit.
"You shouldn't be able to move."
Karam smirked faintly.
"You've been wrong before."
A crack appeared.
Not in space.
Not in reality.
In the narrative.
The invisible "pause" began to distort.
Karam's arm moved.
Slowly.
But clearly.
The Author stepped forward.
"Let's correct that."
He raised his hand.
And instantly—
Everything reset.
Karam found himself—
Standing in the same position.
Unmoving.
"...Again?"
The Author nodded.
"I rewrote the last few seconds."
Karam's eyes sharpened.
"So that's your trick."
"It's not a trick."
The Author replied calmly.
"It's control over sequence."
Silence.
Karam exhaled slowly.
"Then I just need to step outside the sequence."
The Author paused.
For the first time—
There was genuine interest in his expression.
"Try."
Karam closed his eyes.
Not focusing on power.
Not on strength.
But on something deeper.
"If he controls the story…"
His thoughts slowed.
"Then I'll stop being part of it."
A pulse spread through him.
Not explosive.
Not violent.
Silent.
And then—
Something broke.
Karam opened his eyes.
And moved.
Fully.
The Author's expression changed.
"...You stepped out."
Karam stretched his hand slightly.
"Feels different."
The "pause" was gone.
The "rewrite" didn't trigger.
For the first time—
Karam existed outside the Author's direct control.
The Author smiled faintly.
"So you reached that point."
Karam stepped forward.
"Now we can fight properly."
The Author raised his hand again.
And the world changed.
Suddenly—
Karam wasn't in the void anymore.
He stood in a battlefield.
Endless skies.
Broken land.
"New setting."
The Author said calmly.
"Let's see how you perform here."
Karam looked around.
"Still relying on your story?"
"Of course."
The Author pointed forward.
And instantly—
Enemies appeared.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
All different.
All powerful.
Karam smiled slightly.
"So this is your method."
"I write challenges."
The Author replied.
"You either overcome them…"
A pause.
"…or you end."
The army charged.
Karam didn't move.
For a moment—
He just stood there.
Then—
He raised his hand.
And the battlefield changed.
The ground stabilized.
The sky darkened.
The enemies—
Paused.
The Author's eyes widened slightly.
"You're interfering with the setting…"
Karam smirked.
"I told you."
He stepped forward.
"I'm not part of your story anymore."
The enemies shattered.
Not destroyed.
Deleted from relevance.
The battlefield collapsed.
Back to the void.
The Author looked at him carefully now.
Not as a character.
Not as a subject.
But as an equal.
"You're becoming a problem."
Karam laughed softly.
"Becoming?"
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
The Author stepped forward.
For the first time—
He prepared to fight directly.
"Then let's end this properly."
Karam stepped forward too.
Eyes glowing.
"I was waiting for that."
[End of Chapter 38 – Direct fight begins]