The air tightened.
Not like before.
Not wild. Not chaotic.
This was different.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Precise.
Wira's instincts screamed.
Danger.
The man in front of him wasn't like the creatures.
He wasn't leaking power.
He was containing it.
That alone made him more dangerous than anything Wira had faced tonight.
"…last warning," Ayu said quietly. "Don't underestimate him."
Wira didn't respond.
His eyes stayed locked on the man.
"Who are you?" Wira asked.
The man tilted his head slightly.
Like the question didn't matter.
"You've already crossed the threshold," he said. "Names are irrelevant now."
His grip on the blade tightened.
Symbols along its surface began to glow brighter—intricate carvings that pulsed like they were alive.
Ayu's voice dropped.
"…that's not just a weapon."
"I figured," Wira muttered.
The man took one step forward.
The ground beneath his foot cracked slightly.
Not from brute force—
From pressure.
Spiritual.
Condensed.
"You're unstable," the man continued, eyes fixed on Wira. "Newly awakened. Unregistered. Uncontrolled."
A pause.
"Dangerous."
Wira smirked faintly.
"You forgot 'good-looking'."
No reaction.
"…and classified for immediate removal."
The smile faded.
"Yeah," Wira said.
"Figured that part was coming."
The man vanished.
No warning.
No buildup.
Just—
Gone.
Wira's eyes widened—
He turned—
Too slow.
CLANG—!
The blade collided with his claws, sparks exploding from the impact.
But this wasn't like the creatures.
The force behind it—
Focused.
Dense.
Wira's arm shook.
"—ghh!"
The man didn't push harder.
He adjusted.
A slight twist of his wrist—
And the pressure shifted direction instantly.
Wira's defense broke.
The blade sliced across his shoulder.
Clean.
Precise.
Pain followed a split second later.
Sharp.
Burning.
Wira jumped back, gripping his shoulder.
"…tch."
The wound didn't just hurt—
It resisted healing.
Ayu's eyes narrowed.
"…that blade cuts spiritual flow."
"Meaning?" Wira asked through clenched teeth.
"It slows regeneration," she said.
"Of course it does."
The man stepped forward again.
Calm.
Unrushed.
"You rely too much on raw output," he said.
"Your control is inefficient."
Wira exhaled slowly.
"…you talk too much."
But he adjusted his stance.
Lower.
More grounded.
Watching.
Learning.
The man noticed.
A faint shift in his gaze.
"Adaptation," he said. "Good."
Then—
He attacked again.
Faster this time.
Not just speed—
Technique.
Every movement calculated.
Every strike layered.
Wira blocked one—
Missed the second—
Barely avoided the third.
The fourth grazed his side.
Too clean.
Too close.
"Damn it—" Wira growled.
He swung back—
Raw power.
Direct.
The man didn't block.
He stepped aside.
Minimal movement.
Efficient.
Wira's strike hit nothing but air—
And in that instant—
The man countered.
A sharp blow to Wira's ribs.
Followed by a kick that sent him sliding across the street.
Wira skidded to a stop, breathing heavier now.
"…okay," he muttered.
"You're annoying."
Ayu moved slightly closer to him.
"You can't beat him like this," she said.
"Yeah, I noticed."
Wira wiped blood from his lip.
His eyes flickered briefly—
Gold.
Brighter than before.
"…then we change the rules."
Ayu glanced at him.
"What are you—"
BOOM.
That presence inside him surged.
Stronger.
Closer.
Not just watching anymore.
Responding.
Wira's breathing slowed.
His posture shifted.
Not just instinct now.
Something else.
Alignment.
The man paused.
For the first time—
He hesitated.
"…that energy," he murmured.
Wira lifted his head.
His eyes—
Fully glowing now.
"…you said I'm inefficient," Wira said quietly.
"Let's test that."
A faint golden aura flickered around him again.
More stable this time.
More focused.
Not exploding outward—
Condensing inward.
Ayu's breath caught.
"…he's stabilizing mid-combat?"
The man's grip tightened on his blade.
"…impossible."
Wira stepped forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Each step cracked the ground slightly—not from chaos, but from contained pressure.
"Round two," Wira said.
Then—
He vanished.
Not faster.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
The man reacted instantly—
Blade up—
CLANG—!
But this time—
The impact was different.
He felt it.
The shift.
Wira didn't overpower him.
He matched him.
Exactly.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"…you're learning."
Wira smirked slightly.
"Yeah."
"Fast learner."
Their strikes collided again.
Faster now.
Tighter.
More precise.
The gap—
Closing.
Behind them, Ayu watched.
Silent.
Focused.
"…this is bad," she whispered.
Because this fight—
Was no longer one-sided.
And if Wira kept evolving like this—
He wouldn't just be a target anymore.
He'd become something else entirely.
Something even they—
Might not be able to control.