But before Kael could fully draw the sword—
The one-eyed leader moved.
BOOM!
The floor beneath him cracked apart as he rushed forward with explosive speed, red aura erupting violently around his body.
In an instant, he was already in front of Kael.
"DIE—!"
His sword swung down with monstrous force, tearing through the air fast enough to leave a distorted trail behind it.
When the blade was just inches from Kael's head—
It stopped.
KRRRR—!
A violent shockwave exploded outward, shaking the entire sealed bar. Tables shattered, glass cracked, and the barrier walls rippled under the pressure.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
The one-eyed leader's eyes widened. "…What!?" he whispered.
His sword wasn't blocked by steel.
It was stopped by Kael's hand—firmly gripping his wrist, holding the arm that wielded the blade.
Kael stood there, expression unchanged, as if he had simply caught something falling.
The room fell into a stunned silence.
Kael didn't rush.
He simply tightened his grip for a brief moment—Then, with calm precision, he thrust the borrowed sword forward.
The movement was quiet, controlled… almost effortless.
The one-eyed leader's eyes widened as he clearly saw it coming.
Pain flashed across his face instantly.
But—No sound came out, no scream.
His pride, his ego, his status… all of it held his voice back in that split second, forcing him to endure the pain in silence.
The force of the strike pushed him backward, boots scraping violently across the floor as shock rippled through his body.
The entire bar fell into dead silence again.
Then—at the last moment—the one-eyed leader twisted his body violently.
He slipped free from Kael's grip.
Staggering backward, he created distance between them, boots dragging across the cracked floor as he regained balance.
"…Tch…" he coughed, hand pressing against the wound.
Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket, a small vial—glowing faintly with restorative energy.
He crushed the cork and drank it in one motion.
Gulp.
The liquid burned down his throat.
Instantly, a faint light spread through his body as the wound began to stabilize, flesh knitting slightly under the healing effect.
The one-eyed leader exhaled sharply, wiping blood from his mouth as his aura slowly steadied again.
"…Haa… that was close…" he muttered, eye narrowing as he stared at Kael.
Across the room, tension surged once more.
Kael's gaze shifted away from the one-eyed leader.
On the floor, he saw the old woman—still alive, barely breathing, weak and trembling.
Then his eyes moved back to the enemy.
At that moment—
"YOU IDIOT!" Runa shouted, clutching her injured ribs as she forced herself to stand. "He was going to die in your hands! Why did you let him go?!"
Kael didn't respond.
Instead, he slowly adjusted his grip on the borrowed sword.
For the first time, he raised it properly.
Two hands, pointing directly at the one-eyed leader, a simple stance. Unrefined. Straightforward.
Across the room, Runa froze slightly.
"…Huh—he's really using a sword?" she muttered under her breath. "But that stance… it's like a beginner… no, worse… like a kid holding a stick."
The one-eyed leader narrowed his eye, watching carefully now instead of rushing.
The atmosphere shifted again.
Kael stood still… but the pressure around him subtly changed.
Silence stretched between them.
Kael didn't move, only the tip of his sword pointed forward—steady, unwavering.
The one-eyed leader slowly straightened his posture, wiping the remaining blood from his lip.
"…A simple stance with many openings." he muttered, eye narrowing. "And yet… I feel something dangerous."
Runa gritted her teeth, still holding her ribs as she watched from the side.
"…Don't get cocky," she whispered. "That guy isn't normal either…"
The leader suddenly smirked again.
"Fine then…" he said softly, raising his sword once more. "Let's see what kind of are you really are."
In an instant—
He vanished from sight again.
The one-eyed leader and his men froze in shock.
"W-What…? Teleportation? No—speed?" the one-eyed leader whispered, his eye narrowing as he tried to track Kael's movement.
But there was no clear trace.
Then—
A sharp, tearing sound echoed through the room.
SHHK—!
Everyone's gaze snapped toward the source of the sound.
At the back of the room—Kael was already standing there, his sword was lowered slightly.
Behind him, one of the men slowly staggered… before collapsing, both arms cleanly severed and frozen mid-blood flow.
The room went dead silent.
"Hm…" Kael whispered to himself, still standing calmly as the severed enemy collapsed behind him.
"I can completely control my speed and strength."
His expression remained unchanged, as if he were simply testing a basic function rather than ending a fight.
Across the room, the atmosphere grew even heavier.
The one-eyed leader slowly turned his head, his eye widening slightly—not in fear, but in calculation.
"…So that's how is its." he muttered under his breath.
The one-eyed leader's gaze sharpened as he watched Kael stand calmly at the back of the room.
"…He was 'Transcension'…" he said slowly, voice low.
The words made the remaining men tense instantly.
Even Runa's eyes widened slightly despite her injuries.
The leader tightened his grip on his sword.
"…No wonder my attacks didn't feel right," he muttered. "He's not bound by normal physical limits anymore…"
The air in the sealed bar grew heavier again as the realization settled in—this wasn't a fight between levels anymore.
"Haha… at first we really didn't have a chance," one of the men laughed weakly, backing away.
The one-eyed leader didn't smile.
"…Shut up!" he said coldly, still watching Kael.
The laughing man swallowed hard and stepped back further, realizing too late the mood had shifted.
Kael remained still at the back of the room, sword lowered, eyes calm.
The one-eyed leader slowly raised his weapon again.
"…Everyone," he said quietly, "don't let your guard down. He's not finished yet."
The remaining men tensed, gripping their weapons tighter as killing intent filled the sealed bar once more.
"Although he's a Transcension…" the one-eyed leader said slowly, keeping his eye locked on Kael, "…he's newly awakened."
His grip on the sword tightened.
"He doesn't fully understand his own power yet."
The remaining men immediately steadied themselves after hearing those words, as if regaining hope.
The one-eyed leader slowly exhaled, red aura flickering around his body once more.
"…Which means," he said coldly, "he can still make mistakes."
Kael remained silent, holding the sword loosely in both hands.
Runa narrowed her eyes from the side, blood still dripping from her lip.
"…He's trying to calm his men down." she muttered quietly.
"…But a Transcension is on a completely different level." Runa whispered to herself, eyes fixed on Kael.
"Even if he's newly awakened…"
Her gaze shifted toward the one-eyed leader and the remaining men.
"…There's no chance for them to win."
Suddenly, the remaining men rushed forward all at once.
Some charged directly at Kael with swords and axes raised high—
While others stayed behind, throwing daggers toward him from multiple angles.
The sealed bar instantly erupted into chaos again as attacks closed in from every direction.
Kael moved calmly through the storm of attacks.
Clang! Clang! SHHK!
Every sword strike and flying dagger was effortlessly deflected, his movements precise and controlled without a single wasted motion.
The moment he redirected an attack—He countered instantly.
One man's sword was knocked aside before Kael's blade cut across his shoulder.
A thrown dagger was deflected mid-air, only for Kael to appear in front of its owner the next second.
SHHK!
The man collapsed before he could even react.
The relentless fight continued inside the sealed bar.
Steel clashed endlessly as the remaining men attacked from every direction, desperately trying to overwhelm Kael through numbers alone.
But Kael moved through them calmly.
Every strike aimed at him was redirected, avoided, or blocked with minimal movement.
And every defense became a counterattack.
The floor gradually stained with blood while shattered ice and broken weapons scattered across the room.
As the last of the charging men fell to the ground, the battlefield momentarily quieted.
At the far side of the room, the one-eyed leader stood behind Runa, his arm locked around her, blade pressed firmly against her neck.
"Don't move!" he shouted coldly. "Or I kill her!"
Runa's breathing hitched, her body stiffening as the sharp edge dug slightly into her skin.
The room fell into dead silence once again.
Kael stared at the one-eyed leader in silence.
Runa's breath shook as the blade pressed closer to her neck.
"…This idiot…" she whispered, trembling slightly. "…Don't tell me he's not going to save me… is he really that selfish?"
Her eyes dimmed. "I think this is my end…"
Then—
A second later.
SHHHK—!
A blade shot through the air at extreme speed, so fast it barely registered.
It passed so close to Runa's face that a strand of her hair was cut cleanly mid-air.
THUD!
The blade struck the one-eyed leader's shoulder with brutal force—
and pierced straight through, pinning him backward into the invisible barrier behind him.
Runa dropped to her knees, still shaken, breathing uneven.
Her hands trembled as she touched the air where the blade had passed moments ago.
"You bastard!" she shouted at Kael, voice cracking with anger and disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?! You almost killed me! I was only inches away from dying!"
Her glare snapped toward him, furious despite her injuries.
Kael stood calmly where he was, expression unchanged, as if nothing unusual had happened.
The one-eyed leader let out a weak, broken laugh.
"Hahaha… I'm so unlucky to fight a Transcension…" he coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. "To witness such power… is truly unmatched…"
His eye slowly shifted toward Kael, then toward Runa.
"But since I'm going to die anyway…"
His hand reached into his magic pocket, he pulled out a small bottle, inside it—glowing purple liquid pulsed like it was alive.
The moment Runa saw it—her eyes widened, her face turned pale in an instant.
"…N-no way…" she whispered, her breathing becoming unstable. "That's…!"
Her heart started pounding violently as she recognized the bottle's contents, fear replacing her anger immediately.
"That's a Nightmare Poison!"