Lucas's heart pounded as he watched Tyler's limp body collapse again, battered and broken. The sight filled him with dread—Tyler waking up only to be crushed once more was a nightmare Lucas couldn't bear to relive. Desperation clawed at him, but logic held him back. He didn't have the stats, the strength, or the skills to intervene in the chaotic fray. His mind raced for a plan, something, anything, to stop this madness.
Before he could act, Avi suddenly halted mid-step. The eerie glow around his body seemed to intensify, flickering with dark blue energy that pulsed like a living heartbeat. Without warning, he turned sharply, sprinting toward Tyler's unconscious form. In a motion so swift it was almost a blur, Avi kicked Tyler's body through the air like a doll, sending him flying across the hall toward Lucas and Caleb.
Lucas caught Tyler with a grunt, his eyes darting back to Avi. He opened his mouth to shout a question or demand an explanation, but his words caught in his throat.
The glow around Avi's body intensified, pulsating with a dark, bluish energy that seemed alive—writhing and coiling around him like a sentient storm. It grew brighter with every passing moment, a blinding beacon of raw, untamed power. The air grew heavy, charged with static, and the ground beneath Avi's feet began to crack, unable to bear the force radiating from him.
For a moment, Avi seemed almost otherworldly, his form indistinguishable from the energy engulfing him. It was impossible to tell where Avi ended and the glow began, as though he had become one with the devastating force surrounding him.
Ethan sneered, oblivious to the shift in atmosphere. "What's that supposed to b—?"
His voice was cut short.
With an almost imperceptible motion, Avi's daggers slashed downward in a vertical arc. It wasn't a complex attack, nor a flurry of strikes. It was a single, deliberate motion—clean and efficient. The room plunged into silence, a stillness so profound it felt unnatural, as though the world itself held its breath.
Then, the calamity struck.
A deafening boom shattered the quiet, accompanied by a shockwave that rippled outward from Avi. Almost half of Ethan's face and torso simply ceased to exist, disintegrated into nothingness as though erased by a divine hand. The impact wasn't limited to Ethan; the castle walls behind him erupted outward, stone and mortar exploding in every direction. The ceiling groaned as cracks spread like spiderwebs, and massive chunks of debris rained down.
The destruction didn't stop there. The force of the strike blasted through the outer wall of the castle, carving a gaping hole that revealed the starry expanse of the night sky beyond. The distant mountains, once a serene backdrop, now seemed jagged and menacing under the eerie glow of the moonlight spilling into the ruined hall. A cold, biting wind howled through the breach, carrying with it the dust and rubble of what had once been an imposing fortress.
The ground quaked beneath their feet, as if the very earth itself recoiled from the sheer intensity of the attack. Loose objects scattered across the room—tables, chairs, and banners—were sent flying, tumbling end over end like leaves in a hurricane. Even those standing far from the epicenter staggered, some falling to their knees under the weight of the pressure. The metallic tang of magic filled the air, mingling with the acrid scent of scorched stone.
Ethan crumpled to the ground, barely recognizable. The left side of his body was gone, reduced to charred remnants that struggled to regenerate. His once-confident aura was shattered, replaced by a primal fear etched into the remains of his face.
The spectators in the hall were frozen in place, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and terror. This wasn't just a display of strength—it was annihilation. The sheer magnitude of Avi's power left them paralyzed. Those who had aligned themselves with Ethan felt their courage drain away, their legs trembling until many collapsed where they stood. Some clutched at the floor, their fingers digging into the stone as though anchoring themselves to reality. Others sat slumped against the walls, eyes wide and blank, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
It was as if a natural disaster had taken human form.
The room reverberated with unspoken fear. They finally understood the truth about Avi. He wasn't merely a skilled fighter or a strong ally. He was something far more dangerous—a weapon, a walking catastrophe hidden in plain sight. Alex's unwavering faith in Avi now made sense. He wasn't just the core of their alliance—he was the one meant to end disasters like Ethan, no matter the cost.
Avi, however, stood unfazed by the destruction around him. His body swayed slightly, a faint tremor in his frame betraying his injuries, but the glow remained. His daggers hung loosely at his sides, still crackling with residual energy, and his eyes remained fixed on Ethan's broken form. There was no hesitation, no mercy, only an unrelenting focus on his target.
The room's survivors could only watch in stunned silence, a single thought echoing in their minds:
If this is what he's capable of, what could possibly stop him?
Avi, however, didn't stop.
Ethan, clutching what remained of his body as it slowly regenerated, staggered backward. His once-confident smirk twisted into a mask of fear. Memories of his earlier defeat resurfaced, the humiliation of being bested by Avi during the system tutorial. He had believed himself invincible then, too, stronger with grander skills and higher stats. And now? Now, his instincts screamed at him to flee.
A voice, cold and cruel, echoed in Ethan's mind.
"You have no use for me now. Pathetic."
Ethan's trembling grew worse. The sludge coursing through his veins began to evaporate, leaving cracks and fissures in his already broken form.
"No... wait!" Ethan whispered, his voice trembling.
The voice didn't listen. Instead, it laughed—a wicked, mocking sound—and vanished. The blackened sludge evaporated entirely, leaving Ethan weaker and more vulnerable than ever. His left arm stopped regenerating, halting at the elbow.
"Spare me!" Ethan's voice tore through the chaos, desperate and cracked with terror. He dropped to his knees, clutching at the jagged stump of his arm as though it could shield him from what was coming. "I'm sorry, Avi! It wasn't me! I wasn't in control!"
But Avi didn't stop. His steps were slow, deliberate, each one echoing through the fractured hall like the tolling of a death knell. The glow around him flared brighter with every step, pulsating with a furious, unrelenting energy. The air around him shimmered with heat, warping the space as if the hall itself was rejecting his presence. His daggers gleamed in the cold starlight streaming through the hole he'd carved into the castle wall, their edges crackling faintly with residual power.
Lucas's chest tightened, his breath coming in shallow gasps as realization struck him. Avi wasn't going to stop. Ethan's pleas meant nothing to him now. The man he knew—his sharp-tongued, sarcastic ally—was buried under the blackout state, a force that cared for nothing but destruction.
"Avi, no!" Lucas's voice cracked as he screamed, desperation ringing in every syllable. He staggered forward, his hands twitching with the urge to act, but he was powerless. A tactician with no combat prowess, he couldn't even hope to stand in Avi's path, let alone stop him. "It's over! You don't have to do this!"
Caleb didn't hesitate. Bloodied and barely standing, he threw himself forward, slamming into Avi with everything he had left. The impact barely made Avi stagger. Caleb gritted his teeth, wrapping his arms around Avi's waist to slow him down. "Stop, damn it!" he yelled, his voice thick with frustration and fear. "It's over, Avi! Ethan's done! You've already won!"
Others, equally battered and trembling with exhaustion, forced themselves to move. They grabbed at Avi's arms and shoulders, clinging to him like survivors clinging to a lifeline. Their grips were weak, their bodies trembling, but they didn't care. They piled onto him, trying to halt his relentless advance.
But Avi was a juggernaut. Injured and swaying, his body on the verge of collapse, he was still stronger than all of them combined. His glowing form radiated a suffocating intensity that made their efforts feel futile. They clawed at him, shouted his name, pleaded for him to stop, but his advance was inevitable—a slow, crushing tide that could not be turned.
"Stop, Avi!" Caleb's voice cracked, raw with emotion. His arms strained as he tried to pull Avi back, his fingers digging into the leather straps of Avi's armor. "He's done! We've won! Everyone's safe! You don't need to do this!"
Avi didn't falter. His eyes were locked on Ethan, hollow and unyielding, as though the man before him wasn't even human—just a target to eliminate. His daggers rose, their edges glinting like twin harbingers of death.
The tension was suffocating. Every inch Avi closed between himself and Ethan felt like an eternity, the moments stretching endlessly as the inevitable loomed closer.
Then, like a thunderclap in the storm, a small voice cut through the chaos.
"Big bro!"
Everyone froze. A collective gasp rippled through the room as Ellie's tiny frame appeared in Avi's path. She wasn't running—her steps were measured, trembling but deliberate. Her arms stretched wide as she stepped in front of Ethan's crumpled form. Her face was pale, her lips quivering, but her eyes—squeezed shut against the sight of Avi's daggers—held a stubborn, desperate courage.
"Big bro, stop!" Ellie's voice trembled, but the words rang out with a clarity that silenced everything else. "Please… don't do this!"
Avi's daggers were already in motion. The glowing weapons descended with terrifying speed, their edges carving through the air, aimed straight for Ellie.
Time seemed to slow. Caleb and the others screamed, their voices raw with horror. Lucas's heart stopped as he stumbled forward, knowing he wouldn't make it in time. Even the onlookers, frozen in fear, couldn't tear their gazes away.
The daggers stopped.
Barely a breath away from Ellie's face, the glowing blades hovered in midair. Their edges shimmered with destructive energy, so close she could feel their heat against her skin. Trembling, Ellie cracked her eyes open, expecting pain, expecting anything—but the sight before her made her breath catch.
Avi's hands shook violently, his entire body trembling as if caught in an internal war. His glowing form flickered, the light dimming and flaring like a dying flame. His voice, hoarse and barely audible, broke the silence.
"I told you to stay outside, right? No snacks for you, little miss." he muttered, his tone almost casual, though his voice was strained. The glow around him faded rapidly, and his daggers clattered to the ground. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed forward. Caleb lunged, catching him just before he hit the floor.
The tension shattered, replaced by a deafening silence. Every eye in the room was fixed on Ellie, who stood frozen, staring at the now-unconscious Avi in Caleb's arms. Her small hands shook as she lowered them to her sides, tears pooling in her wide eyes.
Lucas exhaled a shaky breath, his legs buckling as he dropped to the floor. The sheer intensity of the moment hung heavy in the air, a weight that would take far longer to lift than it did to descend.