―Shit! He's still alive!?
The light touch on his shoulder felt like ice water being poured directly into Rynan's veins. His assumption that Xhan had been properly disposed of crumbled in an instant as he whipped his head around, golden eyes widening in something that could only be described as desperate realization.
―This guy... he didn't just survive. He got STRONGER!
There was no hesitation in Xhan's movements, not even the briefest moment of uncertainty. His fist drove into Rynan's stomach with the force of a meteor impact, the blow connecting with a sickening thud that seemed to echo through both their bodies. The sheer power behind the strike sent Rynan hurtling forward at speeds that made his previous display look like a casual stroll.
―Holy crap, that actually hurt—
"Right now... I AM SUPERIOR TO THOU!" Xhan's voice boomed across the landscape as he spread his arms wide like some demented bird of prey, his face turned skyward in ecstatic satisfaction. The sight would have been laughable if not for the very real pain radiating through Rynan's core.
"But I AM NOT FINISHED WITH THOU!" The snap of Xhan's fingers was like the crack of reality itself breaking apart.
The world around them began to warp. Sounds distorted into incomprehensible noise, colors bled together and faded into gray nothing, and the very fabric of space seemed to fold in on itself. This wasn't teleportation—this bastard had moved the entire world just to reach him.
―WITHOUT THE OMNI-STATE... I WON'T BE ABLE TO FIGHT BACK!
The realization hit Rynan like a second punch to the gut. His trump card, his ace in the hole, was currently locked behind a cooldown that might as well have been an eternity in this situation.
"ALEXUS DANFRANSCI!" Xhan's scream carried the weight of divine authority as his face twisted into something that could generously be called a smile, though it looked more like the expression of a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
"BEHOLD! HAVE THE HONOR OF CLASHING WITH THE ALCRAN GOD'S MOST TRUSTED SERVANT!"
―I-I was fighting a god's servant this entire time!?
The information crashed through Rynan's consciousness like a avalanche of unwelcome revelations. No wonder the bastard wouldn't stay dead. No wonder he could manipulate reality itself with a casual finger snap.
―What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do!?!?!?!
Panic, raw and primal, began to claw its way up from his chest. This wasn't like the controlled violence he had unleashed earlier—this was survival, and he was woefully unprepared for it.
Without a choice, Rynan found himself forced into a life-threatening decision that would determine not just the outcome of this battle, but potentially his entire second chance at existence. The options spread before him like paths through hell itself:
Option one—break his limits and force the Omni-State to activate, shattering its sacred twenty-four-hour cooldown rule. The consequences could range from temporary weakness to complete power burnout, leaving him defenseless for who knew how long.
Option two—rely on magic, that barely-practiced art he had always treated as a backup plan. With his current skill level, his chances of victory were roughly 0.001%, and that was being optimistic.
―Damn it all to hell.
The seconds stretched like hours as Xhan's twisted smile grew wider, divine power radiating from him in waves that made the air itself feel heavy and oppressive. Soon, very soon, Rynan would have to choose.
And either choice might very well be his last.
...
...
...
"W-WH-WHAT..." The word escaped Xhan's lips like a dying breath as he collapsed backward, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud that seemed to echo his complete and utter disbelief. His eyes, once filled with divine confidence, now reflected nothing but pure, unadulterated terror.
Rynan had made his choice. Not the safe path of brute force, not the familiar comfort of his Omni-State—but magic. And not just any pedestrian magic that lesser beings might fumble with, but something far more dangerous: a personalized style that was uniquely, terrifyingly his own.
―This can't be happening. This isn't how this was supposed to go.
Xhan stood frozen in place, fear consuming every rational thought in his mind. The realization crashed over him like a tidal wave of inevitability—he was going to lose this battle. Not just a normal loss where he could retreat with dignity intact, but an overwhelming, one-sided defeat that would crush everything he believed about his own power.
―Omnipotence; Chance boost: 0.002%
The numbers materialized in reality itself, floating in the air like a cosmic scoreboard that spelled out his doom in precise, mathematical terms.
"H-HOW!? I'M SUPPOSED TO BE SUPERIOR!" The words tore from Xhan's throat in a voice that cracked with desperate denial.
"That is what you believe," Rynan's voice carried the calm certainty of someone stating an absolute truth, "not the fact."
The casual dismissal hit harder than any physical blow could have. This wasn't just defeat—this was being utterly, completely invalidated.
"Shall we start, servant of a lowly God?"
―Did he just... did he just call the Alcran God lowly?
"I WONT FORGIVE YOU!"
"Omni-Amplification." The words left Rynan's lips with the weight of a divine decree as he took his stance with fluid precision. The moment his feet touched the ground, the very earth responded to his presence, trembling and quaking under the sheer pressure of pure mana that radiated from his transformed body.
"THAT'S..." Xhan's voice died in his throat as understanding dawned.
―NOT THE FIGHTING STYLE FOR A MAGE!
The revelation was like being struck by lightning. Mages were supposed to stand back, cast spells from a distance, rely on magical barriers and elemental attacks. They weren't supposed to take combat stances like seasoned warriors. They certainly weren't supposed to make the earth itself shake with their mere presence.
―NO, FOCUS, XHAN. I HAVE TO DEFEAT HIM. I HAVE TO WIN THIS. I HAVE TO—
The thought was brutally cut short as Rynan exploded into motion, his body moving with speed that defied comprehension. His right fist was loaded with power that seemed to distort the air around it, ready to deliver an impact that would redefine the meaning of destruction.
―Shit shit shit SHIT!
Xhan leaped backward in a desperate attempt to evade the incoming devastation, his survival instincts finally overriding his wounded pride. But fate, it seemed, had other plans. His back collided with something solid and unforgiving—a wall made of stone that had materialized behind him like a trap springing shut.
―THIS BASTARD! HE PLANNED THIS! I'M GONNA GET PULVERIZED AT THIS RATE!
The realization came a split second too late. The heavy punch connected with a sound like thunder, shattering most of the bones in Xhan's face in a symphony of cracks and pops that would have made a chiropractor weep. The stone wall behind him spider-webbed with cracks from the sheer force transmitted through his body, chunks of rock falling like tears from a wounded giant.
But Rynan wasn't finished. Hell, he was barely getting started.
With fluid grace that belonged more to a dancer than a fighter, he pivoted on his heel, turning his back toward the crumpled form of his opponent. His leg rose high into the sky in a motion that was both beautiful and absolutely terrifying—an Axe Kick that carried the promise of finality.
But this wasn't just any ordinary Axe Kick. Light magic coursed through his limb like liquid starfire, amplifying its lethality and damage potential to levels that made his previous attacks look like gentle caresses.
―Holy crap, he's actually going to split me in half.
"HYERIO... AVA!" The incantation erupted from Rynan's lips like a battle cry from the gods themselves, each syllable dripping with power that made the very air around them hum with anticipation.
And in that moment, suspended between the earth and sky, Xhan finally understood the true depth of his miscalculation. He hadn't been fighting a desperate otherworlder at all.
He had been dancing with death itself.