As the entity finally decided to take action, it raised its hands—serene and graceful like flowing water—and made a clenching gesture in Kaleem's direction.
Sensing imminent danger, Kaleem dashed backward instinctively. The air itself seemed to constrict, and the surrounding mist and moisture coalesced into a translucent, hand-shaped silhouette—appearing right where he had just stood.
Using his tail as a springboard, Kaleem coiled and launched himself forward. His body spiraled like a falling star, closing the distance with the entity in an instant. The creature attempted to retreat, but Kaleem moved in a rolling motion, his tail following the intent of his body. With devastating force, it crashed down on the entity's torso.
The creature's liquid-like body was smashed violently—but before Kaleem could land safely, a massive tentacle erupted from the mist, far larger and thicker than the last. It struck him square in the face, sending him flying across the lake.
The entity's body, once splattered across the water, began to reform.
---
Elsewhere…
As the Silver Cresh received the emergency report, a Class-7 Execution Order was instantly issued. Three mystics that were stationed close to Blackwater Town were deployed immediately.
Clad in matching uniforms, each with the insignia of a viper coiled around a blade emblazoned across their backs, they raced toward the lake's entrance—two men, one woman. The man at the front, likely their captain, carried a sheathed katana at his waist. His movements were feather-light, each step crossing massive distances.
"Captain, you go ahead—we'll catch up!" shouted the woman, realizing they would only slow him down.
"Understood," the captain replied with calm finality, before accelerating into a blur.
---
Now…
Kaleem's body skidded violently across the water before crashing onto the rocky shore. His face was a ruin—his nose broken, blood leaking from his mouth, lips torn and bruised. Yet he stood, slowly, deliberately. A feral smile crossed his face.
"I've finally figured it out," he whispered, eyes alight with manic revelation. "It's condensation… it's mystery is tied to condensation, which means its entire being is tied to that lake"
Across the lake, the entity—now fully regenerated—locked eyes with him. Rage and confusion swirled in its transparent visage. It screeched in an alien tone, unintelligible and wet, as water-spears began forming in the air around it.
With a flick of its arm, they hurtled toward Kaleem.
He struck some down with his tail, deflected others with his claws—but they kept coming, relentless, pressing him without pause. Then came the final attack: a colossal hand, condensed from mist and pressure, formed directly above him and began to descend.
The pressure was immense. Kaleem's bones creaked. His instincts screamed. He couldn't dodge. He couldn't block.
His mind raced.
Then he remembered.
Although hesitation flickered in his heart, survival demanded action.
A crown of shimmering metal materialized above his head, hovering like a celestial halo—
[The Kingless Crown]
His anchor appeared above his head. He didn't care if he was ready. He was out of time.
"Select Sequence 1: The Magician!" he bellowed.
And then—
There was no "then."
Time folded in on itself. In the infinitesimal breath between life and death, his soul screened through unknowable planes and dimensions, as Doors of the Sequence opened up to him filled with mysteries both understandable and utterly alien.
Until he saw it.
One mystery.
The one he needed.
[Mystery of the Four Elements]
He seized it, rejecting the others.
As he raised his hand—
—the hand that sought to crush him dissipated into harmless mist.
Kaleem no longer wielded mere strength or technique. He was now a **conduit of Authority**. He felt it. Knew it. The Crown whispered the limit.
"Three minutes," he muttered.
An evil, almost joyous grin curled on his face. "That's more than enough."
The entity, sensing the shift, took a cautious drift backwards. It trembled with confusion—its prey suddenly had become a predator.
---
Kaleem began to rise.
[Sequence 1: Limited Authority – Flight]
Suspended in the air, his form radiated menace—like a god of punishment rather than mercy. His golden-red eyes burned with unnatural light.
"You had fun playing with me, right?" he said, tone calm—too calm.
The creature shrieked in panic, unleashing a flood of attacks.
Kaleem waved his hand. They vanished like steam.
He hovered above the frozen lake, calculating. Killing it would be too simple. Too kind.
With fingers twisting in symbolic gestures, he invoked freezing condensation, drawing on elemental mastery.
[Mystery of the Four Elements: Water]
The air grew frigid.
The lake solidified—ice stretching outward in all directions, trapping the creature's escape routes.
The entity thrashed, but the water had betrayed it.
Kaleem's arms rose. He performed a slow, precise motion—like wringing out a drenched cloth.
"Now," he spoke with divine finality.
[Strange Art: Wringing Curse of Still Waters]
Threads of water formed from the creature's own fluids, wrapping it in an ever-tightening cocoon.
The entity shrieked—
And then—
Boom.
It exploded, its liquid flesh freezing mid-eruption into a jagged statue of horror and beauty.
Kaleem floated in the air, victorious. His tail began to retract. His claws crumbled to dust. He was unraveling—but the battle was over.
Below him stretched a monument to victory: a frozen lake, radiating outward like shattered glass, a towering column of ice at its heart.
"Finally…" he exhaled.
His time expired.
The Crown flickered and vanished, slipping silently into his mindscape. Kaleem collapsed, unconscious, drifting into the snow-covered shoreline like a fallen god.
Moments later, the reinforcements arrived.
But they were too late.