The air cracked.
Riku dashed forward, boots barely skimming the rubble below. His Divine Avatar Ascended form glowed brighter than ever—a comet of blue and silver light—as he launched himself between the King and Queen.
The Queen was fast—her claws slashing out in rapid arcs, leaving streaks of violet Essence behind.
The King followed like a moving fortress, his molten fists shaking the earth with every punch.
Riku weaved through the chaos.
He ducked under a spinning strike, spun mid-air, flipped backwards, then twisted around the King's fist before it cratered a boulder behind him.
Their teamwork was brutal—centuries of perfecting combo assaults.
But Riku was different.
His feet moved like a whisper.
His body flowed like liquid energy.
His eyes didn't blink once.
Still, no matter how fast he was… they weren't ordinary.
A slash grazed his shoulder.
Another fist brushed past his ribs, cracking his outer layer of Essence armor.
He twisted again, trying to reposition—but the Queen caught him mid-dash. Her claws slashed forward, and a thin cut traced across Riku's cheek.
He skidded backward, boots grinding against the stone.
Blood trailed down the side of his face, glinting red in the blue light of his aura.
For a second, everything went quiet.
The Queen smirked. "You bleed after all."
The King cracked his knuckles. "He's fast, but not untouchable."
Riku stood tall, brushing his thumb across the cut.
He looked at the blood, then sighed.
"Finally," he muttered.
"I was starting to think you two were just all bark."
He clenched his fist. His aura pulsed like a beating heart.
Then he shot forward again.
This time faster.
This time harder.
A blur of motion.
He clashed with the Queen, their arms locking mid-air before he spun low, sweeping her off her feet and blasting her back with a palm strike to the chest.
The King appeared instantly, swinging from above—but Riku vanished.
Then appeared again behind him, landing a spinning roundhouse to the side of his head. The King staggered—but didn't fall.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted as all three collided again in a frenzy.
Back and forth.
Steel, claws, Essence.
Each blow shook the battlefield. Each dodge came within inches of death.
Riku wasn't winning.
But he wasn't losing either.
And deep down, they both started to realize—
He was still adjusting.