The dimension trembled—
a hollow sound that echoed through endless planes as if reality itself were inhaling, preparing for the clash that would follow.
Lucien stood on one side of the battlefield, his coat fluttering in unseen wind, his gaze steady—eyes glowing faintly, not from rage, but calm intent. Across from him, Kaelix grinned like a predator, blue hair streaked with red, fingertips sparking with cascading metaphysical energy.
"Round two," Kaelix said, rotating his wrist as arcs of silver light danced off his palm. "No holding back this time?"
Lucien's faint smirk formed. "We're already beyond holding back."
Then—
silence fractured.
BOOM!
Kaelix disappeared, the space he stood in twisting violently before collapsing into nothingness. A breath later, his foot slammed into Lucien's ribs from behind, a shockwave shattering the air like glass. Lucien's body slid backward through the layered space—each ripple of his step shattering another plane beneath his feet.
He raised his arm mid-slide, catching Kaelix's heel with two fingers.
"Too predictable."
Kaelix twisted his body midair, energy blooming around him like molten threads of the metaphysical plane itself. "Predictable? Try unfolded!"
He clapped his hands together—
and the Dimensional Collapse Technique activated.
The entire pocket of space between them folded inward, bending light, thought, and existence. Every molecule screamed as the field tried to crush Lucien into singularity.
But Lucien's aura surged—void and creation intertwined. The faint hum of his power whispered like the first verse of a song sung by stars.
"Abyssal Counter Field."
The collapse reversed.
The same force that tried to crush him now expanded outward, devouring Kaelix's technique and reflecting it—warped and amplified.
Kaelix's eyes widened. "Oh, now that's nasty!"
He didn't dodge—he entered the collapsing sphere, grinning like a lunatic. His body twisted, dissolving into a streak of data-like blue and reforming behind Lucien, where he launched his next attack.
"Authority of Flux—Metacode Severance!"
Lines of glowing blue symbols etched across the sky, slicing through the structure of the dimension itself. Each cut ignored distance, time, and form—aimed at Lucien's core.
Lucien didn't move. His body blurred, not vanishing but outphasing, his outline rippling like smoke escaping a dream.
The blades passed through him harmlessly.
Then—
he raised a hand and spoke softly:
"Omni-Strike: Resonant Form."
From nowhere and everywhere, strikes rained.
Fists, palms, energy, intent—all at once.
Kaelix staggered backward as the blows hit from all directions—above, behind, within. His metaphysical barriers bent like silk against the weight of infinity.
Kaelix laughed through the barrage, eyes wild with thrill.
"Lucien, you beautiful bastard—this is what I wanted!"
He vanished mid-hit, reforming with his palm pressed to Lucien's chest.
"Pulse Nova!"
The impact was nuclear.
Light burst outward in a silent sphere, bending even Lucien's aura. Planes shattered in concentric rings; fragments of the void fell like shards of broken mirrors.
When the light faded, Lucien floated, a hand covering his chest, a faint scorch mark on his coat.
"You nearly burned my favorite outfit."
Kaelix laughed, brushing dust from his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll buy you a new one—if you survive this!"
He extended both arms. Symbols flared behind him—a halo of rotating metaphysical seals forming an Arcane Array of Ascension. From it, tendrils of condensed law-energy spiraled, each humming in different cosmic tones.
Lucien's gaze sharpened. His aura dimmed.
Then his wings unfolded—midnight-black with faint streaks of translucent white light flowing across them like nebulae.
"Alright then," he said, voice soft but carrying across the broken dimension, "no restraints."
Kaelix's grin faltered slightly. "You're joking—"
Lucien raised his hand.
The sky split.
Abyssal Singularity: "Crownless Domain."
Everything in a radius of eternity went still. Kaelix's seals froze mid-rotation, time held in place. The only thing that moved was Lucien—stepping forward, each motion cracking the frozen air like a slow thunder.
He raised his fist.
"You're fun to fight with," he murmured. "Let's not end this too soon."
Then he punched—
and the punch didn't land.
Instead, every version of that punch across infinite timelines collided at once.
Kaelix's eyes widened as the force hit him—not just physically but existentially. His entire being rattled, a billion fragments vibrating across timelines.
When the light finally broke—Kaelix was standing again, laughing, bleeding, aura burning wildly.
"You're insane… I love it!"
Lucien floated above, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve. "Glad we agree."
They vanished again—
colliding in bursts of light, darkness, silence, and sound.
Fist met fist, knee met jaw, wings clashed like blades. Every impact sent ripples that distorted the metaphysical horizon, sending waves of refracted light through the planet below.
Kaelix caught Lucien's arm, flipped him, and tried to slam him downward—but Lucien rotated midair, landing with his foot against Kaelix's shoulder, twisting him into the ground.
Dust rose. Cracks spread across Nax's upper atmosphere.
Kaelix pushed himself up, wiping blood from his lip. "Tell me something," he grinned. "When you hit me with that punch—how many versions of me did you erase?"
Lucien's smirk was faint, almost kind. "All except the one that mattered."
Kaelix burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "You—hah—you absolute monster!"
Lucien just tilted his head. "You started it."
They both stepped back at once—breathing steady, eyes locked, a silent mutual respect burning between them.
The others watching in the distance—Kaelitharion, the elder Althain, and several author candidates—were speechless. The sheer level of control in that battle was unreal. Not destruction for chaos's sake—artistry.
Lucien dusted off his gloves, tone casual. "Alright. Your move."
Kaelix grinned. "Fine. Let's turn the stage up a notch."
He snapped his fingers. The sky behind him shattered into layers of symbols, forming a storm of cascading mirrors reflecting infinite versions of them both.
"Authority of Reflection: Fractal Warfield."
Lucien smiled, eyes glinting with curiosity. "Now this will be entertaining."
They vanished again—
their next clash shaking even the metaphysical horizon,
the light of their battle illuminating the endless void of Nax.