Suddenly, all of the high-class and low-class soldiers attacked at once. Magic spells illuminated the hangar in blinding flashes while blades and fists came from every direction. The air filled with killing intent as the entire army surged forward in perfect unison, leaving no visible path of escape and almost no room to dodge.
And just as it seemed like everything was about to end…
Something happened that even Lucius had not predicted.
All of the soldiers suddenly exploded.
Blood sprayed across the hangar walls and floor in a horrifying instant. Armor shattered, bodies ruptured, and the sound of synchronized detonations echoed like thunder. Everyone froze.
Even Lucius.
For the first time ever, his smile vanished.
It was Ren.
The king's eyes widened in pure shock. "Ren…? What…? Why did you kill those soldiers?! What is the meaning of this?!"
"These people are my prey," Ren replied calmly. "I will be the one to kill them."
"What? What are you—"
The king suddenly exploded as well, blood erupting outward in a gruesome burst that painted the ceiling red.
Ren slowly turned his gaze toward Lucius.
Lucius stood frozen, though he forced himself to appear composed. "H-hm… exploding your enemies' bodies? That's new."
Ren smirked faintly. "I simply created a concentrated sphere of gravity inside their bodies. The pressure crushed them from within."
Lucius swallowed. "I-I see."
"It's time for you to die as well," Ren said, raising his hand.
Before he could activate his ability, Anthony appeared in front of him and drove a brutal punch into Ren's head, launching him across the hangar floor in a violent skid that cracked the surface beneath him.
Lucius didn't hesitate. He ran.
"Killing us? You never give up, do you?" Anthony growled, his voice shaking with fury as he thought about Cosmic bleeding behind him.
"I don't," Ren replied with a small smile, extending his palm.
In an instant, invisible force wrapped around Anthony's body and hurled him into the wall. The impact shook the entire hangar as Anthony was pinned there, unable to move even a finger.
"I'd prefer not to overuse my power," Ren said, breathing slightly heavier than before. "So die quickly."
Anthony struggled but couldn't even speak.
Before Ren could finish him, Riley forced her trembling body to act and negated the gravitational pressure. The invisible force vanished, and Anthony dropped free.
Ren's eyes shifted toward her. "Hm… that girl will be troublesome. Best to eliminate her first."
Anthony didn't give him the chance.
He grabbed Ren by the collar and slammed him into the ground with overwhelming force, the floor shattering beneath them as cracks spread outward like a spider web. Without pause, Anthony raised his fist and roared, "HULK PUNCH!"
The blow landed cleanly. Ren's body sank into the crater, blood spraying from his mouth as shockwaves rippled across the hangar.
Ren lay there briefly, stunned. If I create another gravity sphere… my body won't handle it, he thought bitterly. I shouldn't have wasted it on those soldiers.
"We beat you once," Anthony said through clenched teeth. "This time, we'll kill you."
Ren scoffed weakly. "I was playing around on that spaceship. Did you truly think I used my full power? I could have crushed you from the inside."
Anthony answered with another punch, this time driving his fist into Ren's gut with such force that blood burst from Ren's mouth and the ground beneath them fractured even deeper.
Ren's eyes darkened.
The air suddenly became impossibly heavy.
Gravity intensified violently, slamming all four of them into the ground. Their bodies cracked the floor as if invisible mountains were pressing down on them.
Ren slowly stood up, brushing dust off his clothes while breathing harder than before. "That was annoying."
He smiled faintly. "Now then… who should I kill first?"
He looked at Riley. "Perhaps the girl—"
The pressure vanished again.
Ren clicked his tongue. "You can negate it even while being crushed?"
Using the opening, Adrian rushed forward and wrapped his arm around Ren's neck in a desperate chokehold.
Ren elbowed him sharply in the stomach, forcing Adrian to stagger back before delivering a swift kick that sent him sliding across the floor. "Foolish tricks won't work on me."
"My goal wasn't to hurt you," Adrian replied, steadying himself. "It was to distract you."
Ren's eyes widened slightly.
Anthony appeared behind him mid-air and roared, "METEOR PUNCH!"
The strike connected with devastating impact. Ren's body shot backward like a missile, crashing through the hangar wall and tearing a massive hole through reinforced steel. The explosion of debris shook the entire base. Bones cracked audibly inside Ren's body as he coughed up blood and forced himself back to his feet.
"To think mere weaklings would push me this far," Ren muttered coldly.
He raised his hand.
"Sword of Gravitational Pressure."
A glowing purple blade materialized in his grasp, humming with compressed force. The air around it distorted, and even standing near it made breathing harder.
Before Anthony could react, Ren vanished and reappeared beside him in a blur. A single slash cut across Anthony's side. Instantly, crushing force multiplied on his body, slamming him face-first into the ground and pinning him there as if the planet itself was sitting on his back.
"I'll warn you," Ren said calmly. "The deeper the wound, the stronger the gravitational pressure."
He deliberately held back from killing him.
He wanted Anthony conscious.
Adrian and Riley tried to move—but Ren appeared behind them in the same instant and slashed both of them lightly. Immediately, overwhelming pressure forced them to the ground, unable to lift even their heads.
Riley tried to negate it—but nothing happened.
She had reached her limit.
Ren slowly approached Cosmic, who was still bleeding heavily and barely conscious.
"Goodbye," Ren said softly, raising his sword.
The hangar fell silent.