Baran had vanished—no sound, no trace.
Narvik spun around, his breath echoing against the cavern walls.
"What?! Where did he go?! He was right beside me!"
His heart froze for a moment, and a chilling thought crawled up his spine:
This labyrinth… could it be sentient? Did it swallow him?
He didn't give himself time to think.
He sprinted through the tunnels, swallowed by the darkness.
His footsteps thundered, and loose stones fell from the ceiling at every turn.
After ten suffocating minutes, he gasped:
"These caves are massive… I'll never find Baran like this."
Then, suddenly—lightning stirred inside him.
His body trembled as a small spark detached from him, flying ahead like a living creature.
He stared in shock, then chased after it without hesitation, gripping his sword tightly.
The spark lit a path through the darkness.
But before he could take another step—
he disappeared.
He reappeared before a colossal gate carved into black stone, covered in twisting lines.
Six ancient words glowed upon its surface:
The Breaking North
The Dark South
The Falling East
The Silent West
The Upper Sky
The Lower Abyss
The words pulsed faintly—like a heartbeat.
Narvik felt the gate watching him… testing him.
He glanced at it briefly, then ignored it entirely. Baran was in danger.
The moment he stepped out of the passage, the world changed—
He was suddenly on the battlefield.
The ground trembled beneath him.
Dust filled the air.
Sparks exploded everywhere.
The golem moved like a living mountain, its fist falling like a meteor.
Opposite it, Diasu soared with massive wings, surrounded by a blazing aura.
Narvik didn't move.
One person stood before him—
Kiendo.
He stood confidently, a cold smile on his face.
"Finally… I found you."
He turned in one swift motion and charged toward Diasu—
but before he reached him, time froze.
The golem stopped.
Diasu stopped.
The entire arena was covered in a thin layer of ice.
Silence grew heavy—like the world had lost its pulse.
Then a massive voice echoed from deep within Narvik:
"Skill Transformation."
Power erupted around him.
His hair grew until it brushed his feet.
It turned icy white with glowing blue streaks.
His eyes shimmered like frozen moons.
Wings made of phoenix feathers burst from his back—each feather glowing with icy light.
The ice that held the arena shattered into millions of sparkling fragments.
Kiendo lifted his gaze as Narvik rose above him.
Their eyes locked—
a silent duel written without words.
Meanwhile, the golem roared and closed in on Diasu.
Diasu raised his wings and shouted:
"Feather Blade Technique!"
Countless feathers shot from his wings, merging into seven colossal blades—each one a towering pillar of light.
The golem's massive fist smashed into them.
The impact shook the earth, light bursting like a waterfall.
Diasu commanded the blades backward, then shouted:
"Now!"
"Feather Blades—Launch!"
The blades pierced the golem's body at once.
Its stone cracked, but the creature did not fall.
Its eyes glowed red—brighter, deadlier.
It struck with sudden force.
Diasu couldn't dodge—
He was slammed into the wall, blood trailing from his mouth.
He rose weakly:
"It got stronger… but it won't last much longer."
Narvik charged at Kiendo, his sword coated in ice and lightning.
He leapt, aiming to slice Kiendo's arm clean off—
But Kiendo's arm turned to stone, blocking the strike.
Sparks exploded between them.
Kiendo smirked, striking at Narvik's chest—
but an ice barrier appeared just in time.
Narvik retreated.
Shapes of ice formed around him—spears, shards, bows—
then blasted toward Kiendo like a storm.
Kiendo planted his feet and opened his palms.
Between them, a small rock appeared… growing… expanding…
until it towered three times his size.
He roared and hurled it forward.
It smashed through one ice layer… then another…
until it reached Narvik—
and stopped right in front of his face.
Narvik didn't realize Kiendo had disappeared behind it—
Kiendo appeared suddenly, driving a devastating punch into his chest.
Diasu heard the crack of bone even from afar.
Narvik gasped and coughed blood.
Kiendo gave him no chance—
a barrage of blows shattered more of his body.
Kiendo grabbed Narvik's head and slammed him through the wall.
Stone exploded. Blood splattered.
He kept pushing—
each step grinding Narvik deeper into the ruins.
But Narvik—
through unbearable pain—came to.
He thrust his ice blade into Kiendo's shoulder.
Kiendo screamed, releasing him.
He staggered back, then seized Narvik by the waist—
and slammed him into the ground like a falling meteor.
Narvik didn't move.
He lay motionless, broken, unconscious.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
Kiendo stood over him, gripping his shoulder.
Narvik's icy sword was still embedded in his flesh.
When he tried to pull it free—
agony tore through him.
"Impossible…"
Blood poured from the wound—
but it wasn't normal blood.
The sword was draining him.
"This sword… it's sucking my blood dry!"
His hands trembled as he struggled.
Pain doubled with every attempt.
Finally—
the sword slid free.
Kiendo dropped to one knee, half his body drenched in blood.
"Damn it… is this sword cursed?
How can a single stab drain me this much…"
He threw the sword aside angrily and looked toward the battlefield.
The golem was on the verge of collapse.
Its cracked body barely holding together.
Diasu sat on the ground, exhausted and bleeding.
A victorious smile crept onto Kiendo's face.
He was ready to finish everything—
But suddenly—
black lightning wrapped around the golem.
It wasn't the golem calling it…
something else was controlling it.
The creature trembled violently.
Kiendo and Diasu exchanged a look—
fear and confusion.
Then—
Something crashed down from the sky.
It struck the golem, shattering it into pieces.
Dust rose like a war fog.
Kiendo froze.
A shadow stood within the haze.
Seconds passed.
The dust settled.
Baran stepped out.
He stood with a calm that felt destructive.
His eyes locked onto Narvik's broken body on the ground.
His expression trembled.
Rage filled every atom of him.
He whispered—quiet, yet the arena felt it:
"Skill Transformation."
A streak of black lightning cracked beneath his left eye, forming a living tattoo.
Two small horns emerged on his forehead—dense with dark energy.
In his right eye, a silver moon symbol glowed ominously.
All this—
before he even moved.
And in the next instant—
He vanished.
He appeared beside Kiendo.
Kiendo only realized it when Baran's kick struck like a spear.
He barely raised his arm to block.
He stumbled backward, shock flooding his face.
"Impossible…
That speed… I barely defended in time!"
Baran stared at him without emotion.
Inside, calculations raced like lightning:
"In my fight with Narvik… lightning split into two:
— Attack
— Defense
But now…"
A spark shone in his eye.
"I can merge lightning."
He continued:
**"Lightning now has three forms:
— Attack
— Defense
— Speed
If I put it all into speed, my attack weakens.
If I put it all into power, I slow down."**
He raised his hand as black lightning gathered—dense and violent.
A spear of darkness formed, sharp enough to tear through time.
Kiendo clenched his fists.
Baran's eyes told him who would strike first.
Then—
They charged.
The first impact wasn't heard—
it was felt.
They passed each other like twin bolts of lightning.
Baran appeared behind Kiendo, striking with nearly invisible speed.
Kiendo grabbed the spear—
for a moment—
but its heat nearly melted his arm.
He counterpunched—
but Baran disappeared.
He appeared behind him—
and unleashed a lightning strike directly into Kiendo's spine.
Kiendo flew, blood spraying behind him.
Before he hit the ground—
Baran appeared again.
One kick launched Kiendo like an arrow into the wall.
Stone collapsed. Dust exploded.
Kiendo emerged, bleeding, exhausted—
but standing.
His eyes locked onto Baran—
who stood in the center of the arena, waiting.