Blinding flashes of light terrified the universe as the two clashed—thunderous detonations shattering laws that had existed since creation itself. Every collision bent time, every strike cracked space, the cosmos trembling like fragile glass beneath their fury.
Striver had only managed to breach Ultimate's mindscape, placing himself at a disadvantage. And yet—to Layla's disbelief, and even Ultimate's—he fought as though no chains bound him at all. If anything, it looked as though Ultimate was the one being forced back.
Dodging a vicious uppercut, Ultimate dropped low and swept Striver's legs. As Striver lost balance, a crushing blow struck his chest, launching him backward across fractured space.
"Ha… is it just me," Striver muttered as he vanished, reappearing beside Ultimate in a burst of light, "or have your punches gotten weaker?"
His hands ignited with blazing solar energy. The strike landed clean, sending Ultimate hurtling away as his body burned under the miniature star unleashed upon him.
Ultimate didn't answer.
He knew better. Speaking in a battle of death was a luxury for fools.
Cracking his knuckles, stretching his shoulders, he recreated the solar energy Striver had used—then layered it with black-hole density and radiant light, stacking forces that should never coexist.
He vanished.
A barrage followed.
Strike after strike crashed down, each one capable of erasing stars. Striver was driven backward, forced closer and closer to the last surviving galaxy.
That was when Layla acted.
From her position beyond the clash, she bent space and time to her will, stretching the distance between them and the fragile galaxy behind. Space elongated. Time slowed. Life—what little remained—was preserved.
Her focus was absolute. One mistake, one lapse, and reality itself would unravel beneath their power.
Both Striver and Ultimate felt the shift in the universe.
They continued fighting within the mindscape—yet their power leaked through, cracking the boundary between thought and reality, tearing at existence itself.
Ultimate's power rose… and rose again.
But so did Striver's.
Skill favored Ultimate.
Power favored Striver.
And Striver's power had no ceiling.
The difference soon became undeniable. Striver's punches began to draw pain from Ultimate—groans forced from his throat as shockwaves rippled through his form. Neither relied heavily on abilities anymore; this was raw combat.
Ultimate realized something terrifying.
He was no longer confident he could kill Striver.
But the mission… the mission still had to be completed.
Barely dodging a savage side kick, Ultimate raised his arms and blocked an incoming sun with his bare hands, space screaming around him. Gritting his teeth, he expanded his domain, pouring more energy into it.
Darkness thickened—not enough to suppress Striver, but enough to bend the battlefield.
"Ultimate… mindscape," he muttered.
The domain swelled, growing vast and unstable. Even Layla was forced back, a chill running through her as she sensed the pull. If she moved closer, she would be swallowed whole.
The space she had folded unraveled. Time twisted, buckled, screamed.
Striver's expression hardened.
Not because of danger to himself—but because Layla's powers were being restricted.
He had to act. Now.
Two constructs formed in his hands—adium, refined beyond its limits, both barrels emitting concentrated photons.
Guns.
Across his back rested his cosmic blade, humming with restrained annihilation.
He vanished.
Appearing beside Ultimate, Striver fired—two blazing shots tearing through warped space. Ultimate dodged, pushing forward, refusing to halt his plan.
Striver didn't stop.
Portals opened. The cosmic blade was positioned between them, spinning, accelerating beyond reason. He continued firing, herding Ultimate into position.
A shield snapped into existence around Ultimate—locking him inside.
Striver unleashed everything within it.
At the same instant—
Ultimate finished.
He overloaded his mindscape, forcing energy into it without advancement, without control.
A fatal gamble.
The blade struck true.
But the explosion consumed everything.
Galaxies vanished in an instant. Light, matter, history—erased.
Only Striver remained, already withdrawn, shielding Layla within his power.
Ultimate's final attempt succeeded.
The universe was gone.
No stars.
No planets.
No life.
Only a void.
As the blinding remnants of the explosion faded, laughter echoed through the emptiness—wild, unhinged.
Then it broke.
Into sobs.
Ultimate floated alone, battered and bleeding. His imposing presence was gone, stripped away, leaving something small… something shattered.
A broken child adrift in nothingness.
"After all these years…" he whispered through tears. "After fighting back against the Creator…"
His voice trembled.
"I did it."
"I destroyed everything he loved… just as he destroyed mine."
He closed his eyes.
"Brother… your deaths have been avenged."