The ground cracked beneath Vinay's feet as his aura surged.
It wasn't a normal aura—it was something beyond mortal comprehension. **The battlefield itself reacted to his presence.** Stones floated into the air, the wind howled unnaturally, and the sky darkened as if the heavens feared what was about to happen.
Vinay's golden-red energy pulsed around him, expanding with each breath he took. The weight of his power crushed the air, pressing down on everything in its radius.
For the first time in this war, **Thane, Karael, and Elyas felt true danger.**
Thane never hesitated. He was a warrior first—a thinker second.
In an instant, he was **gone.**
The ground beneath him shattered as he propelled forward, his fist cocked back, aura burning around his knuckles. His **full-powered punch** tore through the air like a cannonball aimed at Vinay's skull.
Vinay didn't flinch.
**BOOM!**
Thane's fist landed—
**And nothing happened.**
Vinay stood **unmoved**.
Thane's eyes widened. His entire arm **numbed instantly.** The sheer force he had used should have obliterated mountains—yet **Vinay hadn't even blinked.**
Then, before Thane could react—
**Vinay exhaled.**
Just **a breath.**
But that single breath **sent Thane flying backward**, his body twisting through the air before he crashed through layers of broken earth.
Karael and Elyas didn't waste a second.
Karael appeared behind Vinay **instantly**. He swung his energy-bladed spear in a deadly arc, aiming straight for Vinay's spine.
At the same time, **Elyas struck from the front**, his hands glowing with an ethereal white aura, launching a devastating pressure wave.
It was a perfect, coordinated attack—one from the front, one from the back.
Vinay **smirked.**
And then—
He **moved.**
**Karael missed.**
No—he didn't miss. Vinay **wasn't there anymore.**
Before he could process what had happened—**Vinay's foot slammed into his ribs**.
**CRACK!**
Karael's body folded in half from the impact before he was launched sideways, smashing through a crumbling ruin.
Meanwhile, **Elyas' attack connected—**
**Or so he thought.**
Vinay caught it **with a single hand.**
A pressure wave powerful enough to crush mountains—**stopped effortlessly.**
And then, **Vinay crushed it.**
The energy collapsed in his palm like it was nothing. The ground beneath him **exploded** from the sheer pressure, but Vinay **stood untouched.**
Elyas **froze.**
That was his strongest technique—his absolute best—and **Vinay had erased it like it was a child's game.**
Then, Vinay raised his hand.
And pointed at Elyas.
The moment **his finger moved—**
**A wave of golden-red energy erupted forward.**
Elyas barely had time to react before it **swallowed him whole.**
**BOOM!**
A shockwave tore through the battlefield as Elyas was sent skidding backward, barely holding himself up.
Karael struggled to rise from the ruins, his ribs shattered.
Vinay stood in the middle of the devastation, unbothered.
His gaze turned toward Thane—who was **already back on his feet.**
But this time—Thane **was smiling.**
"...Hah. You're strong," Thane admitted, cracking his knuckles. "I'll give you that."
Then—**he laughed.**
"You know what? I like this."
Vinay raised an eyebrow.
The air around **Thane ignited.** His aura flared like wildfire, his battle instincts fully awakened.
"You might be a monster," Thane said, stepping forward, "but I've fought monsters before."
Vinay's smirk widened.
"Then show me," he said.
**Thane vanished.**
The second clash **was different.**
Thane wasn't holding back anymore.
His **fists became blurs**—thousands of attacks per second, each carrying enough force to obliterate mountains. The very ground beneath him **collapsed from the sheer speed.**
Vinay dodged.
**Barely.**
For the first time—**Vinay was moving.**
Thane's attacks forced him to shift—millimeters at a time—but it was still movement.
Karael and Elyas **saw their opening.**
Karael raised his spear, channeling everything into **one attack.**
Elyas gathered his remaining energy, forming an ethereal white sphere in his palms.
And then—
They **unleashed hell.**
Karael's spear strike **ripped through the air**, a golden arc slicing toward Vinay's blind spot.
Elyas' attack **converged from above**, a divine blast crashing down like judgment itself.
Thane **forced Vinay into position—**
**And then the two attacks landed.**
**BOOOOOOM!**
The battlefield **detonated.**
The force of the combined attack **shook the entire realm.**
A colossal cloud of smoke and dust engulfed everything, blocking out the sky itself. The earth beneath them was no longer solid—it had turned into molten chaos, ruptured by sheer energy.
Thane, Karael, and Elyas stood together, breathing heavily.
"...Did we get him?" Karael asked.
Thane didn't respond.
**Because he knew.**
The smoke cleared.
And there, standing completely **unharmed**, was **Vinay.**
Not a single scratch.
Not a single sign of struggle.
He slowly raised his eyes toward them.
Then, for the first time—**he took a step forward.**
The ground beneath him **collapsed.**
His **aura surged.**
The battlefield **trembled in fear.**
And then—
**Vinay attacked.**