I didn’t answer. My focus was absolute. "Explode," I said again, louder this time.
The three walls surrounding me shuddered and burst apart, shattering into fragments of blood and broken law. Crimson mist filled the air, and the sound of tearing Essence echoed like thunder.
I raised my voice once more. "Explode!"
The fortress behind Vaelix began to shake violently. The countless Essence signatures inside it responded to my will, vibrating and collapsing in on themselves until, in a single instant, a massive explosion tore it apart. The shockwave rippled through the bridge, nearly knocking him off his feet.
I looked straight at him. "Vaelix, your domain’s greatest weakness is Essence itself. And when I’m here, Essence doesn’t obey you, it obeys me."
I clenched my fist, and the last of his creations, the giant tiger, convulsed. Cracks spread across its body, glowing faintly before it burst apart in a brilliant explosion. Blood rained down, soaking Vaelix where he stood, frozen in shock and disbelief.
He didn’t move. The battlefield he had ruled over just moments ago now lay in ruins, and for the first time, I saw fear flicker in his eyes.
Vaelix’s expression twisted, and I could sense it, fear. It flickered across his eyes for just a heartbeat before rage swallowed it whole. He let out a furious roar that shook the entire bridge, and his body began to change.
His robes tore apart as muscle and bone expanded with grotesque speed.
The sound of cracking echoed through the blood-soaked air. In the blink of an eye, the Feran stood before me no longer as a man but as a monstrous tiger nearly thirty feet tall. His golden eyes burned with fury, and his claws dug into the fractured bridge, carving deep scars into the path.
"ROARRRRR!" His bellow shook my chest and rippled through the Essence around us. The sheer pressure of his aura pressed down hard.
I steadied my stance, shaking my head. "You’re not the only one who can transform."
I checked the flow of Essence within me, Node Three was still active, but barely. I had about a minute of its full strength left.
That was all I needed.
Drawing in a deep breath, I activated Ragnar’s ability. "Colossal Frame."
A surge of power erupted from my bones as the runes carved into them glowed in rhythm. My skeleton expanded, muscles swelling and hardening, my body stretching upward as Essence poured out like fire. The ground cracked beneath my growing weight.
When the transformation settled, I stopped, just a little taller than Vaelix. I lowered my head slowly until my eyes met his blazing golden ones.
Vaelix’s eyes burned with rage as blood from the ground rose around him like a living wave. It wrapped around his body, turning into thick armor that pulsed with red light. Then he summoned his golden armor as well on top of it.
He growled.
I looked at him and shook my head. "It won’t help you."
I let Essence flow into my staff. It grew taller and heavier, stretching until it looked like a weapon made for giants. Power hummed through it, shaking the ground under my feet.
With a roar, I jumped high into the air. My hands gripped the staff tightly as I lifted it above my head. Every muscle in my body tightened. Then I swung it down with all my strength.
Vaelix roared back and opened his mouth wide. A beam of red light shot toward me like a burning river. It met my staff in midair, pushing against it, but the power behind my strike was too strong. The beam split in two and my staff crashed through it, smashing straight into Vaelix’s head.
BOOM!!!
The impact sent a deep shock through the bridge. His head slammed into the ground with a loud crack, breaking the surface and spraying blood everywhere.
He roared even louder and rose again.
But I didn’t stop for him to recover. I raised the staff again and called out, "[Collapsing Heaven]!"
The world shook. When the staff hit his body this time, a burst of Essence and space energy tore through everything. The air ripped apart, leaving glowing cracks in the air. Vaelix’s body was thrown into the ground again, and deep wounds opened all over him as if space itself was cutting him apart.
He roared in pain and rage. The blood armor covering him started to twist and change shape. In the next second, hundreds of sharp spikes shot out of it, piercing into my body.
Pain hit me hard. I coughed blood and stepped back, my chest and arms burning. For a moment, my vision blurred as I felt a toxic substance enter my body.
Vaelix thought he had me cornered. He roared again, the sound shaking the broken bridge. I steadied myself, wiping the blood from my lips. "You really don’t understand," I said quietly. "Essence listens to me, not you."
I spread my arms, letting my Psynapse open fully. I could feel everything—the air, the bridge, the Essence, even the blood that belonged to Vaelix. I reached out and pulled it toward me. The blood spikes that were piercing me started to tremble, losing their shape.
Vaelix’s eyes widened as he realized I was taking control of his power.
I roared and swung my staff sideways, hitting him on his shoulder. The blow threw his huge body to the side. He crashed down, shaking the bridge again. I didn’t give him time to recover. I followed, moving fast for my size, and slammed the staff into his ribs. The sound of breaking bones echoed across the blood-filled field.
He tried to rise, but I was already there. I hit him again, and again. Each strike left cracks in his armor. Blood splashed everywhere. His movements got slower.
Vaelix tried one last desperate move. He gathered what remained of his Essence and fired another red beam at my face. I turned my staff, blocking it with one hand, and forced it aside. The beam burned past my shoulder, but I didn’t care. I stepped forward and smashed his face with the full weight of my weapon.
The giant tiger’s body fell backward, shaking the bridge. I dropped the staff to my side and walked up to him. His armor was broken, his breath weak. I could see his chest rising and falling slowly, his golden eyes still burning with rage.
He tried to speak, but only blood came out.
I reached down, grabbed his chest, and pushed my hand through the cracks in his armor. My fingers wrapped around his heart, still beating hard and wild.
Vaelix’s eyes widened. For a brief moment, I saw fear again.
I squeezed.
His heart burst in my hand, and his roar turned into silence. The red glow in his eyes faded, and his huge body went still.
I stood there breathing heavily, my body covered in blood and wounds. The bridge was silent again, the air heavy with the smell of Essence and iron.
I looked down at Vaelix’s body one last time.
The blood that had once obeyed him now lay still. The domain began to fade.
I lifted my staff, letting it rest on my shoulder, and whispered to myself, "It’s over."