Alex purposely led their battle farther away from the empire borders and toward the Nether Regions. They destroyed everything in their path, ripping the spacetime fabric and laws.
Even with their high-speed, high-stake battle, neither could get an advantage over the other.
While Alex was slowly matching the creature and was being pushed back less and less, it still proved to be a difficult challenge.
BOOOOM…!!!!
Alex was hurled from one celestial object to the next. Stars exploded in supernovas, planets were blown to smithereens and celestial alignments were ruined.
Yet, all these damages appeared as though everything was happening all at once. There was almost no delay when bodies were destroyed; they moved faster than anything to have ever existed per the laws.
Finally, Alex and the void creature plunged into a veil tear—a space Alexander hadn't ventured into quite yet. However, he wasn't in a position to care.
He bled from his lips and the many cuts and damages he received from the void creature's blows and claw swipes. Each move they made was instantaneous; like they were everywhere at once.
BANG…!!!
Another blow struck Alex heavily in the chest, separating the two titans for a brief moment. He reeled and coughed blood, taking a moment to regain his composure.
But that moment was all it took for Alex to realize something had changed.
'Where are we?' Alex questioned inwardly. His eyes rapidly darted around but saw nothing but absolute and complete darkness; darkness so overwhelming it almost felt like he had lost all his senses.
'Outside,' Alex realized with a serious frown. 'I didn't think I would be in here this soon.' Aside from the infinite and overwhelming amount of void and other energies around him, there was nothing. No particle, no celestial alignments in the backdrop; nothing.
He briefly looked behind the creature and noticed the tear that led back into his universe. He knew because he could feel it; like an unbreakable bond that would always remain regardless of distance.
GROWL….
A low and guttural growl from the creature drew his full focus. Alex glared at the creature while he took in a deep breath of the surrounding energies.
His cores continued to hum in exhilaration as they continued to absorb and absorb. A sliver of Alex's awareness entered his core's realm and noticed how the entire place resembled a universe.
The black hole served as the central point to everything within, filled to the brim with void energy. Yet it had room for more.
'Defeating this is going to take more than just punches and kicks.' Alex reasoned. 'What I need is to integrate the use of laws in my attacks. Just like it continued to do to me, if my strikes somehow unravel his fundamental makeup, I might be able to kill it.'
Suddenly, the void creature unleashed a different aura Alex realized to be the same as the black core. He was beginning to get really curious about it.
It was an ominous and dark aura that sent shivers down his spine. 'Whatever it is, it's dangerous.' Alex deduced with his guard raised to the limit. 'Let's play it safe.'
Using his new understanding of laws, he conjured a completely black armour. The armour was unlike his previous slim-fit style, but a bulky design made with absolute defence in mind. And for good measure, he added a helm.
Finally, he conjured his favorite weapon and took a martial stance as he brandished his weapon. His Voidflare state continued to flare, more powerful and domineering than before.
It exponentially increased his strength and the more energy he absorbed the more powerful he grew. Alex was literally being forced to grow with this battle.
The two titans made their preparations, evaluating their opponents as silence reigned. Almost like an agreement, the two fighters disappeared, instantly appearing before each other.
The void creature was faster as it took a swipe with its right claw. It was imbued with a dark and ominous aura.
It looked no different from the surrounding void and had it not been for Alex's unique vision prowess and senses, he would have been completely blind.
CLANG….!!!!
Alex managed to deflect the blow with his spear. And just like he anticipated, the blow hurled him back instantaneously; as if the progress he made earlier was for not.
'Tsk! It's become stronger!' Alex gritted his teeth as he circulated his energies to come to a stop. 'At this rate, it will take forever to defeat it!'
Unfortunately, he couldn't allow himself to relax as the void creature came after him. It wasn't planning to give Alex any more room as it finally took things seriously.
Before Alex could recompose himself, the void creature appeared once again with its sharp claws. He barely dodged that strike, and when he did, he still had to push himself to evade or black the other strikes.
'The attacks are too fast and heavy!' Alex cured inwardly. He wasn't getting any room to attack the void creature as it kept pushing and pushing its attack until finally.
"Ugh…!!!"
Alex shrieked in agony as a strike finally connected. The void creature took advantage of its speed, appearing behind Alex and took another strike at him.
In an attempt to block the claw, he spun around but could only get his left hand in. The recoil from the previous strike made it difficult to use his spear.
As a result, the strike cleanly cut through his energy ward, thick armour and then his flesh. It cut through Alex's arm like hot knife through butter, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Alexander was shocked!
But what drove him mad was the accompanying pain. It was pure torture and was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It felt like a part of himself was lost forever.
Fear gripped him and his eyes trembled with absolute terror. Without delay, he spatially shifted, creating a vast chasm of distance from the void creature.
His regenerative healing was not kicking in. He was not healing! Tears welled up in his eyes as the blinding pain made it impossible for him to focus his energies.
Alex gripped the base of his cut-off arm with a trembling hand.
'Why aren't I healing?!' Panic set in his voice. He already knew the answer but was in too much agony to think properly.
Unfortunately for him, the void creature wasn't going to let up. One way or another, only one of them was making it out alive, and the creature intended to keep its record.