> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.01%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
I glanced at the system—
Out of habit.
Not expectation.
Then—
It changed.
> [Status Update]
Pure Beast Blood: Stable (Sealed)
Accessible Power: 0.1%
Threat Classification: Unregistered
…A tenfold increase.
Small.
Insignificant—
To monsters.
But to me—
Everything.
The seal hadn’t broken.
Hadn’t loosened.
But it had—
Responded.
Listened.
I felt it instantly.
Not power—
Precision.
My muscles moved before thought.
My vision sharpened beyond motion.
The flow of energy—
Aligned.
Perfect.
No resistance.
No delay.
Only—
Control.
Every fraction—
Earned.
Carved from pressure.
From repetition.
From dying—
Again.
And again—
Inside the system’s world.
My brother.
His friends.
Their relentless push.
A quiet gratitude surfaced—
Then vanished.
My pupils narrowed.
The world slowed.
Not time—
Perception.
Air shifted.
Pressure gathered.
Intent—
Locked.
Azharyon.
Moving.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Like a predator—
That had already chosen the outcome.
BAM—!!
His foot struck the ground.
Stone detonated beneath it.
BAM—!!
Another step.
Faster.
Closer.
BAM—!!
Too close.
The first strike came.
No warning.
No feint.
Only force.
I moved.
Side-step.
His fist tore past my face—
A breath away.
The air behind it—
BOOM—!!
The wall shattered.
Fragments burst outward—
Only to be stopped by the barrier.
I pivoted.
Low.
Compact.
A sweep followed—
Fast.
Heavy.
I dropped.
Sliding under it—
The pressure alone carving lines into the stone.
Too fast.
Too clean.
I twisted mid-slide—
Palm to ground—
Flipped.
Landed.
Light.
Too light.
Azharyon saw it.
Of course he did.
He smiled.
Slight.
Measured.
Satisfied.
“You’ve improved.”
But he didn’t slow.
Didn’t pause.
Didn’t hesitate.
Another step—
And he vanished.
Gone.
No—
Too fast to track.
My instincts screamed—
Left—
I shifted—
Too late.
CRACK—!!
Impact.
Not clean—
But enough.
His elbow slammed into my guard—
The force broke through—
Pain exploded across my side.
My body lifted—
Thrown sideways—
BAM—!!
I crashed into the ground—
Stone fractured beneath me.
For a moment—
My vision went white.
Breath—
Gone.
My body refused to move.
Just for a fraction—
But in a fight—
That was enough to die.
He was already there.
Above me.
Hand raised.
Aura condensed.
Focused.
Lethal.
“If this were real—”
His voice cut through everything.
“You’d be dead.”
The strike dropped.
No escape.
No time.
No space.
My instincts didn’t warn me this time—
They acted.
Something shifted inside me.
Not power released—
Power redirected.
My body moved—
Before thought.
Before decision.
My hand rose—
Caught his wrist.
BOOM—!!
The impact still landed—
But not fully.
The ground beneath me collapsed—
But I held.
Barely.
My arm trembled.
Not from weakness—
From strain.
Too much force.
Too fast.
Too overwhelming.
For a second—
I knew.
If I was slower—
Azharyon paused.
Just slightly.
Enough to notice.
“…There it is.”
His eyes sharpened.
Not teaching.
Not guiding.
Seeing.
My grip tightened.
Not consciously.
Something deeper—
Awake.
Energy flickered along my skin.
Unstable.
Unrefined.
But—
Alive.
I pushed.
Not stronger—
But sharper.
More precise.
I twisted his arm—
Just enough—
And slipped out.
Rolled back.
Created distance.
Breathing harder now.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
But—
Engaged.
I stood.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
My stance lowered.
Tighter.
Sharper.
Different.
The air changed.
Not pressure—
Recognition.
The others felt it.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t move.
But they knew.
Something had shifted.
Inside me.
Inside this fight.
Azharyon stepped back once.
Just one step.
But this time—
It meant something.
“…Good.”
His aura rose again.
Higher.
Heavier.
More dangerous.
“Then let’s see…”
He leaned forward slightly.
“…where your limit really is.”
My blood pulsed.
Once.
No longer passive.
Responsive.
Waiting.
I stepped forward.
Not reacting.
Not defending.
Advancing.
For the first time—
By choice.
CRACK—!!
The distance vanished.
His fist came—
Mine followed.
Not after.
Not before.
With.
Two forces—
Meeting.
Colliding.
BOOM—!!
The chamber shook.
Stone fractured.
Air exploded outward.
And the first true exchange—
Finally—
Began.