A sudden, enormous pressure shook the entire colosseum. The air itself seemed to bend under its weight, and every soul inside stirred awake as if yanked out of a dream. The sound of cracking seats and gasps spread through the crowd. People clutched at their arms, shoulders, or hearts, their breaths caught in their throats. "This..." Duke Serpentine’s face paled as he shot up from his seat. His eyes widened, fixed on the center of the arena. Duke Martin stood beside him, his voice low but sharp. "That boy... What is he?" Rein’s hand trembled as it gripped the armrest. The wood splintered beneath his strength, cracks spreading with a sharp crunch. "What’s going on here?" he whispered, his throat dry. Martina’s eyes narrowed, and Roosevelt turned his head, both of them feeling the shift in the air that made the skin on their backs crawl. Even without words, the look they exchanged told the same truth. Something terrifying had awakened. Edward, who had been silently enjoying the fight, frowned. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes focusing on Kael. To the untrained eye, Kael looked plain, almost ordinary, standing with his sword in hand. But this ordinariness was exactly what made him dangerous. It was a stillness so heavy, so deep, that it threatened to swallow everything around him. Most of the audience could not sense it. But anyone above S rank felt it clearly. Even SSS ranks felt the disturbance, like their instincts were screaming at them. It was as if a predator that had been sleeping quietly all this time suddenly opened its eyes. Cutting through the space itself like slicing butter. Even if it was deemed possible who has witnessed it. Vale, who had been knocked back, coughed violently and tried to rise to his feet. Dust fell from his clothes as he staggered, his muscles trembling. He raised his head toward Kael. The instant his eyes locked onto him, a deadly chill pierced through his body. His breathing hitched, and sweat dampened his palms. His chest widened that almost exposed his beating heart. Kael’s eyes were blank, calm, almost dazed. He let out a slow sigh. "I wanted to enjoy this. Pummel you, humiliate you. But it seems..." He shook his head, his voice low, almost annoyed. "...sigh." "You are lucky that I managed to hold it back." When it comes to killing Kael was an absolute beast but this also binds him in such situations. The atmosphere shifted again. It was not just pressure now, but a complete change of presence. The world bent around Kael as though reality itself recognized his intent. The crowd went silent. Even breaths became hard to take. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ noveⅼfire.net Vale froze. He had faced countless opponents in his years of battle, yet never had he felt this. Before, Kael had seemed like an opponent he could fight, someone equal to him. But now the air around him told a different story. It was not just danger. It was despair. "What is this power?" Vale roared, trying to mask the fear that clawed at his chest. At that moment Kael noticed something strange. From the cut chest he saw tentacles appearing and stitching Vale but before he could notice it further,Vale’s body blurred as he leapt, slipping into the shadows. The world changed instantly. Shadows stretched endlessly, wrapping him inside a dark realm. A place where only those who wielded the element could move freely. Here, he could vanish from sight, reappear across distances, and strike unseen. "He can’t find me here," Vale muttered to himself, his chest heaving. "I am safe here.I’ll wait. Absorb the darkness, and delay time." But then the uneasy feeling returned, stabbing at his heart. His voice cracked as he muttered to himself trying to analyse the situation. "What was that attack... What was that discomfort? Did he... break through?" He shook his head fiercely. "No. No, that’s impossible. It hasn’t even been a year since his rise. This must be an illusion. A hallucination." Yet his body refused to calm. Every step he took in the shadow world felt heavier. His legs trembled as though they no longer belonged to him. The sound tore through the silence of the shadow world. It was sharp, like glass shattering, like paper ripping apart. Vale’s eyes widened as the very darkness around him cracked. Lines spread through the shadow world like spiderwebs. "Impossible..." his voice broke as panic surged inside him. His chest burst with pain again. A deep cut tore across his torso, blood spilling out in a violent spray. He gasped, clutching at the wound, his breath ragged. The shadow world around him flickered, pieces breaking apart as if the realm itself could not withstand Kael’s intrusion. Vale staggered, his mind a storm of disbelief. "How... how did he..." Then the world trembled again with a deafening blast. The explosion shook both the shadow world and the colosseum outside. Cracks split the ground, rocks flying in every direction. The audience screamed as shockwaves tore through the arena, only stopped by the barrier set by the knights. High-ranked powerhouses rose to their feet, their gazes locked on Kael. Their expressions were filled with shock, unease, and a rare trace of fear. Kael walked slowly forward, his sword held loosely at his side. His eyes remained calm, unfocused, as though he barely cared for the world before him. Yet each step he took made the earth quake, each breath he drew made the air tremble. Vale’s body slammed onto the ground with a dull thud, the sound echoing in the silent colosseum. Dust rose around him as his chest heaved in panic. His eyes widened when he saw Kael walking toward him, each step slow and deliberate, carrying a weight that pressed deeper on Vale’s chest. His throat tightened and words stumbled out, broken and trembling. "How... how..." Vale whispered, his voice shaking as though even speaking drained the strength from him. His entire body trembled, not from pain, but from disbelief. His hands clawed at the stone floor as though searching for stability, yet his fear made him weak. "This... this is impossible," he stammered, eyes darting in madness. The coldness in his pupils was replaced with growing terror. He screamed, the sound sharp and desperate, as if denying reality would change it. "How did you cut me out of the shadow world? Without darkness, without my element... How did you find my location?" Kael’s steps didn’t stop. His expression twisted in irritation as he finally spat, his tone calm but edged with annoyance. "Location?" He let out a small laugh, sharp and dismissive. "Why would I need to search around when I can just cut?"