The floor Ryusei had assumed would be nothing more than a puzzle had turned into a battle to the death—and he wasn't ready. Not even close. Facing off against a floor boss, second only to the dungeon's master itself, was far beyond anything he had prepared for. Worse still, he had to face it alone—without Haku's support.
If only he could evolve.
If only he could reach the power of a Tyrant.
That's what he wanted.
No... that's what he needed.
But that was an impossible wish.
He wasn't even a High King-ranked monster yet. So how could he possibly become… a Tyrant?
Without warning, Vazrothvra brought his sword down in a vertical arc. Ryusei dodged just in time using Fast Strike. A clean line split the water where the blade had sliced through the air, the force alone parting the surface.
A wave surged toward him. Ryusei dashed through it like a lightning bolt and launched Black Hole, aiming for Vazrothvra's feet.
A dark orb formed—but it only devoured the water where the titan had stood seconds before.
Ryusei scanned his surroundings.
A sudden gust from behind.
He dodged right, instincts screaming.
The titan was there. His massive blade pointed at where Ryusei had just been.
Fast. The giant wasn't just strong—he was fast, incredibly so.
"Unbalanced," Ryusei thought. "Isn't that what the kids used to call something like this?"
He was right. How could something so massive move like that? It didn't make sense. But Ryusei had no time to dwell on how absurdly overpowered Vazrothvra was.
The titan raised his greatsword to the sky. Its tip shimmered—not from sunlight.
A skill.
A golden orb formed at the blade's point. Then, the titan spoke.
"The End."
The orb shot into the sky and burst.
What followed was a rain of glistening steel—swords, spears, axes—every weapon imaginable. They came down like divine punishment, slamming into the water with a violent splash.
Ryusei dodged. Again and again. His body blurred through the rain until the storm finally ceased.
The battlefield was now flooded with weapons, each one larger than him.
Vazrothvra spoke.
"This is what the end of a battlefield looks like—filled with weapons."
He released his greatsword, letting it fall and shatter into glimmering particles upon touching the water.
Then he picked up a nearby steel spear and added,
"And I am the one who reached the end of all weapons."
He vanished—appearing before a startled Ryusei in the blink of an eye—and thrust his spear in a deadly arc aimed at the serpent. Ryusei narrowly avoided it, countering with Black Hole. Again, Vazrothvra sidestepped the void with ease and hurled his spear.
It missed.
The water erupted like a geyser where the spear struck, sending a wave to swallow Ryusei whole. But he dashed away, Fast Strike cutting through the surge like wind.
More spears. One after another. Endless. The sound of splashing water echoing through the atmosphere.
Ryusei kept dodging, slipping past each projectile and wave, but he was slowing.
Two problems plagued him—
The water obscured his vision, making it hard to use Black Hole,
And he couldn't keep track of the giant.
He also realized something painful.
He was weaker than he thought.
Black Hole was technically his only offensive skill—Fast Strike was a utility. And biting ironclad giants? That'd only give him a cracked fang and a migraine.
The barrage intensified.
Weapons zipped past at breakneck speed. Some grazed his body, leaving trails of pain.
He had only one thing in mind—
Think. Think... How can I defeat something like Vazrothvra? If Black Hole could only... Wait. Why couldn't it?
An idea sparked.
He had always aimed Black Hole at the ground or his opponent's feet...
But what if he could fire it—directly?
This wasn't like Vortex. This was his skill. He just hadn't made it truly his yet.
So, with resolve, Ryusei prepared a new use for his skill.
He kept dodging, weaving through falling blades and spears while charging Black Hole—but this time, from his mouth.
That would allow him to aim the attack in a straight line depending on where he looks.
Meanwhile, Vazrothvra had his own thoughts.
It's time I end this. I wanted to push him to forge his ego... but it seems it was for naught.
The titan stopped throwing weapons. He picked up a sword.
Ready for the final blow.
But then—a blur of black came flying his way. A small, round orb. On instinct, he raised his sword to block it.
It shattered through the blade like glass, tearing past him and brushing his helmet.
From that tiny impact—cracks spread.
A piece of his pitch-black helmet, covering his eyes, broke off and fell into the water revealing the black color of his eyes.
For a split second, he was stunned.
In all his countless years, he had never seen such an attack—not since the Heroes who once sealed him away.
But his surprise faded. He picked up a different sword—this one pitch-black with a star-shaped guard.
"That attack was powerful… but not enough to defeat me."
His form blurred, leaving behind an afterimage as he vanished again—
And reappeared behind Ryusei.
His blade descended.
Ryusei had no mana left. That attack… it had drained him dry.
He couldn't dodge.
With one swing, Vazrothvra cut him in half.
Ryusei's body fell, sinking beneath the water that parted from the force of the strike.
Vazrothvra stared down and murmured,
"I have also witnessed your end, young warrior… and I shall keep it as a memory."
And that was how Ryusei lost his life.
…Or did he?
He had known he couldn't win.
Still, he fought.
And yet—it ended so easily.
Why? Why wasn't I strong enough? Am I really this weak…?
He sank deeper.
His heartbeat slowed.
If only I had a stronger body… If only I were stronger…
Darkness enveloped him.
And then, as he reached the murky border between purity and oblivion—
His heart stopped.
And in that moment, one final thought echoed—
Stronger...
A sound followed.
A single heartbeat.
Faint, but resonant.
Even Vazrothvra heard it above the surface.
Then it happened.
A surge of mana erupted—so potent it sent a shiver down the titan's spine.
"This mana… A Tyrant? But how? And where?"
Unbeknownst to him, the little snake he had cut down… was beginning to change.
But how?
And why?