Bradly managed to halt his charge, dragging his heels across the obsidian floor until sparks flared beneath his feet. His eyes burned like molten oceans, seething with hatred as he looked upon the one who dared stand in his way.
"You!"
The roar echoed through the firmant.
It was him-the one who had humiliated him in the Second Ring. The one who had turned his arrogance into sha and led him into a trap. "Cain!"
ylin whispered the na softly, almost unconsciously. She was a warrior of fury and pride, yet in that mont, warmth stirred in her heart. The sight of the Neo-Demon standing before her, like a guardian, filled her with relief.
Cain glanced back at her, offering a brief, quiet smile. Then his eyes sharpened, burning with golden light as Alita and Oni appeared beside him. The two materialized like shadows, their expressions cold, resolute.
Before entering the Sacred Dinsion, the sight of a Neo-Angel would have filled them with dread to the point that they would have sought escape without hesitation. But now, their hearts were forged in battle beside the Scarlet King. Their eyes burned with red light, their determination absolute. Even before an Alpha-Oga Overgod, they felt no fear.
Cain's voice was calm, commanding.
"Take the two and leave," he said, his gaze never leaving Bradly. "We'll et where we were four days, twenty-three hours, and twenty-three minutes ago."
Alita and Oni's eyes narrowed at the precision of his words, but they
did not question him. Without hesitation, they nodded, seized ylin and the Valkyrie, and flashed back toward the second phase of the Fourth Ring.
"You will not escape!"
Bradly's roar shook the sky. His body erupted with turquoise light as he lunged after them-only for another heartbeat-like explosion to thunder through the air.
"Ninth Gear."
Cain's voice echoed like a cosmic pulse. The sound of a single heartbeat detonated across the battlefield, rippling reality itself.
In the next instant, Cain stood in Bradly's path.
"Die, ant!"
The Neo-Angel's punch ca like the wrath of a god, a cot of turquoise fire that could shatter a moon.
But before it struck, a dark fist collided with Bradly's face, faster than sight.
The impact cracked the air like thunder.
The Neo-Angel's head snapped back violently, his massive fra skidding across the crystal ground. When he finally managed to halt his montum, he staggered, blood spilling from his mouth.
"How-!?"
Shock twisted his features. For a brief, disbelieving instant, he looked more human than divine.
The hatred in his eyes ignited again, even fiercer than before. He could not comprehend how Cain, this supposed ant, could et him blow for blow. It defied every law of hierarchy written into his blood. But Cain did not answer.
He simply stared, silent and cold, eyes glowing like golden suns.
Within his mind, three aspects of the Flow converged - Synchronization, Divergence, and Resonance - each pushed to its absolute limit.
He felt Bradly's every movent before it happened - the rhythm of his power, the fluctuations of his energy, even the intent rising in his heart. Cain's mind was subrged within the Neo-Angel's current, shaping his own energy to mirror, counter, and divert it in perfect harmony.
They were only the basic principles of the Flow, yet their mastery allowed him to stand against an Alpha-Oga Overgod.
Still, Cain could not afford even a fraction of distraction. One clean hit
from Bradly could crush every bone in his body.
"He's even stronger than Azazel," Cain thought, his pulse steady.
"This... this is the strongest opponent I've ever faced."
Bradly roared again, a sound of pure fury and disbelief, and hurled himself forward. His speed doubled, his aura flaring until it devoured
the horizon.
They collided in midair, light and darkness clashing like two stars
colliding.
Bradly smiled savagely as he accelerated again, pushing his movent beyond Cain's reaction ti. His punch streaked toward the Neo-Demon's heart - impossible to dodge.
But Cain never intended to dodge.
At the final instant, he raised his right hand and struck the back of Bradly's wrist, shifting the blow downward. His left hand shot up, gripping the Neo-Angel's shoulder with brutal precision.
Using Bradly's own montum, Cain twisted.
The world blurred.
The Neo-Angel's massive body spun through the air, his back
exposed.
Cain clenched his teeth, channeling every shred of strength and mastery he possessed. His Absolute Destruction Doomsday Body, Reaper's Touch, and Scarlet Reaper fused together, condensing into his right fist until it glowed like a dark red sun.
Then he struck.
The blow landed on the back of Bradly's neck - the sa point ylin had damaged with her Redirection explosion.
"BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"
The impact sounded like the world ending.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Bradly's scream tore through the sky as he was blasted across the
field of falling stars. His body smashed into the obsidian plain, carving
a deep trench as he slid for hundreds of ters.
Yet even in agony, he refused to fall.
He twisted mid-skid, planting his leg and dragging his body to a stop. His breath ca ragged, his back trembling, nerves screaming in pain.
Every muscle begged him to yield.
But the Neo-Angel did not listen to pain.
He could not comprehend what was happening. How could this creature read every attack, every movent, every flicker of intent
before he acted?
His rage burned hotter, blotting out reason and pushing him forward.
Cain was already moving, closing the distance between them with blinding speed. His heartbeat thundered like a war drum in the cosmos, each pulse driving him beyond his limits.
When they t again, Cain sidestepped the Neo-Angel's strike by less than a breath, the punch grazing past his ribs. His counter ca instantly - an uppercut that connected beneath Bradly's jaw.
The Neo-Angel's defenses were monstrous, but the injury to his neck
was catastrophic. The blow reverberated through the weakened structure, amplifying its effect. His head snapped upward, his vision blurring as his brain rattled against his skull.
Blood splattered from his lips, his eyes burning red from internal
pressure.
Still he did not stop.
With sheer instinct, Bradly spun, his left elbow streaking toward Cain's head like a blade.
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