The bruiser looked at the sword. He had the serious look of someone who was changing his plan. He looked back and forth between the Star-Forged sword and Holden, trying to know if it was still safe for him to attack.

"Spatial storage," he said. "A first-year shouldn’t have something that rare."

"it’s been a good week," Holden said.

The bruiser’s jaw tightened. "That sword doesn’t close the gap," he said. "You’re still 4-Star and i’m still a 7. A better weapon doesn’t make you stronger."

"Let’s see," Holden said.

He breathed in.

Then performed the first step of the Asura’s Ignition cadence.

The heat arrived the way it always did, rising from the his chest and spreading outward through his whole body.

Second step.

The heat became stronger. He could feel the grip on the Star-Forged sword warming up as the energy prepared to shoot out from the weapon.

Third step.

The full ignition opened.

Whomp.

He felt a pressure inside opening wide, and energy surged through him at the highest level he could safely handle.

The sword absorbed the power. The dark metal shifted as a deep red glow spread across it. The power moved from his hand into the sword, and the metal was strong enough to hold all of it.

Unlimited channeling capacity within current rank.

The bruiser watched this happen.

The smug look on his face vanished as he realized the fight wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

"Asura’s Ignition," he said, recognizing it. "You’re a first-year with Asura’s Ignition."

"it’s been a great week," Holden said again.

The bruiser made a decision.

He charged.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

In just three steps, he threw everything he had into one big strike with his right glove. He stopped trying to use skills and just used his weight and power.

The charge in the right gauntlet surged to maximum.

BZZZZZT.

Holden didn’t move back.

His 100x multiplier had been studying the gauntlets since the bruiser appeared.

He knew exactly where the gauntlet was weakest.

Just one strike would do it. He aimed for the right wrist joint. The energy flow there was shaky, and the inner part of the glove was already failing, even if you couldn’t see it from the outside.

The bruiser’s fist came forward.

Holden stepped in.

Whoosh.

He stepped right into the attack. It felt like the wrong thing to do, but his Iron-Cleaver skill, his Asura’s power, and his 100x multiplier all agreed it was the only correct move.

He swung.

CLANG.

The Star-Forged sword met the right gauntlet at the wrist joint.

CRACK.

A fracture line opened across the right gauntlet’s wrist casing, running from the point of contact upward through the knuckle housing.

CRACK. CRACK.

Two more cracks followed the first one.

BOOM.

The gauntlet didn’t just break. It fell into pieces. The energy inside exploded, making the whole courtyard turn white for a moment.

CRACK-BOOM.

All that power shot out from the spot where the metal had snapped.

The bruiser went with it.

The force threw him backward, and he landed hard on the floor, the left gauntlet coming loose from his hand on impact.

Thud. Clang.

He was still conscious and breathing, but he didn’t try to move.

Holden stood with the Star-Forged sword at his side, Asura’s Ignition still running through his body, and looked at around him.

The system chimed.

[Combat Victory: Rank 1 (7-Star) Cultivator defeated.]

[Kill Points Awarded: +50 KP.]

[Total KP: 350.]

And then, above the bruiser’s body, a silver glow began to form.

The chest appeared at knee height. Silver-grey and smooth, completely invisible to everyone except Holden.

He walked to it, crouched and pressed the latch.

Click.

He gave it a quick look without opening it fully, just seeing a glowing shape inside. He would check it out better later. He closed it up, and the item faded into the edge of his sight, stored away until he needed it.

He stood up and released the Asura’s Ignition cadence gradually, The heat left his body bit by bit instead of stopping all at once. The red glow on his sword disappeared, and the metal went back to its normal color. He held the weapon for a second before returning it to the system inventory.

The blue light gathered and dissolved. The sword was gone.

The bruiser was sitting up now, slowly. He looked at his empty hand and then at the broken pieces scattered on the floor.

"Those were Rank 2," he said.

"I know," Holden said.

"Do you know what Rank 2 shock-gauntlets cost."

"I have a rough idea," Holden said.

The bruiser looked at him. His face changed as he realized Holden was much more dangerous than he had been told. He had to rethink everything because Holden was a much bigger problem than he expected.

"Draven," he said slowly, "did not brief me correctly."

"No," Holden agreed.

He looked up at the wall.

Lyra was still there, paying close attention since the moment she arrived. When he looked at her, she looked back at him without moving her eyes away.

He gave her a quick nod. It was his way of showing he knew she was there and ready to help. He kept it short because they both liked to keep things simple and didn’t like making a scene.

She nodded back, Then she straightened up on the wall, adjusted the spear strap across her back, and dropped off the far side without drama. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He reached into his jacket and confirmed the credit token was still there.

He straightened his jacket and turned toward the exit.

"Hey," the bruiser said behind him.

Holden looked back.

The man was still sitting on the floor, looking at him with an expression that was not exactly friendly but was several degrees removed from hostile.

"What are you," he said.

Holden thought about how to answer that.

"First-year," he said.

He walked out under the arch and back into the ordinary afternoon.