"!!!"

King’s eyes widened, genuine marvel flashing across his face as Cain closed the distance between them.

"He’s faster..."

CRACK!

The sound was sharp and distinct, like breaking glass. Cain’s clawed hand dug into the Magic Staff’s reinforced wood, his talons carving shallow grooves into the enchanted surface. King had raised the staff reflexively, blocking the incoming thrust aimed at his throat.

The force behind Cain’s strike was tremendous. King felt his boots slide backward across the grass, his body pushed several yards before he managed to brace himself properly.

He tried to hold his own, but the raw power behind that single attack was undeniable.

"And stronger," King muttered, adjusting his grip on the staff.

Cain pulled his clawed hand free from the wood, that sinister smile stretching wider across his transformed face. His red eyes gleamed with amusement.

"You wield a wizard’s staff," Cain said, his distorted voice carrying a mocking edge. "Does a mage really want to engage me in physical combat?"

He was baiting. Trying to force King into a predictable response. Cain was a master of exploitation, someone who understood his own strengths and played to them ruthlessly.

Close-quarters combat, overwhelming speed, devastating physical damage, that was Cain’s arena. And he was trying to drag King into it.

But in that attempt, King saw the opening.

He disengaged from Cain’s position, leaping backward with the staff held horizontally in front of him. Blue energy coursed along the weapon’s length as King channeled mana through it, preparing his next spell.

Cain vanished.

King’s trained instincts screamed a warning. He twisted mid-leap, turning to look behind him even before his feet touched the ground.

Cain reappeared there, exactly where King had anticipated, his leg already swinging in a violent roundhouse kick. The rank 2 had predicted King’s retreat trajectory and moved to intercept.

BRACK!

The kick connected with brutal force.

Sending King flying through the air, tumbling end over end. He hit the ground hard, bounced three times before finally sliding to a stop in a cloud of dust and torn grass.

"Tch" king exclaimed, pushing himself up slowly, the impact radiated through his torso despite.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

Cain was exploiting cast time. The brief window of vulnerability that occurred when mages channeled spells. He was using quick, direct physical attacks to interrupt King’s casting while forcibly maintaining close distance.

Simple strategy, but devastatingly efficient when backed by the necessary speed and power buffs.

"King!" Vi’s voice called out from the distance, riddled with concern.

Eli remained perfectly still, the Calamity Long-Shoulder rifle tracking between Cain and the fallen angel NPC. He was ready to engage the moment King gave the signal, but until then, he held his position.

Cain immediately closed the distance again, launching himself forward with explosive acceleration. He drove his knee upward in a flying strike aimed at King’s chest.

King rolled to the side at the last possible moment. Cain’s knee passed within centimeters of his ribs, the force from the near-miss alone creating a shockwave that disturbed the grass around them.

King came to a stop in a crouched position, both hands pressed flat against the ground. He channeled mana directly into the earth beneath him.

"Construct Creation: Spikes!"

The ground erupted violently. Hardened spikes shot upward from the soil in rapid succession, each one thick as a man’s arm and sharp as a blade. They emerged in random patterns, covering a wide area without predictable sequence.

Left, right, forward, backward, the spikes appeared wherever King willed them, creating a chaotic maze of deadly obstacles.

Cain shifted left, then immediately pivoted right. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge the first wave of spikes as they bulged beneath the surface, giving him microseconds of warning before they erupted.

He weaved through the obstacles with inhuman agility, his body twisting and contorting to avoid impalement.

But the spikes kept coming. King didn’t stop casting, pouring mana into the spell continuously. The sheer volume of projectiles increased exponentially, covering more ground and eliminating escape routes.

Cain’s movements grew more desperate. He could only maintain this pace for so long.

BOUFF!

The man launched himself into the air, leaping high above the spike field to escape the ground-based assault.

King had been waiting for exactly that.

"Haaa!" King yelled, the strain evident in his voice as he channeled even more mana into the construct creation.

The already-formed spikes ripped free from the ground simultaneously. Dozens of stone projectiles shot upward, converging on Cain’s airborne position in quick succession.

PFFF!

Cain twisted mid-air with feline grace, his body rotating impossibly fast.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

His claws extended fully, and his arms became a blur of motion. Cain destroyed each incoming spike with precise strikes aimed at bypassing their pointed tips, his talons shattering them as if it were brittle wood.

The speed was inhuman, almost impossible to track with normal vision.

The force from deflecting the projectiles held Cain suspended in mid-air for several additional seconds. Then one spike passed close enough for him to pivot against. He placed his foot on the side of the projectile and used it as a launch pad, redirecting his momentum.

POOF!

Cain launched himself toward a different trajectory, attempting to flank King’s position from an unexpected angle.

"So predictable," King muttered.

At the tip of his raised finger, a concentrated sphere of fire condensed. The flame compressed tightly, glowing white-hot as King poured mana into the construct. The sphere grew to the size of a small sun, casting harsh shadows across the battlefield.

King had locked onto Cain’s landing spot before the berserker even began his descent. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The moment Cain’s boots neares the ground, King released the spell.

"Scorching Burst!"

The concentrated fireball shot forward like a meteor, trailing flames and superheated air. It struck Cain’s position with devastating force, exploding on impact and engulfing the area in a sphere of roaring fire.

The explosion rattled the shack’s windows. Maya squinted and pressed closer to the glass, watching intently. Vi covered her face against the heat wave that washed over them even at this distance.

When the flames finally dissipated, Cain’s body lay smoking on the scorched earth.

King picked up the mage staff and walked forward slowly. He approached Cain’s prone form calmly.

"You’re good," King said, coming to a stop right before Cain. "Quick, strong. But simple."

He stopped a few meters away, looking down at Cain’s unmoving body.

"Predictable. And you can be conditioned."

"Those spikes weren’t random. They were shot in a specific pattern designed to localize your escape routes. And like a cornered rat, you scrambled through the only opening I gave you."

King raised his right hand, forming another fireball at his fingertip. This one was smaller, more focused, the size of a coin, but compressed with mana.

He aimed it directly at Cain’s head.

"You fought well. But basic fighting can only take you so far."

King’s finger glowed brighter, the fireball was reaching maximum charge.

"It’s o..."

"Heheheh." A chuckle interrupted king.

The sound was quiet at first. A low, sinister giggle that escaped from Cain’s supposedly defeated body.

King stopped, his finger still aimed at Cain’s head.

Then, the giggle escalated, transforming into full, hysterical laughter. Cain’s body shook violently with each sound, the burned skin cracking and flaking as he moved.

Then, in one single unnaturally fluid motion, Cain rose to his feet.

His movements defied human physiology. He didn’t push himself up with his hands, he just simply stood, as if pulled upright by invisible strings.

Cain rolled his neck.

"Gooooddddd," He said, drawing out the word like a satisfied predator.

King lowered his hand slightly, the fireball dieing to a spark.

Cain’s burned skin began to regenerate visibly, new tissue forming over the damaged areas. Whatever skill he had was providing passive regeneration.

"I was beginning to fear that like others, you might bore me," Cain continued, his voice carrying genuine excitement beneath the distortion.

He rolled his shoulders, testing his regenerated body. The smile on his face stretched impossibly wide.

"But you? You actually made me work for it. This feels like a real fight."

Cain’s red eyes locked onto King’s, burning with manic intensity.

"But here’s the thing, King."

Cain’s grin became something monstrous.

"I hope you have more in you. Because if that was everything..."

He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

King maintained his stance, calm, but his mind raced through calculations. The regeneration factor changed everything.

Burst damage wouldn’t be enough. He needed sustained pressure, or a single strike powerful enough to bypass the healing entirely.

"And it’s quite funny that you thought this was over," Cain said, spreading both arms wide.

"Sorry, but we’re just getting started."