"What!?"

Demorian’s eyes widened to their absolute limit. Seconds... it had only been seconds... yet there was no doubt, that was the same art.

Such a comprehension speed...

Gulp!

But while Demorian was still reeling in shock, Zephyrion calmly assessed his new form.

He now fully understood how the art worked. Just as the name implied, it was akin to slipping past the world itself.

The rune art, in simple terms, coated his body in a smooth, flowing layer that perfectly diverted everything.

Even now, Zephyrion could feel no force acting on him. His body simply... slid through it all.

Zephyrion clenched his fists, his gaze turning cold.

’Good.’

The next instant, he withdrew his will from the dome. The dome deformed at once, compressing and reshaping into a blade that snapped cleanly into his grip.

Dune was upon him instantly, his blade cleaving through the air toward his neck. The moment his gaze fell on the flowing silver armor around Zephyrion, his eyes tore wide.

"...what?"

Before he could react, Zephyrion vanished.

The air split behind Dune as Zephyrion’s blade came down in an absolute thrust.

Dune twisted sharply. The blade carved through his armor and tore through his torso, ripping away a chunk of flesh.

Blood burst into the air, scattering between them. Against the spray, Zephyrion’s cold purple eyes gleamed, sending a chill down Dune’s spine. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He shot back at blinding speed, reappearing at a distance.

Dune’s gaze locked onto the flowing silver armor around Zephyrion, completely ignoring the blood running down his torso.

He could feel it, he was slipping through the world. It was his art, his slip state...

"How... how can you use that?"

He had spent over a decade refining this rune art. Its current power was the culmination of years of relentless effort and bloodshed. He was certain, even among rune arts centered on speed, none should compare to his.

His slip state was unique.

He was absolutely certain of that. Zephyrion hadn’t used this art before, otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited until now. Which meant...

"You copied it...?"

Dune felt his heart hammering in his chest. Wasn’t he just a vessel rank? Was something like this even possible!?

However, it wasn’t only him.

A distance away, Kona had gone completely still, unable to process what he had just witnessed.

"What the hell is he...?"

Garrick’s deep laughter continued to rumble through the air.

However, amidst their shock, Zephyrion’s expression remained indifferent. He swept his blade to the side, and a violent gust tore outward, dragging dust and scattered leaves along with it.

His gaze locked onto Dune. The metal around him churned, then he vanished.

Dune’s eyes tore wide. He twisted sharply to the side, barely evading the thrust that flashed past him like lightning.

His gaze snapped onto Zephyrion, whose cold purple eyes seemed to bore straight through him.

Dune’s expression hardened, forcibly regaining his composure. He shot forward and closed the distance, unleashing multiple piercing strikes all at once.

Zephyrion’s movements melted into a seamless dance. His blade blurred into a relentless barrage, meeting every incoming strike precisely at the tip.

Each collision erupted with force, sending fallen trees flying like twigs and carving fissures across the ground.

Flashes of silver and bursts of sparks lit up the night.

From a distance, Fiona, Kaiden, Jenna, Omar, and the rest of the villagers watched in utter disbelief. How could a mere trainee possess such power?

Dune’s eyes trembled as every single one of his attacks was deflected. Zephyrion’s speed... it matched his.

’No...’

A chill ran through his chest. This was impossible... he had spent years refining this art. It was his, unique to him... there was no way Zephyrion could match him!

"Impossible!"

The metal around Dune flared violently, and when they collided again, a burst of force erupted outward, blasting them apart.

Regaining his balance, Dune’s eyes burned fiercely as he shifted into a stance. Both hands tightened around his thin sword, his entire body leaning forward.

"I’ll show you... what true mastery looks like."

The air around him shifted. The rustling leaves, the whisper of wind, even the distant sounds of life... everything faded. The night fell into an eerie, suffocating silence.

Ahead, Zephyrion had taken the same stance. Yet his mind moved rapidly.

He could feel it clearly, Dune was drawing every ounce of power into his metal for this final strike.

At the end of the day, Dune was still a mark seven, his control over metal far superior. If he met this attack as he was, he would most likely lose.

Yet there was no trace of panic in Zephyrion’s gaze. He remained unnervingly calm, his mind as still as a quiet lake.

Throughout the battle, he had analyzed every detail of the rune art, and with a brief moment of introspection, he had already found a way to refine it further.

The rune art allowed one to slip through the world without resistance, granting overwhelming speed. But even so, the body still carried weight.

So... what would happen if that weight was removed?

In the next moment, Zephyrion’s eyes glowed with a faint, strange light. The world around him blurred, sinking into a deep, endless silence.

In the distance, Kona’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"This..."

This wasn’t a normal attack. It was clear, the entire battle would be decided in this single exchange.

Suddenly, Zephyrion’s purple gaze met Dune’s, and in the next instant, they vanished.

The ground beneath them detonated violently, the force carving a deep crater into the earth.

They appeared in the center, leaving torn terrain and shattered ripples of air in their wake.

Then, they flashed past one another, appearing at a distance.

For a moment, everything fell into silence, both figures standing completely still.

Then... blood spurted from Dune’s neck, spraying into the night air.

Dune dropped to his knees, the light in his eyes dimming as he muttered with disbelief,

"...you’re a monster."

In the next moment, his body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.