Garion stayed where he was, feet planted firmly on the broken street.

His shoulders were loose, arms hanging naturally at his sides.

He watched Kravos closely, eyes following every small shift in posture.

Kravos wiped the blood from his mouth and straightened fully.

"…So that's how it is," Kravos said. "You're a close-combat specialist."

Garion didn't answer right away. He rolled his neck once, slow and deliberate.

"I prefer to grab things," he replied. "They don't dodge well."

Kravos's eyes narrowed.

The ash around his body stirred again, lifting slightly from the ground.

"Then let's see how long you last," Kravos said calmly.

He vanished.

"[Judgment Step]."

Garion felt it instantly. Space compressed. The pressure shifted to his left.

He turned just in time.

Kravos appeared mid-air and drove his palm forward.

"[Ruler's Verdict]."

The force slammed outward like a focused shockwave.

Garion crossed his arms and braced.

The impact sent him sliding backward several meters, boots carving lines through broken stone.

Garion clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Still hits hard."

He lowered his guard and stepped forward.

Kravos did not wait.

He flicked his hand, ash gathering into a compressed mass.

"[Ruler's Verdict]."

This time, it fired outward.

Garion leaned to the side and felt the attack graze past him, tearing a chunk out of the building behind him.

"So you can throw it too," Garion muttered. "Annoying."

Kravos appeared again, right in front of him.

"[Judgment Step]!"

Garion stepped in instead of back.

He wrapped both arms around Kravos's waist.

"[Body Lock]."

Kravos's eyes widened slightly as Garion lifted him clean off the ground and slammed him down.

The street cracked.

Kravos reacted instantly, ash exploding outward from his body.

"[Ash Reversion]!"

The ash absorbed most of the impact, but Garion stayed on him, knee pressing down, weight perfectly centered.

"Don't try to roll," Garion said. "You'll lose your spine."

He drove an elbow down.

Kravos blocked with his forearm, pain shooting through it as the impact still sent shock through his body.

"You're persistent," Kravos said.

He twisted his shoulder and unleashed power point-blank.

"[Ruler's Verdict]."

The blast threw Garion off him at close range. Garion rolled across the ground and came to a stop on one knee.

"…Damn it," Garion muttered.

He rubbed his jaw and stood back up, irritation finally showing on his face.

"You're slippery," he said. "I hate slippery opponents."

Kravos stood as well, ash swirling tighter around him now.

"You rely too much on control," Kravos replied. "And control fails when authority is enforced."

He raised one hand.

Ash hardened.

Garion rushed forward.

Kravos fired again.

"[Ruler's Verdict]!"

Garion didn't dodge.

He stepped into it.

The impact smashed into his chest, forcing a grunt out of him, but he kept moving.

"[Gravity Clinch]!"

Garion grabbed Kravos's arm mid-attack and yanked him in.

He spun, locked Kravos's shoulder, and slammed him over his hip.

"[Overhead Throw]!"

Kravos crashed down hard.

Before he could rise, Garion dropped his weight and pinned him again.

"This is what you don't get," Garion snapped, frustration bleeding into his voice.

"Power doesn't matter if you're out of position!"

Kravos gritted his teeth.

Ash surged violently.

"[Ash Reversion]!"

The ash burst outward, forcing Garion back again.

Both men stood, breathing heavier now.

Garion clenched his fists.

"…This is getting annoying," he said. "You keep slipping out."

Kravos met his gaze calmly.

"And you keep charging in."

They moved at the same time.

Garion went low, aiming to tackle.

Kravos stepped aside and fired at point-blank range.

"[Ruler's Verdict]!"

Garion twisted mid-movement, taking the hit across his shoulder instead of his chest.

He staggered, teeth clenched, then lunged again.

He grabbed Kravos by the neck and arm.

"[Front Headlock]!"

He pulled Kravos down and drove his knee up.

Kravos blocked barely in time, ash cracking under the impact.

The two locked together, neither backing down.

Garion breathed hard.

"…You're tough," he admitted. "Too tough."

Kravos replied evenly. "And you're reckless."

Garion smirked despite himself.

"Yeah," he said. "That's why I'm pissed."

Kravos's expression darkened.

"I'm also pissed," he said quietly. "Because this ends here."

Garion frowned.

"…What?"

Kravos slowly pulled one hand free and stepped back.

The ash around him stopped swirling wildly and instead sank into the ground, spreading outward in a wide circle.

The air went still.

Kravos raised his hand.

[Sovereign Erasure]

Garion felt it immediately.

But he didn't understand it.

There was no impact.

Something simply vanished.

Garion's eyes widened slightly as his body reacted before his mind could.

"…What the hell?"

His stance wobbled.

Not because he was injured, but because his balance felt wrong.

The sense of weight he always relied on suddenly felt muted, like something had been peeled away.

Garion tried to pull in his power.

Nothing responded the way it should.

His brows knitted together.

"…That's new."

Kravos stepped forward calmly, each step firm and unhurried.

"You rely on control," Kravos said. "On pressure. On systems you understand."

He stopped a few steps away.

"[Sovereign Erasure] removes permission."

Garion clenched his fists and swung.

The punch was clean. Perfect form.

But the force behind it was wrong.

Kravos caught the fist with one hand.

Garion's eyes widened.

"…You've got to be kidding me."

Kravos tightened his grip and twisted.

Garion was forced forward, his shoulder screaming as his balance broke.

Kravos drove his knee into Garion's stomach, then followed with a sharp palm strike to the chest.

"[Ruler's Verdict]."

This time, Garion couldn't brace properly.

He was launched backward, crashing hard into the ground and skidding across stone until he finally stopped.

Garion lay there for a second, staring up at the dark sky.

"…Tch," he muttered. "That felt bad."

He pushed himself up onto one knee, then paused.

His breathing was heavier now.

His body still felt strong, but something fundamental was off.

"…So that's how it works," Garion said slowly. "You didn't overpower me."

Kravos approached, ash spreading quietly beneath his feet.

"You were erased," Kravos replied. "Just enough."

Garion looked up at him, eyes sharp despite the frustration burning in them.

"…You're annoying," Garion said. "Really annoying."

He forced himself to stand, rolling his shoulders even though they protested.

"But now I get it."

Kravos narrowed his eyes.

"Oh?"

Garion wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled, not amused, but focused.

"Now I know what I need to break."

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