Garion wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at Kravos.

Then he smirked.

"Let me ask you something," Garion said. "Do you actually know what my power is?"

Kravos stood tall despite the pressure lingering around them.

His eyes stayed sharp and focused.

"You're a human who controls gravity," Kravos replied.

"And from your presence, you appear to have reached the Third Realm."

He took a slow step forward.

"I don't know how you destroyed the Demon Gate. I don't know how you destroyed my city. And I don't know how you can withstand demonic mana so freely."

His voice hardened.

"But let me be clear. You will not win against me."

Garion laughed.

"I wasn't asking to test your confidence," Garion said. "I was asking if you understood."

He shook his head slowly.

"And it looks like you don't."

Garion straightened his back.

His feet dug into the ground, stance widening slightly.

"Up until now," Garion continued, "I've only been using my body."

He clenched his fists. "And a bit of gravity."

Kravos frowned. "…A bit?"

Garion lifted his head and exhaled slowly.

"Now," he said, "I'll let you feel my real strength."

He roared.

The ground trembled.

The air thickened.

Everything within the area pressed downward as if the world itself had gained weight.

Kravos's eyes widened.

His knees bent slightly before he could stop them.

"…What?" he muttered.

The ash around his body was forced flat against the ground.

His breath grew heavy, chest tightening with every inhale.

"How is this possible?" Kravos demanded. "How can your domain overpower mine?"

Garion stepped forward.

Each step cracked the stone beneath his feet.

"This isn't an ordinary domain," Garion said calmly. "It doesn't come from mana tricks or external control."

He tapped his chest once. "It comes from my body."

The pressure increased again.

"The stronger my body becomes," Garion continued, "the stronger my domain becomes."

Kravos clenched his teeth and forced himself upright, veins standing out along his neck.

"A domain… fuelled by the body itself?"

Garion nodded and looked straight at Kravos.

"So tell me again."

The ground groaned under the weight.

"Do you really think," Garion said, voice steady, "that I can't beat you?"

Kravos stared back, breathing heavily now, ash flickering unstably around him.

For the first time, doubt crept into his eyes.

Garion raised his fists again, stance perfect, pressure unwavering.

"Now," he said, "let's continue."

Kravos tried to straighten his back.

His muscles tensed. Ash surged around his legs as he attempted to step forward.

But his foot barely lifted.

"…What?" Kravos muttered.

The pressure pressed down harder, forcing his body to obey gravity instead of his will.

Garion moved.

Kravos felt a hand clamp onto his collar.

Before he could react, Garion lifted him clean off the ground.

"Too slow," Garion said.

His fist drove forward.

The blow slammed into Kravos's ribs.

A deep, crushing impact travelled straight through his body.

Kravos coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth as his vision shook.

Garion didn't stop.

He pulled Kravos back in and punched again.

And again.

Each hit landed cleanly, controlled, and brutally.

Kravos tried to counter.

He raised his arm, ash forming desperately.

"[Ash Reversion]!"

Garion shifted his grip and slammed an elbow into Kravos's jaw.

"Too late."

The ash cracked apart.

Kravos's head snapped to the side, his body twisting helplessly in Garion's grip.

Garion lifted him higher.

"Watch your balance," Garion said flatly. "You lost it three moves ago."

He twisted his hips and hurled Kravos forward.

Kravos flew across the ruined street like a broken weapon, smashing through debris and skidding violently across the ground.

He didn't stop until he crashed hard near a cluster of collapsed buildings.

Velgon and Azgus were there.

They froze the moment Kravos crashed to the ground in front of them.

Azgus's eyes widened in shock."M-My lord?!"

He rushed forward a step, then stopped when he felt the pressure still crushing the air around Kravos.

His hands trembled, unsure whether he should help or stay back.

Velgon's breath caught in his throat. "…No way."

He stared at Kravos, bloodied and struggling to rise.

His mind went blank for a moment.

"How… how can Lord Kravos lose?" Velgon whispered.

Heavy footsteps echoed behind them.

Garion approached at an unhurried pace, hands relaxed at his sides.

The ground seemed to sink slightly with every step he took.

His gaze swept over the scene, then stopped on Velgon.

Garion smirked. "So you're all here, huh?"

His eyes lingered on Velgon.

"And you too… Velgon. Long time no see."

Velgon stiffened. His face darkened immediately.

"…You."

Garion tilted his head slightly.

"To think you really sold my information," he said calmly. "And to the council, of all people."

He glanced around at the ruined city.

"Thanks to that, they came after me."

Garion shrugged lightly.

"And well… this city is the result."

Velgon clenched his fists.

"Damn it…"

Kravos slowly pushed himself up on one arm.

His breathing was heavy, but his eyes were still sharp.

He had heard everything.

"…So that's how it started," Kravos said quietly.

He laughed once, low and bitter.

"To think my city was dragged into chaos because of information sold like cheap goods."

Velgon lowered his head, unable to meet his gaze.

But Kravos's expression hardened again.

"Still," he said, forcing himself to stand, "whether that demon sold your data or not…"

He looked straight at Garion.

"This city would have ended the same."

Ash began to rise again around his feet.

Kravos straightened fully, blood running down his chin.

"Human," he said coldly, "I will make you pay for all of this."

The demonic mana across the ruins surged.

"[Black Ash Dominion]."

Black ash exploded outward, covering the ground, the air, and every demon still standing.

Velgon and Azgus gasped as the ash wrapped around them, draining their strength instantly.

"M-My lord!" Azgus shouted.

Kravos raised his hand, veins standing out along his arm.

He did not look back.

"Lend me your power," he said. "This is an order."

The ash tightened.

Then Kravos's eyes burned brighter.

"[Sovereign Erasure]."

The energy he drained from the surrounding demons surged into him, dense and overwhelming.

The pressure focused entirely on Garion this time.

Kravos pointed straight at him.

"This time," he said, voice shaking with fury and resolve, "I will erase you."

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