The air grew heavy.
Oppressive.
Thick with violent energy.
Caelion's smile remained on his face.
That smile…
It irritated me.
No.
It infuriated me.
The tiger charged again.
But this time—
It was different.
More controlled.
More precise.
I glanced toward Caelion.
Then back at the incoming beast.
Something inside me snapped.
CRACKLE!!!
Red lightning erupted around my body.
It screamed through the air, crawling across my skin like living flames.
My eyes shifted.
Blue vanished.
Red flashed through my pupils.
My instincts screamed.
My reason resisted.
Instinct…
And control…
Clashed inside me.
And that smile—
That damn smile—
Made me want to let go.
The tiger was already upon me.
Claws raised.
Fangs bared.
Only inches from my face—
"SCRAM!!"
BOOM!!!
My fist struck its chest.
Red lightning exploded from the impact.
The force echoed through the chamber like thunder.
Its body was launched backward.
My eyes widened slightly.
My speed…
At least ten times faster than before.
SCREEECH!!!
Its feet tore across the metal floor.
It slid.
Grinding against the surface.
A burnt imprint of my fist remained across its chest.
Then—
The damage vanished.
The flesh reconstructed itself instantly.
"ROAR!!!"
Blue aura exploded from the tiger's body.
Lightning erupted around it.
Wild.
Violent.
Unstable.
The lightning twisted around its arms like raging serpents.
Then—
It condensed.
Forming gauntlets around its fists.
My eyes narrowed.
BOOM!!!
It vanished.
And charged again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Smarter.
"Tch…"
My irritation grew.
The smile.
The pressure.
This ridiculous fight.
And that thing—
That avatar—
It just wouldn't die.
"JUST DIE."
The words escaped my thoughts.
Then repeated.
Just die.
Just die.
JUST DIE!!!
Red lightning surged violently around me.
The ground beneath my feet burned.
My right pupil flickered again.
Red consumed the remaining blue.
My vision sharpened.
Reason began slipping.
Fury took over.
Every movement.
Every sound.
Every impact—
Fed the fire.
CRACKLE!!!
I vanished.
A red flash.
An afterimage remained where I had been standing.
Then—
I was already in front of it.
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
Two brutal strikes.
Then—
A rising uppercut.
BOOM!!!
Its body lifted from the ground.
Before it could recover—
I appeared above it.
My fist descended.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The final strike drove straight into its core.
Avatar or not…
I end this now.
Its body was sent flying.
It crashed against the floor and continued sliding.
Twice as far as before.
"RAAAARRRGH!!!"
Its energy surged.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Doubled.
Tripled.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The energy exploded outward.
The ground beneath it cracked.
Deep fractures spread beneath its feet.
Lightning raged around its body.
Then compressed.
Forming a full-body armor.
A violent pressure wave swept across the chamber.
Several spectators stumbled backward.
Some nearly lost their footing.
But I didn't move.
I only grew more irritated.
I'm not a joke.
I'm not a display.
I'm not…
The thought fractured.
Reason slipped further away.
The tiger roared.
"ROOOAAARRRRR!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
A shockwave blasted outward.
Cracks spread across the gravity chamber walls.
My face changed.
Fangs extended.
My features sharpened.
The beast within my blood pushed closer to the surface.
Red lightning surged around me.
Not merely surrounding my body.
Moving with it.
But still—
I hadn't transformed.
I didn't need to.
I was still stronger.
And this thing—
Whether intentionally or not—
Was feeding my rage.
The air around me began turning faintly red.
Visible only to those with sharp enough senses.
My body trembled.
Not from weakness.
From power.
"JUST…"
My voice came out low.
"…DIE."
This time—
I said it aloud.
Then I moved.
Before it could react—
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
A clean combination.
Chest.
Face.
Uppercut.
Each strike was precise.
Each one heavy enough to shake the chamber.
The tiger slid backward.
But not far.
I stared.
"…What?"
It had adapted.
Or—
Maybe it simply didn't feel pain the way a living creature should.
WHOOSH!!!
A blur snapped me out of my thoughts.
I tilted my head.
Its fist passed within inches of my face.
Then another.
And another.
Fists.
Kicks.
Strikes.
Like bullets.
I dodged.
Countered.
Moved.
Fluidly.
But my attacks—
Were being absorbed.
The damage disappeared almost as quickly as I inflicted it.
"…Annoying."
My pupils burned brighter red.
But this time—
I remained focused.
We clashed.
Relentlessly.
Across the chamber.
Fists.
Elbows.
Knees.
Kicks.
Impact after impact.
BAM!!!
BOOM!!!
CRACK!!!
The spectators retreated toward the edges.
Watching.
Excited.
Breathless.
The tension from earlier had disappeared.
Replaced by raw excitement.
But I still couldn't end it.
The irritation remained.
Yet strangely…
I felt satisfied.
Like a starving beast finally receiving food.
The anger began to fade.
Slowly.
Strike after strike.
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
Our movements became faster.
Sharper.
Heavier.
Cracks spread across the floor like spiderwebs.
Then—
Nanobots repaired them.
We continued.
Another exchange.
Another collision.
Another burst of energy.
Then—
BAM!!!
I caught its fist.
The lightning armor crackled against my palm.
Trying to burn through my skin.
Failing.
The tiger pushed harder.
I didn't move.
"…Time to end this."
My voice was calm now.
Cold.
Controlled.
The rage had burned itself down.
Leaving something sharper behind.
Control.
BOOM!!!
Our fists collided.
The impact created a shockwave.
Both of us slid backward.
Our feet carved lines into the metal floor.
I stopped first.
I stood straight.
Unharmed.
Unbothered.
The avatar stood several meters away.
Its body was bruised.
Worn.
Even as its injuries continued healing—
Its energy had weakened.
Its aura was less dense.
Less oppressive.
Its breathing had become unstable.
Its once-pristine white fur was disheveled.
Blue lightning flickered unevenly across its body.
I stared at it quietly.
Then—
"…Thanks."
The avatar remained silent.
I relaxed my fingers.
"For the fight."
I took a slow breath.
"I feel like myself again."
The words were true.
The rage was gone.
The irritation had faded.
My mind was clear.
My instincts were no longer fighting against my reason.
They were moving together.
I looked at the creature one final time.
"But it ends here."
I raised both hands.
Two fingers extended.
Pointing in opposite directions.
Energy began gathering around them.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Not overflowing.
Controlled.
Perfectly condensed.
Deadly.
The air itself seemed to tighten around me.
The avatar lowered its stance.
Blue lightning surged across its armor.
Neither of us moved.
For one final moment—
The chamber was silent.
Then I narrowed my eyes.
The final strike…
Was coming.