In an instant, Axel tightened his grip and ripped the spiked club out of Merna's hand.
Before Merna could react, Axel launched himself upward, hovering directly above him. A moment ago, he had been shorter, now he looked down on Merna with clear dominance.
Axel twisted Merna's arm with brutal force. The pressure drove Merna down until his knee slammed into the ground.
Thud!
The impact shook the entire mountain. Snow collapsed in waves, wildlife scattered or died on the spot, and even the surrounding peaks began to shift.
As the two locked into a direct contest of strength, something massive moved beneath them.
A colossal limb extended from the mountain's sides, stretching outward into the sea. Then a massive turtle head rose from below, its eyes fixed on the two figures above with intense emotion.
It let out a long, strained roar.
The mountain began to move.
What had seemed like solid land revealed itself as the back of a giant turtle, now pushing through the sea. At first its roar carried pain, but it quickly turned into anger, thick with years of resentment.
Axel glanced down and smirked.
"That's a loud one. Shame I can't understand a word."
The turtle froze for a moment, then roared again, louder this time.
It wanted to help, to interfere, to crush Merna where he stood. But it could not.
For years, it had been trapped, stripped of power, left with nothing but its physical body and a mind slowly worn down by despair. It had watched others come and fail, over and over, each one bringing hope, each one ending in disappointment.
But now, for the first time, Merna had lost control.
And that changed everything.
The turtle steadied itself, forcing its massive body to remain stable.
Above, Merna struck back.
His palm slammed into Axel's abdomen with explosive force.
Boom!
Axel's body trembled slightly from the hit, but he did not move.
Merna's eyes widened.
"No… that's not possible."
Axel grinned.
"You talk like the world owes you logic. It doesn't."
He grabbed Merna's beard with one hand.
"If I'm standing here, that's all the explanation you get."
Axel released his other hand, letting the weapon drop, and drove a punch straight into Merna's face.
The blow twisted Merna's features, but he endured it and immediately opened the storage bag again, trying to pull Axel in.
The suction formed.
Axel vanished.
Then, in the next instant, his arm burst out from Merna's chest.
Crack!
Both hands forced their way through, tearing flesh and bone apart. Axel split him open completely, ripping through his torso without hesitation.
Blood poured out.
Axel stepped forward from the ruined body, kicked aside the remains, and tightened the rope of the bag still clutched in Merna's hand.
Merna looked down in disbelief at the destruction of his own body.
"What… kind of ability is that…"
Before he could finish, Axel moved again.
Boom!
He shot upward and drove a brutal uppercut into Merna's chin, launching him into the sky.
From below, the giant turtle watched in stunned silence as Merna's body flew higher and higher.
Axel followed immediately, catching up mid-air, then drove him back down.
The impact slammed Merna into the turtle's back.
The turtle stiffened.
If it could speak clearly, it would have begged them to stop.
The force was too much.
Boom!
The impact sent massive waves across the sea. The turtle, along with the mountain on its back, was driven downward into the water.
It cried out, struggling to stay afloat, its limbs thrashing desperately.
It had endured Merna for years, but this… this might kill it.
Above, Axel planted his foot on Merna's shattered head and began hammering down punches without pause.
Each strike crushed bone further, reducing what remained into a mangled mass.
The force spread downward, threatening to break the turtle apart beneath them.
Then suddenly, a green-scaled dragon surged up from the sea.
Wind and lightning gathered around it as it rose into the air and approached Axel. As it neared, it shifted into human form and dropped to one knee.
"Please stop. He's already dead. If this continues, the turtle won't survive either."
Axel paused mid-motion.
He pulled his fist back and glanced at the dragon, his face still smeared with blood.
"What did you just call me?"
The dragon hesitated.
Axel shook his hand lightly.
"'Great Sage'? That doesn't sound right. I'm human. Shouldn't it be something else?"
The dragon glanced at the remains of Merna, then back at Axel.
There was a brief silence.
Finally, he lowered his head.
"In my eyes, that title is the highest respect I can give."
Axel stared at him for a moment, then let out a short laugh.