"Yo, your name is Kael, right?" the enemy called out, sitting calmly on the battleground behind a line of minions.
Kael stopped mid stride. He had been rushing forward without hesitation, but something in the enemy's tone made him pause. His eyes narrowed as he studied the man in front of him.
"What do you want?" Kael asked.
The enemy rose slowly to his feet, brushing dust from his clothes as if this were a casual meeting rather than a fight to the death.
"I just want to tell you something," he said. "You should not be a fast brawler. That style does not suit you. You have a counter. I am helping you right now."
Kael's gaze sharpened. "What was that counter you are talking about?"
The enemy lifted one foot slightly and pointed it toward Kael. Only one of his feet wore a boot, the other was bare.
"You see this?" he said. "I only have one boot. That is to show you what your counter is. You are invincible, but only against two types of damage."
Without warning, the enemy summoned his Diligio Gate. Energy surged around him like a quiet storm.
Kael let out a laugh. "Is that supposed to scare me?"
He summoned his own Diligio and Ira Gates. The air around him tightened as power gathered.
"Andrenaline," Kael whispered.
The enemy moved first. He launched a kick toward Kael. The motion was fast, almost too fast to follow. Kael focused on the boot, assuming that was where the danger lay.
He was wrong.
The bare foot struck him.
The impact shattered through his guard and sent him flying backward. His body slammed against the ground, dust exploding around him.
The enemy landed lightly. "You are not going to like it when this left foot hits you again."
Kael laughed, though blood dripped from his mouth. His jaw had taken the brunt of the blow, and for a moment it hung at an unnatural angle.
"Regen," he mumbled.
The bones shifted back into place. Flesh mended itself as if time had reversed. Within seconds, his jaw was whole again.
Kael wiped the blood from his lips and stood.
"I already know your trick," he said. "Your damage is split. True damage and physical damage."
The enemy frowned slightly.
"You seem to misunderstand," Kael continued. "Your right foot has physical damage. Your other foot has mechanical and physical combined. Am I wrong? Or are you only strong against magic damage?"
The enemy stared at him, confusion flickering across his face.
"What? That is not how it works," he said.
Kael grinned.
The enemy attacked again, this time with his booted foot. Kael raised his shoulder and blocked the kick. The force pushed him back a step, but the damage was minimal.
Kael smirked. "See? That one is not the problem."
He knew the truth now. Physical damage hurt him, but not fatally. The real danger came from damage his regeneration could not fully undo.
The enemy lunged forward again, but Kael moved faster. He pushed the enemy back, then leaped in with a punch. His fist slammed into the enemy's side.
The enemy tried to counter with a kick to Kael's shoulder, but Kael caught the leg mid motion. With a sharp twist, he slammed the enemy into the ground.
The impact echoed across the battlefield.
Kael followed through without hesitation. He grabbed the enemy's head and smashed it into the dirt, then drove punch after punch into his opponent.
For a moment, a memory flashed in his mind. Nixxin's voice echoed, describing how he once defeated an old man during the illegal mining incident. The technique was the same. Relentless force, no pause, no mercy.
Kael did not stop until the enemy's body went limp.
When the last minion fell, Kael entered the enemy tower. The air inside shimmered with strange energy.
He approached the contract station and began selecting upgrades. Slowness. Hypermotion. Regeneration. Cooler.
Then something caught his eye.
A red paper.
Kael picked it up. "Why is this one different?"
He read it slowly, stumbling over some of the longer lines.
"Contract. One Time Lightbringer. Gives the full potential of the player for one time. Activates when the player is dying in the game. Requires one of the Depraved Selfseeing Gates. Allows the player to access their current fullest extent. Some may exceed their own knowledge of strength. Additional attributes include Lightbringer Armor. Reduces incoming damage, including true damage. The armor is formed from light and wisdom."
Kael blinked.
"I did not know I could read something that long," he muttered.
Without overthinking, he signed the contract.
The world shifted, and he was transported back to the battlefield.
The moment he returned, Kael activated Hypermotion. His body surged forward with explosive speed.
He opened the Selfseeing Gate of Ira again.
"Andrenaline."
Before the enemy could even react, Kael was already in front of him. His fist shot forward.
The punch glowed.
Heat built around it, distorting the air. Before it even made contact, the enemy's clothes began to burn.
Then it hit.
The force tore through the enemy's abdomen, blasting a hole clean through his chest. Blood sprayed across the ground.
The enemy collapsed.
Seconds later, he respawned.
This time, he attacked immediately, launching both feet toward Kael's abdomen.
Kael reacted instantly.
"Ignore."
The kicks connected, but their effect was reduced. Kael held his ground, absorbing the impact.
The enemy followed with a downward strike, bringing his foot toward Kael's skull like an axe.
At the same time, Kael countered with a kick to the enemy's neck.
Both strikes landed.
The enemy staggered and fell, but Kael felt a burning pain shoot through his own neck.
The enemy recovered quickly. He stepped forward and threw a straight punch.
Kael blocked with his elbow, then swung his other arm toward the enemy's face. The enemy blocked that too and kicked Kael backward to create distance.
They circled each other.
The enemy suddenly shifted left, feinting a punch. Kael reacted quickly, pulling back to reduce the damage.
But it was a trick.
The enemy's real attack came from the other side. His fist slammed into Kael's upper abdomen. Before Kael could recover, the enemy grabbed his shirt and pulled him in.
A brutal punch landed square in Kael's chest.
Something cracked.
Kael gasped as pain surged through his ribs.
He summoned the Blessed Eye Key and opened the Diligio Gate again.
"Regen."
Even as the bones began to mend, Kael dropped to one knee.
He tried to stand, but the enemy was already above him.
The enemy lifted his foot.
This time, the boot gleamed with a metallic shine. It was not just armor. It was a weapon.
The purpose was not weight. It was impact.
Flames ignited along the surface of the boot, wrapping around it in a violent blaze.
The enemy brought it down.
The stomp carried fire, force, and destruction all at once.
The ground exploded.
A blinding light consumed the battlefield as the attack landed directly on Kael.
When the light faded, a massive crater remained.
At its center lay Kael, motionless, his body broken, his head shattered from the impact.