CHAPTER 37 — DOMINANCE (PART TWO)
The ground was breaking.
Not from explosions—
But from impact.
---
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Tokita's fists didn't stop.
Each strike drove Ragnar deeper into the shattered earth, the crater widening with every blow. Dust spiraled upward, debris trembling with the force of it.
Ragnar couldn't move.
Tokita's foot crushed down on his leg—pinning it, locking him in place. Any attempt to pull away would snap it instantly.
So he endured.
Punch.
To the ribs.
Punch.
To the shoulder.
Punch.
To the chest.
Tokita wasn't aiming for the face anymore.
He was dismantling him.
Systematically.
Joints.
Bones.
Vital points.
---
Ragnar felt everything.
Every hit.
Every fracture creeping through his body.
---
…He's trying to kill me.
Ragnar lifted his eyes.
Tokita's face—
Calm.
Empty.
No hesitation.
No fear.
No anger.
---
That was when it hit him.
This guy…
…is terrifying.
---
Ragnar forced his arm up—
A counter—
Desperate—
---
Tokita reacted instantly.
His left hand snapped upward—
CRACK.
---
Ragnar's wrist bent unnaturally.
The bone shattered on impact.
---
Ragnar froze.
Just for a second.
Pain shot through his arm—but his mind caught something else.
…Why?
Why attack like that… without flames?
Tokita's eyes narrowed slightly.
He's not using his abilities…
His Core—
—it's dropping.
Ragnar's other hand came in—
Slower.
Weaker.
Tokita deflected it again—
Another sharp strike to the joint.
The damage worsened.
Bruising deepened—
Purple spreading beneath the skin.
---
And in that moment—
Tokita stopped.
---
Silence fell between them.
Dust drifted through the air.
---
"…Stop," Tokita said quietly.
---
Ragnar blinked.
"If this continues," Tokita continued, voice steady, "you'll die."
No anger.
No pride.
Just a statement.
Tokita's gaze hardened slightly.
"…Walk away."
A pause.
"And don't ever come near me… or my friends again."
A beat.
"…Especially Nezuko."
---
Ragnar stared at him.
Then—
He smiled.
---
He spat on Tokita's face."…Go to hell."
Tokita didn't react.
Ragnar's fingers twitched.
His blood.
His sweat.
Everything coating his body—
---
"…You really don't get it, do you?, every part of me is an ignition." Ragnar muttered.
"Huh..."Tokita responded calmly.
A snap,the saliva that Ragna spat on Tokita's face began to ignite.
A sharp, crackling ignition—
Which was supposed to temporary blind Tokita, Tokita had to release Ragnar's foot by giving distance to his opponent.
Like a firecracker bursting to life.
Heat flared—
But weak.
Unstable.
---
Tokita didn't even flinch.
"…That's it?"
He moved.
In a flash—
He appeared in front of Ragnar—
---
BOOM.
A kick slammed into Ragnar's neck.
The impact launched him across the battlefield—
Through a wrecked car—
---
CRASH—!
---
The vehicle exploded behind him in a burst of fire.
Ragnar rolled—
Then staggered to his feet.
Barely.
---
Tokita walked toward him.
Slow.
Measured.
---
"…You're done."
---
No response.
Ragnar stood there—
Head lowered.
Body swaying.
Tokita's eyes sharpened behind his bangs.
…Don't tell me—
---
Something was off.
Ragnar wasn't reacting.
Wasn't attacking.
Wasn't even moving properly.
But—
The air around him—
Changed.
---
Distorted.
---
Heat.
Rising.
---
Tokita stopped walking.
---
The ground beneath Ragnar's feet—
Began to melt, maybe even boiling.
---
Concrete softened—
Edges sagging—
Liquefying under invisible pressure.
---
Ragnar's body trembled.
His legs barely held him upright—
Shaking—
Unstable—
---
But his right arm—
Slowly—
Rose.
---
Pointing forward.
The air warped around it.
Light bent.
Heat compressed.
---
Tokita's eyes widened slightly, under his bangs.
…This isn't normal.
The temperature spiked.
Rapidly.
Violently.
Even Tokita felt it.
"…No f*cking way...He's evolving..."
Ragnar's head tilted up—
A grin stretching across his face—
Despite everything.
"…Now we're talking…"
The space around him twisted.
Flames didn't burst outward—
They collapsed inward.
Condensing.
Darkening.
Deep red—
Mixed with something heavier.
Something unstable.
---
The battlefield fell silent.
---
Tokita stood still—
Watching.
Calculating.
---
…If I let that fire—
—this entire area is gone.
---
Ragnar's arm locked into place.
Energy spiraled—
Compressing—
Growing denser—
---
The ground beneath him caved slightly.
---
His Core—
Burning.
Dying—
And evolving at the same time.
---
Tokita exhaled slowly.
"…So that's your move."
Ragnar smiled wider.
And the air—
Began to scream.