Volume 2 — Chapter 17
Eyes of the Void
The battlefield had become silent.
Not the silence of peace.
But the silence that appears when something too powerful enters the stage.
The shattered plains stretched endlessly in every direction. Massive cracks split the ground where earlier attacks had struck. Dust drifted slowly through the air, carried by a weak wind that no longer dared to grow stronger.
At the center of the battlefield stood two figures.
Icarus Grimm.
And the Creator's Descendant.
Above them, Seraphine floated silently, watching the battle from a distance. Her eyes followed every movement below with careful attention.
The first phase of the fight had already revealed something important.
The Descendant was adapting.
Every strike it delivered became faster.
Every movement grew more precise.
And the longer the battle continued—
The stronger it became.
Seraphine frowned slightly.
"…That thing is improving way too quickly."
Below her, the Descendant suddenly vanished.
The ground exploded as it moved.
A moment later its blade appeared directly beside Icarus's neck.
The strike moved faster than sound.
CLANG.
Void energy erupted as Icarus blocked the attack with a condensed barrier.
The impact shattered the air around them.
Shockwaves rippled across the battlefield.
The Descendant didn't stop.
Its blade moved again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike faster than the last.
The air filled with flashes of distorted light as the blade cut through space itself.
Seraphine narrowed her eyes.
"It's accelerating again."
Nexus confirmed inside Icarus's mind.
[Adaptive combat evolution detected.]
[Enemy combat efficiency increased by 34%.]
Another strike flashed forward.
Icarus stepped sideways just in time.
The blade cut through the ground behind him.
BOOM.
A deep canyon instantly formed across the battlefield.
Dust exploded into the sky.
Icarus countered immediately.
Void energy surged around his arm as he launched a powerful strike toward the Descendant's torso.
The attack connected.
The Descendant was sent flying backward across the battlefield.
It slid across the shattered ground before stopping.
For a moment both fighters remained still.
Then the Descendant slowly lifted its head.
"…Damage registered."
Thin cracks appeared across its white armor.
But within seconds—
The cracks disappeared.
The armor repaired itself.
Seraphine blinked.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Nexus spoke again.
[Self-repair mechanism detected.]
[Enemy structural stability restored.]
Seraphine groaned softly.
"So it adapts, evolves, and repairs itself."
She crossed her arms.
"That's unfair."
Below her, the Descendant began walking forward again.
Its movements were calm.
Unhurried.
But every step carried overwhelming pressure.
The air around it began distorting more violently now.
Its blade lifted slowly.
"…Combat data sufficient."
Its voice remained cold and mechanical.
"Entering higher evaluation phase."
Seraphine tilted her head.
"…Higher phase?"
Icarus remained silent.
His gaze remained fixed on the approaching opponent.
Then suddenly—
The Descendant vanished again.
But this time—
It was much faster.
Even the air failed to react to its movement.
It appeared directly in front of Icarus.
Its blade pierced forward.
The attack moved with terrifying speed.
For the first time during the battle—
The strike landed.
The blade pierced through Icarus's chest.
Time seemed to slow.
Seraphine's eyes widened.
"…Icarus!"
The blade had struck directly through his heart.
A deep silence filled the battlefield.
The Descendant spoke calmly.
"…Critical damage inflicted."
But something strange happened.
Icarus didn't fall.
Instead—
Void energy began leaking slowly from the wound.
Dark energy moved through the air like smoke escaping from a cracked seal.
Seraphine stared.
"…What?"
Inside Icarus's mind, Nexus suddenly activated.
[CRITICAL CONDITION DETECTED]
[VOID AUTHORITY INSTABILITY]
Another message appeared immediately.
[SEALED AUTHORITY REACTING]
Then—
A final message appeared.
[ABILITY AWAKENING INITIATED]
Icarus slowly lifted his head.
The Descendant remained standing in front of him, its blade still embedded in his chest.
"…Unexpected reaction."
Then Icarus opened his eyes.
They were no longer normal.
The pupils had vanished.
In their place existed endless black voids.
Around those voids faint silver rings slowly rotated like collapsing galaxies.
It looked as if entire universes were being swallowed within his gaze.
Seraphine froze.
"…Those eyes…"
Nexus spoke again.
[Ability Unlocked — Eyes of Nihyron]
The battlefield changed instantly.
The air grew heavy.
Space itself trembled slightly.
Even the wind stopped moving.
The Descendant slowly stepped back.
Its head tilted slightly.
"…New variable detected."
Icarus looked at it calmly.
But now—
He could see everything.
Energy streams flowed through the Descendant's body.
The structure of its armor.
The unstable core hidden deep within its chest.
Even the distortions in space created by its weapon.
Everything was visible.
Clear.
Precise.
Nexus spoke again.
[Eyes of Nihyron — Void Perception Activated]
[Enemy structural weaknesses identified.]
Icarus exhaled slowly.
The wound in his chest remained.
But his body no longer seemed affected by it.
Instead—
The Void around him had begun reacting.
Dark particles floated through the air like fragments of broken space.
Seraphine whispered softly.
"…What just happened to you?"
The Descendant raised its blade again.
"…Combat parameters updated."
Its voice remained calm.
But something had changed.
For the first time since the battle began—
It had paused.
Analyzing.
Calculating.
Because the being standing before it now—
Was no longer the same opponent.
Icarus lifted his hand slowly.
Void energy gathered around his fingers.
His new eyes observed every movement of the Descendant.
Every weakness.
Every possible outcome.
Then he spoke quietly.
"…Let's continue."
The next phase of the battle had begun.