Marcus finally moved.
Not running. Not jumping. Just walking — but each step felt like a hammer striking the chest. THUD. THUD. THUD. The marble floor cracked at every footfall.
He stopped in the center of the room. Clenched his right fist. The muscles in his arm swelled, veins protruding.
"Immovable Fortress."
Then, without sound, without a shout, he punched the ground.
"Meteor Hammer Impact!"
BOOM!
A shockwave swept through the room. The marble floor rippled like water. Crystal chandeliers fell one by one from the ceiling, shattering into pieces.
Leon, Nix, Kazan — all lost their balance.
Leon fell to his knees. Nix staggered sideways. Kazan planted his sword into the ground to steady himself.
"You forgot one thing," Marcus said, his voice echoing through the crumbling room.
"I don't need weapons. I don't need magic. I only need..."
He clenched his fist.
"...my fists."
"Hell's Cadence!"
A flurry of punches. Not five. Not ten. Dozens of punches in a matter of seconds, so fast they created the illusion of dozens of arms. Each punch left a trail of heated air.
Kazan intercepted.
"Mugen no Kōjin!"
Ten slashes in two seconds. His sword met Marcus's fists — CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! — each collision creating sparks.
But Marcus didn't stop.
"Hell's Jab!"
Extremely fast, repetitive punches, like a machine piston. Each punch left a trail of hot, smoking air — looking like brief fiery stabs.
Kazan stepped back. Three steps. Five steps.
His sword still parried. But he couldn't counter.
"You—"
"I'm just getting started."
Marcus raised his fist high. Dark energy began gathering at his knuckles — not magic, but something more primal. Raw power.
---
Amidst the chaos, the shadow behind Leon moved.
Kal emerged from that shadow without a sound. His dagger was already raised, ready to stab Leon's back — precisely between the ribs, where there was no protection.
"Silent Shadow."
No warning. No wind. No sound.
The dagger was almost touching Leon's skin.
But Leon had already learned.
He didn't turn. His hand was already moving.
"Singularity Grasp."
A black vortex formed in his palm. Kal's dagger stopped before it — unable to advance, unable to retreat. As if held by an invisible wall.
The dagger trembled. Then — sucked into the vortex.
Gone.
Kal was shocked. "What—"
Leon caught his wrist. One push. Kal's body was thrown back, falling onto the cracked marble floor.
But Leon wasn't finished.
He raised Lokantaka. Dark and purple energy gathered on its blade — twisting, branching, like roots or cracks in glass.
"Dark Fracture Slash!"
From the sword's edge, jagged energy lines shot forth. They weren't straight. They branched, splitting the air, destroying space itself.
Kal couldn't dodge.
The energy lines struck his left arm. Not cutting — but destroying from the inside out. His skin didn't break, but blood flowed from his pores.
Kal fell. His left arm couldn't move.
Leon stood over him, Lokantaka still raised.
"Done?"
Kal didn't answer. He only clutched his wounded arm, his eyes a mixture of fear and awe.
---
In the distance, on his throne, Zenless hadn't moved.
From the start of the battle, he had only sat. Didn't join. Didn't help. His eyes observed, calculated, assessed.
Garran still stood, but his chest rose and fell rapidly. Kaelen clutched his bloodied shoulder. Grom was shackled by fire rings, unable to move. Sera beside him, not daring to attack. Celestia stepped back, dagger still in hand, but didn't advance. Raven lowered her bow. Marcus stopped, his fists still clenched.
Ten against three.
And the three still stood.
Zenless smiled.
"Interesting," he whispered.
He didn't descend. Not yet.
=== CHAPTER 33 END ===