The destruction of the pyramid came all at once. The pressure that had been building beneath the surface exceeded what the structure could contain and the result was the entire pyramid detonating
Flames erupted through every corridor and chamber while compressed kinetic force tore through the stone from within, reducing the false structure of architecture into a rapidly expanding cloud of molten debris and pulverized sand. Great chunks of sandstone were launched hundreds of meters into the air while shockwaves rippled outward across the desert floor, flattening dunes and sending curtains of sand rolling across the horizon.
While the Pyramid was indeed beautiful, it was clearly an artificial one made by a rune. His father had set it up beforehand while expecting Jaune.
And now... that structure was in ruin.
At the center of the devastation stood two figures.
Jaune barely moved.
The instant the explosion engulfed him, a thin shell of condensed weakness runic energy wrapped itself around his body like a second skin. The incoming force struck the shell and immediately weakened. The heat lost its intensity and the pressure lost its violence. Even the flying debris seemed to become slurry before it reached him.
The explosion still hit.
It simply no longer possessed enough strength to truly harm him. Through the firestorm, Jaune's eyes remained fixed on only one target.
Nicholas Arc.
His father stood amidst the inferno completely unbothered.
A faint distortion surrounded him, almost invisible beneath the flames. The fire curled around his body without touching him while shockwaves split apart as though colliding against something immovable.
Time.
His father had frozen the space surrounding himself.
The realization had barely formed when Nicholas moved. One moment he was standing still, and the next, he was already charging through the heart of the explosion.
The flames parted around him and the kinetic force bent away from him. His arm extended forward, fingers pressed together into a spear-like shape aimed directly at Jaune's chest.
The strike arrived with terrifying speed but Jaune only leaned backwards causing the spear-hand to pass less than an inch from his sternum.
Without pausing, he allowed the momentum of the dodge to carry him into a backward dive. His body arched gracefully before plunging straight into the partially melted sandstone beneath him.
To an ordinary observer it would have appeared impossible.
Stone was not water.
Yet the moment Jaune's body touched the ground, weakness spread through the surrounding material.
The sandstone softened and the charred earth lost its solidity. The world itself became slurry and Jaune disappeared beneath the surface.
Just before his entire body vanished, one foot lit up.
An imbued rune had been activated.
Absorption.
The effect spread instantly.
The raging inferno consuming the remains of the pyramid abruptly began collapsing inward. Fire, heat, pressure, and kinetic force were ripped from the environment and drawn toward Jaune's retreating foot.
The explosion visibly shrank.
Flames that should have continued burning simply vanished and even the very heat drained from the air.
The destructive energy condensed into a single point and his foot glowed an incandescent red.
Jaune felt power flooding into him. The brightness resembled molten metal fresh from a forge.
Then he was gone.
Far beneath the desert surface, Jaune swam through weakened earth like a fish through water. Above him, Nicholas did not follow.
Instead, his father glanced downward briefly before kicking off empty air. The motion should have been impossible but at their level of strength, physics simply ceased to matter.
Nicholas shot upward through the collapsing structure and burst from the top of the chasm they had originally entered.
Bright desert sunlight greeted him and wind swept across the endless sea of dunes. Far below, Jaune felt his father escaping.
His expression remained calm and another imbued rune activated.
Multiply.
Runic energy surged through his body. The absorbed force gathered within his incandescent leg and multiplied.
Twice, then three times, four and finally five times.
The pressure became monstrous.
Without hesitation, Jaune kicked.
The desert exploded.
A colossal pillar of fire and kinetic force erupted from beneath the sands with enough violence to shake the surrounding landscape. Sand vaporized instantly. Molten glass formed along the edges of the attack while a blazing column several hundred meters tall punched toward the sky.
From a great distance it would have looked like a volcanic eruption emerging from the center of the desert.
Yet Nicholas simply wasn't there.
He stepped aside in mid air.
Nothing more.
The gigantic attack roared harmlessly past him.
At that exact moment, Jaune emerged. He burst from the desert like a predator breaching the ocean surface.
A black spear formed within his hand as shadow and umbra condensed together until the weapon resembled a shard of solid darkness.
Without slowing, Jaune swung and the spear connected. Nicholas was batted sideways directly into the heart of the burning pillar.
The impact generated a thunderous boom.
Curiously, Jaune father made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he crossed his arms and allowed the attack to send him flying.
His body vanished into the inferno, then reappeared back the same spot he was in. The flames hadn't even faded before Nicholas was back where he had started.
He had utilized Time to drag his body back to its previous spot. Jaune wasn't surprised. Their weapons and fists collided immediately afterward.
Spear met palm and shadow clashed against frozen space. The two exchanged dozens of blows while suspended hundreds of meters above the desert.
The pillar of fire continued climbing skyward before gradually dispersing into smoke and burning sand.
Sandstorms formed beneath them from the force alone. To anyone watching from afar, the battle would have appeared incomprehensible.
Yet despite the sheer number of exchanges, despite the explosions and pillars of fire and impossible movements, everything that had happened so far had occurred within less than ten seconds.
Jaune thrust again and the spear changed shape. Its tip split apart and darkness unfolded.
An enormous abyssal maw erupted from the weapon, revealing countless rows of jagged teeth that lunged toward Nicholas with enough size to swallow him whole.
Gula.
Nicholas merely snapped his fingers and the maw froze. The monstrous jaws halted inches from completion and the shadows themselves became motionless. Time had stopped for Jaune's stalker companion.
Jaune froze as well, body locked in place. Nicholas calmly walked around the immobilized attack and he approached Jaune from the side and reached toward his face.
Then Jaune exploded.
A massive detonation erupted from the frozen body, sending sand and debris scattering across a kilometer-wide radius.
The shockwave expanded outward like a miniature apocalypse. However, Nicholas emerged from the blast completely unharmed. Meanwhile, the real Jaune burst from another section of desert.
The body and the explosion had merely been a substitute from one of the runes which Jaune had collected. Jaune estimated that he could probably use that tactic one more time before the imbued rune dissipated. It was just unfortunate that Jaune couldn't gain access to the meta runic energy of Perpetuity.
Absorption activated once more. The enormous energy released by the detonation collapsed inwards and flowed into Jaune's palm.
Incandescent light filled his hand like it had once did with his foot. The glow was almost painful to look at. Without hesitation, Jaune launched himself forward.
His fist crashed toward Nicholas's face and a blinding flash erupted. However, the explosive force parted around the man as if it was deliberately avoiding him. The air itself froze as an invisible wall materialized between them.
Jaune's strike stopped dead.
Nicholas raised an eyebrow, then he froze Jaune again.
"My turn."
His palm pressed against Jaune's chest and he activated an imbued rune. The instant an imbued rune activated, Jaune sensed it and immediately Plundered it.
The rune and the runic energy transferred immediately towards Jaune's body.
His body might not have been able to move, his runes and his mind still could. Yet the moment the theft succeeded, every instinct he possessed screamed.
Danger.
Overwhelming danger.
Nicholas smiled. "Fool."
Pain exploded throughout Jaune's body and cuts appeared across his flesh. Blood sprayed into the air. Then, the true attack arrived.
A devastating force erupted from Nicholas's palm and the shockwave detonated point blank.
Bones shattered and ribs collapsed. Jaune felt his entire torso cave inward as he was launched across the desert.
Blood erupted from his mouth.
Within his shadow, Gula shouted into Jaune's mind
'Jaune!'
'I'm fine.'
The response came immediately. Even while tumbling through the air, Jaune's thoughts remained cold and analytical.
His father had utilized two different applications of power. Aura Echo and something else. Some form of force stacking multiplication linked to Time. His weakness sense could sense what his father was doing.
Jaune then carefully analyzed his body's state even while flying backwards through the air. His mind worked rapidly as the stolen rune continued operating within him.
Curiously enough instead of weakening him, it was strengthening him.
His senses sharpened and his muscles felt denser. His awareness was also expanding rapidly. Despite the horrific damage covering his body, he felt stronger than before.
Jaune glanced toward the rune he had stolen and the runic language made itself known. The answer revealed itself.
Masochism.
Power through pain and damage.
His thoughts paused for a moment before the inkling of a plan burned across his mind.
'I can use it for Substitute.'
His father accelerated after him and the speed he was traversing through the air was downright ridiculous.
For a brief moment Jaune found himself comparing it to a friend that he hadn't seen in a long time. Ruby Rose. Or more specifically to Ruby's Accel Rune.
If she had reached Rank 2 at this point, she might very well move like this with this level of speed. The thought vanished immediately.
Nicholas arrived and Jaune intercepted him.
Their fists collided and Pain screamed through Jaune's broken body, however, he ignored it. They traded blows while plummeting toward the desert floor.
Each collision generated shockwaves and each impact shattered dunes below. When they finally crashed into the sand, another crater formed beneath them.
Jaune coughed up blood, then continued fighting. Will surged through his body forcing it to move in defiance of damage. Though considering that his current strength through Masochism was only improving, he barely needed it.
His injuries no longer mattered. Every ounce of pain only strengthened him further. Nicholas knew exactly what he had done.
The trap had been intentional. He had foresighted Jaune stealing the rune and he had even wanted him to steal it.
Not because it would weaken Jaune, but because it would make him stronger. Because Nicholas wanted to see what Jaune could do with it.
His father was enjoying himself.
Testing him and pushing him. Studying him. Letting him accumulate experience so that he could condense his final rune.
Within Jaune's shadow, Gula spoke again.
'Should we activate Substitute?'
'Not yet.'
'But..."
'Needs more damage to be rendered more effective, Gula.'
The answer came instantly and Jaune wiped blood from his mouth. A ripple passed through his shadow and Gula's excitement was immediate.
'Let's merge.'
"Finally."
Darkness exploded outward and his Shadow poured across Jaune's body like liquid armor. The black mass wrapped around his frame before solidifying into something far more monstrous than human.
Additional limbs emerged.
One pair.
Then another.
Four extra arms unfolded from his torso. Each ended in elongated black spears. Umbra and shadow intertwined throughout the transformation while wisps of shadow runic energy drifted from the creature's body like smoke.
The air around him grew heavier.
Nicholas observed the transformation with visible amusement.
"What is this? A boss fight with multiple phases?"