The city streets of Veylport were eerily quiet now, shadows curling along the edges of broken lanterns and shattered windows. Rayon's violet eyes scanned the horizon, hands casually in his pockets, coat trailing behind him as the rain-soaked stones reflected faint light.
Erethon: Ah… finally, someone worth showing off to.
Across the street, a ripple of power announced the approach of the guild's envoy. The man stepped into view—Draven Maltheus, a herald known for unrelenting combat prowess and an aura that warped the air around him. Muscles tensed beneath his dark armor, and his eyes glimmered with a deadly focus. His weapon—a pair of twin curved blades—glimmered faintly, shadows dancing along the edges.
Draven's voice was low but carried authority. "Forest Ghost. I was told you've become… a problem. I've been sent to eliminate it."
Rayon tilted his head, expression calm as always. "Problem? I prefer entertainment. Lead the way."
Draven lunged first, blades slashing with ferocity, arcs of darkness trailing behind each swing. Rayon's body flowed like water, a step to the side, a twist of his torso, letting strings coil subtly around Draven's wrist mid-strike. The first clash resonated with the sound of cracking stone and metal clashing against strings hardened like steel.
Each blow Draven threw was precise, lightning-fast, but Rayon's evasive movement—his hands still in pockets, his smirk faint—was nearly impossible to predict. They exchanged blows in a deadly dance, neither yielding.
Erethon: Good. Keep going. Let him bleed, let him struggle. That's when the fun begins.
Rayon felt the first few strikes land—bruises, cuts, and jolts of pain—but he let them hit, eyes glinting faintly. Every hit made him analyze, adapt, and predict. Hollow Strings subtly coiled around Draven's arms, yanking, twisting, and restricting without giving away Rayon's full intent.
Rayon muttered under his breath, calm, almost bored. "You hit hard. But you'll need more than that…"
Minutes passed. Draven's strikes began to land more consistently, tearing small gashes across Rayon's arms and chest. The fight escalated, faster, heavier. Rayon's coat fluttered violently as he moved with unnatural grace, dodging and countering, yet taking enough hits to feel the rhythm of the battle.
Erethon: Yes… perfect. He's ready.
A deep vibration emanated from Rayon's core. The hidden seal within him, long dormant, pulsed violently, awakening with the rhythm of the battle. His hair lifted, growing taller, strands crackling faintly with energy. His violet eyes blazed brighter, and a dangerous, almost gleeful grin spread across his face.
Rayon's voice shifted, calm and amused, laced with arrogance: "Oh… this is just the beginning. Let's have some real fun."
Full Potential — Insanity Activated
The moment the seal fully opened, Rayon transformed.
Pain vanished entirely—hits only fueled him further. Strength, regeneration, and stamina skyrocketed, bordering on inhuman. Adaptation: Any attack used against him once could no longer harm him a second time. Insanity: He could devour anything, assimilate 60% of its essence or skill, and grow stronger with each encounter.
Rayon's aura expanded violently. Dopamine surged through his system—pleasure, euphoria, and pure chaos rolled together as he laughed, loud and high-pitched, echoing across the wet city streets.
Erethon: Ah… so this is him. The predator unleashed. Beautiful.
Rayon's movements shifted. Every step, twist, and swing was now domineering, boastful, and impossible to read. Draven's strikes, once deadly, were now merely feeding Rayon's amusement.
"Come on," Rayon taunted, voice dripping with arrogance. "You're cute, trying so hard… I almost feel bad. Almost."
Draven lunged again, this time combining twin-blade strikes with acrobatic kicks, shadow constructs forming around him for extra reach. Rayon's strings coiled around his limbs mid-strike, yanking him violently into a spin, and then wrapped around his torso, pinning him. Rayon's other hand flicked a string to slice through the shadows like they were nothing.
The battle escalated further. Rayon laughed, spinning, dodging, weaving, and striking simultaneously. His movements blurred, every hit feeding him, every strike analyzed and adapted to instantly. Draven landed a few, leaving small wounds, but Rayon barely flinched.
Rayon: "Faster? Harder? Good. Keep going. I love this."
Draven's shadow blades sliced across Rayon's strings, snapping them in midair. Rayon's grin widened. "Oh… you think breaking a string hurts me?" His hands moved, and the strings reformed, weaving through Draven's shadow constructs, binding him tighter than before.
Vorthalaxis hissed faintly, sensing the surge in power. "Master… you're far beyond anything I've witnessed. This is insanity incarnate."
Erethon laughed softly, sardonic and amused. "Yes… yes, this is him. High on chaos. Beautiful."
Rayon began talking while fighting, each word designed to taunt, provoke, and destabilize.
"Look at you," he said, smirk dark, eyes glowing. "All that training… all those masters… and you're just a puppet. A little boy dancing for a story that ends with you broken on the street. Admit it… you like it. You want to test me, and you know you can't win."
Draven growled, struggling, shadow constructs twisting violently. He swung, twisted, kicked, and lunged—but every attack was now feeding Rayon, making him faster, stronger, more invincible.
Erethon: Beautiful. Each strike is a blessing. Each attempt at defiance… exquisite.
Rayon laughed, a high-pitched, manic sound, echoing across the city rooftops. "C'mon! Hit me! You can't stop me! You will break before I do!"
Rayon's aura expanded further, the full potential of his Insanity radiating outward. Shadow constructs around the city flickered, sensing a predator too strong to comprehend. Draven's twin blades clashed against Rayon's strings, snapping again and again, but every break only let Rayon reconstruct them faster, stronger, sharper.
Draven's attacks became desperate—erratic swings, sudden spins, all trying to land a fatal blow. Rayon adapted instantly, parried with strings, countered with precise strikes to nerve clusters, and even managed to draw some of Draven's own shadow energy into his Insanity, consuming it and gaining strength from it.
Rayon: "Oh… that? Delicious. Keep giving me more."
Within moments, the fight escalated from the rooftop streets to swinging off lanterns, slamming into walls, and leaving cracks and destruction in their wake. Rayon's laughing voice rang over the city, taunting, arrogant, unstoppable.
Draven, bruised, bloodied, shadows fraying, stared up at Rayon, realizing too late what he was facing. "W-what… are you?!"
Rayon's grin widened, violet eyes blazing. "I'm everything you can't control. I'm the nightmare you've been running from. I'm… Insanity."
Vorthalaxis hissed softly. "Master… the full potential has been unleashed. If this fight continues, the city… everything… will be nothing but debris."
Erethon laughed, soft, sardonic, and cruel. "Let's see how long he survives before he consumes the world for fun."
Above the rain-soaked city, a single thought echoed: Rayon had become unstoppable… and everyone else was merely background noise.
And yet… a distant ripple in the shadows suggested someone, somewhere, was taking notice.