Sawada Tsunayoshi studied the crimson gauntlet forming over his left hand.
"The basic functions run perfectly. Once the output reaches certain thresholds, the power can migrate and self-upgrade."
"Next is the forbidden mode."
"Balance Break!"
A muffled growl throbbed from within the red gauntlet. The gold spikes that had surfaced as part of its elevation retracted, and the armor began covering him from head to toe, ramping everything up at once.
A blood-red carapace sealed over him, throwing his entire body into an explosive state—one bound by time.
"Stronger than I expected."
Only inside it could Tsunayoshi feel how outrageous this burst really was. It wasn't a single stat climbing; it was everything.
His base strength surged to the limit his current body could bear.
"The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor both force one's capabilities to the ragged edge. This kind of abnormal, across-the-board spike… that's the essence of a 'forbidden mode.'"
"Raising base parameters to the limit also raises the top end of what my body can hold. That lets me stomach the backlash and reduces the risk of tearing myself apart."
"Besides the brute-force boost, the Red and White's signature powers elevate too. That's the other add-on of forbidden mode."
"Temporarily lift the 'ten seconds to double' cap—fully unlock it. No more ten-second steps. Within what my body can bear, it climbs freely; beyond that, it climbs under safety locks."
"That's why forbidden mode has an absolute time limit."
"Hence why that past White Dragon could be called the strongest of his line."
"He simply endured more power. His body, as a vessel, was just that durable."
Tsunayoshi dropped the mode and took stock.
"Mm. No adverse effects. I can take it."
"As I guessed—so long as I stay within what my frame can carry, the duration of forbidden mode equals my tolerance window."
"If I don't cross that line, I can stretch it quite a bit."
"But once combat intensity pushes past that threshold, the ceiling is thirty minutes."
"After that, the mode hard-cuts to prevent a collapse."
"I'll need to field-test it—see how long I can really hold and where my redline sits."
And testing meant fighting. Just… not alone, or Loki would shriek the rafters down.
He rinsed his face in the washroom, shook off the lingering adrenaline, and stepped into the corridor.
Dawn was only just bleeding into the sky, but the whole home already hummed. Footsteps multiplied—especially on the third floor.
"Looks like this won't calm down for at least half a year."
He sighed, helpless as the architect of the frenzy.
Following the shuffle of feet, he stopped at Tiona and Tione's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
He listened to the padding steps inside and lifted his eyes as the door swung open.
Tione. Not a morning person today—hair a little wild, eyes edged with residual ferocity.
"Morning, Tione."
The edge vanished the moment she saw him, clearing to something almost flustered before she reined it in.
"Morning, Tsunayoshi."
"Up early today?"
He tilted his head.
"Tione, I get up at the same time every day. Seems like you two slept in."
"You've got shadows under your eyes. Bad night?"
Whenever he came by, the sisters were usually already awake.
Today was the outlier. He didn't peer in, but the slow, even breaths from inside told their own story—Tiona was still asleep.
"A bit rough, yes," Tione admitted, scrubbing at her eyes.
"It's Loki's fault. After she laid out the challenge-space rules yesterday, Tiona dragged me back in and we stayed forever."
"That zone isn't stocked with many monsters yet—just that mutated black Goliath."
"Mm. The black Goliath. Tiona pulled me in for a rematch."
Just picturing how the brute had rag-dolled her made Tione ache all over again; even the memory set her jaw ticking.
"That thing is a monster."
"Hide like super-heavy metal. Basic strikes don't pierce at all—you need weapons to punch through the membrane."
"And the regeneration—ridiculous. We carve a bit off, blink, and it's already knitting."
"From the end of one round to the start of the next, it's always pristine. That overgrown lump nearly worked us to death."
Tione ground the words out between teeth.
Things that wouldn't die were infuriating. Ones that healed while you watched could be worse than a clean, overwhelming loss.
"I get it," Tsunayoshi said. "That's a nasty archetype."
"Hyper-regeneration is exactly what makes it unfair. The Dungeon didn't make it to be 'cleared'—it made it to 'clear' adventurers."
"You and Tiona are suffering because your damage is being capped."
"Big frame, thick membrane—both soak what you're throwing."
"They disperse your impact and dilute your pain output."
"If you don't land a true weak-point hit, killing that Goliath won't be easy."
(End of Chapter)
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