Chapter 187 – Hyper Speed, Hyper Problem
The Guardian had barely gotten back up, still covered in volcanic dust, when Oris already wore that smile… the infamous smile of *"I'm about to do something insane, nobody can stop me."*
His tattoos lit up as if they were celebrating a birthday.
— "Me and Kae," said Oris, pointing at the Guardian with the air of a world conqueror,
— "we're going to make you taste despair."
Kae blinked.
— "Do you have to talk like a season finale boss?"
— "Yes," Oris replied without hesitation. "It adds pressure."
The runes on his arm glowed brighter.
— "Impulse Rune — Archa Impelli.
— Fifth Form: Hyper Waltz – Astra Spiralis."
A circle of runic light formed beneath his feet.
— "And… Sixth Form: Hyper Sonic Assault – Stellar Rive."
Kae sighed, exasperated:
— "You know it sounds like you're inventing ballet dancer names every time, right?"
— "Brother, shut up. It sounds classy. That's all that matters."
---
**Oris's Assault**
**BOOM.**
Oris vanished as if someone had blinked too hard.
He reappeared in front of the Guardian.
Then behind.
Then to the left.
Then to the right.
Then… above, somehow.
Dozens of blades of compressed air and runic vibrations struck the Guardian at such speed that even Kae lost track.
— "WOOOOH!" Oris shouted, chaining blows like an overheated printer.
The Guardian, however, blocked everything with his two flaming swords, his arms tracing arcs of orange light.
— "You annoy me, but I admire you," said Kae.
— "Thanks, bro—"
— "I was talking about the Guardian."
Oris nearly stumbled mid‑hyper speed.
---
**Kae Intervenes**
Without warning, Kae appeared behind the Guardian, calm like a teacher grading a terrible paper.
— "Transversal Laser."
A line of pure energy cut across the battlefield, slicing the solidified lava floor in two.
The Guardian sensed the strike and raised one sword to deflect the beam.
The clash lit up the entire Nexus like a cosmic camera flash.
— "Not bad," said Oris.
— "I know."
— "Lacks style though."
— "Bro, it's a laser. What do you want, choreography?"
---
**The Guardian Counterattacks**
The Guardian growled, his voice resonating like an angry volcano:
— "You are nothing but insolent mortals…"
Oris raised his hand.
— "Stop. I'm cutting off your final boss monologue right now."
— "…"
— "We know the script: 'you'll pay,' 'my master this,' 'you have no chance'… Bro, we're speedrunning your speech."
Kae added:
— "Yeah, keep it short. We've got a portal to close after you, there's work to do."
The Guardian, offended, vanished in a trail of embers.
He reappeared behind them, both swords ready to slice.
Kae pivoted just in time, creating a solid wall of energy.
Oris, meanwhile, dodged…
Well, "dodged."
He slipped on a rock.
— "BRO—" Kae shouted.
Oris spun in an improbable pirouette that would make an Olympic gymnast jealous, landed on his feet, and pretended it was all intentional.
— "That was a strategic move," he said.
— "You're a clown," corrected Kae.
---
**The Hunters Strike Back**
Kae conjured five energy spheres orbiting around him.
— "Aggressive mode."
The spheres fired five concentrated beams simultaneously.
The Guardian spun his swords, sweeping the blasts aside, sending waves of heat everywhere.
Oris returned at full speed, slashing, pivoting, tearing the air into luminous spirals.
— "ASTRA SPIRALIS!!" he shouted while spinning.
— "YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL THE NAME," Kae shouted back.
— "IT'S MORE STYLISH!!"
The Guardian, cornered, drove both blades into the ground.
An eruption of lava and flames surged around him, forcing the hunters back.
Kae retreated several meters.
Oris retreated… three centimeters.
— "You're not moving?" asked Kae.
— "Too much momentum, I think," said Oris, still vibrating from his speed.
---
The Guardian rose again, burning, furious, and above all… offended.
— "You will…"
Oris pointed at him.
— "Again? Always the same lines?"
Kae sighed:
— "Bro, invent something. Innovate."
The Guardian growled, more frustrated than ever.
— "…I will reduce you to ashes."
— "There, that's new," Kae congratulated.
And the three clashed once more in a storm of energy, blades, and punchlines.
Chapter 188 – Twig or Not, It Cuts
The three clashed in every direction, their silhouettes becoming almost streaks of light.
Oris struck with his sword covered in ancient inscriptions, still wrapped in runic flames burning in an unreal color.
Kae wielded his condensed energy blade with surgical precision.
And in the middle, the Primordial Guardian — humanoid form, fire‑hair, twin swords of cooled magma — blocked absolutely everything, as if they were trying to slice a mountain.
With a cross‑shaped motion, the Guardian swept them away with a single strike of his two blades.
Oris slid catastrophically for fifteen meters, hand on the ground to brake.
— "I swear it's the floor that's too slippery, not me!" he shouted.
Kae planted his blade into the ground, tearing a long trail of burning rock behind him before stopping.
— "You're just bad," he said calmly.
— "Screw you," Oris replied.
The two exchanged a nod.
— "With me, Kae."
They charged together.
From right, from left, from above, below, diagonal, rotation, combo — every possible angle of attack was used.
The Guardian, arms crossed then blades open, parried everything, unshaken.
Then Oris wrote a glyph with his sword, the air vibrating:
— "Rune of Injunction: CRUSH."
The floating symbol locked onto the Guardian.
**BOOOOM.**
The titan was slammed to the ground as if a planet had fallen on him.
While the Guardian was literally eating the floor, Kae had already dissipated his energy blade.
He focused.
The air around his hand turned white.
The white became blue.
The blue became pure plasma.
— "Alright… here's a gift. PHOTON BURST!" (stylish name)
A mass of compressed plasma struck the Guardian, causing an explosion so bright Oris had to shield his eyes.
— "AAH MY RETINAS! KAEEE! DO YOU HAVE A FLASHLIGHT MODE OR WHAT?!"
The light faded.
The Guardian rose slowly… then swung his two swords in a circular arc.
**WOUM.**
A gigantic shockwave swept across the entire zone.
Oris managed to create a runic shield just in time.
He was knocked back like a ball, but remained intact.
Beside him, Kae, disheveled, stood back up.
— "Tell me something, Oris."
— "Hm?"
— "Earlier, when I used Zero Field, you said I risked draining you.
But TWO SECONDS before, you bragged that thanks to your passive runes you're immune to energy drains and your flow can't even leak out of your body."
Oris blinked.
— "…Oh yeah. I forgot."
Kae looked at him as if Oris had just confessed he breathed through his toes.
— "You really sound like you're messing with me."
— "Me? Never. You're exaggerating.
Look instead: I transformed my quill — my main catalyst — into a sword. Watch."
The flames around the sword slowly extinguished.
The ancient inscriptions on the blade lit up… then changed… morphed… twisted as if searching for a new form.
— "Runic Transmutation…" Oris whispered.
The Guardian frowned.
— "What's that clown preparing now?"
Oris raised the weapon proudly.
— "This, dear Kae… is what I call art."
The blade unfolded, segmented, then recomposed into a new form:
**New weapon form:**
A long, slender, elegant sword, its blade forged in semi‑transparent metal streaked with moving constellations.
The edge pulsed like a star's heart, and the guard was surrounded by fine floating runic lines, like satellites.
The whole thing looked as if the sword only half‑existed in reality.
Kae exhaled.
— "Okay… that's stylish."
The Guardian sneered.
— "Don't get ideas just because you've got… a cosmic twig in your hands."
Oris flicked his wrist.
The "twig" absorbed all ambient mana like a vortex.
— "Not bad, huh?"
He slashed several quick cuts in the air, leaving trails of stars behind.
The cuts formed a six‑pointed star.
— "DECIMA ASTRALIS!"
The six lines began to spin, accelerating like a dimensional saw.
Then — **SHRRRRRRR** —
they shredded the Guardian from all sides, carving scars of light into his body.
Oris raised the sword.
— "And now… Stellar Explosion."
The astral structure imploded.
Then exploded.
A pillar of cosmic light engulfed the Guardian and illuminated the entire Primal Nexus.
Kae raised his arms to shield his eyes.
— "COULD YOU WARN ME BEFORE LAUNCHING SUPERNOVAS, YOU IDIOT?!"
Oris smiled, proud of himself.
— "Relax. It's a little hot, but it gives you a tan."
Chapter 189 – When the Guardian Decides to Go Legendary DLC Mode
After Oris's cataclysmic explosion, a strange silence filled the Primal Nexus.
The smoke settled… slowly… very slowly… as if even it wanted to see the result.
At the center of the crater, only the Guardian's torso remained.
No arms.
No legs.
Just a busted figurine lying on the ground.
Oris placed his hands on his hips.
— "Honestly, he's solid."
— "SOLID?" Kae repeated. "Oris, you turned him into incomplete IKEA furniture."
The two turned forward, already ready to leave.
— "Well," said Oris.
— "Yeah?"
— "All that's left is his master. Then we close the portal."
— "Perfect. Let's—"
They stopped.
A shiver ran down their spines.
Not a small shiver.
A shiver at the level of *"your soul just caught a polar chill."*
They turned back slowly.
The Guardian's torso… was lifting its head.
— "…Oris?" said Kae.
— "Wait, how's he doing that without a neck?"
A colossal aura burst around the Guardian.
His arms regrew in incandescent red light.
His legs reformed with the sound of magma.
Luminous fissures spread across his skin as if living lava flowed beneath.
Then the Guardian opened his eyes.
— "Glad to see you underestimated me."
Oris waved a hand.
— "I'd say we were just too optimistic."
The Guardian raised his two swords.
They ignited… but not in any normal way.
Not red, not blue, not white flames.
An impossible flame.
The color of emptiness.
The color of a dead sun.
The color of *"this should never have existed."*
The Guardian declared calmly:
— "This flame burns at 4,000 billion degrees."
— "Huh?" said Oris.
— "Bro don't repeat that like it's normal," said Kae.
The Guardian made a simple backhand slash.
A wave passed.
A flash.
And half of the Primal Nexus was… erased.
Not vaporized.
Not burned.
Just… deleted. As if the scenery had pressed "delete."
Oris was sweating.
— "Alright. That's officially dangerous."
— "Officially?!" Kae repeated. "We're way past unofficial levels here!"
The Guardian calmly raised his swords.
— "Know that everything that follows… is your fault."
Oris took a deep breath.
— "All that's left is to…"
— "To what?" asked Kae, energy blade ready.
Oris turned on his heels and started running.
— "TO RUN AWAAAAY!!"
— "ORIS?!" Kae shouted.
— "I'm young! I have a life! I have dreams! Let me live!"
Kae blocked Oris with one hand, still in shock.
— "I have to stop him from leaving here… or the civilians…"
Oris reappeared beside him, levitating, looking serious… until he materialized an apple.
He bit into it casually.
— "I was joking. You know me."
He tossed the apple.
— "Here. Might be our last snack."
Kae caught the apple.
— "Why not… if this is our last fight…"
The two stood side by side.
Oris raised his sword, the ancient inscriptions glowing.
Kae vibrated his energy blade, sparks running along his arm.
The Guardian looked at them with the contempt of a divine king.
— "Arrogant fools… you think you stand a chance against me?"
Oris gave him an insufferably confident smile.
Kae added:
— "I don't know if you're suicidal… or just lost…"
A roar shook the entire Nexus.
The three forces prepared.
The tension rose.
Then Oris exhaled softly:
— "Kae."
— "Yeah?"
— "If I die…"
— "You're not going to die."
— "No, but just saying… I'm taking your last cookie from your room."
Kae inhaled deeply.
— "You're absolute trash sometimes."
Chapter 190 – Last Meal Before Chaos
Oris raised a hand toward the Guardian, as if to say *pause, bro.*
— "Guardian… wait. We're going to have one last meal, just to make sure we die with full stomachs. I don't fight on an empty belly."
Before Kae could even comment, Oris traced a series of runic symbols in the air — either very complex or very stupid, hard to tell.
A **ROYAL BANQUET THRONE**, XXL version, appeared as if it were perfectly normal.
A gigantic carved table, styled like *'King of kingdoms who overpays his decorator.'*
Then two massive chairs appeared, as if Oris had taken imperial banquet models and set them to *plus 200% mode.*
Next, more symbols lit up, and suddenly: **COMPLETE BUFFET.**
— "Roast chicken," said Oris, snapping his fingers.
**POOF,** a chicken practically glowing.
— "Smoked meats."
— "Royal stew."
— "Imperial rice."
— "Astral pies… I don't even know why that exists but here it is."
— "And dessert… there."
The table was so full that even Kae was left speechless.
— "Sit down, Kae," said Oris.
The two sat as if it were just a normal Sunday.
The Guardian, meanwhile, froze.
— "What… are all… these… things?"
Oris snapped his fingers again, conjuring a third chair.
— "Want to eat? Come. We'll share the meal."
The Guardian hesitated. Then… sat.
He took a piece of chicken. A golden smoke escaped.
He tasted it.
Silence.
Then his blazing eyes widened.
— "IT'S… IT'S… IT'S… DELICIOUS!"
Kae smiled:
— "He looks like a kid tasting his first candy."
The Guardian then attacked a plate of stew, then rice, then a pie.
— "By my master… humans have created the only thing capable of rivaling destruction: cuisine!"
Oris thumped his chest:
— "Of course. The chef is me."
Kae raised a hand:
— "Lie. I saw you fail instant noodles."
— "That was a trap," Oris replied. "The packet was rigged."
They ate.
They talked.
They even laughed.
At one point, Kae asked:
— "By the way, you got a name, big burn?"
The Guardian straightened proudly:
— "I am Agniryos, Guardian of the Original Furnace."
Oris muttered:
— "Too long… I'll call you Agni."
— "NO."
— "Too late, Agni."
They eventually finished the meal.
Oris snapped his fingers, making the table vanish.
Kae rolled his shoulders:
— "Alright. The fight can resume."
Agniryos placed his hand on a flaming sword:
— "Do not think that because you offered me these dishes… I will spare you."
Kae:
— "Good. We weren't planning to leave you here anyway. The portal must be closed."
Oris added:
— "Otherwise you and the monsters would eventually threaten civilians. We don't let that happen."
Then, calmly, Oris ran a hand along his blade.
The ancient runes on the sword lit up, changing script as if the weapon was finding a new language.
He looked at Kae.
— "Can you handle the power of his sword?"
— "Even if we die," said Kae, tightening his grip, "we'll do it with dignity."
Oris sighed.
— "I'd have preferred 'we'll do it quickly.'"
Agniryos intensified his flames.
The temperature rose so high that even the light vibrated.
— "Come, Hunters. Let your final battle be… incandescent."
The three figures faced each other.
The ground trembled.
The runes glowed.
Energy crackled.
And in a silence almost sacred…
Chaos resumed.