Blondie was blasted away by a massive wave of dust and smoke, slamming hard into the wall behind him.
The building across from him was collapsing, sending clouds of debris and chunks of concrete flooding into the floor, covering everything in sight.
Glass windows shattered one after another as waves of dust surged through, shards scattering violently in all directions.
Blondie leaned against the wall, raising both arms to shield his body, struggling against the relentless shockwave.
Suddenly, a massive chunk of stone was hurled inside, smashing straight into the wall beside him and tearing it apart.
Gradually, everything began to settle.
The thick dust blanketing the floor slowly started to thin.
Blondie lowered his arms.
His entire body was coated in a heavy layer of dust, small fragments of debris clinging to his wet hair.
He pressed his hand against the ground and slowly pushed himself up.
Around him was complete devastation—dust, broken stones, and twisted metal scattered everywhere.
He took a step forward, accidentally stepping on a large metal beam, which screeched sharply under his weight.
Blondie paused, pulled his foot back, then shifted direction, carefully avoiding the debris as he slowly made his way toward the railing.
He reached out and grabbed onto it, then cautiously leaned forward to look outside.
Before him rose a massive pillar of smoke, stretching high into the sky and covering nearly everything.
From within it came the sounds of ongoing destruction, with bits of rock and metal occasionally being thrown upward.
The railing he held onto had been pierced by steel bars and large chunks of debris, riddled with holes and bent inward.
He looked down—nothing but a dense, swirling cloud of smoke rising endlessly.
"Maybe that bastard… got crushed under all that rubble."
Blondie muttered, then lifted his gaze upward.
The portion of sky not covered by smoke appeared dull and gray, with no sign of sunlight.
He placed a hand against a cracked wall beside him.
"But… how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"
A piece of the wall suddenly broke off and fell, causing Blondie to lose his grip for a moment.
Right then, something caught his attention.
He turned his head.
From within the massive column of smoke, a flickering light pulsed rhythmically.
"What is that… Someone lighting a torch?"
He narrowed his eyes to look closer.
Suddenly, a large key tore through the smoke, spinning violently as it shot straight toward him.
Blondie flinched and immediately stepped back into the hallway.
The key slammed into the railing, destroying it instantly.
It ricocheted and fell straight down below.
The broken railing collapsed inward, kicking up another cloud of dust.
Blondie raised his arm to shield his face.
When he lowered it again, his eyes were bloodshot.
"That blond bastard… daring to ambush me!"
He growled furiously.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
A strange howl echoed, like the cry of a wild beast.
"What the hell?"
Blondie frowned, stood up, and stepped forward.
He grabbed onto a nearby pillar, standing where the railing had just collapsed.
In the distance, a tall white man with blond hair and a flashy floral shirt—torn at one side—was flying toward him like a cannonball.
"Awooo! Raindor, child of the distant fore—"
Raindor couldn't finish his sentence as the rushing wind cut him off.
He shot forward, both legs extended ahead.
His legs were wrapped in a thick layer of golden Essence, tightly clinging around them.
"You blond bastard!"
Blondie shouted, immediately ducking down.
Raindor skimmed just above him and crashed straight into the wall behind.
His legs pierced through it, leaving a massive hole.
He dropped to the ground, bracing himself with one hand before lifting his head.
"You bastard… get me out of here!"
Blondie roared angrily.
Water began dripping from his hair, washing away the dust covering his body.
He raised both hands.
A large sphere of water instantly formed behind him.
"Water Control Art! Ocean Sage's Lullaby!"
The sphere distorted, gradually taking the shape of a massive jellyfish.
From within its head, a neck and the upper body of a woman emerged.
Raindor, standing at a distance, widened his eyes.
"Two beautiful ladies at once? Today really is my lucky day."
"I told you—I am NOT a woman!"
Blondie snarled, swinging his arm.
A translucent tentacle lashed down toward Raindor.
He twisted his body and leapt aside, narrowly dodging it.
From afar, Blondie and the jellyfish woman stood in identical poses—one hand on the hip, the other pointing straight at Raindor.
The floor where the tentacle struck began to corrode, eaten away by a green liquid.
Raindor looked up at the creature behind Blondie.
Her head was hidden within the jellyfish's body.
Her arms and legs were long, blue translucent tentacles.
Her body was transparent, almost see-through.
She lifted part of the jellyfish body, revealing her face inside.
"Beautiful… truly beautiful."
Raindor couldn't help but say.
Her face was delicate, eyes gently closed.
A streak of red coral ran along her right cheek.
Raindor chuckled, rubbing his hands together.
"You blond idiot, what the hell are you doing?!"
Blondie shouted and swung his arm again.
The jellyfish woman mirrored him.
Coral-like structures began forming along her tentacles.
Another tentacle shot forward, aiming straight at Raindor.
He twisted his body, grabbed a large rock from the ground, and hurled it forward.
The tentacle pierced straight through it, splitting the rock in half and corroding the remains.
It slammed down right in front of Raindor.
"What a shame… such beauty, yet a demon."
Raindor stood upright and threw a punch into the air.
Nothing happened.
Only a faint breeze brushed past.
Blondie and the jellyfish woman exchanged confused glances.
Then—
A golden object suddenly shot forward at incredible speed, slamming straight into Blondie and knocking him to the ground.
The jellyfish woman gasped, small bubbles escaping her mouth.
Blondie lay on the ground, clutching his shoulder in pain.
The large key lay beside him.
Part of the scales on his shoulder had shattered, blood seeping out.
Raindor stood in the distance, laughing.
"Surprised?"
He said as he slowly walked toward the railing.
"I learned how to summon weapons from a superhero I really like."
Blondie gritted his teeth and forced himself up.
"Damn it… tear him apart!"
The jellyfish woman turned back, raising both hands.
Dozens of tentacles shot out at once, rushing toward Raindor.
But he showed no fear.
He simply reached out and grabbed the railing.
"Goodbye, jellyfish princess."
He waved—
Then jumped straight off the edge.
The jellyfish woman stopped, turning to Blondie in confusion.
The two slowly approached the edge and looked down.
Below them was nothing but a thick curtain of smoke, completely hiding Raindor's presence.
"Golden Vault Room! Key Fireworks!"
Raindor's voice echoed from below.