Levi coughed.
At first—it was manageable.
A short breath. A brief pause.
Then it came again.
Harder.
Deeper.
His body bent forward slightly as the force built up in his chest.
This time—
it didn't stop.
A violent cough tore through him, and fragments spilled from his mouth.
Smaller than before.
Sharper.
Mixed with blood.
They struck the metal floor with a faint, unsettling sound.
Levi froze for half a second.
He could feel it now.
Something inside him—
was rising.
Not forming.
Not breaking.
Something else.
Velkar's voice cut through his thoughts.
"…There."
Levi looked up.
Far ahead—
two figures stood in the distance.
Still.
Watching.
"There's something looking at us," Velkar said quietly.
Levi wiped the blood from his lips.
"…What do we do?"
Velkar didn't move.
"We move slowly. Don't trigger them."
For a moment—
nothing happened.
Then—
the two figures shifted.
One step.
Two.
Then—
they split.
Three.
Six.
Levi's eyes narrowed.
"…They're multiplying?"
There was no time to think further.
They moved.
Fast.
One broke away.
Straight toward him.
The other five—
rushed Velkar.
Levi's body reacted instinctively.
His arm moved.
Metal from the floor twisted upward, tearing free in a jagged arc and launching toward the incoming figure.
Then—
it stopped.
Mid-air.
Crushed downward by an invisible force.
Levi's eyes widened—
and the pressure hit him.
Hard.
His entire body slammed into the ground.
The air was forced from his lungs.
His limbs refused to move.
Heavy.
Too heavy.
A voice echoed above him.
"Don't bother."
Levi forced his head up.
The figure stood there, arm lowered slightly.
"You won't be able to use it anymore."
Gravity.
Levi clenched his teeth.
He tried to move—
failed.
The pressure increased.
Bones creaked under the strain.
His arm twitched.
Nothing happened.
The figure stepped closer.
Slow.
Confident.
Levi's eyes flickered downward.
The metal fragment beneath him—
still there.
He didn't try to control it.
Didn't force it.
He pushed.
Not with power—
with his body.
Using the angle.
Using the ground.
His shoulder twisted.
His core shifted.
Then—
he surged upward.
Just enough.
His fist came up in a tight arc—
and connected.
A clean hook.
The figure staggered.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Levi rolled to the side, gasping.
The opponent collapsed.
Unmoving.
—
On the other side—
Velkar was surrounded.
Five identical figures.
Moving in sync.
Striking from different angles.
She blocked.
Turned.
Redirected force through her entire body.
But each impact built up.
Internal.
Accumulating.
Her breathing grew heavier.
Her eyes sharpened.
They were the same.
But not equal.
The more there were—
the weaker each became.
"They're splitting their strength…"
She stepped forward.
Grabbed one.
Drove it into the ground with a crushing stomp.
The body shattered—
but didn't disappear.
Still moving.
Still alive.
"…Not the real one."
Her gaze shifted.
Searching.
Between them.
Behind them.
There—
a slight delay.
A fraction of hesitation.
The original.
Levi moved.
He didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He charged straight in.
Drew their attention.
Forced the clones to react to him instead.
Velkar didn't hesitate.
She broke through the formation.
Closed the distance.
The real one stepped back.
Then—
it stopped.
Its posture changed.
Dropped slightly.
Hands raised.
"…Wait."
Levi slowed.
Just a fraction.
"…I surrender."
Velkar didn't.
Her eyes stayed locked.
Levi turned slightly—
just enough.
Then—
it moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A blade shot forward—
aimed straight for his back.
Levi reacted on instinct.
His arm came up—
just in time.
The strike deflected.
Barely.
His body twisted with the impact.
But he stayed standing.
The hesitation was gone.
Velkar moved instantly.
One step.
One strike.
Direct.
The real body collapsed.
The clones froze—
then shattered.
The arena trembled.
The space around them distorted.
Cracks spread through the environment like fractured glass.
Then—
everything collapsed.
—
Silence.
—
They were back.
The training grounds.
As if nothing had happened.
But the defeated—
were gone.
Taken.
Somewhere else.
Levi exhaled slowly.
His chest still hurt.
But the pressure inside him—
was different.
Velkar stood beside him.
Unsteady.
But alive.
Footsteps approached.
Kraith.
Nyxara.
They had returned.
Kraith's leg was covered in a long stretch of ice, still clinging stubbornly to his skin.
Nyxara's body bore burn marks across its surface, distorted and uneven.
Neither spoke.
Medical units arrived almost immediately.
Needles.
Cold liquid.
Recovery.
Fast.
Efficient.
Controlled.
Levi lowered his head slightly.
His hand tightened.
He expected more fragments.
More blood.
But when he coughed again—
nothing fell.
Just a faint trace of red.
And something else.
Something deeper.
Stable.
He looked at his hand.
The tremor was gone.
The chaos—
had quieted.
"…It's changing."
He didn't say it out loud.
But he knew.
Whatever was inside him—
was no longer breaking.
It was adapting.