[The Crater of Glass]
The air was still, save for the hum of the violet flames flickering off Gudmaro's armor. Lapis, despite his exhaustion, spat blood onto the glass floor.
"You call yourself 'Perfect'..." Lapis hissed, his eyes narrowed. "But what is it, exactly, that makes you perfect? You're just an empty shell with wings."
Gudmaro didn't move. He didn't even shift his weight. "The thing making me perfect..." his voice appeared directly inside Lapis's ear, "...is myself."
Lapis's heart stopped. He looked up, and Gudmaro was standing inches from him, his face a mask of cold, divine indifference.
"You're nothing but a stealer," Lapis choked out, refusing to back down. "A parasite who stole other people's attacks because you have nothing of your own."
"Is that so?"
SHINK.
Before Lapis could even blink, his right hand hit the ground. There was no flash of light, no sound of a blade. Gudmaro had simply removed it. Nobody—not even the Arcons watching the feed—had seen him move.
"LAPIS!"
Techyon saw his best friend's blood spray against the glass and lost all logic. He rushed, aiming a desperate, full-power kick at Gudmaro's exposed neck.
CRACK.
Gudmaro didn't move his head. Techyon's leg struck the violet armor and shattered instantly, the bone snapping like a dry twig. It was like kicking a mountain made of collapsed stars.
"Aaaagh!" Techyon collapsed, clutching his ruined leg.
Lapis, teeth gritted in agony, forced his hand to regenerate in a surge of blue mana. He didn't retreat. He thrust his palm upward, point-blank. "Matter Technique: MAGENTA!"
The high-density energy erupted, but Gudmaro simply reached out through the blast. His hands moved like lightning, catching Lapis and Techyon by their heads.
"You talk of 'staling' and 'parasites,'" Gudmaro said, lifting them both off the ground effortlessly. "But you forget the most basic law of the universe. The strong take. The weak are taken."
He looked at them with genuine pity. "You are too weak to even be called enemies."
With a casual flick of his wrists, he hurled them across the battlefield. They skipped across the glass floor like stones, crashing into the debris like discarded garbage bags.
[The Glass Crater]
Neweland stood his ground, though his hands were shaking from the mana-drain. "What do you want, Gudmaro? You have the power. You could end us all right now. What is your goal?"
Gudmaro looked down at his obsidian-armored palms, the violet flames dancing calmly. "Power without a challenge is just a stagnant pond," he mused. "I want someone to make me excited for a fight. I want to feel the thrill of a struggle... and I choose Yoru."
Yoru stepped forward, stepping over the shattered glass. Her golden eyes were like flint. "So you can drain my mana? Even if I hide it behind my soul-seal?"
"Obviously," Gudmaro smiled, a cold, sharp expression. "But not today. I will give you time to sharpen your blade. In three days, we will fight. That day will be the Judgement of this planet. If you win, the Earth is safe. If I win... I will destroy this entire universe."
"I am ready," Yoru said, her voice steady and absolute.
Gudmaro tilted his head. Suddenly, his eyes flickered with a digital violet light. He was scanning the very fabric of reality. He tapped into the world-system, checking the Status Windows of every living being on the planet simultaneously.
Then, he projected his voice—not just to those in the crater, but to every ear on the globe.
[Global Broadcast]
"Citizens of the World... Listen well. In three days, on the peak of the Northern Mountain, a duel shall take place. It is the Judgement of your existence. You must all watch. Witness the birth of a new era... or the silence of your end."
[The Crater]
Gudmaro turned back to the Arcons. "Yoru... take everyone and go. Heal your broken friends. Prepare yourselves. We fight three days from now. That day will be your end."
Yoru didn't blink. She met his gaze with a fierce, knowing smile. "That will not be my end, Gudmaro. That will be the end of your 'Perfection.'"
The air crackled between them as they stared each other down—the galaxy eraser and the super warrior —both smiling at the prospect of the greatest war in history.