Back to Dain's and Ego's battle, the intensity resumed without pause.

Ego moved with a speed a hundred times that of sound, appearing as a silver blur that streaked through the solid space.

He appeared before Dain abruptly, throwing a punch to Dain's abdomen with pinpoint accuracy.

The punch connected solidly to Dain's abdomen, sending him flying like a fired projectile through the altered void.

Boom!

Dain crashed against the space barrier with tremendous force, the impact vibrating the invisible walls.

Dain rose up determinedly, a not-so-satisfied look on his face from being the first to suffer a direct hit.

He steadied himself, muscles tensing as he prepared for retaliation.

The only reason he was hit was because he was caught off guard by Ego's sudden burst of speed.

With the desperation for revenge burning in his veins, Dain moved this time with renewed vigor.

His speed reached a hundred and fifty times faster than the speed of sound, his form a whirlwind of motion.

He swung his claw at Ego's chest with lethal intent.

Ego reacted barely in time, stepping back from the attack to avoid the slash.

But his reaction wasn't quick enough, as Dain successfully created a fresh claw wound on Ego's chest, blood welling up from the gash.

Ego gritted his teeth through the pain, throwing a punch instantly that caught Dain off guard again.

The punch landed squarely on Dain's face, sending him flying once more across the solid expanse.

"You are not so bad," Ego praised, staring at the fresh wound on his chest with a mix of respect and irritation.

A second after, his body healed rapidly, the wound disappearing like it was never there, flesh knitting together seamlessly.

Dain rose up on his feet once more, determination etched in his features.

But he was met with a swift blow from Ego, pummeling him back to the ground with overwhelming force.

Ego raised his leg high, stomping it down to the ground where Dain lay vulnerable.

With quick thinking, Dain rolled out of the way, escaping Ego's stomp that cratered the surface.

He quickly got up, surging toward Ego with unyielding resolve.

They both exchanged several blows in a flurry of motion, no one besting the other, their speed maintaining a hundred and fifty times the speed of sound.

Dain separated from Ego after the hundredth blow was exchanged with no single winner emerging, both breathing heavily.

"Pride hunt," Dain said, being the first to utilize an ability aside from pure physicality.

Around him, ten demi-lionesses appeared, their forms materializing from ethereal energy, staring at Ego with predatory hunger.

They encircled Ego like prey for a hunt, their movements synchronized and instinctive.

After much stalking, the lionesses made their move, pouncing with calculated aggression.

Their attacks were methodical and coordinated, a pack working in unison.

The first lioness appeared before Ego, swinging her claws with ferocious speed.

Ego dodged her claw swipe, sending her flying with a kick that connected solidly to her abdomen.

But in the process of attacking her, the other lionesses struck at the same split second from all directions, a whirlwind of fangs and claws.

Ego dodged every attack of the lionesses, making minimal and close-call movements to evade the onslaught.

But the lionesses' intention wasn't to land a hit on Ego, but to provide a cover for Dain to attack Ego from the shadows.

Dain, using the distractions created by the lionesses, moved swiftly toward Ego, swinging his claws toward Ego's neck in a decapitating strike.

Ego turned at the very second to face Dain, ignoring the lionesses completely.

"You can't escape my nose," Ego said calmly, long sharp claws protruding from his hands like deadly blades.

He dodged Dain's attack with fluid grace.

Following up with a counter, Ego swung his hand, tearing a large gash on Dain's chest that bled profusely.

Dain retreated, a pained expression contorting his face as he stared at the large wound on his chest.

He waited for his regeneration to kick in, but to his surprise, the wound refused to heal, remaining raw and open.

"Don't bother.

You were struck by me.

Healing of the wound should not cross your mind," Ego chipped in, noticing the confused look on Dain's face.

He held one of the lionesses firmly, crushing her skull under the immense strength of his hand with a sickening crunch.

Then he moved to the next lioness, breaking her neck with a precise blow to her head, while he stomped on her feet to prevent any movement.

He held the third lioness, ripping her apart like he was shredding fragile paper, her form tearing in half.

With the patrol of danger heightening, the remaining lionesses tried to escape, scattering in panic.

Ego chased after them relentlessly, hunting them down one after the other with predatory efficiency.

He got a hold of the fifth, ripping through her chest and pulling out her heart in a gory display.

Then he moved to the sixth, cutting her head off cleanly with a swipe.

The seventh he smashed repeatedly to the ground, until her brain matter scattered everywhere from the force of the impacts.

The eighth had her head crushed by a powerful clap from Ego's hands.

The ninth was stomped to death under Ego's unyielding weight, her form flattening.

Ego snapped the neck of the tenth, ending her life swiftly, before he returned to face Dain with a satisfied smile still on his face.

"That was refreshing," Ego muttered, his aura growing denser from the bloodlust he had accumulated, radiating an intimidating presence.

"Let's wrap this up, shall we? Give me your best speed," Ego invited Dain for one final showdown, his tone challenging.

"You shouldn't have messed with me," Dain said coldly, placing his non-healing wound at the back of his mind to focus on the fight.

"King of the jungle," he called softly, the terrain around them changing to a vast valley with tall grasses for camouflage, the landscape shifting seamlessly.

The terrain also had different scents strong enough to cover Dain's own, masking his presence amid the foliage.

"Predatory gaze.

Hunter's might," Dain called more abilities, enhancing his senses and strength.

His golden eyes glowed even more intensely before dimming back to normal.

A mark appeared on Ego's chest, designating him as a target locked in Dain's predatory focus.

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