When it was finally completed, the serum wasn't just capable of granting power but could also strip it away as well. Magus had been waiting, biding his time, but the final phase kept slipping further into the future.

Nine years.

Nine years away from home.

By now, even his little brother must've grown. Who knew how many star-levels that freak had already managed to climb? At the thought, Magus allowed himself the smallest smile. His fingers brushed the necklace around his neck.....a pendant of green jade, split in two. One half with him. One with his brother.

But the moment of warmth vanished as a presence loomed behind him.

Magus' eyes narrowed. His body tensed.

The whisper of steel tore the air.

Ronan.

The Dread Sword was already in motion, its arc slicing upward with killing intent. The blade struck Magus squarely only for his skin to ignite in another elemental defense.

A roar of earth burst outward, molten rock surging into blazing lava. It surged with such speed Ronan couldn't even mark a switch. The lava slammed into his neck, sending him hurling through the air. He rolled once, twice, his face twisting in raw pain before crashing against the torn ground.

Magus exhaled calmly, his aura unshaken.

"Out of all my elemental skins… only one remains. Water." His tone was cold, unhurried. "You're getting troublesome. I'll end this quickly."

He raised a hand.

The earth shuddered, a violent rumble ripping across the battlefield as if the land itself was screaming. Behind Magus, the ground split apart, and monstrous boulders.....hundreds of them rose into the sky. Their jagged edges shimmered with power, promising absolute destruction.

The dreadful part wasn't just their size. Or their weight.

It was their sheer number.

"Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap!" Little One yelped, abandoning his microscopic form and returning to his true self. His finger shot out, trembling, pointing at the incoming storm of stone. His voice cracked, hollow with despair.

"You guys better tell me that madman isn't about to throw all of that at us! Is he seriously trying to end us in one go?"

If this had been any other moment, the others might've given him a strange look. But not now. Not with those boulders looming above them like a sky of death. The sight was terrifying, so much so that none of them dared voice the thought gnawing in their heads.

Except they all shared it.

Balor's eyes flicked toward Ronan. He was still half-kneeling where he'd landed, his sword buried deep into the scorched ground, driven in with such force it had pierced straight through molten stone.

But his face....

Pale. Lifeless.

Even Ronan looked shaken.

Balor's chest tightened. No… it can't be. Ronan hardly shows any emotion. But if his face is this pale… then even he's afraid.

But Balor didn't know the truth.

He was both right....and wrong.

Ronan's heart pounded like war drums in his chest. His brow furrowed, his face pale not because of Magus' next attack, but because of the flashing notification on his system screen.

[Time limit reached. Onslaught Skill deactivated.]

His stomach sank.

Without Onslaught, this wasn't just bad. It was catastrophic. Maybe even the end.

He knew the truth. The only reason he'd been able to hold out this long against Magus was the insane boost the skill gave him. Offense sharpened, survival stretched, jaws of death escaped by a hair. Without it, the ground beneath him felt like quicksand.

Ronan's breaths came shaky, jagged. This was only the second time in years he'd felt it....the helplessness. The first was against Buster. Now, once again, he didn't feel like the predator. He felt like prey.

"Hey… anyone got a plan to stop that?" Balor's voice cut in, strained.

Silence.

They all knew the truth. Long-ranged attacks could slow the avalanche, but not erase it. Still, what choice did they have? Try, or die standing.

Magus flung his hand.

Hundreds of molten boulders tore through the sky, burning trails of ruin across the heavens as they came crashing down.

"Alright, everyone attack!" Balor roared.

He stepped into the void, silver wings bursting wide. Blinding arcs of destruction rained from him, vaporizing dozens of boulders.

Shae slashed once, twice, thrice....each swing carving searing blue arcs that shredded more stone into dust.

Little One unleashed his condensed green energy, ripping apart another cluster of falling death.

"Vibrant Slash!" Ronan snarled. His blade carved an X through the air, a purple cross of annihilation that obliterated dozens more.

At the last moment, Balor reappeared, his hand thrust forward. "Void Pulse!"

Space itself warped and collapsed, swallowing countless molten masses whole.

But it wasn't enough.

Even with everything they had, even with their powers burning at full tilt, it wasn't enough. Boulders still screamed down, molten death crashing toward them.

Impact was inevitable.

Unless,

Four purple arrows blazed through the air, colliding with the largest of the falling stones. Explosions rocked the sky as chunks shattered, but smaller fragments still rained down.

Then a massive white dome of energy materialized around the group. The boulders slammed into it with earth-splitting force, explosions scattering debris in every direction.

The dome held. Barely. Cracks spread across its surface like veins of glass about to shatter.

Magus' brow furrowed. His eyes narrowed, cold, sharp, calculating.

From the rear, two figures walked in, tall and composed.

One had shoulder-length hair and carried an obsidian bow etched with intricate designs. Dressed in black clothes and trousers, his eyes were calm, focused, unshaken. The other was larger, shirtless, his massive frame bare for all to see. He wore only black trousers, but his hands were clad in two gleaming white gauntlets, one on each fist.

Shin and Bron had entered the battle.

"Sorry we're late," Bron said with a grin as he stepped beside the group.

Ronan and the others nodded. Relief flickered in their eyes. If anything, they were glad the two had shown up now when they needed them most.

Now there were eight of them against one Dark Emissary. On paper, it should've been called unfair. Seven elite heroes plus two more? But no one thought that way. Because the man standing across from them wasn't just anyone.

He was a supreme monster wearing human skin.

Magus turned his gaze toward the newcomers. His expression didn't change. Calm. Neutral. He acknowledged their presence, nothing more. Seven, eight, it didn't matter. He still believed he could handle them. And why shouldn't he?

"Shae, Silver, Balor, Little One....you're with me as the direct strike force," Ronan barked, his tone clipped and rapid. "Balor, stay in the void. Wait for the opening. When it comes, you end it with Void Pulse. Shin, keep to the rear, fire your strongest shots only. Bron, vanguard defense, cover our backs."

Orders snapped out like blades, and before he even finished, Ronan was already charging forward. He didn't bother checking if the others followed. He didn't need to.

They moved as one.

Ronan, Silver, and Shae hit like a spearpoint, unleashing their full abilities without restraint. Little One shrank to microscopic form, darting in and out of Magus' defenses. Small, but devastating....his energy blasts struck faster and closer than anyone else's, carving into Magus with punishing precision.

Balor still lingered in the void, silent, waiting. Everyone knew what that meant: he was gathering. Building. Preparing to unleash the full weight of his power in one annihilating strike.

From the backline, Shin loosed arrow after arrow, each a streak of deep violet light that never missed its mark. But against Magus, accuracy wasn't enough. His shots struck true yet failed to pierce deeply. That alone showed the monster they were up against.

Even so, the relentless assault pressed Magus to his limit. For the first time, his guard broke. He staggered. His concentration faltered.

A heartbeat of weakness.

In a fight like this, that single heartbeat could decide who lived and who died.

"Everyone, fall back!" Ronan shouted.

They didn't hesitate. The front line peeled away. And in that gap, stepping out of the void with his hand already thrusting forward, Balor struck.

"Void Pulse."

Space tore apart. The distortion roared forward, a wave of pure annihilation surging straight for Magus.

Impact.

A wall of water erupted. Steam exploded outward, blinding the battlefield in a hiss of fire and vapor.

For a moment, nothing could be seen.

Then Magus' figure emerged from the mist, chest scorched, a burn mark seared deep into his flesh. His hand gripped the wound, his expression still calm but his eyes burned.

Crimson liquid dripped from Magus' lips, hissing as it touched the molten lava swirling at his feet.

His eyes stayed locked on the ground, unreadable. The unsettling part wasn't the wound searing across his chest,bit was the fact that his face never changed. Calm. Untouched. As if pain itself had no permission to exist within him.

"I admit," Magus said, lifting his gaze, voice even and measured. "You are more powerful than I presumed."

His red hair rippled as though stirred by invisible currents. His eyes cut across the gathered heroes, sharp and unshaken.

"I commend you," he continued, tone like a judgment, "for pushing me this far."

For a moment, silence pressed down heavy.

Then his expression hardened, still calm, but final. "But now… your struggle ends. Because I'm ending it here. Now."

Magus placed his hand against his chest. His mystic core pulsed, glowing with a soft, ominous light. Energy coiled around him, hungry and unstable.

In a voice so low, so cold, it seemed to shake the air itself, he muttered two words:

"Mana Burst."

The battlefield trembled.

To be continued.....

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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