Garion smirked.

"Of course I'm not ordinary," he said, spreading his hands slightly. "I'm a human standing in the demon world."

He lifted his arm and pointed straight at them.

"And now," he continued calmly, "it's your turn."

His finger shifted from Zathrek to Morveth.

"Time to die."

For a brief moment, the road fell silent.

Count Morveth did not move.

He only watched Garion closely, eyes sharp and unreadable.

"…You really are bold," Morveth said at last. "To speak like this as a mere human."

He turned his head slightly.

"Zathrek," he said. "Kill him."

Zathrek's lips curved into a cruel smile.

"Yes, Count Morveth."

Ash drifted more heavily from his body as he stepped forward.

He stopped a few steps from Garion and looked down at him with clear contempt.

"Human," Zathrek said. "You are strong. Strong enough to walk freely in the demon world."

He raised one clawed hand.

"But blocking our path," he continued, "and revealing yourself like this?"

His eyes narrowed.

"That was stupid."

He took another step forward.

"And now," he said, "you will pay for it."

Garion tilted his head slightly.

"Pay for it?" he repeated. "Please."

He shrugged.

"We don't even know who's going to win yet."

Zathrek laughed softly.

"Of course it's me."

The ash around his body surged.

[Ash Ruler's Pressure] was activated instantly.

The air thickened instantly.

Ash spread across the ground, crawling toward Garion's feet.

The pressure of authority slammed outward, heavy and suffocating.

Lesser demons in the escort dropped to one knee without realizing it.

"Bow," Zathrek commanded. "Now bow to me."

He activated [Edict of Submission]

But Garion only blinked.

He looked around.

Then he looked back at Zathrek.

"…Did you do something?" he asked.

Zathrek's smile froze.

"What?"

Garion frowned slightly and shifted his footing.

"I don't feel anything," he said. "Was that supposed to work?"

Zathrek's eyes widened.

"…Impossible."

The ash thickened further as he pushed more power into the skill.

"You are a mere human," Zathrek snarled. "You should be kneeling."

Garion smiled.

"I already told you," he said. "I'm not a mere human."

His eyes sharpened.

"I'm a goddamn human."

Before Zathrek could react, Garion moved.

The ground cracked.

Garion rushed forward and drove his fist straight into Zathrek's chest.

The impact echoed across the road.

Zathrek's body flew backward, ash scattering violently as he slammed into the ground several meters away.

Zathrek coughed and slid to a stop.

Ash swirled around his body, forming a thick defensive layer.

The armor absorbed the worst of the blow, but the shock still rattled him.

He pushed himself up slowly, eyes burning.

"…So you rely on brute force," Zathrek growled.

He looked at Garion with pure hostility.

"You're dead."

Garion rolled his shoulder once and relaxed his fist.

"Good," he said with a grin. "Now we're finally getting somewhere."

Zathrek's expression hardened.

He spread his arms slightly, ash pouring off his body like smoke spilling from cracks.

The ground beneath his feet darkened, and the air grew thick and heavy.

[Ashbound Dominion]

Fine ash exploded outward in a wide circle, swallowing the road, the broken stones, and Garion himself.

The ash clung to everything it touched, coating armor, skin, and weapons.

Mana in the air turned sluggish, as if it was being dragged down.

Zathrek lifted his chin.

"Now you are inside my territory," he said. "Every breath you take drains you."

Garion looked down at his arms.

Ash covered his sleeves and hands.

It crawled over his shoulders and chest, trying to sink into his body.

He brushed at it once.

"…That's it?" he asked.

Zathrek's brow twitched.

"What?"

Garion rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles.

"I thought it would hurt more."

Without warning, Garion rushed forward.

The ground cracked under his feet as he closed the distance in an instant.

Zathrek's eyes widened.

"So reckless," he muttered.

He raised both arms as the ash around his body thickened instantly.

[Corrosive Ash Mantle]

The ash compressed into a dense layer, covering his torso and limbs like living armor.

It hissed faintly, eating away at mana and energy around it.

Garion's fist slammed into Zathrek's chest.

The impact echoed loudly.

Zathrek was pushed backward, his feet carving lines into the ground as he slid several meters away.

The ash armor absorbed most of the blow, but the force still shook his body.

He stopped and straightened slowly.

Ash fell away in clumps.

Zathrek looked down at Garion's fist.

The skin around Garion's knuckles was slightly darkened. Ash clung to it, sizzling faintly.

Zathrek smiled.

"See?" he said. "Your body corrodes the longer you touch me."

Garion glanced at his hand.

"…Oh. That's annoying."

He shook it once.

The ash cracked and fell off.

Zathrek's smile faltered.

He raised one hand sharply.

[Ash Shackles]

Ash surged up from the ground and wrapped around Garion's arms, legs, and waist.

The bindings tightened instantly, digging in and pulling him down.

Garion's movement stopped.

Zathrek let out a breath of relief.

"There," he said. "Struggle all you want. The more you move, the tighter..."

Garion looked down at the bindings.

Then he flexed.

The ash groaned.

Cracks spread across the shackles.

Zathrek's eyes widened.

"…What?"

He didn't wait.

Ash swirled violently around him as he formed weapons midair.

Long, sharp shapes took form.

Ash spears.

Zathrek thrust his hand forward.

The spears launched at Garion from every direction, piercing through the ash-filled air with force meant to tear and drain at the same time.

Garion lifted his head.

The moment the spears reached him...

They shattered.

They simply broke apart, crumbling into useless ash before they could touch his skin.

The shackles around Garion's body fell apart next, unable to hold their shape.

Silence followed.

Zathrek stared.

"…Impossible," he whispered.

Garion stepped forward, ash sliding off his body as if it had never mattered.

He looked at Zathrek and smiled.

"Is that all?" he asked.

Behind them, Count Morveth narrowed his eyes.

This was no longer a Baron testing a challenger.

This was the Baron realizing, too late, that his authority meant nothing here.

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