Chapter 242: Back Again
The figure did not answer right away after Myles spoke. But its entire form reacted a few seconds later. The void felt unstable as the shifting colors across its body trembled more violently and spread through the surrounding darkness as if his words had reached something deep within it.
That reaction did not feel random or uncontrolled. It carried a sense of acknowledgment, as if the answer Myles gave had already met whatever expectation this being held. That silent acceptance lingered in the space between them while the pressure of its presence grew heavier.
Myles remained where he stood with his fists still clenched as his breathing slowly steadied. Even though the storm inside him had not calmed at all because the anger, grief, and confusion continued to twist together.
There were still many things he wanted to say, questions that burned in his mind and words that pressed against his throat, yet none of them came out because every thought collided with the next and broke apart before it could take shape.
His emotions refused to settle. That chaos within him kept him silent even as his gaze stayed fixed on the figure in front of him.
The figure began to expand as its humanoid outline lost its definition and stretched outward, turning into a wider mass of darkness that carried streaks of shifting colors flowing across it like liquid light.
Those colors grew more intense and more unstable as they moved and spread through the void.
The pressure it released became heavier and more suffocating, not in a way that crushed Myles but in a way that made it clear this existence held control over everything within that void.
"I will help you," the voice finally said. This time it carried a deeper resonance as the overlapping tones echoed from every direction at once, settling directly into his mind with greater weight than before.
The moment the words ended, the figure surged forward as the darkness and colors moved together in a single overwhelming flow that closed the distance instantly and wrapped around Myles.
It did not feel like something external covering his body. It felt as if it entered him, merging with what already existed inside as the colors and darkness sank deeper and spread through him. It pulled the entire void inward until everything collapsed into that single point.
Then the space disappeared.
—
In the physical world, the battle also never slowed as Myles and Red continued to clash with even greater intensity.
Their movements tore across the battlefield. Every impact between their weapons released violent force that shook the ground and sent waves of pressure.
The destruction around them spread further as they moved, leaving fractured terrain and dead or wounded bodies in their wake while neither of them gave any space or pause in their exchange.
The black mist surrounding Myles changed as it grew thicker and heavier. It suddenly no longer just darkness but now threaded with faint streaks of shifting colors that moved like oil spreading across water. Blending and separating in slow unnatural patterns.
That aura shifted with every movement he made as if responding to his attacks as if it had become part of him, amplifying each of his strikes.
"What is that?"
Red noticed the change the moment it became clear, even as he continued to fight without stopping. His sword met Myles' sword again and again while his eyes flickered toward that strange aura. He tried to understand what he was seeing.
The colors mixed within the darkness felt wrong to him. That unfamiliarity planted a growing sense of unease that came from the nature of that power itself.
That feeling deepened with each passing moment as the battle continued. His instincts reacted before his thoughts could fully form.
He started to sense that the opponent in front of him was changing into something far more dangerous than himself. That realization brought with it an ominous tension.
It felt as if something fundamental within Myles had aligned.
Suddenly, his expression tightened as life returned to his eyes in a single sharp moment that replaced the blankness before with clarity.
The haze in his mind disappeared completely, and in its place came a complete understanding of everything that had just occurred, settling into him with certainty.
His gaze lifted and locked onto Red. The moment their eyes met, the air between them seemed to collapse under the weight of what surged out of him.
It was not simple anger or uncontrolled rage but a focused and deliberate killing intent that burned cold and steady, pressing everywhere with overwhelming force.
The black mist coiling around his body reacted immediately. It shifted and tightened as the faint streaks of color within it flowed more violently as if responding directly to his will.
Red felt it before he could fully process it. His instincts reacted fast, giving him a sense of danger that gripped him.
That feeling was far stronger than anything he had experienced earlier in the fight. It forced him to move without hesitation as he broke away from the clash and pushed himself backward.
His feet landed several meters away, where he steadied himself with a more guarded stance than before.
They faced each other across the fractured ground. The space between them filled with lingering pressure from their previous clash while the battlefield continued to rage around them.
Yet despite the ongoing chaos, an unnatural tension formed at the center of that space.
Red's expression remained fierce, and the confidence that defined him did not disappear, but it no longer stood alone. A layer of caution had settled into his gaze. His eyes narrowed slightly and his grip around his sword tightened.
He no longer looked at Myles as someone he could simply overwhelm with power. That perception had already changed.
He now recognized him as a threat.
Myles did not move at all. He stood in complete stillness while the black mist coiled tightly around his body.
His face showed no hesitation and no restraint. Every part of his presence radiated a single overwhelming killing intent that spread without concealment.
It expanded across the battlefield. The pressure settled onto them without warning. Their movements slowed as their bodies reacted instinctively and started struggling.
Some of them staggered backward as if pushed by an invisible force, while others froze where they stood.
Then a few dropped to their knees.
—