Chapter 144: [144] Zantei: Nigrum Esse
[FEVER MODE: ACTIVATED]
The world exploded into focus.
Every snowflake hung suspended in crystal clarity. Every crack in the frozen stones beneath his feet mapped itself in his mind. The Bonemarch Knight’s massive form—fifteen feet of fused bone and corrupted steel—became a constellation of weak points and attack vectors.
Xavier moved.
His body became liquid lightning. The pink-purple energy cascading around him wasn’t just power—it was perfection. Every muscle fiber fired in harmony. Every nerve ending sang with purpose.
He crossed the twenty-foot gap between himself and the Knight in a heartbeat. His fist drove toward the creature’s center mass with enough force to shatter mountains.
The Knight didn’t dodge.
Xavier’s punch connected.
The sound was like reality tearing. A shockwave of displaced air and energy erupted outward, shattering every remaining ice sculpture in the plaza. The blast crater beneath them spider-webbed across half the marketplace.
Xavier landed in a perfect crouch, energy still crackling around his form.
He straightened, allowing himself a moment of satisfaction. The old Xavier would have been calculating his next move, but this Xavier—this evolved version of himself—felt something warmer. Pride. He’d protected Naomi and Ashley. He’d avenged his fallen companions.
He’d won.