The ck sphere hovering above Adrian''s head pulsed with malevolent energy, growingrger by the second. Its surface rippled like liquid darkness, radiating a cold so intense that my breath came out as white mist.


    "This is the Earth Fiend Valley''s Devouring Void," Adrian announced, his voice eerily calm. "Not even your precious chaotic body can withstand it."


    I studied the sphere, measuring its power. It was unlike anything I''d encountered before—a concentrated mass of pure destructive energy that seemed to hungrily pull at everything around it.


    "Impressive party trick," I said, keeping my tone steady despite the danger. "But I''ve faced worse."


    Adrian''s eyes narrowed. "Have you now? Let''s test that im."


    With a flick of his wrist, he sent the orb hurtling toward me. The air crackled as it passed, leaving a trail of frost in its wake. I had seconds to react.


    Drawing on my inner energy, I channeled golden light into my right fist and met the orb head-on with a powerful punch. The collision created a shockwave that shattered every window in the room. For a moment, my fist seemed to sink into the dark matter, the cold biting into my flesh like a thousand needles.


    With a roar, I pushed more power into my strike. The golden light red brilliantly, and the ck orb shattered like ss, dispersing into wisps of dark smoke.


    Adrian stared, momentarily stunned. "You... you destroyed it."


    I flexed my fingers, fighting back the numbness. "Like I said, I''ve faced worse."


    His surprised expression quickly morphed into a cruel smile. "One orb, perhaps. But what about several?"


    He raised both hands this time, and three identical ck spheres formed above his palms. "The beauty of my technique is that I can create these endlessly. How long can you keep destroying them before your energy runs out?"


    I realized his strategy immediately. This wasn''t about overwhelming me with power—it was about attrition. He nned to exhaust me gradually.


    "Clever," I admitted. "But there''s a w in your n."


    "Oh?" Adrianunched all three orbs simultaneously.


    Instead of countering them directly, I darted forward with supernatural speed, weaving between the deadly projectiles. They crashed into the wall behind me, leaving three gaping, frost-rimmed holes.


    Before Adrian could form more orbs, I closed the distance between us. His eyes widened in surprise as I appeared before him.


    "The w," I said, driving my fist into his stomach, "is assuming I''d let you keep your distance."


    The impact lifted him off his feet. I followed with an uppercut that connected with his jaw, sending him crashing into the ceiling.


    As he fell, I caught him by the throat and mmed him into the ground. The floor cracked beneath the force of the impact.


    "You''re right about one thing," I growled, delivering another punishing blow to his chest. "I can''t destroy those orbs indefinitely. So I''ll just have to destroy you first."


    Each strike Inded carried enough force to shatter stone. I felt Adrian''s bones fracture beneath my fists. His blood sttered across the floor as I methodically took him apart.


    When I finally stepped back, Adriany in a broken heap, barely recognizable as human. His chest no longer rose with breath.


    "It''s over," I said, turning to check on Conrad, who had returned to watch from the doorway.


    "Liam," Conrad''s voice trembled. "Behind you!"


    I spun around to find Adrian... whole. Completely uninjured, rising to his feet with that same smug smile on his face. Even his clothes had repaired themselves. <cite ss="phantom-imprint">T^his. c$o&nt%e*nt is h#o*ste!d& at *.@</cite>


    "How...?" I stared in disbelief.


    More shocking still, the room around us was restoring itself. The shattered windows reassembled, the broken furniture mended, the bloodstains vanished from the floor.


    Adrian brushed nonexistent dust from his sleeve. "I told you I couldn''t be killed by conventional means, didn''t I?"


    I narrowed my eyes, observing the phenomenon closely. This wasn''t simple regeneration. The entire space around us seemed to be resetting itself.


    "It''s this ce," I realized aloud. "You''re not immortal—you''re immortal here."


    Adrian''s smile faltered slightly. "Perceptive again. This chamber has been specially prepared. Within these walls, I cannot die, and any damage is undone."


    "So you deliberately lured me here," I said, my mind racing to find a solution.


    "Of course. Did you think our meeting was coincidence?" Heughed. "I''ve been nning this encounter for weeks."


    I nced at Conrad, who looked horrified. "Get out of here," I ordered him. "This isn''t your fight."


    Conrad hesitated, then nodded and backed away.


    "Running won''t save him," Adrian said. "Once I''ve dealt with you, he''s next."


    I circled Adrian slowly, reassessing my strategy. If I couldn''t kill him here, I needed to either find a way to neutralize his advantage or move the fight elsewhere.


    "You know," Adrian continued, clearly enjoying my predicament, "your chaotic body truly is remarkable. Even here, in my domain, you''ve managed to surprise me repeatedly."


    "Happy to disappoint," I replied, keeping my tone light despite the dire situation.


    Adrian''s expression darkened. "You won''t be so flippant when I''m done with you. Since direct methods have failed, let me show you something truly terrifying."


    He sped his hands together and began chanting in an ancientnguage. The temperature in the room plummeted further. Dark energy swirled around him, coalescing into a massive shape behind him.


    What formed made my blood run cold. A colossal humanoid figure, easily twenty feet tall,posed of writhing shadows and gleaming with malevolent intent. Its features were vaguely reminiscent of the statue I''d seen in the underground chamber—the Earth Fiend Valley''s ancestor.


    "Behold the manifestation of my lineage," Adrian announced proudly. "My ancestral guardian!"


    The enormous figure loomed over us both, radiating an oppressive aura that made the air thick and difficult to breathe. Even from across the room, Conrad copsed to his knees, gasping for air.


    "Your friend can''t even withstand my guardian''s pressure," Adrian mocked. "What hope do you have against its full might?"


    The ancestral figure raised its massive hand, preparing to strike. The very fabric of reality seemed to distort around its palm.


    I stood my ground, unmoving. My mind calcted possibilities, assessed options, and reached a conclusion—I couldn''t dodge this. The attack would devastate everything in its path. If I moved, Conrad would die instantly.


    There was only one choice.


    I nted my feet firmly, gathering my energy. Golden light erupted from my body, spiraling up my arms and concentrating in my fists.


    "Archaic Sacred Spring," I murmured, calling forth my most powerful technique.


    My fists zed with power—one shining like the sun, one gleaming like the moon. The dual energies of my chaotic body merged, creating a force that made the air sing.


    As the ancestral guardian''s enormous palm descended toward me, I crouched and then leaped upward with all my might, my golden fists raised to meet the attack head-on.


    "This ends now!" I roared,unching myself straight into the heart of the monstrous shadow.


    Our powers collided in a blinding sh, the oue hanging in perfect bnce for a single, breathless moment.