Transcending Realms With My Leveling System As A Demon-Chapter 85: Zylus Elwis Vs The Top 5 (3)

The Second-Rank coughed again, rolling onto his side. His chest rose and fell unevenly, every breath scraped raw. He didn’t dare look up, but his body trembled as if Zylus’s shadow was still holding his throat.

The Third-Rank tried to stand, failed, and laughed weakly under his breath. "This is insane... we trained our whole lives... just to become scenery."

"Not scenery," Zylus corrected. "Well," He crackled, "I guess you can say that."

Everything Zylus was saying was, in the scenario each of them lay in, had now turned out to be, evidently true.

Ivy clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Zylus... if this is you choosing mercy, then what happens when you stop choosing it?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Zylus didn’t answer right away.

For the first time since his transformation, his gaze softened. It had turned, slightly, quieter.

"When I stop choosing mercy," he said, "there won’t be anyone left to question it."

The arena seemed to shrink around them.

Chris inhaled slowly. "You’re building a throne made of fear."

"No," Zylus replied. "I’m building stability. Fear just happens to be the strongest foundation you people understand."

The [Connection] pulsed again. A deeper wave this time. His arms glowed brighter, the pink cracks crawling further along his stone-like skin, climbing toward his shoulders like living veins. His katana vibrated softly at his side, reacting to the surge.

For a moment, Zylus closed his eyes.

And that was when it hit. It had now felt like the world tilted half a degree to the left.

His balance corrected instantly, but the sensation stayed. A faint pressure behind his eyes. A subtle drag in his thoughts, like his mind was moving through water instead of air.

He opened his eyes again.

"...Interesting."

Chris noticed immediately. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Zylus replied, though his voice held a trace of curiosity. "Just feedback."

"Feedback?" the Third-Rank muttered.

Zylus flexed his fingers. The stone shifted, cracks glowing brighter for a second before dimming again. The [Connection] stabilized, but not perfectly. It was like forcing a wild current into a channel that wasn’t meant to hold it.

For the first time, the idea crossed his mind:

This isn’t infinite. The thought didn’t scare him; rather, it excited him, this newly traced fearsome Demon. Limits were meant to be surpassed.

He stepped forward, the ground responding with a dull, heavy sound beneath his foot. The Second-Rank flinched instinctively, curling inward as if bracing for death.

Zylus stopped in front of him.

"You’re still alive because she asked," Zylus said, glancing toward Ivy. "And because I decided that your fear was more useful than your death."

The Second-Rank swallowed. "...Useful for what?"

Zylus leaned slightly closer. "For spreading my existence."

His presence pressed down harder, just for a second. Not enough to crush. Enough to carve the moment into memory.

"Every time you breathe," Zylus continued, "you’ll remember this. Every time you see someone stronger than you, you’ll wonder if it’s me. And every time someone says my name, your body will react before your mind does."

He straightened.

"That’s influence. My influence."

Chris exhaled through his nose. "You sound like a tyrant."

Zylus looked back at him. "You sound like a king who just realized his crown is decorative."

Chris didn’t respond.

The sky above the arena darkened another shade. Not storm-dark. Something deeper. As if the realm itself was adjusting to a new constant.

The [Connection] surged again.

This time, Zylus felt it. His vision blurred for half a second. He blinked once. Ivy noticed.

Her breath hitched. "Zylus... are you okay?"

He glanced at her, surprised by the concern. "...Of course."

But he didn’t move right away.

The pressure in his head faded slowly, like a tide pulling back. His heartbeat felt heavier than before, each thump echoing through his chest with unnatural weight.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "...You’re straining something."

Zylus smiled. "You’re observant."

"You’re burning through whatever power is feeding you."

"Everything burns eventually," Zylus replied. "That doesn’t mean you stop using fire."

Another wave of dizziness rolled through him, stronger this time. Not enough to stagger. Enough to make the world feel... unstable. The arena tilted again, just slightly. Zylus planted his foot harder into the ground. The stone cracked.

Ivy stepped forward without thinking. "Zylus, you don’t have to prove anything anymore. You already did."

He looked at her.

"...You still think this is about proof."

She hesitated. "Isn’t it?"

"No," he said quietly. "It’s about my will, and everything here is about to turn within my rights."

The [Connection] pulsed. Weaker this time. Not fading. But resisting. Like a tether being stretched too far. Zylus raised his hand slowly, feeling the stone respond, feeling the energy flow through cracks that burned slightly now, not painfully, but insistently.

Chris watched carefully. "...If that power cuts out—"

"It won’t," Zylus said.

But the interruption had already planted itself.

’What if it does?’

The idea didn’t frighten him. But it did demand acknowledgment. Zylus inhaled deeply, drawing the air into his lungs as if grounding himself. The pressure around the arena lessened just slightly, like a beast relaxing its claws without retracting them fully.

The others felt it immediately.

The Third-Rank looked up. "The pressure... it dropped."

Chris nodded slowly. "He’s stabilizing."

Zylus exhaled. For a brief moment, everything aligned. Then the [Connection] trembled. An inconsistent event, one where everything would come to a close. Like a heartbeat skipping a fraction of a beat. Zylus stiffened. This time, Ivy saw it clearly.

"...Zylus?"

He placed his hand against his forehead for half a second.

"...So, this is the drawback."

The world spun.

Chris took a step forward instinctively. "You’re losing it." He grinned, "Guys, prepare yourselves."

Zylus straightened, forcing his posture steady. "I’m adjusting."

But the air around him no longer obeyed as cleanly. The pressure wavered instead of pressing uniformly. His presence flickered between overwhelming and merely oppressive.

The [Connection] was thinning.

Like a reservoir finally noticing how much water had been taken.

Zylus laughed quietly. "So even gods need fuel."

He now thought of himself as a all mighty being, one whose powers are so incomprehensible to anyone else.

Ivy’s voice trembled. "Then stop. Before it hurts you."

Zylus looked at her.

"...You still care."

"Of course I do."

That answer hit harder than any attack.

The dizziness returned, stronger now. His vision blurred at the edges. The arena felt farther away, like he was viewing it through glass.

The stone coating them pulsed more slowly, the pink cracks dimming slightly with each breath.

Chris whispered, "...It’s running out."