Ghaib stood steadfastly before the piled-up debris, while black and blue currents swirled around his body, vanishing and reappearing like distorted charges tearing through the air around him.

His dark lips moved slowly, while his gaze remained dull and cold.

He said, “Are you done already?... I thought you were stronger than this.”

But he didn’t finish his sentence.

A suspicious smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly...

The debris in front of him shifted.

A sharp sound came from deep within, like the screech of a sword being drawn.

And in a single second,

the debris exploded and scattered in all directions, while the flying fragments spun around themselves like a tornado.

Shikar stood in the midst of the dust, holding his sword aloft, while the blade was enveloped in a strange aura resembling dark purple lightning pulsing erratically around him.

Strands of his long hair fell over his face, completely obscuring his features.

Then...

He slowly tilted his sword toward the Ghaib,

and his head rose to reveal his

features.

His eyes appeared as black whirlpools, like a void with no beginning and no end...

His dry lips moved, and his voice came out low:

“I... will not rest until I have killed you.”

He raised his sword, then placed his other hand over the blade.

Blood spattered from his palm, flowing over the sword as he wiped it along the entire length of the blade.

The blood that fell to the ground gradually faded away...

As for the blood covering the sword, it suddenly glowed, transforming into a glowing sheath that clung to the blade as if it were part of it.

And suddenly

the air froze.

Silence reigned,

as Shikar’s sword lowered toward the ground; the blade did not touch the earth, yet the asphalt began to crack and melt beneath it.

A massive crack spread out before him, its edges melting and charring.

Ghaib’s eyes fixed on Shikar, sweat slowly dripping from his face.

But...

In the next second, a mocking smile spread across his lips.

He screamed hysterically, raising his hands high, as black and blue sparks began to gather wildly around his palms.

“I knew it... I was sure you were strong!”

His smile widened further, and his voice came out distorted with excitement:

“Hah... I’ll show you now... what true power really is!”

He raised his hands higher.

At that very moment, sparks gathered above him, intertwining until they began to form a massive sphere above his palms.

Its dancing light reflected in his eyes, while his clothes and hair billowed under the pressure of the surging energy.

The entire area shook.

Dust, rocks, and debris rose from the ground, drawn toward the giant sphere as if being pulled into an abyss in the sky.

Its sound grew louder and louder...

A terrifying sound like electrical waves clashing endlessly.

With every passing second, the sphere grew larger.

It rose upward while its glow illuminated the entire area below; Shikar’s clothes fluttered, and his long hair whipped behind him under the immense pressure of the wind.

As for Ghaib, his smile grew wider,

and his laughter grew louder and louder, until it sounded like the cackle of a madman.

And above them,

it transformed into a massive vortex covering the sky.

Then... Ghaib lowered his hands downward.

And in a single moment,

the giant vortex vanished, while a massive veil began to descend from the sky, enveloping the entire area.

It was pitch black, with blue sparks dancing within it, appearing and disappearing like flashes.

Darkness engulfed the entire place.

Behind Ghaib...

A portal appeared on the ground, rotating around itself with terrifying slowness.

Two pale arms emerged from it, covered in dull white skin, veins bulging beneath it.

The hands gripped the edges of the portal...

The head began to emerge very slowly.

It had no eyes.

Above its head, several twisted horns extended downward, while thick foam dripped from its open mouth.

The body emerged completely, bit by bit...

Massive, white, and horribly deformed. Its body was like steel.

The gate vanished as

the sound of a sticky liquid splashed onto the ground with every step he took, mingling with the echo of his footsteps in the darkness.

Tap...

Tap...

Tap...

Until he stopped.

At that moment,

a blue spark gathered above Ghaib’s index finger, and its faint light reflected off his cold face.

Behind him...

that creature stood silently.

A face without eyes, savagely protruding teeth...

and twisted horns

as saliva slowly dripped from its mouth.

Ghaib’s lips moved, and he said in a low voice:

“Boom.”

And suddenly, everything vanished.