Chapter 8: Two shadows,One Light

The warehouse floor groaned under the rising pressure. Darkness wrapped itself around the corners like living smoke, twisting, shifting, preparing to swallow everything whole. Kian stood at the center of it, barely upright, his aura flickering like an unstable flame. Amara moved beside him, her breathing sharp, her talisman glowing faintly.

Before them stood the first villain—eyes glowing silver—and behind him, the second figure emerged fully into the light.

He was taller, broader, and emanated an aura so dense the air vibrated around him. His presence was suffocating. His eyes were deep crimson, and unlike the first villain, he did not smile. He simply stared at Kian and Amara with a cold, uninterested curiosity… as if they were insects.

Kian swallowed hard.

“This… this energy… it’s not human.”

The first villain chuckled softly.

“Human? Oh, Kian. You still think your enemies play by those rules?”

The crimson-eyed one stepped forward. When he spoke, his voice was low, deep, and layered—like multiple tones speaking at once:

“Identify yourselves. I want to know the names of the ones I will break.”

Kian forced his shaking legs forward. “Kian. Awakened Class C… for now.”

Amara lifted her chin. “Amara of the Luminous Lineage. And you won’t break anyone.”

The first villain laughed.

“Oho? Confidence. Let’s see how long that lasts.”

---

The Two-Versus-Two Begins

The moment the villain’s hand flicked, the battle erupted.

A wall of shadows surged toward them like a tidal wave. Amara reacted instantly—her talisman burst with radiant light, forming a barrier. The collision sent shockwaves across the warehouse, metal beams rattling, glass exploding outward.

“Kian, now!” she screamed.

He charged forward, over-limit energy flaring. Every step left cracks in the floor. His body screamed in pain, but his spirit burned hotter.

The first villain intercepted him, shadows swirling like blades.

Kian’s fist collided with the darkness—and tore through it.

“What?!” the villain snarled.

Kian pushed forward, his voice strained:

“I’m… done… running!”

They clashed, light and shadow exploding in bursts across the warehouse.

---

Amara vs. The Crimson-Eyed Villain

Amara felt a gust behind her—heavy, chilling.

She spun just in time to meet the second villain’s hand with her glowing palm. The impact sent a thunderous shock through her arm, numbing it instantly.

He didn’t even move back.

“You possess light,” he said, examining her calmly. “But your output is insufficient.”

Amara grit her teeth. “Then I’ll increase it.”

She slammed her talisman to the ground.

A pillar of radiant light erupted upward, filling the air with shimmering particles. The crimson-eyed villain lifted a hand lazily and sliced through the pillar as if cutting water.

Her heart skipped.

He cut through my strongest form like nothing…

Before she could react, he vanished—then reappeared behind her.

Too fast.

---

Kian at Breaking Point

Across the room, Kian was being overwhelmed. Every strike he threw grew slower. Every dodge lagged by milliseconds. His over-limit state flickered violently, like a candle struggling against a storm.

The first villain kept watching him with hungry eyes.

“Yes… break yourself further… let me see what’s inside you, Kian…”

Kian inhaled sharply, his lungs burning.

“Amara… where…?”

He forced a glance to the side—and saw Amara being grabbed by the throat, lifted effortlessly by the crimson-eyed villain.

Her feet kicked midair.

Her light dimming.

Something inside Kian shattered.

---

The Surge

“No…”

His aura burst violently, sending the first villain skidding backward in shock.

Kian’s vision turned white-hot. Not rage—something deeper. Something ancient. Something sleeping inside him.

“No one… hurts Amara.”

His energy spiraled upward, ripping through the warehouse roof in a pillar of light. The ground cracked beneath him. Air distorted. Even the villains halted, sensing the pressure.

Amara’s eyes widened despite the chokehold.

Kian… what are you… becoming?

The first villain whispered, trembling with excitement:

“He’s awakening beyond over-limit…”

The ground began to levitate. Screws and metal fragments floated in the air. The light around Kian grew so bright that shadows fled in every direction.

The crimson-eyed villain slowly released Amara, stepping back.

“This power…” he murmured, finally intrigued. “Interesting.”

---

Kian stood in the center of a swirling storm of awakened energy, eyes glowing with a fierce new light—neither human nor monstrous, but something in between.

Amara collapsed to her knees, coughing as she watched him.

Both villains stepped back, scanning him carefully, finally taking him seriously.

The first villain’s smile faded.

“This is no longer a test.”

The crimson-eyed giant tilted his head.

“Prepare yourselves… We may need to retreat.”

Kian raised his head slowly, aura roaring like a dragon awakening.

“This ends… now.”