Chapter 9: The Form Beyond Limit

The air shimmered.

The warehouse walls groaned as if bowing to an unseen force. Debris hovered weightlessly, pulled into the swirling vortex of energy centered around Kian.

His hair floated upward, glowing faintly. His eyes were no longer their normal color—now blazing with a luminous, otherworldly brilliance that seemed to cut through reality itself. His aura was no longer unstable. It was terrifyingly calm. Controlled. Perfect.

Amara stared, breath caught in her throat.

Kian… this isn’t over-limit. This is something else…

The first villain took a shaky step back, his earlier confidence gone.

“T-This isn’t possible… There shouldn’t be a stage beyond over-limit—”

The crimson-eyed villain raised a hand to silence him, eyes narrowing with genuine interest for the first time.

“He’s awakened a Prime State.”

The words echoed through the warehouse like a prophecy.

---

The Prime State Awakens

Kian lifted his hand slowly—gravity bending around it. The floor cracked in spiderweb patterns beneath his feet.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was deeper. Calm. Resonant.

“You wanted to see my limits… right?”

The first villain clenched his fists nervously.

“S-Stay back.”

Kian moved.

No sound.

No flash.

Just instant displacement.

One moment he stood several meters away—

the next he was right in front of the first villain, staring into his silver eyes with frightening clarity.

A pulse of energy erupted—

BOOM!

The villain was sent flying across the warehouse, smashing through girders, through walls, through rubble.

He didn’t stand back up.

Amara gasped. She’d never seen Kian move like that.

Or anyone.

Kian… what have you awakened?

---

The Crimson-Eyed Villain Steps In

The second villain’s expression shifted for the first time—from calm to intrigued.

“You achieved Prime State without guidance. Rare. Dangerous. Unpredictable.”

He stepped forward, shadows parting around him like loyal soldiers.

“Show me more.”

Kian’s eyes flickered toward him.

“You hurt Amara.”

The crimson-eyed villain nodded slowly.

“And I will again, if it reveals your true capabilities.”

The temperature dropped.

Metal trembled.

Even Kian’s aura reacted, flaring brighter.

“Then you die first.”

He vanished again—but this time, the crimson-eyed villain moved with him, matching his speed. Their clash sent shockwaves outward, cracking the warehouse pillars, ripping tiles off the floor.

Fists collided.

Energy burst.

Light and shadow spiraled around them like colliding storms.

---

The Unseen Weakness

Amara watched, her heart racing with fear and awe.

Kian’s power… it’s too much. His body—can it handle this?

As Kian and the villain clashed midair, she noticed something.

Every time Kian landed a hit, his aura flickered—just for a second.

A tiny instability.

She gasped.

“The Prime State… it’s draining him!”

The crimson-eyed villain noticed too.

“You’re impressive, boy,” he growled, catching Kian’s fist mid-swing, “but this power is eating away at you. You cannot maintain it.”

Kian growled through clenched teeth, pushing harder.

“I can… as long… as she’s safe.”

His aura exploded again, throwing the villain backward.

But when Kian dropped to the ground, he stumbled.

Amara ran forward. “Kian! Your energy—”

“I’m fine,” he whispered, glowing eyes dimming for a moment, “I can still fight.”

But the crimson-eyed villain was already standing, dusting off his cloak.

“For raw power,” he said, “I’ll give you credit. But the flaw of Prime State is simple:

Your spirit grows stronger…

but your body can’t keep up.”

He blurred forward—faster than before.

---

The Turning Point

Before Kian could react, the villain struck him with a crushing blow to the chest.

Kian’s aura shattered like glass.

He flew backward, smashing into a concrete wall with a sickening thud, the light around him flickering violently.

“KIAN!” Amara screamed.

He fell to his knees, gasping. His glow dimmed, fading. His Prime State was collapsing.

The villain approached slowly.

“You had potential,” he said coldly. “But potential alone isn’t enough.”

He raised his hand to finish the job—

And then—

Amara stepped between them.

Her arms spread, talisman blazing with a desperate golden light.

“If you want him,” she said, voice shaking but firm, “you’ll have to go through me.”

The crimson-eyed villain paused.

“…Interesting.”

He lowered his hand slightly.

“She is your anchor,” he said softly, as if solving a puzzle. “Your power resonates with hers. Without her—your Prime State collapses instantly.”

Kian’s eyes widened.

Anchor…? Amara… keeps me stable?

Amara didn’t understand, but she held her ground.

And then the villain spoke the words that froze both of them:

“Very well…

We’ll take her instead.”

---

Kian struggles to stand, his Prime State fading.

Amara stands defensively, glowing but exhausted.

The crimson-eyed villain prepares to seize her—believing she is the key to Kian’s awakening.

The true danger has only just beg