"Yeos... you can't kill him without my permission."
The masked girl was stunned to belive in her own eyes. How was he alive? His source had been completely destroyed... And yet, standing before her, the mysterious figure had returned. Despite her confusion, a part of her felt relieved that he was still alive.
Crack-
Kyle casually twisted his neck back into place, unbothered by the pain.
His eyes narrowed with curiosity as he stared at the figure who had somehow defied death.
He took a slow step forward, grinning.
"Well, look at you. You actually managed to kill me... Impressive."
He clapped softly, mocking.
"But let's make a deal. You bow to me, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. I'll walk away, and you can go back to whatever pathetic life you were living."
His smile widened.
"Of course, everything that happened here stays between us. Just a little secret."
The mysterious figure didn't say a word.
Kyle leaned closer, arrogance radiating from him.
"Hey… Don't ignore me. Do you realize how rare it is for someone like me to even speak to someone like you?"
His tone sharpened.
"There's one thing bothering me, though. That enchantment attack should've erased your whole entire existence,your source, and your origin. That spell was absolute, So how are you even standing here right here. Who are you?."
The mysterious figure slowly raised his finger and lightly tapped Kyle's forehead.
In an instant, an unseen force exploded from the point of contact.
Boom-
Kyle's entire body was torn apart. Flesh disintegrated into the air, scattering everywhere. All that remained were his bones, clattering to the floor.
The mysterious figure let out a cold, amused laugh.
"I simply returned the favor. One action always brings an equal and opposite reaction."
He tilted his head, smiling faintly.
"In simple terms… I have no source or origin. There's nothing you can destroy."
The girl stood frozen in shock.
Blood was splattered across the ground with a grotesque and horrifying scene.
Pieces of flesh, shattered bones, and the lingering sound of a life-ending strike filled the air with dread.
Her voice trembled with a quiet sadness.
"…Hey, you. Mysterious guy… why did you kill my brother, Kyle?"
She lowered her gaze.
"Do you even understand what you've done? The consequences? You should leave while you still can."
The mysterious figure turned to her, unfazed.
"Oh? You're the reason my book was torned in the first place. You should be grateful to me."
He smirked.
"Flee? Why would I? Does your organization really hunt innocent people?"
The masked girl narrowed her eyes, her voice was cold this time.
"No. Our organization won't lay a finger on you. The Elder himself won't interfere in these kind of matter. This was Kyle's mistake, He altered the events without Elder permission."
The mysterious figure let out a low chuckle.
"I see… So no one's coming for me. Then tell me again, why should I run in the first place?"
The girl's expression hardened. Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
"Because the one you just dared to kill… won't stay dead any longer. And he won't take that insult lying down."
The blood pooled on the floor began to lift, pulling itself back together. Bones rattled, rising piece by piece. Flesh regenerated, rapidly forming muscle and skin on its own.
Organs reformed and awakened.
And then, standing where his remains had been, was none other than Kyle wirh fully restored new body and furious nature.
His voice thundered through the entire hotel.
"Hey… that was a cheap trick, wasn't it?"
He cracked his neck, his eyes locked on the mysterious figure.
"You should be glad I waited for you two to finish your little conversation."
"You should run," the girl said softly, a rare trace of pity in her voice. "Because kyle won't hold back this time."
Before the words could settle, Kyle vanished from sight, reappearing beside the mysterious figure with a sudden, vicious side kick to the chest.
Boom!
The impact created a massive shockwave, shaking the entire hotel. Walls cracked. Dust exploded into the air.
But Kyle's leg was caught and stopped cleanly by the mysterious figure's palm.
Without pausing, Kyle unleashed a barrage of punches, each faster than the last. To the human eye, the strikes were invisible just a blur of destruction. Every blow threatened to shatter the air itself.
And yet, the mysterious figure deflected each one with eerie calm.
The hotel around them began to collapse under the pressure of their clash. Glass shattered. Floors crumbled. The sky was filled with dust and debris.
Amid the chaos, the mysterious figure spoke calmly, almost amused.
"Don't you face consequences for destroying buildings and killing innocent people?"
Kyle glanced briefly at the ruins, unfazed.
"They were in the way," he said coldly. "Their lives mean nothing compared to ours."
Kyle reached into a small dimensional rift he summoned beside him and pulled out an ordinary-looking dagger. But nothing about his expression was ordinary.
His eyes glowed a deep, menacing red.
"I hope you survive this," he said, voice laced with venom. "I don't want to kill you... I want you to suffer physically."
He whispered:
"Dagger Form Zero, One Step."
In the blink of an eye. no, faster than a blink itself, Kyle was already in front of the mysterious figure.
Slash.
The dagger sliced across his throat with surgical precision, cutting clean through.
The mysterious figure staggered back, touching his neck. For a moment, even he looked stunned.
"What... kind of skill was that?" he muttered, voice raspy. "Faster than light and sound... it wasn't a normal blink. It was something else entirely."
Then, slowly, a wicked grin formed on his face.
"I think I've found someone worth to play a death game with."
This time, the atmosphere shifted entirely, its no longer just a clash of brute strength or raw power, but a true battle of skill and weapon mastery. Every move carried precision. Every strike had purpose and reason.