The blood chains remained wrapped tightly around the titan core while the glowing sphere struggled continuously within the restraints, but every attempt to gather freezing energy or rotate fast enough to reconstruct another storm was immediately suppressed by the countless crimson chains binding it from every direction. The ruined battlefield around them had finally started settling after the prolonged destruction from the battle. Fractured pillars leaned at broken angles throughout the chamber while massive sections of the floor remained collapsed beneath frozen debris and shattered construct fragments. The remains of the titan no longer resembled a living construct. Without the core stabilizing its structure, the enormous body had collapsed into countless scattered sections of cracked ice-stone and broken armor plating spread across nearly the entire battlefield.
Freezing mist drifted slowly through the chamber while smaller pieces of debris continued falling occasionally from the unstable ceiling overhead.
Rengar remained kneeling where the final attack had left him.
His chest rose and fell heavily while lingering lightning energy flickered weakly beneath his skin before gradually fading away. Nearly every pathway inside his body still ached from prolonged overuse. The titan battle had forced him to continuously push blood energy, lightning augmentation, and movement acceleration beyond what he had ever experienced before. Even with the regenerative properties of Noctis's armor repairing the worst of the internal damage from the titan's final kick, the exhaustion itself remained very real.
Noctis kept one hand resting on Rengar's shoulder while casually observing the restrained core floating nearby.
Then he lightly pulled Rengar backward.
"Come on," Noctis said casually. "Sit down properly before you collapse."
Rengar let out a tired laugh while allowing himself to be guided toward a relatively stable section of fractured stone near the wall. Noctis sat down beside him afterward while the restrained titan core continued struggling uselessly within the blood chains nearby.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The battlefield itself had become strangely quiet now.
Only the faint sounds of drifting frost, falling debris, and the occasional creak from unstable stone structures echoed softly throughout the ruined chamber.
The silence felt almost unreal after such a prolonged battle.
Rengar slowly looked across the battlefield again.
The titan's remains covered nearly the entire chamber. Massive trenches cut through the floor where attacks had landed earlier while frozen destruction spread outward in every direction. The walls themselves had partially collapsed from the prolonged strain of the battle, and sections of the ceiling remained cracked open from repeated impacts.
The battlefield looked less like a dungeon now and more like the aftermath of a catastrophic war.
Noctis leaned back slightly against the broken wall behind them.
Then he glanced sideways toward Rengar.
"So," Noctis asked casually, "how was your first real battle after your evolution?"
Rengar immediately looked toward him after hearing the question.
But instead of answering immediately, his gaze slowly drifted downward toward his own hands.
The black daggers still rested loosely within his grip while faint traces of blood aura occasionally flickered around the blades before fading away again.
Several moments passed.
Then slowly, a grin began spreading across Rengar's face.
"Master," he finally replied, "it felt great!"
The excitement in his voice immediately returned despite his exhaustion.
His tail flicked energetically behind him while his ears perked upward.
"The thrill of the battle…" Rengar continued excitedly. "The blood inside my body felt like it was going to boil! My heart felt like it was going to burst out! I felt so alive!"
The grin on his face widened further the more he spoke.
"When I was fighting the titan… every time I dodged an attack… every time I found another opening… every time I managed to damage it…" Rengar clenched one fist tightly while speaking. "It felt incredible!"
Noctis stared at him for several seconds before suddenly laughing loudly.
The sound echoed naturally throughout the ruined chamber.
Rengar blinked briefly after hearing Noctis laugh so openly before he also started laughing together with him.
The heavy atmosphere surrounding the battlefield lightened immediately.
For the first time since entering the titan chamber, the overwhelming pressure lingering throughout the battle finally disappeared completely.
Noctis shook his head slightly while smiling.
"That is very good to hear," he replied casually. "I'm really happy I chose you to follow me."
Rengar's grin widened immediately.
The excitement inside his expression did not lessen at all.
Instead, hearing those words from Noctis only seemed to make him even happier.
Then another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Master," Rengar asked curiously, "do you also feel that way when you fight?"
The laughter slowly faded from Noctis's face after hearing the question.
His gaze drifted toward the restrained titan core floating nearby.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then he answered honestly.
"I may have at first," Noctis said calmly. "But now… not really."
Rengar tilted his head slightly while looking confused.
Noctis noticed immediately.
He sighed softly.
"Rengar," he continued honestly, "the truth is… I'm actually holding back most of my real power."
The confusion on Rengar's face deepened further.
Noctis leaned back slightly while staring upward toward the fractured ceiling overhead.
"At this point," he continued calmly, "there's likely nothing left in this world capable of truly threatening me anymore."
Rengar froze completely.
Even after everything he had witnessed from Noctis so far, hearing something like that directly still felt difficult to comprehend.
Noctis continued speaking casually.
"My powers have already gone beyond what this world can reasonably contend against. Realistically speaking… only a god may actually be capable of fighting me now."
Rengar's eyes widened instantly.
"God…?"
The word escaped his mouth unconsciously.
The idea itself sounded impossible.
The titan battle alone had already felt overwhelming beyond imagination to him. The thought that Noctis considered even that insignificant compared to a battle against a god completely shattered his understanding of power.
Noctis nodded slightly.
"And honestly," he continued thoughtfully, "I'm not even certain what the outcome of a battle like that would be."
Rengar stared toward him silently.
Noctis's expression gradually became more distant.
"Maybe I could win," he said calmly. "Maybe not. But more importantly… I'm not even sure the planet itself would survive something like that."
Silence filled the battlefield again.
Rengar slowly lowered his gaze while trying to process what he had just heard.
Noctis had always felt overwhelmingly powerful.
But hearing him calmly speak about battles involving gods and the destruction of planets completely changed the scale of what Rengar thought possible.
Noctis looked toward the restrained titan core quietly.
"That's why I'm training myself."
Rengar slowly looked back toward him again.
"I'm trying to improve myself further," Noctis explained. "I'm experimenting with different weapons. Different skills. Different combat styles. Different tactics."
He flexed one hand slowly while speaking.
"If I only rely on overwhelming power, eventually I'll stop growing entirely."
The relaxed smile from earlier disappeared from his face completely now.
"I don't want that."
The atmosphere surrounding his words became quieter.
More serious.
"If I eventually stand before an enemy capable of truly threatening me," Noctis continued calmly, "then experience, adaptability, tactics, and control will matter far more than raw strength alone."
Rengar listened carefully without interrupting.
Many things finally started making sense to him now.
There had been countless moments throughout their journey where Noctis behaved strangely compared to what Rengar expected from someone overwhelmingly powerful.
Sometimes Noctis seemed completely invincible.
Other times he intentionally restrained himself, experimented with different fighting methods, or allowed battles to continue far longer than necessary despite clearly possessing enough strength to end them instantly.
At first, Rengar simply assumed Noctis enjoyed fighting.
Now he finally understood the truth.
Noctis was training himself intentionally.
He was preparing for enemies beyond this world.
Noctis sighed softly again.
"That's also why companions matter."
Rengar's ears twitched slightly after hearing that.
Noctis glanced sideways toward him.
"A real battle against something on that level wouldn't just depend on individual strength," he explained. "Information matters. Timing matters. Positioning matters. Strategy matters."
His gaze lingered on Rengar briefly.
"And trustworthy companions matter too."
A strange warmth spread through Rengar's chest after hearing that.
Noctis smiled faintly afterward.
"You're already growing faster than I expected."
Rengar looked downward silently for several moments.
Then he smiled again.
This time the expression carried less excitement and more genuine pride.
The battlefield fell quiet once more.
Only the restrained titan core continued trembling weakly within the blood chains while freezing mist drifted slowly throughout the ruined chamber.
Eventually Noctis pushed himself upright.
"Well," he said casually, "it's time to finish this."
Rengar looked toward him.
"We still need to head back and see how Kaiser is doing."
The mention of Kaiser immediately reminded Rengar that the massive serpent was still undergoing evolution back at the gorge.
Considering everything that had happened here already, he could only imagine how terrifying Kaiser would become after completing his evolution successfully.
Noctis slowly walked toward the restrained titan core while the blood chains tightened continuously around the struggling sphere.
Once he reached the middle distance between himself and the floating core, his body slowly rose into the air.
Rengar watched silently while Noctis floated upward toward the restrained sphere.
The titan core trembled violently within the chains while freezing energy pulsed continuously across its cracked surface.
Noctis placed both hands against the sides of the restrained sphere.
The blood chains tightened further immediately.
Noctis stared silently toward the glowing core for several moments afterward.
"With you," he said quietly, "my power will grow another step further."
Then he opened his mouth slightly.
His fangs extended downward instantly.
The atmosphere throughout the battlefield changed immediately afterward.
Noctis lowered his head and bit directly into the titan core.
His fangs pierced through the outer shell effortlessly.
The glowing sphere trembled violently.
Then the Devour ability activated.
Dark crimson energy spread rapidly outward from Noctis's body while the blood chains pulsed rhythmically around the restrained core. The titan core attempted desperately to resist while freezing energy surged violently throughout the chamber again, but the struggle accomplished nothing.
Devour consumed everything.
The glowing energy inside the core began draining rapidly into Noctis's body through the connection formed by his fangs. The freezing aura surrounding the sphere weakened continuously while the construct energy stored inside the core collapsed inward beneath the overwhelming pull of Devour.
Rengar watched carefully from below.
The titan core's glow gradually dimmed while the surrounding blood chains tightened continuously alongside the absorption.
The battlefield itself seemed to grow quieter the weaker the core became.
Soon even the outer shell itself started collapsing inward.
Devour did not simply consume energy.
It consumed everything.
Cracks spread rapidly throughout the titan core while the remaining structure destabilized completely beneath the continuous absorption force. The shell eventually broke apart into fragments of energy and matter that were absorbed directly into Noctis's body together with the remaining freezing essence.
The titan core disappeared completely.
The blood chains immediately lost their target and collapsed downward before gradually disintegrating into crimson particles throughout the battlefield.
Silence filled the chamber afterward.
True silence.
The lingering freezing pressure throughout the battlefield vanished completely once the titan core ceased existing.
Noctis slowly closed his eyes while remaining suspended in the air.
Inside his body, the newly absorbed titan essence surged directly toward his Blood Core.
Ever since obtaining the Genesis Apex transformation, the Blood Core had become the central source of his bloodline abilities, bloodline traits, transformations, and vampiric powers. Every bloodline skill and every circulation pathway connected directly back toward that singular core within him.
Now the titan's immense construct energy and freezing essence poured directly into it.
The Blood Core pulsed heavily.
Dense crimson energy spread throughout Noctis's internal circulation while the Blood Core itself became denser beneath the overwhelming influx of absorbed power. The circulation of blood energy throughout his body intensified continuously while dormant bloodline resonance spread throughout his pathways in response to the titan essence integrating into his system.
Rengar could actually feel the pressure radiating outward from Noctis increasing steadily.
Not explosively.
Not violently.
But deeply.
Like an endless ocean slowly becoming heavier.
The surrounding air itself felt denser beneath the naturally spreading bloodline pressure.
Noctis slowly opened his eyes afterward.
A faint crimson glow gradually faded from his pupils.
Then he casually floated back down toward the battlefield.
Rengar stared toward him curiously.
"So…" he asked carefully, "did you become stronger?"
Noctis blinked briefly before grinning.
"Yeah," he replied casually. "Quite a bit stronger actually."
Rengar laughed immediately after hearing such a simple answer following the terrifying pressure earlier.
Noctis laughed lightly as well.
Then he stretched lazily before glancing around the ruined battlefield surrounding them.
"Honestly," Noctis said while looking around the destroyed chamber, "you really did a number on this place."
Rengar rubbed the back of his head proudly.
The titan chamber barely resembled a dungeon anymore.
It had become a frozen wasteland of shattered stone, collapsed pillars, broken construct remains, massive craters, and lingering frost spread throughout every visible surface.
Rengar suddenly paused.
Then he slowly looked toward Noctis again.
"Master…"
"Hm?"
"If this was only one titan…" Rengar asked slowly, "…then just how strong are the gods?"
Noctis did not answer immediately. He looked across the ruined titan chamber for a while as the final traces of freezing mist drifted over the shattered battlefield, and the silence that followed Rengar's question felt heavier than the destruction around them. The titan core had already vanished into him through Devour, the blood chains had disintegrated, and the oppressive construct pressure that once filled the chamber had finally disappeared, yet the question left behind a different kind of weight. The titan had been enormous to Rengar, not only in size, but in everything it represented: overwhelming defense, layered weapon systems, regeneration, battlefield control, and a core strong enough to survive even after its body had been dismantled. For Rengar, defeating it had required everything he had just gained after evolution, every new lesson from Noctis, every instinct from his previous life as a wolf king, and every ounce of energy he could force into his daggers. For Noctis, it had been an opponent he allowed Rengar to use as training.
Noctis glanced toward him and gave a faint smile, but it was not his usual playful smile.
"That is hard to answer," Noctis said while beginning to walk toward the chamber exit. "I have not fought a true god yet."
Rengar followed beside him, still tired but steady enough to move. The armor Noctis had given him continued repairing the deeper injuries from the titan's final kick, but it could not erase exhaustion. His blood energy remained low, his lightning circulation felt thin, and every step carried the weight of the battle that had just ended. Even so, he listened carefully as they crossed the ruined chamber.
Noctis continued, "The problem with gods is that they are not only strong bodies with more energy. Mortals usually compare strength through things they can understand. A stronger beast has more power. A stronger warrior moves faster, hits harder, and endures more damage. A stronger mage casts wider spells or controls more elements. But a god may not be dangerous because of only raw force."
Rengar's ears twitched slightly.
Noctis stepped over a broken section of titan armor without slowing. "A god may possess authority. A law. A concept. Something that does not behave like ordinary power. If an enemy can decide that your blood no longer moves, or that your shadow no longer belongs to you, or that distance does not matter between you and its hand, then strength alone becomes unreliable. That is the difference."
Rengar looked down silently, his claws scraping faintly against the frozen stone beneath his feet as they moved through the wreckage. The idea was difficult to imagine. He understood strength. He understood speed. He understood fear, territory, prey, battle, and dominance. He could understand a being stronger than himself. He could even understand a being stronger than the titan. But authority over concepts felt different. It was not a larger claw or a thicker hide. It was something that sat above the rules of combat he knew.
Noctis looked ahead toward the passage where they had entered the chamber. "That is why I cannot say whether I can win or not. Against this world, I can hold back and still move freely. Against a god, I may not have that luxury. I may have to use everything from the beginning, and even then, it may not be enough."
Rengar turned toward him. "Master, are you afraid of them?"
Noctis did not reject the question. He walked for several steps before answering, and during that short silence the two passed beneath a fractured archway where frost had already begun losing its density now that the titan core was gone.
"I am cautious," Noctis said. "Fear is not the same for me as it may be for others. Death itself is not the only thing I consider. I think about what happens if I lose before I finish what I want to do. I think about whether this world survives if a battle reaches that level. I think about the people and companions who may be dragged into it. I think about whether I am still growing quickly enough."
Rengar lowered his gaze again.
The Noctis beside him felt different from the Noctis who laughed casually, gave thumbs-up signs, teased Gaia, or spoke with playful confidence. This Noctis was still calm, but the calmness carried something deeper beneath it. He was not admitting weakness. He was admitting awareness. That made the words heavier.
Noctis glanced sideways at him. "That is also why I let you fight."
Rengar looked up.
"If I solved everything myself, you would not grow," Noctis said. "And if I solved everything with overwhelming power, I would not grow either. So I use different weapons. I test new approaches. I let my body experience different situations. I build companions who can stand with me, not because I need servants, but because standing alone forever is foolish."
Rengar's chest tightened slightly at the word companions.