BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM—!!!!
The moment our fists collided—
The battlefield split.
A violent shockwave erupted outward, ripping through the corpse-strewn land like divine punishment. Blood-soaked earth exploded into the air. Broken weapons, bones, and shattered armor were launched in every direction as pressure rolled outward in a crushing wave.
But this time—
I didn't fly.
I stood.
My feet remained rooted.
My fist held firm against his.
The orc's black pupils narrowed.
Then flickered red.
For the first time since this battle began—
His expression changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
My breathing slowed.
The world around me faded.
The corpses.
The ruined battlefield.
The screaming winds.
Everything became silent.
I could hear only one thing.
My heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Steady.
Calm.
Alive.
A light blue aura wrapped around my body like flowing water—thin, controlled, dense beyond reason. It didn't explode outward. It clung to me. Refined. Perfectly balanced.
Lightning danced around me.
Not wild.
Not violent.
Controlled.
Thin arcs crawled across my arms, shoulders, and tail, moving like living veins of energy.
Then—
Blue sparkles appeared.
Tiny luminous particles shimmered through my black hair like stars trapped in midnight. They rose and fell slowly, pulsing with my breathing.
Prime Instinct.
No—
My Prime Instinct.
The technique had changed.
No longer something taught.
No longer something borrowed.
It had become mine.
The orc pushed harder.
Pressure exploded from his body.
BAM!!!
The ground beneath us collapsed.
I slid back half a step.
Muscles trembling.
Breathing heavier.
But I did not kneel.
The orc's pupils burned fully red now.
Then—
His aura changed.
Crimson energy erupted around him, then compressed inward.
Again.
And again.
Until it formed a dense cocoon hugging his body like forged armor.
Silent.
Efficient.
Deadly.
The pressure multiplied instantly.
The battlefield screamed.
Mountains of corpses collapsed under the force. Cracks spread across the earth in every direction. Even the air became heavy, viscous—hard to breathe.
My knees bent.
Just slightly.
The pressure bore down harder.
Testing.
Demanding.
Ordering me to kneel.
To submit.
To accept inferiority.
To accept death.
My muscles shook violently.
My breathing turned ragged.
Even Prime Instinct struggled to maintain balance under this pressure.
This monster…
He had evolved again.
And the terrifying truth hit me.
Even now—
He was still stronger.
A lot stronger.
My body screamed.
My instincts warned.
Retreat.
Avoid.
Survive.
But something deeper—
Refused.
A memory surfaced.
Not from this life.
Not from this world.
Something ancient.
Something buried within the fused soul.
Helplessness.
Powerlessness.
The feeling of being beneath others.
Judged by others.
Crushed by others.
Nameless.
Worthless.
Forgotten.
Something inside me snapped.
Not in weakness.
In fury.
My blue eyes burned brighter.
My tail lashed once.
Then—
Something answered.
Deep within the seal.
The suppressed beast stirred weakly.
But something else stirred with it.
Something older.
Something heavier.
Something that did not roar like a beast.
Something that ruled.
A white outline appeared around me.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
It formed slowly behind my body.
Not giant.
Not dramatic.
A phantom tiger.
Its form was made of pure white spiritual pressure, layered over me like a second existence. Blue lightning ran across its body in crackling lines.
Its breathing synchronized with mine.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Its eyes opened.
Blue.
Identical to mine.
The battlefield froze.
Even the orc stopped moving.
Watching.
Waiting.
The pressure intensified again.
Trying to crush me.
Trying to force submission.
My knees bent further.
My muscles screamed.
Blood ran from the corner of my mouth.
The orc watched.
Expecting collapse.
Expecting surrender.
Rage ignited in my chest.
Not blind rage.
Not animal fury.
Authority.
Pure.
Absolute.
The phantom tiger solidified.
Its presence bent light around it.
Space distorted.
Dust lifted violently around my body.
Blue lightning erupted wildly.
The sparkles in my hair intensified, glowing brighter and brighter until strands of my hair shimmered with silver-blue light.
Then—
ROOOOAAARRRRR—!!!!!
The tiger roared.
The sound wasn't loud.
It was heavy.
Ancient.
Absolute.
The oppressive pressure split apart.
Like a kingdom refusing conquest.
Cracks deepened beneath my feet.
The earth shattered.
And slowly—
I straightened.
Fully.
My spine locked upright.
My shoulders squared.
My gaze met the orc's without the slightest tremble.
For the first time—
His pressure no longer pushed me down.
Silence.
Then a voice echoed.
Not outside.
Inside.
Ancient.
Cold.
Regal.
The will of the Nameless.
No one…
Looks down on the Nameless.
The words shook my soul.
Understanding crashed into me.
Prime Instinct was never about becoming empty.
Never about removing self.
That was flawed.
That was incomplete.
For me—
Prime Instinct meant absolute control through absolute self-awareness.
Mind calm.
Body relaxed.
Will unbreakable.
Control every movement.
Every breath.
Every thought.
Every ounce of force.
Using one pound…
To control a thousand ounces.
Minimal force.
Maximum outcome.
Perfect efficiency.
But above all—
It required identity.
Knowing exactly who you are.
And in that moment—
I understood.
I was not merely Velzahar.
Not merely anomaly.
Not sealed beast.
Not monster.
I was the one who carries the will of the Nameless.
A sovereign existence.
A king.
I inhaled slowly.
The aura around me transformed.
The light blue currents deepened.
They became heavier.
Denser.
Kingly.
The phantom tiger's eyes flared brilliantly.
I looked at the orc.
Then spoke.
Quietly.
But with absolute weight.
"No one…"
My voice carried across the battlefield.
The corpses.
The broken land.
The blood-soaked earth.
Everything seemed to listen.
"…looks down on a king."
Silence.
The orc stared.
His cocoon pulsed once.
Then shattered inward.
His energy compressed again.
Denser.
Deadlier.
His red pupils burned like infernos.
He had acknowledged me.
Not as prey.
Not as challenger.
As worthy.
Predator.
Versus sovereign.
The orc smiled.
A brutal smile.
Then—
He spoke.
His voice was deep.
Ancient.
Heavy.
"Then prove it."
The ground between us split instantly.
Neither of us moved.
Yet destruction erupted.
Pure pressure alignment.
The battlefield cracked.
Then—
We vanished.
No flashes.
No explosions.
Just movement beyond perception.
A shockwave detonated a second later.
And the real battle began.