Kaito did not launch darkness.
He condensed it.
A single, razor-thin line formed at his fingertip—compressed shadow refined through fear, rage, stillness, and discipline.
Then he released it.
The line pierced upward, silent and precise, slicing directly into Vael'Tharion's descending mass.
For the first time since emerging—
The Origin Shadow reacted violently.
A soundless shockwave exploded across the sky. Clouds evaporated instantly. The ocean below flattened under sudden pressure before rebounding in colossal tidal surges.
Vael'Tharion withdrew slightly.
"Impossible."
The wound did not bleed.
It fractured—like glass splitting under tension.
Silver Eyes reinforced the world's seams as continents trembled.
Kaito steadied himself.
"I'm not cutting you," he said quietly.
"I'm defining you."
The fracture widened.
And something inside Vael'Tharion shifted.