Anderson's grin widened.
FWOOOOOOOM!
The space around him distorted, the sheer heat of his presence warping reality itself. The ruins trembled, cracks forming in the floating platforms beneath their feet. The golden-violet sky pulsed in response, like a living entity reacting to his arrival.
Kieran swallowed hard. Every instinct in him scread danger.
Jack, on the other hand, was already grinning. "Oh, hell yeah," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "I was hoping for a warm-up."
Elanor smirked, stepping forward. "I don't think this is a warm-up."
Jason exhaled, calm as ever. "It's a test."
Anderson flexed his fingers, fire and raw energy crackling along his arms. His red eyes flickered, shifting between them before settling back on Kieran.
And then—
BOOOOOM!
He moved.
Faster than thought. Faster than anything Kieran had ever seen.
A fist, wreathed in fire, ca crashing down.
Kieran barely had ti to react.
CLAAAAAANG!
His sword t the blow, but the impact sent him flying back, slamming into a floating ruin with a deafening crash. Stone shattered around him as he gritted his teeth, the force rattling his bones.
Too fast. Too strong.
Anderson wasn't just playing around.
This was real.
Jack whistled, sparks of black lightning crackling around him. "Welp. Guess we're doing this."
Arianna's eyes shone with sothing close to admiration. "Of course we are."
Elanor cracked his knuckles. "Finally."
Erren took a deep breath, trying to analyze the situation. "Be careful! I don't think we're at his level yet!"
Anderson chuckled—a deep, rumbling sound that sent vibrations through the air. His gaze flicked toward Elanor.
"Strong," he muttered, his voice low and almost teasing. "But not enough."
FWOOOOOOOOM!
He blurred again, vanishing from sight.
Kieran forced himself up just in ti to see him reappear behind Jack.
Jack didn't flinch.
Instead—
CRACK!
A bolt of black lightning exploded outward as Jack spun, eting Anderson's strike with his own fist. The air rippled from the collision, sending shockwaves in every direction.
Jack grinned. "Tch. Not bad."
Anderson's smile sharpened. "You'll need more than that."
FWOOOOOOOOM!
A burst of heat and force sent Jack skidding back, but he laughed, shaking off the impact. "Oh, yeah. This is gonna be fun."
Kieran exhaled sharply, gripping his sword. His body still ached from that first hit, but he couldn't let that stop him.
Because now he understood.
This wasn't just so random encounter.
This was a challenge.
A test.
And if they wanted answers—if they wanted to know what the hell they had beco after leveling so fast—
They had to prove themselves.
Kieran's grip tightened.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's do this."
Anderson's grin widened.
BOOOOOOOM!
The real fight began.
Anderson's presence alone was overwhelming. Every step he took sent cracks through the floating ruins beneath them. The air distorted around his body, heat rippling off him like a living inferno.
But despite the sheer force he exuded—despite the blows that had already rattled Kieran's bones—he wasn't going all out.
They could all feel it.
This wasn't Anderson at his full power.
Jack wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth, his grin never faltering. "Oh yeah. He's holding back." He rolled his shoulders, black lightning crackling along his arms. "I hate when people do that."
Elanor exhaled through his nose, his own muscles tensing. "ans he doesn't see us as real opponents yet."
Jason nodded, analyzing every movent Anderson made. "If he wanted to, he could've taken us all down already."
Arianna's eyes flickered with sothing between awe and calculation. "Second to Adams… That ans he's at a level none of us can reach yet."
Kieran took a steady breath, adjusting his grip on his blade. Every instinct in him scread that Anderson was a being beyond their current limits—like facing a mountain that could punch back.
But that didn't an they were backing down.
BOOOOOOOM!
Anderson vanished.
A streak of crimson fire tore through the space between them.
Kieran barely had ti to react before a massive fist crashed toward his skull—
CLAAAANG!
His sword t the blow, the impact sending another shockwave through the air. But this ti, he didn't get blasted away.
He held.
For a mont.
Anderson's eyes flickered with interest.
Then—
FWOOOOOOOM!
A burst of raw force sent Kieran skidding backward, boots digging into the cracked stone.
Jack was already there, a bolt of lightning launching him forward. "Hey, big guy!" he called, fists coated in black energy. "How about a real fight?"
CRACK!
Jack swung.
Anderson t the punch with his own.
A detonation of power erupted between them, shaking the entire battlefield.
Jack gritted his teeth. His arm trembled against the force. "Tch—damn, you hit hard."
Anderson grinned. "So do you."
Then he twisted, his free hand shooting out—
BOOM!
Jack barely managed to duck as a flaming strike shattered the floating platform behind him.
Elanor took the opening.
FWOOOOOOOM!
He moved—too fast for an ordinary warrior. In the blink of an eye, he was right behind Anderson, fist cocked back.
CRACK!
A direct hit to Anderson's ribs.
The force sent a ripple through his massive fra.
But Anderson barely flinched.
His head turned toward Elanor, amusent in his burning red eyes.
"…Not bad."
Then he moved.
BOOOOOOOM!
Elanor barely had ti to react before Anderson's knee slamd into his gut.
For the first ti, the elf warrior let out a grunt of pain. His body shot backward, carving a path through the floating debris.
Anderson exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "You're all strong."
Kieran tightened his grip.
"But not strong enough."
BOOOOOOOOM!
The battlefield ignited.
Pillars of fla erupted around them, the air itself becoming searing hot. The ruins shook. The sky twisted.
Kieran's breath hitched.
This wasn't even Anderson fighting seriously.
This was just him getting started.
And yet—it was already beyond anything Kieran had experienced.
Erren's fingers flew across her interface, trying to process data, but her expression was pale. "This—this doesn't make sense! The numbers don't add up! He's stronger than anything the ga should allow!"
Arianna stepped forward, her eyes locked on Anderson. "That's because he's not just part of the system."
Kieran exhaled. His mind raced.
They had fought bosses, players, and monsters before.
But Anderson was different.
He wasn't bound by chanics.
He was beyond them.
Jack laughed, shaking out his hands. "Alright, then." His eyes glead with excitent. "Guess we just gotta break past our limits, huh?"
Elanor wiped the blood from his mouth, grinning. "Fine by ."
Kieran steadied his stance. He had co this far—he wasn't about to back down now.
Anderson flexed his fingers.
Then he grinned.
"Show ."
BOOOOOOOM!
The fight was far from over.
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