Lancelot was at first surprised to see a sword suddenly appear out of thin air.
But knowing who Void was, he only smiled coldly. Void is a Souler whose main beast soul has an affinity with space. So, it was normal to expect things from him.
Spatial affinity beast souls are super rare, and people with them are known to be powerful — their attacks are lethal and chaotic. They are among the most dangerous opponents anyone could face in battle.
So Lancelot couldn't help but brandish his greatsword with growing anticipation, his grin stretching wider.
'It feels so good to be the bully... not the bullied.'
Now, with both of them fully combined with their beast souls, they stood coated in the glow of their respective phantoms — Lancelot bathed in a deep, burning red hue, and Void cloaked in a dark, ominous black mist.
Their bodies tensed as they fell into battle stances, each one showing the sharpness of seasoned martial artists.
Then they lunged at each other with inhuman speed that blurs against the ruined backdrop.
"Void Slash!!!" Void roared as he shot forward like a black flash, his blade slashing through the air with terrifying force.
Meanwhile, Lancelot remained silent, only smiling to himself as if savoring the moment.
Void's fury burned bright. The fact that his teleportation wasn't working had shattered his composure.
He was used to fighting by blinking unpredictably around his enemies, appearing from blind angles and overwhelming them before they could react.
But now, with that advantage stripped from him, his fury only deepened.
Yet all of it — his rage, his speed, his technique — amounted to nothing. Because in the very next second, after just one clash, he was defeated.
Void's body crashed down, his knees hitting the ground hard. He used his sword like a crutch, barely keeping himself from collapsing completely. His teeth clenched so tightly they could shatter.
With his breathing ragged, he lifted his head slightly and cast a desperate glance around, praying for a miracle.
'It looks like... I would die today... Is this really the end of my life...?'
But all he saw was empty destruction — nothing he could use, no help, no hope.
A cold weight settled in his chest. He realized then that he had no other option.
'Looks like... I'll have to use that attack. As much as I don't want to... I have to. Even if it costs me my life... If I can at least bring this bastard to his knees, then so be it. I'll die anyway if I don't... He'll kill me without a second thought.'
His fists trembled as he gritted his teeth harder, staring at Lancelot with a strange, burning intent. Slowly, he forced himself to stand upright.
With a heavy heart, he released his sword — the blade dropping to the floor with a dull metallic clang that echoed through the silence.
Closing his eyes, Void drew in a deep, shuddering breath.
Instantly, the air around him stirred, and all the scattered soul energy in the area was drawn toward him, swirling like iron filings pulled by a powerful magnet.
He opened his eyes briefly, scanning his surroundings again with a faint, desperate hope — perhaps his group would arrive just in time, sparing him from using this suicidal move.
But when he saw nothing, not even a trace of them, a resigned sigh escaped his lips.
'This is... the most powerful skill of my beast soul. It won't kill him outright, but it should at least leave him severely injured...'
A bitter thought crossed his mind, stabbing at his heart.
'If only I were stronger... none of this would've happened. My little sister... Lucia... she's lucky she's old enough to fend for herself now. Or else... I'd be heartbroken knowing I'm leaving her alone. But she's still young...'
His fists clenched tighter until his nails dug into his palms.
'Am sorry, Lucia... I have no other choice. Today just wasn't my lucky day...'
With every ounce of soul energy he had gathered, Void muttered in a flat, emotionless voice:
"Spatial Collapse... Third Form!"
Lancelot's smile vanished the moment he heard those words. His face hardened, turning serious.
Without hesitation, he shouted out his own defensive skill:
"Void Devouring Barrier!"
A circular barrier flared to life, glowing with a sinister red hue, wrapping around Lancelot like a cocoon and hiding him from sight.
And then — the world groaned.
The very space where they stood seemed to snarl and growl, as if awakening in hunger.
A sound, deep and ancient, like the rumble of a thousand thunders, echoed through the battlefield.
It was the voice of the void itself — the roar of space coming alive.
A black tear appeared in the air, jagged and unnatural, and everything within twenty meters of it was pulled in violently.
Ruined houses, broken debris, and even chunks of earth were all sucked in like leaves caught in a storm.
Void himself was the first to be dragged in.
He didn't struggle — he already knew this would happen.
That's why he had always hesitated to use this skill. He could survive being swallowed by the tear, but he would be left broken and on the brink of death.
And even then, the chance of dying inside was painfully high.
All his soul essence had been poured into opening this tear. Once it had absorbed enough matter, it would close — all within a terrifying span of just two seconds.
But Void's situation was dire. After the tear shut, he would be trapped inside, and without soul energy, teleporting out would be impossible.
And the void itself... it offered no salvation. There was no energy to recover, only emptiness.
This was his final card — the ultimate trump move meant to destroy anyone, no matter their rank.
Void knew well how terrifying even a small spatial tear could be.
A mere rift the size of a finger could threaten a Ten-Star Souler.
That's why Soulers with spatial affinity beast souls were both feared and valued.
The size of the tear was tied to the user's strength — the bigger the tear, the greater the devastation.
But even a small one could swallow land and injure even the mightiest warriors.
So Void was certain — even if this move didn't kill Lancelot outright, it would cripple him.
After all, Lancelot was just a peak Four-Star Souler, close to breaking into Five-Star, but not there yet. Still... his beast soul was a powerful one. A natural counter to Void's abilities.
And that's why Void wasn't sure. Even now, standing on the brink, with everything thrown into this one desperate attack...
He wasn't sure if it would be enough.