The air trembled with raw energy, the dungeon's walls groaning under the sheer force of two titans locked in combat. Ethan stood tall, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths, his knuckles bloodied from the relentless exchange of blows. Across from him, Aldric seethed, his once-composed visage now twisted with frustration and desperation.
"I won't let you walk out of here alive," Aldric snarled, his dark aura intensifying. The shadows around him thickened, twisting into jagged spears that hovered menacingly.
Ethan rolled his shoulders, his body vibrating with the accumulated power of his passive abilities. Titan's Ascent: 80%, Crimson Resolve: 60%, Iron Stride (Phantom Step): Fully Mastered. He could feel his body adapting, evolving mid-battle to match Aldric's overwhelming strength.
With a flick of his wrist, Aldric sent the shadow spears hurtling forward, each one laced with enough power to obliterate stone. Ethan didn't hesitate. Phantom Step activated in an instant, his form flickering as he weaved between the deadly projectiles. The spears shattered against the dungeon walls, explosions of dark energy illuminating the battlefield.
Aldric was fast. But Ethan was faster.
Closing the distance, Ethan planted his foot and unleashed a devastating right hook, his fist colliding with Aldric's ribcage. The impact echoed like a thunderclap, sending the vice president skidding backward, coughing up blood.
But Aldric refused to fall. He wiped his mouth, his eyes burning with manic rage. "You think you're special, Ethan? You're nothing but a pest standing in my way!"
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "You're not my obstacle. You're just another corpse waiting to hit the ground."
With an enraged roar, Aldric summoned a swirling vortex of dark energy, the dungeon shaking violently as his power peaked. Ethan could feel the immense pressure, the suffocating force of a man who had given everything to destroy him.
But Ethan wasn't fazed.
He exhaled, feeling Crimson Resolve surge through his veins. His wounds, though deep, no longer mattered. Pain was irrelevant. He had come too far to falter now.
With one final surge of power, Ethan exploded forward, shattering the ground beneath him. Aldric's eyes widened in shock as Ethan closed the gap in an instant, his fist reared back. Titan's Ascent surged to 100%.
The force behind Ethan's punch was unlike anything before. The moment his fist connected with Aldric's face, the vice president's skull fractured instantly. The sheer impact sent shockwaves throughout the entire dungeon, Aldric's body hurtling through the air before crashing into the stone floor.
Silence.
Aldric twitched, his body broken, his aura flickering like a dying flame. He coughed, blood pooling beneath him as his unfocused eyes locked onto Ethan. "This… can't be…"
Ethan stepped forward, his expression unreadable. There was no gloating, no satisfaction—just the cold reality of battle. He towered over Aldric, his voice devoid of emotion. "You lost."
Aldric let out a choked laugh, the sound filled with bitterness. "Sylvia… she'll never… choose you."
Ethan's gaze remained impassive. "That doesn't concern you anymore."
Without another word, he raised his foot and brought it down upon Aldric's skull.
A sickening crunch echoed through the dungeon as Aldric Nightbane—the vice president of the academy, a man who had sought Ethan's destruction—was no more.
The dungeon trembled one last time before settling into eerie silence. Ethan exhaled, his body finally relaxing as the adrenaline waned. He checked his status.
Titan's Ascent – Fully Mastered.
A slow smirk formed on his lips. It was about damn time.
As the dungeon's exit slowly revealed itself, Ethan turned, stepping forward into whatever awaited him next.
To be continued…