The two figures stared at each other in silence, hovering in the vastness of the void. In that brief moment, neither moved, yet countless calculations were made. Both were experienced fighters, and both knew their opponent was anything but ordinary.
Solwyn was the first to break the silence.
"You're different from the others. Do you have a name? I'd like to know who—"
"Dimensioner."
The knightly voidling cut him off. His voice cold and emotionless void reverberated from beneath the helmet as he said, "How are you able to mimic us? Did another Void Lord sire—"
The entity didn't finish.
One of his black swords swung forward just in time to block a flickering blur, Solwyn had already closed the distance. His fist, wreathed in Slayer Aura, slammed into the blade with such force that it shattered instantly.
A vortex of fire surged around Solwyn, spiraling into a blazing tornado as his eyes burned with fury.
"You dare speak over me?!"
His voice thundered, causing even the voidlings who were fearless in their earlier attacks to freeze in place.
"Forget your name. I'll kill you right here!"
With that, Solwyn unleashed his fury. The firestorm exploded outward, roaring toward the void entity like a tempest of wrath.
The entity flickered from the storm's path, reappearing at a higher vantage, staring down with eerie calm.
Then it raised a sharp and pointed hand, and behind it, a circle of darkness unfolded, a ring of hundreds of black swords forming in flawless symmetry. The swords formed rings around on another in a perfect halo of pure darkness.
"Very well. You wish to know my name?" The knightly voidling said, its voice now reverberating with power. "Then know this: the one who kills you today is Ephraim Fade, Void Lord of this region."
Ephraim swung his hand down, directed at Solwyn.
The swords tilted downward, poised to descend.
Or rather, they should have, but they instead remained in place. The swords then began to dissipate until all were gone in a trail of ash.
Ephraim's eyes beneath its helmet widened.
'My law technique…?!'
"Oh? Did you forget something important?" Solwyn's voice rang from behind, smug and mocking. "That's too bad."
Solwyn's lightning wreathed fist crashed into Ephraim's back, sending him tumbling through the void in a spiral of black and crimson.
He had already analyzed Ephraim's three law techniques the moment their eyes met, and suppressed the most dangerous: Blades of the Void.
But Ephraim wasn't down for long.
He twisted midair, quickly stabilizing himself, and raised his forearms just as Solwyn launched a brutal kick.
The impact rang out as Ephraim used his second law, Perfected Swordsmanship. Using his long, razor sharp and sword-like limbs as blades, he expertly deflected the strike, redirecting its force and pushing Solwyn back. Even without his void swords, his body alone was a deadly weapon.
Solwyn let the momentum carry him into a wide arc, grinning. Once he felt he was far enough away he instantly came to a halt and he looked at Ephraim.
"Then let's see how you handle this."
He raised his hand and ten massive, draconic claws appeared around him. Each one radiated lightning, scorching winds, or Slayer Aura.
"Try blocking all of these!"
He charged forward, the floating claws following after him like hunting serpents.
With his main law technique sealed, Ephraim had no choice but to rely on one he had only recently obtained comprehension of.
Void energy gathered like a vortex around his hand as he summoned the destructive force of Extinction Palm. With a single thrust, a massive wave of void energy erupted forth, erasing everything in its path.
But it struck nothing.
Solwyn, and all ten draconic claws, blinked out of existence.
They reappeared a heartbeat later, surrounding Ephraim on all sides.
'Those claws can Void Walk too?!'
Ephraim flickered away just as a convergence of fire, lightning, and deathly energy detonated behind him, its aftermath booming through the void in a brilliant explosion.
He reappeared a short distance away, but so did Solwyn.
Wherever Ephraim fled, Solwyn was always right behind him.
The game of pursuit continued. Two A-Rankers flickering through the endless nothing, locked in a battle far beyond the comprehension of the other voidlings. Some unfortunate ones were caught in the crossfire, killed instantly by the residual force of attacks far too great for them to endure.
Though Ephraim appeared to be on the back foot, the Void Lord hadn't given up. Even while dodging, he was analyzing Solwyn. His patterns, his movements, even the source of the suppression holding back his law technique.
And eventually, he realized something crucial.
'I haven't seen one in centuries... he looks different from the others I've fought, but there's no mistaking it. He carries the blood of dragons.'
'Which means… he bears a sin!'
A weakness he could exploit.
Ephraim twisted in the void, narrowly avoiding a blast of superheated wind, then turned to face Solwyn directly.
"Sealing a law technique?" He said, voice laced with mockery. "Didn't expect someone like you to resort to petty tricks to win."
The words hit their mark.
Solwyn paused mid charge, brow twitching. "Do you think I'll fall for such obvious bait?"
Ephraim shrugged. "I won't deny that's my intention." He made no attempt to hide his motivation and said, "But even if you defeat me, can you say you did so while I was at my full strength? No. You aren't so shameless to lie to yourself like that are you?"
"You—!"
Solwyn clenched his fist at the mere thought of his victory being undermined. Though he knew this was exactly what Ephraim wanted… the urge to defend his pride was too strong to resist.
Ephraim soon felt it, his connection to his suppressed law technique returning.
But as it did, something else stirred.
Solwyn's aura expanded like a storm cloud ready to burst. The void around him began to warp under the pressure as he activated [Umbral Domain], [Overpower], and multiple enhancement skills simultaneously.
He stared down at Ephraim, voice low and thunderous. "You may have your law technique back, but don't think it will change the outcome. I will show you the true difference between the two of us."
"..."
Only now did Ephraim come to a grave realization. Solwyn hadn't even been going all out yet.
And all he had done...
…was make him angry.