The gargantuan tree transformed into a massive pile of glowing, pitch-black smoke that hovered in the air, seemingly too shocked to rejoin the world.
Ilman was in a similar situation. Destroying the tree's structural integrity had left him without a foothold, ready to fall prey to gravity. Yet, his glowing red eyes completely disregarded his surroundings or predicament and focused solely on the smoke in front of him.
All the previous strikes had been tests. Ilman had tried his best, but his opponent was too vast and different from what he knew, so gathering additional information became necessary to provide him with a winning chance.
Those tests also applied to Ilman himself. He had to check how strong he was and how effective his attacks could be against that powerful opponent to plan his next moves.
