******
Xylen's eyes locked onto Kaelrik's blade as it descended upon him, resembling the sword of Pangu poised to cleave primordial chaos and divide heaven from earth.
In that moment, everything flashed before him—Lilith, himself, his detested and hateful half-siblings, his father, his thirst for vengeance, the already painted future, his promises, and everything else.
At last, his eyes ignited.
"Not today!"
He snarled, and in that instant, power surged into him from nowhere.
Without hesitation:
'Phantom Steps!'
He roared in his mind and then finally… time seemed to resume its normal pace.
In the following second—
Bang!
The blade crashed onto the spot where he had been lying just now, slicing into the ground like a scorching knife through butter.
However, Xylen had already vanished into a swirl of shadows, materializing behind Kaelrik while gasping for breath.
