"Too slow."
The words had barely settled in the air when Rein moved.
He pivoted on his heel—
Golden aura flaring—
And drove his fist straight into Eli's face.
The impact detonated inside the Area Lock.
Eli's head snapped sideways as his body launched across the sealed domain, smashing into the golden barrier. The barrier absorbed the force, bent like elastic light—
And hurled him back.
He bounced off it—
Right into Rein's waiting fist.
Another explosion.
Blood sprayed.
Eli ricocheted again.
Coughed violently as he hit the barrier a second time, ribs audibly cracking.
He staggered upright, wiping blood from his mouth, eyes wild.
"So this is how you want to play?" Eli rasped. "Then I suppose I should use my contingencies."
The sound around him shifted—subtle. Hidden beneath the chaos.
Rein noticed the frequency change.
But he didn't interrupt.
A low hum seeped into the hall beyond the barrier.
The statues trembled.
Cracks formed along their stone surfaces.
Eli grinned through broken teeth.
The serpents' eyes glowed.
The red dragon's jaw split open with molten light.
The giant leopard's stone muscles flexed as if flesh replaced granite.
Four colossal constructs awakened:
Two titanic serpents coiling with crushing strength.
One red dragon radiating destructive flame.
One enormous leopard with predatory intent burning in its gaze.
They roared in unison and lunged toward the Area Lock barrier.
Outside, Kaelus blinked.
"…Oh."
Darius crossed his arms.
"Told you they were alive."
The monsters slammed into the barrier simultaneously.
The golden dome rippled under the assault.
Inside the lock, Rein didn't move.
He simply turned his head.
And looked at them.
Directly.
The dragon froze mid-roar.
The serpents halted inches from impact.
The leopard's claws hovered above the surface.
Silence.
Then—
Without command.
Without hesitation.
The dragon tore its own throat open with its claws.
The serpents coiled around themselves and snapped their own necks.
The leopard slammed its skull repeatedly into the stone until it shattered.
Stone fragments fell.
Divine cores cracked.
They destroyed themselves.
Eli's face drained of color.
"…What?"
The statues collapsed into lifeless rubble.
"What's happening?!" Eli shouted. "Why are they dying?!"
Rein's golden aura pulsed calmly.
"Do you know the God of Dominion, Eli?"
Eli stiffened.
Rein walked toward him slowly.
"His name is Cyrus."
The name hit harder than any punch.
Eli's breathing faltered.
Rein's voice deepened.
"Yes. That Cyrus."
The golden silhouette behind him grew clearer.
"The one who stood against the Upper Realms… and walked away."
The pressure intensified.
"Do you understand what that means, Eli?"
Eli took a step back.
Rein's eyes gleamed.
"It means he's a High God."
Outside the barrier, Kaelus whistled low.
"Damn."
Darius smirked.
"Eli is no god," Darius said calmly. "He's an imitation of the title."
Stellar nodded slightly.
"Copy-paste divinity," she muttered.
Inside the Area Lock, Eli's confidence was gone.
"You… you actually took over that seat?" Eli whispered.
Rein didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
Eli stepped back.
Again.
And again.
Until his back hit the golden barrier.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Rein vanished.
Reappeared in front of him.
Punch.
Eli's face imploded under the force.
He bounced off the barrier—
Came back—
Punch.
Bounce.
Punch.
Bounce.
Punch.
Each hit precise.
Controlled.
Deliberate.
The Area Lock became a cage of rhythm—impact after impact, Eli's body ricocheting like a broken puppet.
Blood painted the golden walls.
Eli tried to counter—
Nullification activated—
But dominion energy no longer behaved like a simple element.
It wasn't energy.
It was authority.
It overrode.
Overwhelmed.
Eli's consciousness began slipping.
His knees buckled.
Rein grabbed him mid-fall—
Slammed him into the barrier one last time—
And Eli dropped unconscious.
Silence filled the Area Lock.
Rein stood over him.
Then calmly bent down.
He snapped Eli's right arm backward.
Bone shattered.
Then the left.
Then both legs.
Methodical.
Irreversible.
Eli stirred faintly from the agony, eyes fluttering open just enough to see Rein's face above him.
Rein grabbed him by the head and lifted him.
Their eyes met.
Eli's were filled with something new.
Fear.
Rein spoke softly.
"I want you to remember my face."
His grip tightened.
"Even in death."
Outside the barrier, no one spoke.
The golden dome pulsed once—
Then—
Rein's hand thrust forward.
Straight through Eli's chest.
No hesitation.
No flourish.
His hand exited through Eli's back, gripping a still-beating divine heart.
Eli's mouth opened in silent shock.
Rein pulled it out.
Held it up for a brief second.
Then dropped it to the floor.
It thudded wetly.
Rein stepped on it.
Crushed it under his heel.
Eli's body twitched.
Rein's other hand rose—
And with a single casual slap—
Eli's head separated from his neck.
It hit the ground.
Rolled.
Stopped.
The Area Lock shattered into particles of gold.
The hall fell silent.
Rein stood there, blood dripping from his hand, golden aura slowly fading.
Stellar crossed her arms.
"He deserved it, muscle brain."
Rein wiped his face with the back of his arm and gave a faint smile.
"Yeah."
The hall began to tremble.
The pillars cracked.
The ceiling fractured.
Room Two was collapsing.
At the far end, a new door materialized.
Black.
Absolute.
Marked with a single symbol:
Ⅰ
Room One.
The Peak of Atlas.
They didn't hesitate.
They walked through together.
The door closed behind them.
—
They stepped onto a vast circular platform suspended above the clouds.
The sky above was fractured with divine patterns.
Wind howled around the peak.
And at the center of it all—
A man stood waiting.
Hands behind his back.
Calm.
Refined.
Watching them with interest.
He smiled faintly.
"It seems you've climbed your way to the top."
His voice carried effortlessly through the wind.
"Such individuals. Such potential."
His eyes scanned each of them.
"It's a shame you all came here today."
He turned slightly, looking over the edge of the platform.
"You arrived at Atlas just last week."
He glanced back.
"And now you stand at its peak."
He chuckled.
"It's been a week and a couple days."
A pause.
"I suppose I should be pleased."
His gaze sharpened.
"This is exactly what I intended."
Eryndor stepped forward.
Lightning flickered faintly around him.
"If you wanna fight," he said bluntly, "then let's fight."
The wind intensified.
"I ain't scared of you. None of us are."
Kaelus smirked.
Darius' shadow stretched outward.
Rein's golden aura flickered again.
Stellar's frost gathered at her fingertips.
Eryndor's eyes burned.
"The one dying today is you."
Lightning cracked in the sky above the peak.
"I don't know about you," Eryndor continued, "but right now there's 3 angry low deities and 2 mid level deities standing in front of you."
Storm winds began circling the platform.
"Don't think you can escape our grasp."
The man at the center smiled wider.
And for the first time—
His aura began to rise.