Published at 15th of August 2026 6:56 am

Chapter 998: Vacuum Pocket

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With that final clash, they both tore backwards, Azaron slamming Ender into the ground as he skidded backwards, while Threshold I landed on all fours as claw trenches were carved into the earth beneath her.

They both rose to their feet, both standing over eight feet tall as they stared into each other’s eyes. Injuries filled their bodies, blood dripping to the ground, yet none of them moved.

At this moment, various gashes and claw attacks covered Azaron’s body as his clothes had been torn apart by Threshold I’s attacks. Even his face had a claw mark running through it, as she had managed to land an attack across his face.

Threshold I was truly who she said she was.

But she wasn’t the only one who had landed attacks. Azaron hadn’t been here to admire her. Her body was also covered in various slash injuries that had been dealt by Ender, her entire left hand broken as Azaron had shattered it, while her left eye and right ear were also missing.

Clearly, she was in an even worse state than Azaron, as he had won this round of combat, just as he had won the hand-to-hand combat round.

Ender trembled in Azaron’s hand as, from its tip, Threshold I’s blood dripped to the ground. It seemed to tell Azaron to keep it moving and stop staring at the woman before him or it would report him to Lily the day he dies.

Although Azaron had guessed that the leader of The Maddened organization was strong, he had never guessed she was this strong. But regardless, Azaron was happy. He was going all out physically, and his opponent still hadn’t fallen. Although she looked half-dead, Azaron knew that the woman had more within her to keep this fight going. He could sense it.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many people hidden in this world were on their level or even above it. How many among the Sinvairas alone? Two? Three? Perhaps even more?

As Azaron was lost in his own thoughts, Threshold I was too. She too had never guessed Azaron was this outrageous. Yes, she knew he was a man of immense power, but for his Physique to be this insane was something she had never anticipated. After all, her own Physique was a bit unique in its own way, which was the reason she was able to unleash such a scale of destruction.

Her eyes shifted towards Azaron’s soul-bound spear. Till now, Azaron hadn’t even used the abilities his spear possessed. Personally, she didn’t know what it was capable of, as there was simply nowhere to obtain that information. Anyone who had witnessed its ability had died.

Her eyes shifted back to Azaron as she asked, "Why aren’t you using your soul-bound spear ability?" Her tone remained calm.

Azaron smiled as he replied, "Nothing in particular. I just don’t feel you’re worth it yet." He replied, his tone excited. "If you want me to use it, just push me to the brink of death. Simple enough, right?"

Threshold I arched an eyebrow, then replied, "Simple enough, I guess." Her tone remained calm.

Although both of them had pushed each other to this point, neither of them panted with exhaustion, as they were anything but exhausted.

The moment those words left Threshold I’s lips, the Astra energy within their Astra veins stirred as they tapped into its power at the same time, as though they understood that it was now time to get into the final phase of this battle.

From this point on, it was now anything goes.

As the Astra energy stirred within their bodies, the injuries on Threshold I’s body began to vanish one after another. A new ear grew in the place of the old one, a new eye appearing within its socket, every injury on her body snapping shut as even her clothes seemed to regenerate together with her skin. Her broken arm snapped back into place, and now she stood as though she had received no injuries at all, as though she hadn’t been fighting all along.

Clearly, her regeneration was linked to her ability, whatever it was.

Azaron’s own injuries healed at a much slower pace compared to hers. His own regeneration came from his innate biological healing, and now, as he strengthened his body with Astra energy, the already absurd process became faster and faster as his own injuries finally sealed shut.

There were no scars on his face or body as he too stood valiant, but his own clothes remained torn.

The tension and anticipation between the two seemed to reach an all-time high as they stared at each other, wondering who was going to make the first move. No mysterious leaf appeared between them this time.

Threshold I was the first to move. She was no longer able to just stand there and participate in a staring competition. But her speed had touched a whole new level, not just because she augmented herself with Astra energy, but because, at this moment, friction no longer bound her, gravity no longer held her, and wind resistance had become a mere suggestion for all she cared.

And with these three principles of motion being ignored, Threshold I attained a speed that could only be termed transcendent at this point.

The moment she appeared before Azaron, her hand moved towards his chest as she no longer wore her clawed gauntlets. The moment her hand moved towards his heart, the space at that point in existence collapsed as though she wanted to burst Azaron’s heart. After all, without a heart, no matter how ridiculous Azaron’s Physique was, he could only live for a minute or so at most.

Azaron hadn’t even caught her motion. He hadn’t even sensed her movement, but regardless, that was what the sixth sense, sheer reaction time, and reflexes were for. His senses screamed, stretching to their limits as he picked up the spatial manipulation, his heart filling with chills as his body instinctively told him the location of the attack.

And with that, he moved, his Astra energy exploding forth from his body as he tapped into his electromagnetic sub-affinity, pushing electromagnetic waves to an apocalyptic frequency as he generated a specific frequency that immediately collapsed and destabilized the space that Threshold I was trying to control.

The moment he did, a spatial and electromagnetic wave explosion tore outwards like a dome of madness between them, slamming into both of them with pure destructive force as the scale of their attacks climbed into a five-million-kilometer radius and continued rising. Cracks spread across the Laws of reality as the earth below seemed to come to a standstill, unable to withstand the forces being unleashed above it.

Azaron’s body tore backwards. He didn’t resist; he let the explosion carry him backwards, his body, which he had just healed, becoming filled with another injury. But this time, he didn’t allow his natural regeneration to do the work as he immediately tapped into his Light affinity and instantly healed himself.

The moment he healed himself, he rotated and landed on his feet, his golden eyes immediately locking onto his opponent once more.

Threshold I seemed to be mocking him as, the moment Azaron landed on his feet, Threshold I unleashed a solar beam of light that possessed the power of the sun itself, the energy beam cutting through space itself as it burned everything in its path to nothingness.

Azaron didn’t know what Threshold I’s ability was, but he knew it was nothing simple. She had been manipulating space earlier, and now she was manipulating the beam of the Sun, something only Malrik should be able to do.

Azaron didn’t dare look down on the attack. Threshold I wasn’t Valentine or Zolthemir; she was a calamity on her own, someone who could match him in every aspect of physical combat.

Ender immediately vanished from his hand as his Astra energy flowed even more intensely through his body. He instantly tapped into his Nebula Affinity, pushing it to its peak as he created a Vacuum Pocket.

The moment the Vacuum Pocket was created, the Solar Beam hit with a shredding, erasing force, but the moment it entered the Vacuum Pocket, it was swallowed whole, erasing and displacing the light photons as they entered. Space trembled at the point of contact between the Vacuum Pocket and the Solar Beam as though the entire fabric of space itself was about to attack.

But Azaron simply stabilized the space once more with ease, his expression remaining calm as he stood against the overwhelming radiance. Even as the Solar Beam continued pouring into the Vacuum Pocket, Azaron’s control over his Nebula Affinity remained absolute, preventing the spatial instability from spreading any further.

The battlefield had already become a domain of absolute destruction, yet neither of them showed the slightest intention of stopping. Their injuries had been healed, their physical strength had been restored, and their Astra energy had begun to surge through their bodies with an intensity far beyond anything they had displayed before.

This was no longer simply a battle of physiques.

It was no longer merely a contest of weapons, speed, reflexes, or combat experience.

They had entered the realm where their abilities, affinities, and understanding of their own powers would determine who would ultimately stand.

Azaron’s eyes narrowed as he stared through the radiance, his mind already analyzing the Solar Beam and the strange spatial properties behind it. Threshold I’s eyes remained equally calm as she watched her attack being swallowed by the Vacuum Pocket in real time.

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