Ordis charges.

  I barely have time to react before a fist the size of a truck swings toward my head.

  I duck, twisting in midair as the shockwave from the punch shatters everything behind me.

  The sheer force sends cars flipping through the air, buildings crumbling like sandcastles.

  I land hard, skidding backward across the cracked pavement.

  My lungs burn.

  This thing isn’t just strong.

  It fights like a living weapon.

  Precise. Calculated. Built to kill.

  Ordis straightens, towering over me.

  Its obsidian-black armor gleams under the neon city lights, streaks of molten energy pulsing beneath its plating.

  For the first time, I feel a cold chill in my gut.

  This is what Akunon has been waiting for.

  A Harbinger that isn’t here to test me.

  This one is here to end me.

  Ordis moves again—blurring forward despite its massive frame.

  I shift, my cosmic energy flaring, and meet its strike head-on.

  The impact detonates the street beneath us.

  For a moment, we’re both locked—my glowing fists against its armored knuckles.

  The air cracks and distorts around us from the sheer force.

  Then—

  Ordis twists, pivots, and drives a bladed elbow toward my ribs.

  I barely shift in time, but the edge cuts across my side, burning hotter than fire.

  I grimace, stumbling back.

  It’s adapting.

  It’s already learning my attack patterns.

  This isn’t like Noctis.

  Or Vairus.

  Or even Xal’Zir.

  This isn’t a Harbinger trying to measure me.

  Ordis is a living executioner.

  And it fights like one.

  I exhale sharply, shaking off the pain.

  Fine.

  If it wants to treat this like a real fight—

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  Then I’ll give it one.

  I surge forward, my body glowing like a supernova.

  Ordis swings, but this time—

  I’m already gone.

  I dodge, twist, and land a full-force uppercut right into its chest plate.

  The impact sends a shockwave through the city, windows exploding outward in a fifty-meter radius.

  Ordis staggers.

  It staggers.

  My heart leaps.

  I can hurt it.

  I can win this.

  I don’t hesitate.

  I follow up with a barrage of strikes, moving faster than I ever have before.

  My body feels like it’s moving on instinct.

  Like this is what I was made for.

  I drive a knee into its torso, spin midair, and bring both fists down on its shoulders.

  Ordis crashes into the street, creating a massive crater beneath it.

  For a moment, there’s silence.

  Then—

  Ordis laughs.

  A deep, grinding sound, like metal being crushed under immense weight.

  It slowly rises, molten light pouring from the cracks in its armor.

  It looks at me.

  “Impressive.”

  Then it lunges.

  Faster than before.

  Adapted. Improved.

  Shit.

  Ordis’s entire body shifts.

  The black and gold plating moves like liquid metal, reshaping itself.

  Its arms expand, forming massive gauntlets of pulsating cosmic steel.

  It raises them—

  And the sky ignites.

  Golden beams of pure destruction rain down from above, carving massive craters into the city.

  I dodge left. Then right.

  But one of the blasts clips me.

  A searing pain erupts through my body.

  I slam into a collapsed skyscraper, tumbling through layers of broken glass and concrete.

  My vision flickers.

  I stagger out of the wreckage.

  Ordis is waiting.

  Unscathed.

  Its molten eyes flicker.

  “I see now.”

  I grit my teeth. “See what?”

  Ordis tilts its head.

  “You are powerful.”

  The sky rumbles.

  “But you are not ready.”

  Then it moves.

  Ordis’s next attack is different.

  A pulse of golden light erupts from its core, engulfing the battlefield.

  My cosmic energy reacts instantly— warning me.

  I barely get my arms up before the shockwave hits.

  The impact tears through my defenses, launching me hundreds of meters backward.

  I crash into the city outskirts, tumbling across the ruined landscape.

  My ears ring.

  My vision blurs.

  Everything hurts.

  For the first time, I wonder—

  Did I just lose?

  I push myself up, gasping.

  Ordis stands above me, its massive form backlit by the burning skyline.

  It doesn’t strike again.

  Instead—

  It steps back.

  Lowers its arms.

  I stare in confusion. “What…?”

  Then—

  A holographic projection flickers to life above it.

  I don’t need to guess who it is.

  Akunon.

  The Hyper Space God looms over the battlefield, his golden eyes glowing with amusement.

  “Well fought, Cosmic Monster.”

  His voice is smooth, calm.

  Like he’s not even slightly concerned.

  I push myself to my feet, breathing hard.

  “You sent this thing just to kill me, right? So why am I still standing?”

  Akunon smiles.

  “Because this is not your execution.”

  I freeze.

  Ordis takes another step back.

  Akunon’s voice echoes across the ruined city.

  “This was your true test. And now I have seen enough.”

  I clench my fists. “So what? You’re just—leaving?”

  Akunon tilts his head.

  “No.”

  The air grows cold.

  His next words send a chill down my spine.

  “The real war begins soon. And when I return, Cosmic Monster…”

  His eyes burn brighter.

  “…I will not be sending my Harbingers.”

  “I will come myself.”

  The hologram fades.

  Ordis vanishes in a golden burst of energy.

  And just like that—

  The battle is over.

  I stand in the wreckage, my heart pounding.

  He’s coming.

  Akunon is finally coming.

  And I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to stop him.