SMASH!

Sel was driven into the ground, the earth caving in beneath him. Bahamut stood over him, his chest rising, eyes wild, blood dripping from his wounds as they closed slowly.

"You’re fun."

Sel coughed, forcing his body to move despite the pain screaming through him.

"Still talking." He gripped his spear tighter, dragging himself up. "Means I’m not done."

Bahamut’s grin sharpened at what Sel said. His aura flared again, darker, heavier, and more suffocating.

Bahamut’s grin deepened as the pressure around him thickened, the ground beneath his feet sinking slightly from the sheer weight of his presence. His fingers flexed, the red claws glinting wetly as they twitched in anticipation.

Sel exhaled slowly. Then his aura changed. A sudden burst of emerald light erupted from his body, sharp and clean, slicing through the oppressive brutality like a blade through fog. The air around him vibrated, not heavy like Bahamut’s, but cutting. The spear in his hand dissolved into particles of green light as Sel lowered himself into a crouch. His expression went cold.

Sel had really gotten serious.

Behind him, something flickered into existence. At first, it was nothing more than a distortion in the air. Then a faint outline appeared, vast and towering. It resembled a blade, but far too large and undefined to be called a sword. It hovered behind him like a silent executioner, its presence subtle but terrifying.

Bahamut’s eyes locked onto it as he felt danger from it. Sel, on the other hand, looked at him with cold eyes, his expression unreadable. This was the real Sel. His foot pressed into the ground, and the earth cracked. He vanished.

BOOM!

The collision shook the entire clearing. Sel’s fist met Bahamut’s claw head-on, and the impact alone sent a shockwave tearing through the trees, snapping branches and uprooting smaller trunks entirely. Neither moved as their eyes locked in a silent battle. Then they both pushed. The ground beneath them exploded as they blurred. Fist, claw, palm, elbow... Impact after impact rang out like thunder, each strike carrying enough force to shatter stone. Bahamut’s claws tore through the air in savage arcs, ripping apart everything in their path, while Sel met them head-on, his aura coating his limbs like invisible blades.

SHINK!

A clash happened. Sel’s forearm intercepted a claw strike, and a sharp slicing sound followed as Bahamut’s skin split slightly, emerald energy cutting into him. Bahamut’s grin widened as he looked at the attack, then... he lunged forward. Sel twisted, but Bahamut’s knee slammed into his ribs. Sel’s body bent from the impact, but his response was immediate. His hand shot forward and struck Bahamut square in the chest.

BOOM!

A compressed burst of emerald force exploded on contact, sending Bahamut skidding back across the ground, carving a deep trench behind him. Sel didn’t let up... he chased, and with each step he took, he cracked the earth. His movements had lost their earlier elegance. Now they were direct, violent, and absolute. He closed the distance instantly and drove his fist down. Bahamut caught it.

The ground beneath them shattered again. Their arms trembled under the strain. Bahamut leaned forward with a thrilled expression, only to meet Sel’s cold face. They moved at the same time.

Sel’s strikes became faster, each one sharper than the last. His aura didn’t just coat him anymore; it extended. Every swing, every movement left faint afterimages of cutting force in the air. Bahamut adapted. His body twisted unnaturally, dodging some, tanking others, his regeneration working overtime as blood sprayed and flesh knit itself back together in the same breath.

A claw slipped through.

SHINK!

It raked across Sel’s shoulder, tearing flesh open. Sel didn’t flinch... instead, he stepped in. His forehead slammed into Bahamut’s.

CRACK!

Both of them staggered for a fraction of a second, then Sel drove his fist into Bahamut’s stomach. Bahamut’s body lifted slightly from the ground before he retaliated instantly, his claws dragging across Sel’s side in a brutal counter. Blood spilled from both of them now. Their breathing grew heavier, but neither slowed. The thing behind Sel became clearer. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It shifted slightly, as if reacting to his intent. Every time Sel moved, it followed, its unseen weight pressing into reality. The air around it warped faintly, like space itself refused to define it.

Bahamut noticed and laughed.

"You’re hiding something."

Sel’s eyes glinted.

"I’m not hiding."

He stepped forward again.

"I’m holding back."

BOOM!

The next clash was even more violent. Their fists met in the center, and this time the shockwave didn’t just shake the clearing... it tore it apart. Trees snapped, the stream surged violently, and the ground caved in around them. They stood at the center of destruction, locked in place, muscles straining, blood dripping, auras clashing like opposing storms, neither yielding, neither breaking. Two monsters, one driven by instinct and hunger, and the other by control and resolve. And for the first time since it began, Bahamut’s grin faltered slightly. Sel wasn’t trying to survive anymore. He was fighting to win, and that made him dangerous. Very dangerous.

...

Elder Silvia, Apollonia, and Ren stood with shocked expressions as they watched the intense battle going on. Apollonia shivered at each clash, as her eyes widened in shock. The current Sel was very different from the one she’d dueled and won twice against. This Sel was powerful and dangerous. She could feel how sharp the air felt just with his presence. Thankfully, Elder Silvia was around, or she would’ve been cut.

"He was holding back..." she whispered to herself, her expression becoming a bit sad. She wondered if Sel really liked her or if he just felt she wasn’t strong enough to go toe-to-toe with him. The funniest thing was that he was still a Tier 1, while she was Tier 2, but looking at what was happening currently, she could only defeat him with her element, and even that wasn’t assured, especially with that faint thing hovering behind him.

"A god..."

"Don’t! Don’t say it."

Elder Silvia stopped her from speaking as her antennae glowed.