The moment the world shattered, time seemed to snap back into place. My senses heightened in an instant, and Korvan's spear, now right in front of me, burned with deadly intent. But my mind was clear—focused.

I could see the precise point where I needed to strike, the exact moment to change the trajectory of his attack. My body moved with a calm I had never felt before, my estoc glowing with the black flame of the Flame of Equinox. The sword glided through the air, effortless yet deliberate, meeting the spear at the perfect angle.

–CLANK!

The force of the impact reverberated through my blade, but it wasn't like before. I wasn't fighting the spear—I was redirecting it. My sword slid along the length of the spear, altering its course just enough to avoid a fatal blow.

But I wasn't fast enough to completely avoid it.

The tip of Korvan's spear pierced through my abdomen, the sharp pain blooming in my side as it sank deep. I grunted, the force pushing me back a step, but I didn't let the pain overwhelm me. My grip on the estoc tightened, and I looked Korvan in the eyes, seeing the triumph in his gaze.

He expected to see me falter, expected to see his flames devour me.

But something was different.

The flames of his spear, which had burned so fiercely just moments before, flickered. And then, as they met the black flame surrounding me, they cooled. Korvan's eyes widened in shock, his mouth twisting in confusion as the fire around his spear was smothered, as though my flame was devouring his.

I felt it—the power of the Flame of Equinox, the balance of life and death, suppressing the chaotic nature of his fire. The black flame around me pulsed, cold and deadly, absorbing the heat and suffocating Korvan's mana with a chilling finality.

"What…?"

Korvan's voice was low, disbelief laced in every word. He yanked his spear back, but it was too late. His fire had lost its edge, the heat around him fading as my flames consumed it.

I could see the panic in his eyes now, the momentary flash of fear that hadn't been there before. The same man who had mocked me, who had towered over me with strength and fire, now looked uncertain. The predator had become prey.

I could feel the blood dripping from my abdomen, but the pain no longer mattered. I raised my estoc again, the black flame swirling around it with purpose, with control.

"This is the difference," I murmured, more to myself than to him. "Between us."

Korvan's grip tightened on his spear, his face contorting into a snarl. He stepped forward, trying to rally, trying to summon the flames again, but they flickered weakly, unable to match the cold fire that surrounded me.

"You… you think this changes anything?" he spat, his voice shaking slightly. "You're still just a—"

SWOOSH!

Before he could finish, I moved again. This time, there was no hesitation, no desperation. My estoc cut through the air with deadly precision, the black flames surging forward.

Korvan's eyes widened as he barely managed to raise his spear in defense. But it was futile. My blade, enveloped in the power of life and death, sliced cleanly through his guard, the force of the blow sending him staggering back. His armor cracked, and I saw the flash of panic once more in his eyes as he realized his fire could no longer protect him.

The flames were gone, extinguished by the balance I had found.

Korvan staggered back, his armor cracked, but I knew better than to think it was over. Even now, I could see the determination in his eyes, the raw power of a peak 3-star warrior refusing to falter. He wasn't just any bandit; Korvan had reached the pinnacle of his strength, and he wasn't about to let himself fall so easily.

He pulled himself up, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. The flames around him flared to life once again, swirling violently, but they weren't like before. They burned with desperation, flickering as they tried to reclaim their former ferocity.

"I'm not done yet," Korvan spat, his voice trembling with fury. He raised his spear, the tip glowing with a faint but renewed flame. "I'll end you here, boy."

He took his stance, muscles tensing, spear poised to strike. This time, though, something was different. I could sense it—the raw determination behind his attack, the last push of a warrior who had fought countless battles. His spear was raised, the flames crackling weakly but still present, and he charged forward, the ground trembling under his feet.

But I wasn't the same, either.

I could feel the cold flame of the Flame of Equinox coursing through me, steady, balanced. I didn't give in to the bloodlust, the reckless urge to meet his attack head-on like before. This time, I fought like a true swordsman.

As Korvan came at me, something clicked within me, a small, almost imperceptible shift. It wasn't a physical sensation but a feeling, a knowing. The world around me seemed to slow, just for a moment, and I saw it—the path.

His spear, still wreathed in flame, arced through the air toward me, but my eyes followed it with a clarity I hadn't felt before. The faintest shift in his weight, the tension in his grip, the trajectory of the flames—they all guided me. It wasn't just instinct anymore; it was something deeper, something almost natural.

I knew exactly where Korvan was going to strike.

Without thinking, my body moved. I sidestepped just as his spear came crashing down, the flames licking the air where I had just been standing. My estoc, now steady in my hand, glowed with the black flame of my own power, and I saw it again—the path. The perfect moment, the opening in his stance.

With precision, I moved, my sword cutting through the air with effortless grace. It wasn't driven by desperation or brute force; it was guided by clarity, by the understanding that had eluded me before. The blade slipped past his spear, finding the gap in his armor.

CLANG!

Korvan's eyes widened as my estoc pierced through his side, the black flame searing through his defenses. He staggered, blood spilling from the wound, but I could see it in his eyes—he hadn't expected me to move like this.

"You…" Korvan gasped, his grip on the spear faltering. "How…?"

I didn't answer. There was no need for words. I had seen the path, the guidance of the sword, and I had followed it. This wasn't just a fight anymore. It was a dance of death, and I was in control.

Korvan, for all his strength, couldn't understand. He was powerful, no doubt, but he had lost his balance. His desperation, his fury—they had consumed him, just as the beast inside me had threatened to do. But I had found the harmony between the blade and the hand, the power, and the precision.

As he stumbled back, clutching the wound at his side, I could see him making a face of an ugly one.

The air around us grew thick with tension, and then, I saw it—something dangerous. A surge of mana pulsed through Korvan's body, so fierce and wild that it felt unnatural. His breathing quickened, his muscles tensing, and the flickering flames around his spear flared to life again, more ferocious than before.

"You… think this is over?" Korvan's voice was low, guttural. His eyes burned with a mixture of fury and madness. "No… no, boy. You've pushed me too far."

I could feel the shift in the air, the unmistakable weight of something forbidden. He's going to do it, I realized, my senses sharpening as the threat became clear. I had heard of it before—a dangerous, forbidden technique that was only spoken about in whispers.

Korvan raised his spear, the flames around it now darker, more erratic, and I saw him tap into something deep within his core. He was flooding his meridians with mana—far beyond what was safe for any awakened to handle. His veins bulged, and his skin darkened as the power coursed through him, pushing his body past its natural limits.

「Berserk Flame.」

His voice was a growl, a primal command as the flames around him erupted into a roaring inferno. The heat was suffocating and oppressive, and I could feel the raw, uncontrollable mana tearing at the very air between us. His body trembled with the strain of overloading his core, and yet, he smiled—a savage, crazed grin that promised destruction.

I knew what he was doing. Overpushing one's core and meridians with mana was a forbidden act for a reason. It was a reckless gamble—one that gave immense power in exchange for irreversible damage to the body. Most who attempted it never lived to tell the tale. But Korvan had made his choice. He was willing to sacrifice himself if it meant taking me down with him.

The flames around him intensified, turning a deep, violent red, and I could feel the sheer force of it pressing against me. His aura had become wild and unstable, like a storm ready to break loose.

"I'll burn you to ash!" Korvan roared, his voice echoing with the fury of his unleashed power. He charged at me, the ground shaking beneath his feet, the firestorm around him swallowing everything in its path.

But as he came, I didn't move.

Normally, one was supposed to escape in such situations.

The fact that Korvan was attempting to do something reckless as this one alone showed that he was now on the border of a 4-star.

A whole rank difference.

"How sad."

Yet it was just pathetic.