The ground cracked beneath them, tension hanging like a stormcloud ready to burst.
Diablo sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "That's rude of you to do this, Kazimir."
Kazimir, standing calmly amidst the wreckage of what used to be a city street, replied with a slow exhale. "You're the one who's rude. You brought destruction to my home."
Diablo laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally. "Me? I brought destruction? No, Kazimir. You're the one who killed everybody. You're exactly what your power is—annihilation. Nothing matters to you. Anything in your way vanishes. Just like the Vrasnai."
Mia, confused, took a step forward. "What is he talking about?"
Diablo's grin widened. "Why haven't you told them, Kazimir? That you're the reason your race is nearly extinct?"
Lihanna's eyes narrowed, shaken. "He… murdered his own kind?"
Diablo: "Oh, yes. Is this who you follow? A cold-blooded murderer with no emotion? Don't let him fool you. He doesn't care about you. He never did."
Felicia stepped back. "That explains why everyone was afraid of him… So it's true. He really is that dark."
Lihanna: "Gendai said something similar… about how he let his friends die…"
Jessie, standing firm: "That's not true! He had to do what he did! Why do you think any of us are alive right now?"
Diablo snapped toward her. "Shut up, Jessie. You look like your mother. It disgusts me."
The moment the words left his mouth, a fist collided with his jaw.
Kazimir didn't shout. He didn't flinch. His punch cracked the air itself—sending out a shockwave that sent debris and dust flying. The ground buckled.
But Diablo didn't move. Not even a scratch.
He looked back and laughed.
Diablo: "That's the best you've got?"
Kazimir didn't respond. He took a slow breath.
Then he hit him again—harder.
This time, the sky trembled.
The force was so intense, it forced the others to take cover. But still, Diablo stood, untouched.
Tyrone: "What is this guy? Is he immortal?!"
Jessie: "No. It's something else… it feels wrong. Like he's not alive."
Mia: "If Kazimir can't hurt him… what are we supposed to do?"
Lihanna: "We trust him. He's never failed us."
Kazimir launched Diablo into the air with a casual backhand. Diablo hit the ground and skidded like a ragdoll. But when he stood, grinning, it was as if nothing had happened.
Kazimir raised his palm, discharging a bolt of lightning. Before it landed, Diablo teleported—no movement, just presence—and appeared in front of him. He swung.
Kazimir tilted his head.
The punch missed.
With a fluid motion, Kazimir raised his leg and kicked Diablo clean into a wall, breaking through steel and stone.
Mia: "Kazimir has the upper hand… but he just can't hurt him."
Felicia: "I can't even read his ability…"
Jessie, her eyes glowing faintly: "There's something off with his energy projection… like he's messing with time."
Lihanna, realization dawning: "Wait… it's only affecting him. That means… he's freezing time inside his body. But how can he survive that? It's a death sentence."
Kazimir, watching carefully, narrowed his eyes. "It's clever. Freeze the heart, suspend the moment of death. No pain, no damage. A perfect defense… until it breaks."
The fight escalated.
Hand to hand. Strike for strike. Kazimir's movements were clean, measured—he wasn't showing off. He was testing.
He landed a direct uppercut to Diablo's chin. Diablo flipped, landing with a grin. But Kazimir was already in front of him—lightning-infused fist glowing blue-white—and he punched through the chest.
A thunderclap rolled across the sky.
Silence.
Mia: "Is he dead?"
Kazimir, checking with fingers to Diablo's chest, looked up. "No pulse."
Lihanna: "He's stopping his heart. That's why he's not feeling pain. That's how he's surviving…"
Kazimir, softly: "Time in the body…"
Tyrone: "That's it. Jessie spotted it, and now you've confirmed it. He's not immortal. He's just frozen in a moment. But that moment can end."
Suddenly—blinding speed.
Diablo appeared behind Tyrone, hand glowing with dark light.
He fired.
Kazimir didn't blink.
He was there.
Blocking it with his dimensional distortion field.
The blast passed through the barrier.
Slash.
Blood hit the ground.
Everyone screamed.
Kazimir staggered.
A deep cut across his chest… straight across the heart.
He looked down. His hand trembled, and then—
He vanished.
Gone in a blink.
The group was left in shock.
Mia: "KAZIMIR!!"
Felicia: "What just happened?!"
Diablo, wiping the blood from his lips, chuckled.
"He's strong. Too strong. But even strength can't stop time."