---
A blur of silver shot through the cavern, a spear-tip aimed directly for the Beyonder's eye.
"Hey,you bitch!" Sylvia roared.
The man didn't even flinch. He caught the gleaming spearhead in his bare hand, stopping it dead. Sylvia's eyes widened in shock—this was an S+-rank spear, blessed by the Goddess of War itself.
"You sure have guts, girl," he said, his voice a low rumble. With a casual squeeze, the spear shattered into a thousand glittering shards.
"W-what? What in the world? Who the heck are you?!" Sylvia stammered, scrambling backward toward Sarah's unconscious form.
In less than a heartbeat, he was beside her. A brutal, piston-like punch connected with her ribs. The sound of cracking bone echoed as she was hurled across the cave, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood.
"I won't... let you kill her..." Sylvia gasped, pushing herself up despite the agony. Then, a flicker of recognition and pure terror dawned in her eyes. "You... it's you..."
"I'll kill you first, then," the Beyonder stated flatly. He raised a palm, and a sphere of dark flame ignited, its intense heat making the very air shimmer and sweat bead on Sylvia's skin.
But then—
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: AUTO BATTLE MODE ENGAGED.]
Sarah's body rose from the ground, her movements now fluid and alien, her eyes vacant of consciousness.
"Huh?" The Beyonder turned, sensing the shift in presence. "You're awake, kid?"
The System lunged. It was a burst of pure, optimized motion. The Beyonder caught its kick, but the force still made him grunt. He threw the body against the wall, but it twisted in mid-air, rebounding to deliver a devastating punch to his jaw.
This guy is something else, the System calculated, analyzing the impossible feedback from the blow.
"So, is that all you got?" the Beyonder taunted, a trickle of black blood at the corner of his lip. He reached for her leg, black flames gathering around his hand.
In that instant, the System retaliated. It channeled energy, perfectly replicating the exact force and trajectory of the punch he had used on Sylvia. The blow landed square on his chest, forcing him back a step.
[WARNING: MIRROR SKILL ACTIVE. DURATION LIMITED BY HOST'S PHYSICAL ENDURANCE.]
A wicked smirk spread across the Beyonder's face. "Ho? Some surprises you got."
The battle raged for what felt like an eternity. Sarah's body was a puppet pushed far beyond its limits, her muscles and bones screaming in protest. The cavern was decimated, walls crumbling under the force of their clashes. Yet, the Beyonder remained virtually unharmed, his wounds sealing instantly with a Beyond-Grade Regeneration.
[AUTO BATTLE MODE CRITICAL. SHUTTING DOWN IN 3... 2...]
Seeing an opening, Sylvia, bleeding and broken, dashed forward. She slapped a glowing talisman onto the Beyonder's back.
"Get out of here!" she screamed.
"hm," he grunted, delivering a devastating elbow strike to her side even as the talisman's energy flared. The world twisted, and he was forcibly teleported away.
[SYSTEM: FINALIZING SHUTDOWN.]
Agony. A tidal wave of pure, unadulterated pain crashed over Sarah as her consciousness returned. Every cell in her body felt shredded.
"AHHHH!!!!" she screamed, her voice raw, before collapsing into ragged pants.
Sylvia limped over, leaning heavily against a shattered pillar. "Yo," she said, her voice weak but smiling. "You were that strong? I didn't expect that." She offered a trembling hand.
"T-thanks," Sarah croaked, accepting the help.
---
Later, at the inn, bandaged and sore, Sarah's anger finally surfaced.
"Damnit, System!" she hissed.
[System: Yes.]
"Who was that guy?"
[System: Identity unknown. Designation: "Beyonder" Ranker.]
"Beyonder... ranker?" she whispered, the term feeling heavy and alien. For the first time, she realized how little she knew about this world's hierarchy.
[System: Correct. There are many ranks in this world. Understanding them is crucial for your survival.]
---