BOOM!!!
Kragar's fist struck the ground.
The impact spread through the battlefield like an earthquake.
Cracks raced across the volcanic stone.
I moved.
SWISH—!!!
A second punch passed through the space where my body had been.
Too fast.
I twisted in mid-air.
Kragar's arm followed.
He wasn't simply attacking.
He was tracking.
I raised my arm.
BAM!!!
Our fists collided.
The shockwave exploded between us.
My body was pushed backward.
Several meters.
My feet dragged across the ground before I stopped.
I looked at my arm.
The impact had left it slightly numb.
My eyes narrowed.
Strong.
Very strong.
And that wasn't even his full strength.
Kragar appeared again.
BOOM!!!
He crossed the distance instantly.
His knee drove toward my chest.
I crossed both arms.
BAM!!!
The impact sent me flying.
I twisted my body before landing.
My feet touched the ground.
I slid backward.
The Tiger God Physique absorbed most of the force.
But—
I could still feel it.
This wasn't like fighting Lithovar.
Lithovar was powerful.
But predictable.
Kragar was different.
He was a fighter.
His movements had purpose.
Every attack connected to the next.
No wasted motion.
No unnecessary movement.
He understood combat.
And worse—
He was still holding back.
I glanced at the runes covering his armor.
Several had already cracked.
The heat leaking through them was increasing.
So that's the key.
The more I forced him to fight—
The more the seal weakened.
Which meant I had two choices.
End the battle quickly.
Or let him release more power and risk losing control of the fight.
I preferred the first.
Kragar charged again.
I didn't retreat.
This time—
I moved forward.
SWISH!!!
Our bodies crossed.
BAM!!!
My fist struck his ribs.
His body shifted slightly.
But he didn't fall.
His elbow immediately came toward my jaw.
I tilted my head.
The attack passed.
My knee rose.
BAM!!!
It slammed into his abdomen.
Kragar finally moved backward.
Three steps.
His eyes narrowed.
I smiled.
"So you can feel pain."
He looked down at the place where I had struck him.
A faint crack had appeared across his armor.
Then—
A red glow emerged from beneath it.
Kragar slowly raised his head.
"…Interesting."
His voice carried a hint of amusement.
"You're stronger than you look."
I shrugged.
"I get that a lot."
His expression remained calm.
Then—
CRACK.
Another rune shattered.
The temperature around us suddenly increased.
My expression changed.
Danger.
The pressure wasn't coming from his energy alone.
It was coming from something deeper.
Something inside him.
Something that had been locked away.
Kragar raised his hand.
The surrounding heat gathered toward his palm.
Not flames.
Not yet.
Just heat.
The air distorted.
The volcanic ground beneath him began to glow.
Then—
WHOOM!!!
A flame appeared.
Small.
Only the size of a fist.
But the moment it appeared—
My instincts screamed.
That flame was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Kragar stared at it.
"…The seal is weakening."
He closed his fingers.
The flame disappeared.
"But I don't need to release everything to kill you."
My smile faded.
Good.
At least he was honest.
I lowered my body.
Energy flowed through my limbs.
But I didn't reinforce myself excessively.
The Tiger God Physique didn't need it.
That was one of the things I had discovered after receiving it.
My body itself had changed.
My strength wasn't simply higher.
The way my body handled force had changed.
My muscles compressed power naturally.
My bones distributed impact more efficiently.
Even my senses felt sharper.
The physique wasn't merely giving me strength.
It was rebuilding the foundation that strength depended on.
Kragar moved.
So did I.
BOOM!!!
Our fists collided.
Again.
And again.
And again.
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
BAM!!!
The battlefield disappeared beneath our feet.
We moved across the volcanic terrain like flashes of light.
Punch.
Block.
Kick.
Counter.
Every exchange lasted less than a second.
Kragar's attacks became heavier.
Mine became faster.
He relied on overwhelming force.
I relied on precision.
Neither of us gained a decisive advantage.
Then—
Kragar's fist came toward my face.
I ducked.
His fist passed over my head.
I stepped inside his guard.
My palm struck his chest.
BOOM!!!
Kragar flew backward.
He crashed into a volcanic rock formation.
BOOM!!!
The entire formation collapsed.
Dust and ash filled the air.
I didn't wait.
I moved.
SWISH!!!
I appeared above him.
My fist descended.
Kragar raised both arms.
BAM!!!
The impact drove him deeper into the ground.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
BOOM!!!
Flames erupted from beneath me.
I reacted instantly.
SWISH!!!
I vanished.
A pillar of fire tore through the space where I had been.
I landed several meters away.
My eyes narrowed.
He had set a trap.
Kragar emerged from the rubble.
His armor was damaged.
Several runes had completely broken.
And beneath them—
I saw it.
Flame.
Not ordinary fire.
A deep crimson flame burned beneath his armor.
It wasn't spreading.
It was being contained.
Like a living thing trapped inside his body.
Kragar wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.
Then smiled.
"You noticed."
I didn't answer.
His hand rested against his chest.
"The flame inside me isn't mine."
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"It was given to me."
He looked toward the distant volcanic mountain.
"To carry it."
"To seal it."
"And, if necessary…"
His eyes returned to mine.
"…to die with it."
The words were strangely calm.
I studied him.
He wasn't boasting.
He was stating a fact.
"So someone gave you that flame?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Kragar's smile disappeared.
"I don't know."
That answer surprised me.
He didn't know?
Before I could ask another question—
The flame inside his armor suddenly surged.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive wave of heat exploded outward.
I immediately raised my arms.
The force slammed into me.
My feet dug into the ground.
The Tiger God Physique responded instinctively.
My body absorbed the heat.
My muscles tightened.
My bones remained stable.
The pressure continued increasing.
Then—
CRACK!!!
Another seal broke.
Kragar's aura erupted.
The entire volcanic domain trembled.
Magma began flowing again.
The barren ground beneath us cracked.
Heat filled the sky.
I lowered my arms.
My clothes fluttered violently.
My blue eyes remained fixed on him.
"So…"
I smiled.
"You were holding back this entire time."
Kragar looked at me through the flames.
"Not anymore."
BOOM!!!
He vanished.
My pupils contracted.
He appeared directly in front of me.
His fist was already moving.
I blocked.
BAM!!!
The impact nearly broke my stance.
I was pushed backward.
But I didn't fall.
I planted my foot.
Stopped.
Then—
I smiled.
The Tiger God Physique pulsed.
For the first time—
I stopped trying to match his strength.
Instead—
I let my body move naturally.
My shoulder turned.
His fist passed beside me.
I stepped forward.
My palm struck his wrist.
Redirected.
His balance shifted.
I turned.
Elbow.
BAM!!!
His armor cracked.
Kragar retaliated with a headbutt.
I tilted my head.
His forehead grazed my cheek.
I countered immediately.
BAM!!!
My fist struck his jaw.
Kragar staggered.
I followed.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Each blow targeted a damaged section of his armor.
CRACK!!!
CRACK!!!
CRACK!!!
The seals were breaking.
Not because of his flame.
Because of me.
Kragar realized it too.
His expression became serious.
"You're trying to break the seal."
I smiled.
"No."
I stepped forward.
"I'm trying to break you."
His eyes widened slightly.
Then—
He laughed.
A genuine laugh.
For the first time.
"…Good."
The flame beneath his armor erupted.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield disappeared beneath a wave of crimson fire.
I raised my arms.
The Tiger God Physique roared silently within me.
My body didn't retreat.
It adapted.
It endured.
It advanced.
Through the flames—
I stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Kragar's eyes widened.
For the first time—
He looked genuinely surprised.
I walked through the fire.
My skin burned slightly.
But the damage was minimal.
The Tiger God Physique continued refining itself against the heat.
I looked down at my hand.
Then clenched it.
A faint smile appeared.
"So that's what you can do."
I raised my eyes.
"Now…"
My pupils glowed blue.
"…show me everything."