The Abyssal Sub-Commander did not roar.
It did not rage.
It simply observed.
Its wings unfolded slowly, stretching across half the ruined skyline, each feather a shard of compressed gravity. The void-flame crown above its head pulsed once.
Ashveil trembled.
Auren felt it immediately.
This wasn't like the scouts.
This wasn't instinct-driven aggression.
This was command.
Intelligence.
Hierarchy.
Auren rolled his shoulders, forcing breath into aching lungs. Every cell inside him felt swollen with energy after the previous amplification spikes. His muscles were denser. His bones heavier. His perception sharper.
But this enemy…
This enemy pressed back.
[Warning: Spirit Ignition Level Entity Detected]
[Power Disparity: Significant]
[Advancement Recommended]
The Sub-Commander tilted its head slightly.
Then—
It spoke.
Not through sound.
Through pressure.
"You are irregular."
The words vibrated inside Auren's skull.
He steadied himself.
"And you're trespassing."
The Sub-Commander's void eyes narrowed.
"You are not catalogued. You adapt beyond projection."
Auren felt a flicker of something cold.
Catalogued?
Projection?
Who exactly was calculating him?
The System remained silent.
Of course it did.
The Sub-Commander vanished.
Auren barely twisted in time.
The impact came a fraction of a second later.
The ground imploded. Air detonated. His ribs screamed as he was hurled through three buildings.
Pain lanced through his chest.
Real.
Crushing.
He spat blood as he rose from rubble.
The Sub-Commander walked toward him slowly, wings trailing gravity distortions.
"You are dangerous."
It raised a hand.
Space compressed.
Auren's body froze mid-motion as gravity multiplied violently.
His knees buckled.
His vision blurred.
[Survival Probability: 4.2%]
[Emergency Advancement Available]
This was it.
No more testing.
No more restraint.
Auren closed his eyes.
Inside his consciousness, the hollow gate pulsed again.
But deeper than that—
There was a flame.
Small.
Faint.
Waiting.
Spirit Ignition.
Rank 2.
He inhaled once.
Then he let go.
The flame exploded.
Not outward.
Inward.
His soul ignited.
Fire roared through his veins—not burning flesh, but burning limitation.
Gravity shattered around him.
His eyes snapped open, now blazing silver-white.
Energy surged outward in a shockwave that split the clouds.
[Advancement Complete: Spirit Ignition Rank 1]
[Amplification Roll: ×9,873]
[Singularity Resonance Intensified]
The Sub-Commander stepped back.
For the first time—
It reacted.
Auren stood fully upright.
The air around him vibrated as his spiritual pressure manifested, pressing outward like a tidal force.
This wasn't borrowed strength.
This wasn't temporary adaptation.
This was evolution.
His voice echoed—not louder, but deeper.
"You made a mistake."
He moved.
The battlefield warped.
The Sub-Commander countered instantly, wings slicing space itself.
Their clash detonated the skyline.
Shockwaves carved trenches through the city.
Void flame met spirit fire.
Gravity met ignition.
Each collision fractured reality further.
But something had changed.
Auren wasn't reacting anymore.
He was predicting.
The Singularity inside him wasn't just amplifying power.
It was amplifying comprehension.
He began to see patterns in the Sub-Commander's movements.
Energy loops.
Law anchors.
Command pathways connecting it to something distant.
A network.
The Abyssal Dominion wasn't just invading.
It was monitoring.
Studying.
Farming.
The realization sent a chill through him.
"You're collecting data," Auren muttered mid-clash.
The Sub-Commander's eyes flared.
"You are not authorized to ascend."
There it was.
Ascend.
So they knew about advancement tiers.
The System pulsed again—but still withheld explanation.
Anger flickered inside him.
Not rage.
Resolve.
He feinted left, then compressed spirit energy into his palm.
Not a blast.
Not brute force.
A concentrated ignition spike.
He drove it directly into the Sub-Commander's chest core.
Silence.
For half a second—
Everything froze.
Then the void armor cracked.
Fractures spread across its body like lightning across obsidian.
"You exceed projection," it whispered.
Auren leaned closer.
"And I'm just getting started."
He detonated the ignition spike.
Light swallowed the battlefield.
When the brilliance faded, the Sub-Commander was gone.
Ashveil was barely standing.
And Auren…
Was still upright.
Barely.
His spirit flickered wildly, unstable from the massive amplification.
[Warning: Amplification Overload Risk]
[System Stabilization in Progress]
[Information Lock Maintained]
He clenched his fists.
"Stop hiding things."
Silence.
Then—
A flicker of text.
Barely visible.
[Observer Attention Increased]
The sky shifted again.
Far beyond atmosphere—
Something immense moved.
Not Abyssal.
Not Dominion.
Older.
Watching.
Measuring.
Auren felt it.
And for the first time…
It felt him back.
The ruins around him were quiet.
Too quiet.
Because the scouts hadn't retreated.
They had paused.
Awaiting new orders.
From something higher.
Much higher.
Auren lifted his head toward the stars.
"If you're testing me," he said softly, "then raise the difficulty."
The clouds parted.
And a new rift began forming.
Larger than the first.