Anomaly

Damon stiffened. "The hell do you mean, he's a regressor?"

I didn't take my eyes off Varian. "It means he's like me. He's lived through this before."

Varian chuckled, twirling his dagger between his fingers. "Oh, it's rare to find someone who understands so quickly. Most just die before they ever realize." He tilted his head. "So tell me, Leon—how many times have you regressed?"

I didn't answer.

Varian's smirk grew. "Ah. So, only once."

Damon shot me a look. "You're telling me this bastard has been through multiple timelines?"

"At least more than me," I muttered.

Varian gave a theatrical bow. "Correct. I've seen this world collapse, burn, and rebuild more times than I can count. Empires rise and fall, kings become beggars, heroes become tyrants." His gaze sharpened. "And now, you expect me to believe this timeline is any different?"

I exhaled slowly. Shit. This just got a lot worse.

"Then you already know how this ends," I said, gripping my dagger. "I take back my throne, and you die."

He laughed. "Do you really think this is your story?" He stepped forward, his shadows writhing. "You think you're the protagonist? The hero of destiny?"

I tightened my grip. "I don't need to be the hero."

My dagger gleamed in the dim light.

"I just need to be the one who wins."

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ [New Objective: Kill Varian]

▶ Bonus Reward: ???

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The system was reacting to him. Which meant he wasn't just another powerful enemy—he was an anomaly.

A threat.

Damon cracked his neck, raising his sword. "Less talking, more killing."

Varian sighed. "Such a waste. If you had just accepted your fate, I could have let you live."

Then the shadows exploded.

I moved first.

[DING!] [Skill Activated: Shadow Step (F)]

My body flickered forward, bypassing the wave of darkness that surged toward me. I reappeared behind Varian, my dagger already swinging toward his spine.

But he was faster.

His own body flickered.

I felt his presence shift before I saw him, and I barely twisted in time to avoid his counterstrike. He had Shadow Step too?!

[DING!] [Warning! Target possesses a similar ability!]

Varian grinned, his dagger tracing a thin line across my cheek. "You're predictable, Leon."

I scowled. "And you talk too much."

Damon took advantage of the opening, swinging his sword in a brutal arc.

Varian caught it with his bare hand.

The impact sent shockwaves through the room, but the blade didn't pierce his skin.

Damon's eyes widened. "What—?"

Varian sighed. "I told you. I've done this before."

Then his other hand slammed into Damon's chest, sending him flying into a wall.

[DING!] [Companion Health: -25]

"Damon!" I growled, lunging at Varian again.

He dodged every strike perfectly. My attacks were useless. It was like fighting a shadow that had already seen every move I'd make.

He was toying with me.

I needed something—anything—to turn this around.

Then, the system chimed.

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ [New Skill Unlock Opportunity!]

▶ Requirement: Strike a decisive blow against an equal opponent.

▶ Progress: 0%

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A decisive blow…?

Varian sighed. "It's been fun, but I have better things to do." He raised his hand. The shadows around us trembled.

Shit—he was going to end this!

I had no time. No better strategy. Only instinct.

So, I did the one thing he wouldn't expect.

I let go of my dagger—and grabbed his wrist instead.

Varian's eyes widened slightly. "What—?"

I pulled him toward me and—

Headbutted him.

CRACK!

Varian staggered.

His grip loosened.

That was it.

I twisted, grabbing my dagger mid-fall—and drove it into his side.

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ [Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Combat (E)]

▶ Effect: Temporarily learn from enemy attack patterns and increase evasion.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I felt it immediately. My muscles adjusted, my reflexes sharpened. It was like my body had memorized his movements—and adapted.

Varian snarled, gripping his side. "You—!"

Damon moved before he could recover.

His sword sank into Varian's shoulder.

Blood splattered across the floor.

Varian gasped, his form flickering. His control over the shadows wavered.

We had hurt him.

His eyes burned with fury—but there was something else in them now.

Fear.

Damon grinned. "Not so cocky now, huh?"

Varian staggered back. His shadows coiled around him like living tendrils. "This… isn't over," he spat. His body began to dissolve into darkness.

"He's escaping!" I shouted.

Damon lunged to finish him off—but his blade passed through empty air.

Varian was gone.

The room fell silent.

I exhaled, wiping the blood from my face. "Damn it."

Damon groaned, stretching his shoulder. "I hate magic bullshit."

I frowned. Varian wasn't just strong—he was a regressor like me. That meant he had plans. Knowledge. Maybe even allies.

I clenched my fists.

We had won this fight.

But the real battle was just beginning.