Chapter 21: Apex Clash

The silence after Vali's transformation was suffocating. Even the howling wind had vanished—as if the world itself feared disturbing the god-slayer now floating in the air, cloaked in radiant annihilation.

Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive.

Vali's form shimmered with unstable might. His wings were no longer feathers or metal—they were energy incarnate. His aura bent light, twisted space, and made oxygen itself shiver.

On the ground below, Ren cracked his neck slowly.

His system blared in his mind like an alarm.

[Threat Level: Cataclysmic – Survival Probability: 12%][Suggestion: Retreat or Unlock Suppressed Modules][Cosmic Garou Template Adaptation – 42% → 57%][WARNING: Exceeding template stability threshold]

Ren clicked his tongue.

"Guess I'll have to stop holding back."

He exhaled slowly, steam rolling off his shoulders like a machine venting pressure. His eyes locked on Vali, unblinking, the light of the cosmos swirling in his pupils.

Vali didn't speak.

He moved.

A single sonic boom erupted—and he was gone.

BOOM!

Ren raised his arm just in time. Vali's punch crashed into it with the force of a nuclear detonation. The mountain behind Ren evaporated—not crumbled, evaporated—as the shockwave expanded outward.

But Ren didn't budge.

Blood trickled from his mouth. His feet dug into the earth like roots.

"Is that it?"

Vali's eyes narrowed. He surged again.

They clashed mid-air—once, twice, three times in a single heartbeat. Every blow cracked the atmosphere. Trees miles away were ripped from the soil and flung into the sky like twigs.

Ren weaved through the barrage, ducking a spiraling wing slash, countering with a twist of his waist and a brutal knee to Vali's side.

Crack!

A rib shattered. But Vali didn't flinch.

He spun with the impact and slammed a fist into Ren's face, sending him crashing through multiple hills. Each impact left molten trails of earth.

Ren coughed, then started laughing.

His body glowed—wounds closing instantly. The dragon blood inside him surged.

[Devour System Activated][Analyzing Juggernaut Drive Energy...][Progress: 3%...]

"Ohhh, now we're talkin'…"

He blurred, then vanished.

Vali's eyes widened. A punch buried into his gut before he even registered it. Another blow caught his jaw—uppercut—launched him into the stratosphere.

Ren followed.

They clashed above the clouds. To those watching from the ground, all they could see were distant flashes—like stars dying and being reborn.

Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Xenovia—they all watched in stunned awe.

"Are they… even real anymore?" Akeno muttered.

"They're rewriting the sky…" Kiba whispered.

Azazel stood with crossed arms, eyes locked on the horizon. "This isn't a spar anymore. This is evolution."

Back in the skies—

Vali's breath came heavier now. Even in Juggernaut Drive, his body was screaming from the feedback. His armor cracked at the shoulders, energy leaking like broken lightning.

"You're still standing…" he growled. "No—you're matching me."

Ren floated just meters away, shirt half-burned, chest rising and falling slowly. His right hand crackled with something new. His veins glowed faintly.

"I'm not matching you," Ren said, grinning, "I'm adapting."

He held up his hand.

[Cosmic Garou Template: Combat Evolution Triggered][Skill Unlocked – Martial Devour: Void Reversal][User now mimics opponent's internal energy flow and counters in real time]

"Let's end this round, Vali."

The sky darkened as both auras ignited—Vali's divine blue and Ren's chaotic gold-white.

They moved.

Faster than sound. Faster than light.

Each strike collapsed thunder. Each dodge warped gravity. Meteors veered off course from the sheer kinetic tremors.

And then—

BOOOOOOOM!!

They clashed one final time—fist to fist.

The explosion birthed a dome of white, blue, and gold light that engulfed the heavens. Space trembled. Clouds vanished.

And when it cleared…

Two figures dropped, descending slowly like fallen gods.

Vali crashed into the ground, unconscious, armor fried, barely breathing—but alive.

Ren landed on one knee, panting heavily. His knuckles were raw. Blood dripped from his lips.

But he stood.

Victorious.