Bea and Faith were just about to intervene in the fight. Even though they were somewhat underground, the drones above could recreate their image perfectly, but in that moment they didn't care.

Most of their enemies already guessed how they rigged every fight, so if it meant saving Adam's life, the audience might as well find out too.

However, neither the shadows nor the roots needed to attack as Adam's eyes began glowing in bright orange colors.

At the moment before his near death. A strange energy coursed through Adam's body.

Somewhere far away, he heard the sound of glass breaking. The noise reverberated through his body. It echoed inside his mind rather than his ears, as if the sound wasn't physical.

He mistook it at first for his glass-like shield breaking into shards, yet the sound didn't disappear with the shield. It continued echoing and amplifying inside his brain until Adam couldn't hear anything but the powerful crackling.

Moments stretched into eternity as his mind could barely form thoughts. He needed to get rid of this crackling, so out of options, he focused on the noise...

That's when every cell in his body began to burn, and reality slowed to a standstill...

Somewhere, echoing through the fabric of space and time with unimaginable power, a voice spoke. It had no form or gender and carried no emotions. A timeless voice... The purest projection of power, which disregarded any law that controlled reality.

The even tone seemed to resound from every fabric of creation surrounding Adam. From the ground beneath. From the lifeless broken shards at his feet. From the weapons held by Ra's frozen form and from Adam's own broken armor.

"Finally... Use it with care..."

The words sounded simple, yet the power behind the voice suggested its owner held unbridled authority over reality.

Gradually, time began flowing again, as the crackling disappeared from Adam's mind. The powerful voice still echoed inside his mind, but he had no time to regard the meaning behind the words.

The pair of khopesh swords began moving again, aimed at beheading Adam's powerless form. His stumps still squirted blood, while his guts continued hanging loose.

Physically, there's nothing he could've done to stop Ra, but the newfound power still burned brightly in his veins.

He took a deep breath and tapped into their vast pool. When he exhaled, his eyes snapped open, and the entire room exploded.

Previously, Adam could only control sand and glass. He and the others never really understood why, since through his Evolution, his prey could control many other substances.

They somewhat accepted that something went wrong along the way, but now... He understood everything...

The underground room filled with tons of earth, stone and mud. They flowed around Adam's body like some fluid, yet each tiny particle was solid.

It closed around Ra's body. He desperately slashed his swords against the encroaching walls, but it made no difference. The flow of solid, earthy substances encased his entire body, forming a thick stone statue.

However, Adam kept pushing more and more earth around Ra, while applying enormous pressure onto the statue. With the powerful force acting upon the statue and the constant flow of more substance, its atomic structure reformed dozens of times.

It turned from muddy ground to actual stone, then into thick bedrock, until it finally reached a state that would never exist in nature.

The cover surrounding Ra was barely a meter thick, yet its hardness rivaled that of the Angelic Metal Sera used to build the Colosseum.

He didn't stop there, though. Adam continued increasing the pressure for an entire second, which was about twice the length of their entire fight.

The statue took on a dirty white color as Adam finally stopped the constant flow of earth and stood up from the ground.

A pair of roots, which gently hugged his wrists and newly formed hand, detached itself silently, letting Adam walk to the statue undisturbed.

The shadows danced around the even wider room, watching the statue with curiosity and concern.

Adam took a few confident steps, knowing full well how hard this metal-like substance was. Even a powerful Stellar wouldn't break from its hold!

However, upon reaching the statue, Adam faced a new problem. Ra fought so honorably, so shouldn't Adam give him a fight to die in just as he desired?

The answer came in the form of a self-deprecating laugh. Adam shook his head and placed a hand on the statue, while whispering...

"Sorry Ra. If I let you out, my victory becomes uncertain... Sadly, you won't receive the death you desire and which you offered me..."

Adam didn't actually care about the primordial god's feelings or honor. However, it would've felt wrong to kill him without apologizing first... Especially since the method of death Adam chose was horrible...

He began applying pressure to the statue again. However, this time the atomic structure didn't reform into a stronger material, since he didn't supply it with more substance... Instead, it began to shrink...

The statue's size gradually decreased. Adam could feel through the metal as Ra's bones broke. His muffled screams echoed through the hard material until it fell into overbearing silence.

Adam knew the exact moment when Ra lost his life... When his skull got crushed and brain exploded...

With a heavy heart, Adam tore apart the statue, revealing a gruesome sight. There wasn't anything left of Ra except a mushy red paste. A combination of all his skin, bones, organs, blood and muscles... An overwhelmingly disgusting sight...

He spent a few seconds vomiting before he dipped a finger into Ra's remains. He puked once again as the usual question popped up in his mind...

'Do you wish to evolve?'

Adam couldn't answer verbally as he continued to vomit stomach acid onto the ground. However, in his mind he agreed, which meant he fell face first into his own puke.

...

"That was the closest one yet..." said Will while everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They knew Bea and Faith wouldn't let Adam die, yet they couldn't help but feel worried while watching the beat down.

"Yeah. Luckily, it seems he learned something new about his power, giving him the upper hand..." said Yvonne, with an excited smile, hiding the deep concern she felt only moments ago.

"Hey, Lilith! What do you think your husband's power is? Did you know he can do that?" asked Lucy of the robed woman sitting beside her Goddess.

Her face revealed no emotions, but for a single moment, Lucy saw a glint in Lilith's swirling purple eyes. She chuckled and shrugged, a knowing, but somewhat fake smile stretching across her face as she answered...

"We knew his powers had more to them, but never imagined something so powerful. It makes me excited what else he might be able to do! Especially after this Evolution!"

Given all the signs, Lucy didn't believe all of Lilith's words. However, she trusted both her and Sera sitting by her side. If they didn't tell the full truth, there must've been a reason behind it.

Sera's firm and forceful gaze also suggested she should drop the subject for now.

Lucy leaned back on the couch with a disappointed sigh, then scooted closer to her boyfriend and placed her head on his shoulder, letting his strong hands caress her shoulder and hair.

After the suffocating silence of the past minute, small conversations popped up in the group as they continued spectating the match.

It took Adam a few minutes to reach consciousness again, but after his eyes opened, the match ended in a few seconds.

He pushed his arm into the solid ground, and the half dozen remaining contestants suddenly disappeared, as if the earth literally swallowed them whole!

"Well, that was anticlimactic..." said Sarah, and a few people nodded their agreement.

The female announcer happily introduced Adam to the crowd, while the man in question walked to the nearest platform and headed back to their lounge room.

Lilith rushed to the door before he even stepped inside, but upon entering, she acted nonchalant and waited until his husband leaned down to kiss her.

She immediately began coughing in disgust as their mouths separated, and that's when everyone remembered... He had vomited barely a few minutes ago...

"That's revolting..." said Lilith, then stood on her tippytoes to give her husband an even longer kiss.

This questionable show of love had two distinct reactions. People either admired Lilith for her dedication to showcasing her feelings... Or, the more common reaction people felt nauseous just from imagining how horrible that kiss must've tasted...

When they finished the kiss, they continued staring into each other's eyes, like nobody else existed in the room. However, soon a kind, joyful voice brought the couple out of their reverie.

"Congratulations on your victory! I knew you could do it, and without Bea or Faith's help... You're truly hellbent on subverting my expectations!" said Sera, while standing near Lilith and Adam.

She moved with absolute silent, like a human-sized cat. Neither Lilith nor Adam saw or felt her coming, so as her voice echoed, they both jumped in surprise.

The Angel reached out and touched both of their shoulders, a cheerful grin stretching across her face.

"Thank you, My Goddess! Your advice was a great help during the fight, and I'm certain you were correct about my powers!"

Sera nodded and released the pair...

"Glad to help," she said while walking away, then suddenly stopped and glanced over her shoulder. The smile on her lips turned brittle for a moment as she spoke... "I'm glad you're okay..."

Her eyes glinted with some hidden emotion. It seemed she wanted to say more, yet she decided to stay silent and instead walk out of the room.

Another day's fight ended, meaning only a handful remained before it was Sera's turn...