The heat amplified.

Immediately.

Arkarion didn't charge. He exploded forward, his body trailing flame, fist raised. Leon moved—barely—using Echo Delay to stagger the attack vector and redirect momentum.

The two clashed.

And the ground cracked.

Leon's blade glowed red-hot in seconds. His boots melted on impact with the floor.

Still, he fought back, using Karmic Loop to reflect thermal pressure and reduce internal buildup.

But Arkarion was relentless.

He attacked without pause—no technique, just molten speed and overwhelming heat. The air itself ignited where his fists passed.

Leon coughed—his lips were dry, his armor searing his skin beneath.

Four minutes passed.

Roman's voice came through. "Leon—your core temperature is rising past safety! You have to back out!"

But Leon wasn't listening anymore.

He wasn't just fighting Arkarion.

He was fighting the element itself.

Leon pulled deep from his reserves.

He triggered Shell Pulse: Fracture Requiem, layered it into his Origin Pulse, and pushed his endurance even further.

Then he did the unthinkable:

He deactivated his armor's resist runes.

Roselia shouted from the projection window, "Are you crazy?!"

But Leon knew.

Arkarion didn't fear strength. He didn't respect resistance.

He respected those who stood in the fire without armor.

The next time Arkarion struck, Leon stepped into it.

His blade hummed, already cracking.

He pulled every bit of his will into a final, direct, layered strike—

Shell Reverb: Absolute Return + Origin Echo + Raw Pulse Feedback

The blow landed.

Arkarion stopped.

For the first time in the duel, he recoiled.

His flame stuttered.

And then…

He laughed.

"So you're not just heat-resistant… You understand the fire."

He stepped back.

And extinguished himself.

The flames died down. The heat broke. The ground cooled.

Leon stood, barely able to move—steam rising from his shoulders.

Arkarion approached and offered a glowing ember from his chest—a legacy flame.

"You fought me at full burn. That's all I ever wanted."

[Victory Confirmed – Leon Aetheren promoted to Rank 88]

Legacy Gained: Ember of Arkarion – unlocks flame affinity crafting and heat-domain resistance

Recognized as: One who Burned Through

As Leon limped back toward the Arkhe transport gate, Kael whispered from the side:

"That's five Sovereigns in a row."

Roselia helped steady him. "You're not done climbing yet."

Leon looked ahead.

Toward the Tower's blazing upper section—where the names were no longer ranked but carved into legend.

"Then let's keep rising."

Arkhe City – The Obsidian Throne Gallery

The air was heavy here.

Not from pressure, but from presence.

Leon stood in a vast circular chamber carved from pure blackstone, its walls etched with silver-etched names—some glowing faintly, others long dimmed. Each belonged to a Sovereign from Rank 87 up to Rank 81.

But these names weren't just ranks. They were laws in the Tower. Not only were they undefeated—they had established conceptual domains that changed the rules of combat itself.

At the center was a dais of light. Upon it, three current available titles were displayed:

[Available Challenge: Rank 87 – Selnas, the Lawweaver]

Title: The Lawweaver

Domain: Binding Clause Field

Style: Conceptual Combat – Turns rules into weapons

Victory Condition: Break one clause and land a decisive action

[Available Challenge: Rank 86 – Maraque of the Howl Moon]

Title: The Beast's Shadow

Domain: Lunar Tide Ring

Style: Primal Combat, Reflex Clash, Moon Pulse Flow

Victory Condition: Survive three tide phases

[Available Challenge: Rank 85 – Zein the Chronostrider]

Title: The Ever-Moment

Domain: Temporal Stagger Zone

Style: Partial Time Control

Victory Condition: Land a hit while both are within a shared time window

Roselia stepped up behind Leon. "These aren't just fights anymore."

"No," Leon said. "They're laws of existence… given flesh."

Milim tilted her head. "So, which one? All three are brutal."

Leon didn't hesitate.

He reached forward and pressed his hand to the glowing script:

[Challenge Accepted: Rank 87 – Selnas, the Lawweaver]

Selnas' Domain – The Binding Clause Field

The arena wasn't a battlefield. It was a courtroom—yet twisted.

Stone pillars stood broken and reformed themselves in loops. Scrolls floated in the air, constantly writing and erasing themselves. Statues of chained warriors stood frozen across the ring, each with glowing inscriptions above their heads:

"You agreed to fight. You agreed to bleed. You did not agree to win."

Selnas sat atop a throne of quills and stone.

She was pale, almost ghostly, robed in judge's attire twisted by battlewear—one arm bound in golden ribbons, the other constantly writing midair with a glowing quill. Her voice was calm, but sharp:

"You've stepped into my domain, Sovereign Leon. Do you accept the Clause of Combat?"

Leon nodded. "I accept."

"Very well."

She pointed the quill, and the first Contract Clause formed in the sky:

Clause One: You may not strike unless first struck.

[Duel Commences – Rank 87: Selnas, the Lawweaver]

• Ruleset Dynamic – Clauses change every two minutes

• Violations result in temporary binding or damage reflection

• Victory: Break a Clause and land a decisive strike

The moment the clause was written, Selnas attacked.

She conjured a sword of runes and dashed in—faster than expected—and lashed out with a binding cut. Leon parried with Tripart Echo, narrowly avoiding a binding trap that formed in the air from her swing.

He didn't strike back.

He wasn't allowed to—not until she struck him first.

Two minutes passed. The Clause changed:

Clause Two: Neither may speak, or forfeit clarity.

Leon smirked slightly and pressed forward. He activated Shell Pulse: Karmic Loop, absorbing her next attack and returning the pulse—

But she canceled her own strike mid-swing, and a rune detonated near his foot instead.

[Violation Detected: Leon attempted reversal on non-strike]

Binding chains wrapped around his ankle—temporary stun.

Kael growled from the viewing sphere. "She's not fighting—she's scripting the battlefield."

Roselia muttered, "How the hell do you fight someone who rewrites rules while fighting?"

Leon freed himself and didn't speak—because now, even speech was a trigger.

He began watching not her sword, but her quill.

The real weapon wasn't her blade.

It was what she wrote.

Three more clauses came and went:

"No movement without a mirrored motion."

"Pulse techniques must be announced three seconds prior."

"Every attack must target an arm or leg."

Each clause boxed Leon in tighter.

Each one turned his strengths into risks.

But then, something clicked.

Leon stopped fighting her.

And started writing back.

He activated Shell Reverb: Origin Echo – Codex Sync Mode.

An advanced form only usable when facing conceptual opponents.

Every time she wrote a new clause, Leon's pulse resonance copied the rhythm.

Not the rule.

The timing.

He predicted the gap between changes.

Then, the clause formed:

Clause Six: You may not strike unless your foot is raised.

Leon raised his foot.

And didn't bring it down.

He hovered there—poised—waiting.

Selnas moved to counter, starting a new clause midair—

And Leon dropped the foot.

And struck through her next word.

A clean, direct, burning strike across her writing arm. It didn't break her armor.

It broke the clause.

The quill shattered.

The domain cracked.

Selnas stumbled back and dropped to one knee.

She looked up, eyes narrowed—then smiled faintly.

"No one's done that in a long time."

She bowed her head.

"The law recognizes your victory."

[Victory Confirmed – Leon Aetheren promoted to Rank 87]

Legacy Recognized: Clausebreaker

Affinity Unlocked: Conceptual Combat — minor clause resistances granted

Council Standing: Elevated — vote from Lawweaver acknowledged

Leon stood over the flickering remnants of the arena.

He didn't speak.

Not until the Tower itself shifted again, and the stairs to the next layer unsealed—this time glowing with light shaped like names.

He looked at his hands, still smoking from the pulse backlash.

"No more numbers. Just names now."