The tier-seven beast's molten eyes narrow, molten saliva sizzling where it drips. "I'll kill you in one strike, little insect."

The ground cracks beneath its feet as it launches forward, its sheer weight turning the arena floor to molten dust. The speed—impossible for something that massive—tears the air apart. Its arm, thick as a tree trunk and glowing like forged iron, sweeps across the arena in a blazing arc.

BOOM!

The shockwave pulverizes the stone pillars, sending shards flying in every direction.

But Alix isn't there.

A blur cuts through the air—blue streaks of lightning dancing in his wake. He reappears several meters away, perfectly balanced, a faint hum of mana rippling around his form.

Mero's ember eyes widen. "That speed—! That's Lightning Step! But… no, that's not right…"

The beast halts, molten claws carving trenches through the floor where Alix once stood. Its brow furrows, smoke billowing from its nostrils. "A low-tier six shouldn't be able to move like that," it growls.

The beast snarls and raises both claws high. It slams its hands together. Lava erupts from the arena floor, waves of searing flame rising like tidal walls. The heat warps the air, melting even the enchanted stones.

Mero squints from above, shielding his face with an arm of mist. "Ugh, that's the Law of Flame! You can't counter that with Tier 6 skills—!"

Then he stops.

Because Alix doesn't dodge this time. He stands amid the chaos, calm as ever, his left hand glowing faintly with a pulsing red light.

He murmurs, "Flame Spear."

A single, small ember appears before his palm—a Tier 6 elemental skill, weak and unimpressive compared to the monstrous power surrounding them.

The beast lets out a harsh laugh. "You dare use element skill against me? Fool. My body is molded by law itself! Your elemental skills can't even scratch me!"

"Maybe ordinary flames," Alix replies quietly. "But this isn't ordinary."

He flicks his hand forward.

The ember expands, spinning once in midair. In an instant, the air cracks. Not burns—cracks, like reality itself fractures under its heat. The flame shifts color, turning from red to white, then to pure gold. It isn't a blaze—it's conceptual fire, the kind that burns truth itself.

The beast's smirk falters. "What… is that?"

Mero's smoky eyes flare wide, voice trembling. "No… no, no, that's not possible. That's a Tier 6 skill—fused with law. You can't do that! That's impossible!"

The spear of golden fire whistles through the air, trailing a faint ripple of distorted light. When it hits the beast's chest—

BOOM!

The explosion isn't loud—it's silent. The sound vanishes completely, replaced by a pulse of pure destruction. The wave vaporizes molten rock, erases runes, and leaves behind a hollow void where flame and matter refuse to exist.

The beast is thrown backward, its armored chest glowing white-hot. Its molten skin cracking.

"Impossible!" it roars, voice distorted with rage and disbelief. "You fused law into a mere Tier 6 skill!"

Alix steps forward, his aura flaring. "You said my tier 6 skills couldn't hurt you?"

"Storm Veil," he whispers.

The ground shatters as his figure blurs again—this time faster, sharper, bending space itself.

The beast swings wildly, but Alix is already above it, hand glowing faintly with another condensed sphere—smaller than before, but vibrating with unbearable pressure.

Mero stares in awe, voice faint. "He can use two laws. Flame and Storm…"

The beast's roar shakes the arena, molten fury erupting from its core. It slams a claw into the ground, summoning spikes of obsidian that pierce upward like jagged spears, but Alix is already gone—lightning and fire entwined around him as he moves faster than sight.

A streak of blue and gold cuts across the air, and Alix appears behind the beast, palm glowing pale white. The air chills abruptly—so cold it cracks. Steam billows violently as fire meets frost.

Mero's ember eyes widen. "Wait—he's shifting affinity—?"

The temperature drops in a heartbeat. The lava rivers freeze mid-flow, solidifying into glassy crimson ice. The entire arena groans under the sudden imbalance of heat and cold. Frost creeps along the ground, swallowing flame and stone alike.

The beast turns sharply, eyes narrowing. "Ice? Foolish choice!"

Alix doesn't answer. His hand moves, and dozens of pale blue sigils bloom across his arm like frost flowers.

"Glacial Rend," he says softly.

From his hand bursts a blade of ice, crystalline and transparent, spinning like a storm of frozen shards. The weapon hums—not with mana, but with law. Every shard vibrates in perfect resonance with the Law of ice.

When it strikes, sound vanishes. The blade cleaves through the beast's molten arm. For a split second, the lava within freezes solid—black crystal forming along the veins—and then shatters.

The beast staggers back, molten blood spraying across the arena, its eyes wide with disbelief. "Wh—what… is this?" Its molten voice cracks, half fury, half awe. "You even know law of ice?!"

Mero's smoky form trembles. "That's three… three laws—fire, wind, and now ice… He's weaving them like it's nothing." His voice drops to a whisper. "This shouldn't be possible. Even prodigies who ascend to Tier 7 is rare to have two law, let alone three…"

Alix lowers his hand, frost mist curling off his arm. His breath leaves in a thin plume, his eyes like sharpened crystals. "You said your body is molded by law," he murmurs, stepping forward. "Then let's see how many laws it takes to break it."

The beast roars, molten aura erupting again, melting through the frost. Its body burns brighter, heat scorching even the distant air around Mero. "Enough! I am a tier 7 Beast! You—"

Before it can finish, the ground splits open beneath it. The once-solid arena shakes as earth energy gathers at Alix's feet. The stone itself begins to pulse, rumbling with ancient rhythm. Golden cracks spread from his position like veins of light.

Mero gasps, voice faint. "He's—he's using earth now?!"

The entire floor ripples. Dust and stone rise, hovering midair before spiraling into orbit around Alix like planets around a sun. His mana thrums with heavy resonance—calm, absolute, immovable.

The beast freezes mid-motion as gravity itself thickens. Its molten form bends under the invisible weight, every movement slowed. Each step it takes sends tremors through the ground, but it's too slow now—Alix is already in motion.

He slams his palm down.

The earth answers.

Massive pillars of stone erupt upward, hammering the beast's body again and again, each impact leaving ripples of light and sound. Cracks spread along the monster's obsidian armor, magma spilling like blood. The final pillar hits its chest, sending the colossal creature crashing backward into the arena wall, leaving a crater hundreds of meters wide.

The dust settles.

The beast struggles to rise, its breathing ragged, molten veins flickering weakly. It stares at Alix, silent now. All arrogance has drained from its gaze, replaced by something else—something rare.

Fear.

Mero drifts closer, voice hushed. "He's… He's fighting a Tier 7 beast, and he's winning. A Tier 6—no, not even that—someone barely at the start of Tier 6… using multiple laws… This is beyond genius." He shakes his head slowly. "There isn't even a word for it."

The arena lies in ruin—cracked stone, frozen lava, and drifting embers painting a battlefield that shouldn't exist. Smoke coils through the air, faintly glowing from molten residue.

Alix stands at the center, calm and composed, though the air around him is warped by raw power. His aura pulses—four different laws woven together in a perfect, terrifying harmony.

The beast trembles where it kneels, one arm shattered to shards of black crystal, the other struggling to support its enormous body. Every breath it takes sends waves of molten steam rolling across the arena floor.

Alix raises his hand again. Earthlight gathers beneath his feet, the stone vibrating like it fears him. Frost crawls along his arm; sparks of lightning flicker behind his shoulders; a faint golden flame coils around his hand.

It's beautiful—and absolutely lethal.

The beast's eyes widen in panic, its pride breaking apart under the weight of survival instinct. "Stop—STOP!" it bellows, voice echoing like thunder. "I— I yield! I give up!"

The words tear out of it raw, desperate. It bows its head, lava dripping from its chin. "Enough… I've had enough! I can't fight this!"

For a long moment, only silence follows. The pressure in the air still hums, ready to collapse reality if Alix moves another inch. Then—slowly—he exhales, lowering his arm.

The elements dissolve around him. Lightning fades. Fire cools. Frost melts into mist. The rumbling earth goes still.

Mero snaps back to his senses, his smoky body flickering erratically like he just woke from a dream. "Wh—what…?" He shakes his head quickly. "Right! Right—okay, okay, that's enough!"

He waves both misty hands frantically. "Trial complete! Done! Finished! No need to erase the arena from existence, alright?"

The crimson runes lining the floor begin to dim, the suffocating mana field slowly dispersing. Mero floats down toward Alix, muttering under his breath. "I swear, I've seen monsters, gods, and walking calamities… but you? You're something else entirely."

He straightens, voice steadier now. "Alright, Alix—you passed the last trial. Perfectly, I might add."