The wind stilled. The broken sky above pulsed with the aftershock of Riku's punch.
But Riku wasn't finished.
His body pulsed once—then vanished.
A silver streak cut through the sky like a comet. Riku's form sharpened like a spear, arms pulled tight, Essence compressed into a single blazing point.
"Essence Technique: Meteor Lance."
A technique he created himself—not ancient, not passed down.A pure product of his will.
He pierced through the King, tearing cleanly through his armor-like chest, sending the massive beast hurtling backward, eyes wide with pain and confusion.
The ground trembled as the King crashed again.
Riku floated above, eyes cold and grey.But his aura shifted. Not wild—precise. Refined like a blade honed through death.
He raised his right hand.The air bent and twisted as a new type of energy formed, darker than his usual radiance—a sealed Essence he had never used in battle until now.
His voice cut through the silence:"Phantom Burst: Null Spiral."
A spiral of energy—black and silver—ripped through the sky. It carved a path of annihilation straight down, collapsing onto the King, obliterating the ground beneath him in a roaring vortex of pressure and silence.
When the smoke cleared…The King lay broken. Cracks webbed across his horns. Blood spilled from his chest.
He coughed.
"…How…?" he rasped. "How did I…get destroyed…by a mortal…?"
His vision blurred.
"No… not a mere mortal… not anymore…"
The King's head tilted upward, barely able to look at Riku through his fading vision.
"…You're something else…"
With a final breath, the King's eyes closed.
Silence.
Riku stood above, breathing lightly. The storm was over—For now.