Rayan attempted to manifest his status based on what Cezar had said—all they had to do was think it. "STATUS OPEN,"

  Rayan laughed so hard he nearly ran out of breath. "I can't believe what I'm seeing in my status!" he said, looking at Ayen with disbelief.

  Rayan (Azrael Aeternus):

  Title: Emperor

  Race: Angel

  Rank: S+

  Role: —

  Creator Skill: Time

  Legendary Skill: Heavenly Light Judgment

  Unique Skill: Disrupt Mana Zone

  Uncommon Skill: Mobility

  Attribute Skill: Wind, Light

  Everyone gaped at Rayan's status. Ayen was the first to react.

  "BRO, TIME MAGIC?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Ayen shouted, grabbing Rayan's shirt. "THAT'S SUCH AN OVERPOWERED ABILITY! JUST THINK ABOUT MOVING THROUGH TIME AND LIGHT!!"

  Tonio ran toward Rayan (Azrael) to get a better look—he couldn't read the small text from afar.

  Ayen (Jin) pointed dramatically at Rayan. "I can't believe we have such a powerful individual among us! I thought I was the strongest here. You're truly worthy of being my rival; feel honored, you peasant!"

  Rayan (Azrael) chuckled. "Peasant? Bro, we're all peasants here! HAHAHA! Just because you call yourself the 'Self-Proclaimed D-A-R-K L-O-R-D' doesn't elevate you!"

  He pointed at Ayen's face. "With that power, you'll never defeat me! HAHAHA!"

  Ayen's expression darkened as he processed it. Blood manipulation couldn't compete with time or light.

  "HOW DARE YOU!! YOU WON'T BE GETTING ANY OF MY CHOCOLATE BARS!"

  "NOOOOOOOOO!!" Rayan screamed in anguish. He loved chocolate and feared it was extinct in this world.

  Tonio suddenly shouted, eyes sparkling. "YESSSS!! ALL OF YOU LOOK AT MY STATUS!!" But as he reviewed it, his face twisted. "WAIT—WHAT THE HECK IS THIS RACE?!"

  Tonio (Daichi Kimura):

  Title: Royalty, The Hope of Life

  Race: Dryad

  Rank: S+

  Role: —

  Creator Skill: Full Resurrection with Random Blessings

  Legendary Skill: Binding Thorns

  Unique Skill: Area Detection

  Uncommon Skill: Survivability

  Attribute Skill: Earth, Nature

  Cezar (Shoyo) moved closer to Tonio, intrigued by his race. "BRO, DRYAD?! I thought dryads were only female!"

  He grinned. "Does this mean you're female now? HAHAHA!"

  Ayen (Jin) and Rayan (Azrael) burst into laughter, pointing at Tonio.

  "We never thought you'd end up female despite that muscular build!"

  Tonio moved slowly, cracking his knuckles. Then he casually walked over and bonked both Rayan and Ayen on their heads before walking away.

  "OW!" they shouted in unison.

  "Why didn't you smack Cezar too?! That's so unfair!" Ayen complained.

  Rayan added, "Yeah, he started it!"

  Tonio (Daichi) chuckled. "You two ever heard of the word exempted?"

  Cezar (Shoyo) couldn't stop laughing. "You two have been yapping nonstop. When are you gonna start appreciating each other?"

  Both Rayan (Azrael) and Ayen (Jin) shouted, "ME?! LOVE THIS GUY?! NAH, I'D RATHER DIE!!"

  They stared at each other with full of misunderstanding the word "Appreciate" and began arguing again.

  "WHY ARE YOU COPYING ME?!" Rayan yelled.

  "YOU MEAN, WHY ARE YOU COPYING ME?!" Ayen retorted.

  Meanwhile, Tonio stared into the forest. Something strange caught his attention—an ominous red eye glowing from the darkness.

  He was about to shout a warning when suddenly, Rayan and Ayen completely lost control of themselves.

  Without another word, the two lunged at each other, fists flying, their powers ignored as raw emotions boiled over.

  The eye in the shadows blinked once.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Something... had begun.

  The two clashed with such force that the ground beneath them cracked, sending splinters of rock into the air. Rayan's fist, glowing with wind and light, slammed into Ayen's stomach with a shockwave, sending him skidding back several feet. Ayen retaliated with a barrage of blood-soaked tendrils, slicing through the air toward Rayan's face. But the angelic power surged through Rayan, deflecting the attack with an invisible shield.

  "IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" Rayan taunted, still laughing, but his breath was beginning to falter as the exhaustion from their chaotic powers set in.

  Ayen gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing. "I'm just getting started!" he growled, his blood manipulation twisting into sharper forms, expanding like tendrils of liquid death. But each time his power lashed out, Rayan's time magic would blink him away, barely avoiding the attack.

  The forest around them began to tremble with the intensity of their fight. Tonio was watching helplessly, his dryad instincts tingling. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to stop the bickering before things got out of hand.

  "Guys, STOP!" Tonio finally shouted, though his voice was barely heard over the sounds of the chaos. "This isn't helping! You're fighting for no reason!"

  But neither Rayan nor Ayen paid him any mind. They were so locked in their arguments and the absurdity of the situation that they couldn't hear the warning signals their friend was trying to send.

  Suddenly, as if the world itself had enough, the ominous red eye in the forest blinked again—only this time, it was different. The glowing red eye widened, revealing more than just an ominous threat. It pulsed with dark energy, and a deep rumble spread through the ground. The trees around them began to shake violently, their branches whipping in the air like mad tendrils, as if they, too, were caught in the grip of a dangerous power.

  "What the hell is that?!" Cezar shouted, his eyes darting toward the source of the red glow. "Is that some kind of monster or—"

  Before he could finish his sentence, the red eye in the distance flickered out, leaving a brief trail of eerie light in its wake. A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in darkness, moving slowly yet with undeniable power.

  Rayan and Ayen paused, momentarily distracted by the new arrival. The fighting stopped, and they both turned toward the figure.

  A tall, menacing figure stepped forward. His face was obscured by the shadow of a hood, but his presence alone exuded an unsettling, oppressive force. He held a staff with a sharp, twisted top, a wicked glow emanating from its center.

  "Who dares disturb my domain?" the figure's voice boomed, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

  Cezar, unable to contain his curiosity, stepped forward, trying to get a closer look. "What do you mean 'your domain'? This is—"

  "Silence!" The figure raised his staff, and in an instant, a wave of dark energy surged forward. Cezar barely managed to dodge as the force of the attack tore through the forest floor, splitting it in half.

  Ayen and Rayan, now fully aware that the situation had escalated beyond a joke, instinctively prepared to fight back. But the figure didn't move. Instead, he let out a dry laugh.

  "Foolish mortals. Do you think you have the power to stand against me?" The figure's eyes flickered with dark energy. He raised his staff high, and the ground beneath their feet started to crack, as if reality itself was beginning to tear apart.

  Tonio's eyes widened. "We need to work together, now!" he shouted. "Stop being so stubborn, you guys!"

  Rayan was still caught in a daze, his powers unstable as the battle with Ayen had drained him more than he'd realized. Ayen, though equally exhausted, stood tall, his blood manipulation flickering to life around him.

  "I'll handle this," Rayan muttered, his voice steady despite his exhaustion. "You guys just try to stay out of my way. Time and light... this guy won't be able to handle both."

  Ayen glanced at him and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But this is your fight, not mine. I'll just... make sure we don't get ambushed." His hands were already slick with blood as he prepared to unleash his abilities.

  Tonio, not wanting to leave his friends completely unguarded, summoned the binding thorns of his dryad powers. The thorns wrapped around his arms, extending like deadly whips, ready to lash out at any attacker.

  The figure, who had been silently observing their movements, chuckled again. "Foolish, all of you. You think you can defeat me with your little tricks?"

  With a flick of his staff, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble violently, the trees shaking as if they were alive. An enormous pressure weighed down on them, as though the air itself had become thick and unbreathable.

  Rayan, now fully aware of the situation's danger, closed his eyes for a brief moment, reaching deep into the well of his powers. He wasn't sure if he could control it—after all, time manipulation was a fickle thing, especially with such little practice—but he had no choice. His fingers curled into a fist, and he focused every ounce of energy he had on his time magic.

  "Time... stop!" he muttered under his breath.

  For a moment, the world around them froze. The trees, the ground, the ominous figure—everything stood still, locked in a single, frozen moment. Rayan's heart raced, the strain of controlling such power pushing him to the brink.

  But then, as quickly as the stillness came, it shattered. A massive surge of energy exploded from the figure, and the world snapped back to its chaotic pace.

  "IMPOSSIBLE!" the figure roared. "You dare try to control time itself?"

  Rayan staggered backward, his knees shaking. The strain had been too much for him. "I—I can't... control it yet," he gasped, sweat dripping down his face.

  Ayen, seeing that Rayan was struggling, dashed forward, blood tendrils extending from his hands to shield him from the oncoming attack. The red eye, now fully visible, blinked once more, and the figure let out a deep, menacing laugh.

  "You think you can stop me?" the figure said, his voice cold and full of malice. "I am the one who controls time and space here. You are nothing but children playing in a world far beyond your comprehension."

  Rayan, though on the verge of collapse, shot Ayen a determined glance. "We don't have to defeat him all at once. We just have to find his weakness... and then hit him when he's off guard."

  Ayen grinned. "Right. Let's make this interesting." With a snap of his fingers, the blood tendrils shot toward the figure, aiming for his exposed neck.

  But just as they neared their target, the figure's eyes glowed brighter, and the blood tendrils halted midair, frozen by some unseen force.

  "You are weak," the figure said, his voice more powerful than ever. "And now... you will perish."

  End of Chapter 2