Kepler stood inside the shimmering Eternity Bastion, his masterpiece, his strongest defensive spell.
It pulsed with arcane fractals, humming with celestial law. It should have been impenetrable, even to an S-Class foe.
Yet, Radiant Man had barely exerted himself, and already, the barrier trembled.
BOOM!
A golden fist smashed into the shield, sending ripples through the defensive layers.
Kepler felt the backlash rattle through his bones.
BOOM!
Another strike—faster this time. With its runes screaming in protest, the shield flared.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Radiant Man didn't relent. His attacks weren't just powerful—they were precise. Every punch landed at the weakest point of the barrier, targeting flaws Kepler hadn't even considered.
He's analyzing it, Kepler realized grimly.
CRACK!
A fracture spiderwebbed across the shield.
CRACK! CRACK!
The fractures spread.
Radiant Man's speed increased. Each strike carried the force of collapsing stars, yet his face remained composed, almost bored. The sheer arrogance in his expression was infuriating.
Then—he stopped.
Just like that.
Radiant Man floated midair, arms still crossed over his broad chest. His golden hair shimmered in the dim cavern light. His presence was blinding, and suffocating. And then, he spoke.
"You know, Kepler…" His voice was smooth, calm—filled with unshakable confidence. "There used to be a time when people spoke of you as my equal."
He chuckled.
"It was amusing, really. 'The Chrono-Savant,' they called you. 'The Man Who Sees All Timelines.' They said you were the one magician who could challenge me. What a joke."
His eyes glowed.
"You—equal to me? You, a man whose power is borrowed from the flow of time? Whose spells require preparation, calculations, rituals? While I…"
Radiant Man raised his hand, inspecting his fingers with feigned disinterest.
"I do not need to prepare. I do not need to calculate. I do not need tools or incantations. I move—and reality obeys."
His voice dropped lower.
"The world bends to me."
He turned his gaze back to Kepler, a sneer forming.
"Yet, here you are, hiding behind a shield, trembling like a rat in a cage. How disappointing."
Kepler remained silent, his fingers subtly weaving behind his back, forming a hidden magic seal.
Radiant Man smirked.
"Oh, don't tell me you're still hoping for a miracle? A 'last trick' to turn the tables? Haven't you realized it yet, Kepler? You are nothing but a mortal. A frail, aging sack of flesh, clinging to a power you don't truly understand."
He tilted his head.
"Is this it? Is this all you have? A barrier? Pathetic. You can only defend. You can only stall. Tell me, Chrono-Savant—do you even have the courage to fight me?"
His smirk widened.
"Is that all you—the superhero who can be compared to me got?"
Kepler's eyes sharpened.
"You hide too much, Radiant Man," he said, his voice steady. "You think your power makes you untouchable, but I see the truth. Killing the S-Class heroes… It wasn't just mindless slaughter, was it?"
He took a step forward inside the shield, his presence growing.
"It was part of something bigger. Something you're planning for Earth."
Radiant Man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A mortal like you is not worthy of knowing such details," he said.
Kepler exhaled. "Then I have only one option left."
The air around him changed.
"It seems…"
Magic erupted from his body.
"I need to kill you. Right. Now."
A detonation of pure arcane force burst from Kepler's form.
The cavern trembled.
The ground cracked.
Magical particles surged into the air, condensing into luminous streams of ancient power.
His staff shattered into raw essence, feeding the growing tempest of his magic. Runes inscribed upon his robe glowed with divine resonance.
Boom! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire space distorted. Time warped. The cavern floor stretched and folded upon itself. The past and present overlapped in a chaotic cascade of paradoxes.
Kepler's body became ethereal—less a man, more a manifestation of boundless magic.
The very concept of him expanded, intertwining with the laws of existence.
He was no longer bound to time.
He was time.
The magical storm intensified, reaching an unbearable crescendo—
And yet.
Radiant Man remained unaffected.
The golden glow around him didn't waver. His expression barely changed.
For the first time, however—his brows furrowed. Slightly.
"…Hmph."
From the swirling storm of magic, something else emerged.
A colossal humanoid figure, sculpted entirely from liquid energy. It towered over both men, its form shifting like the waves of an ocean, its body a mixture of glowing water and crystallized mana.
It had no face, only a swirling vortex where a head should be.
Kepler's voice echoed from within it:
"It's time to deal with you now."
Radiant Man hovered midair, his arms still folded across his chest, his expression one of sheer amusement.
The towering humanoid figure of water loomed over him, its liquid form shifting like a living ocean.
Kepler, nestled within the elemental, spoke with quiet confidence.
"Still as arrogant as ever, aren't you, Colt?"
Radiant Man exhaled through his nose, unimpressed. "This is your trump card?" He scoffed. "A sentient puddle? Do you actually believe this will defeat me?"
Kepler's voice echoed from the elemental, layered with the sound of crashing waves. "You'll find out soon enough."
Radiant Man rolled his shoulders. "Fine, then. Entertain me."
Immediately, the water elemental's water surged forward, its liquid limbs stretching like whips.
It attacked in relentless waves, forming jagged spears, swirling vortexes, and shifting tidal strikes.
Radiant Man dodged effortlessly at first, weaving through the assaults with casual grace. Every movement was precise, efficient, and tauntingly slow—as if he was holding back for his own amusement.
"You'll have to do better than that, Kepler."
BOOM!
A tidal fist slammed toward him.
He didn't move.
The attack crashed into him with a force that should have shattered mountains—yet, when the water receded, Radiant Man remained floating, completely unharmed.
"That's it?" He smirked. "This is getting boring."
The elemental didn't stop.
Another attack.
Another.
And another.
Water in all its forms raged around Radiant Man—spikes, currents, walls, tendrils.
They battered him from every angle, swallowing him in an unrelenting torrent. But no matter how many times they struck, the result remained the same.
Radiant Man hovered in place, utterly unscathed.
He laughed, loud and unrestrained. "Kepler, Kepler, Kepler… this is pathetic. You're throwing water at me? Do you know how many planetary storms I've flown through? I've dived into stars for fun!"
BOOM!
The water elemental grabbed him.
Radiant Man arched an eyebrow.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It smashed him into the ground.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The cavern trembled.
Jagged cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Every impact sent shockwaves through the space, splitting stone apart.
The elemental lifted him high—then slammed him down with the force of a meteor.
Dust and steam erupted in all directions.
For the first time, Radiant Man was completely obscured.
Kepler observed carefully, his mind working at an unfathomable pace. He's not fighting back. Why?
The mist cleared.
Radiant Man stood amid the devastation, his feet embedded in the shattered rock. His body was spotless. Not a single scratch, not a single dent.
He grinned.
"That all?"
The elemental raised both arms, conjuring another attack.
Radiant Man let it strike him.
He was hurled through the air, crashing through the cavern walls. Yet, even as the destruction spread, his laughter rang clear.
"KEPLER, THIS IS YOUR LAST RESORT?"
He was still mocking him. Even while getting pummeled.
Kepler's mind raced. He's allowing it. But why?
And then—
Radiant Man paused.
His golden eyes flickered with realization.
Something had changed.
The water surrounding him had shifted.
It wasn't just attacking anymore.
It was holding him.
Encasing him.
The water began to swirl—faster, tighter—forming a perfect, spherical globe around him.
Radiant Man frowned.
He moved—only to find the globe moving with him.
He blurred forward, faster than the eye could follow—but the globe followed, matching his speed perfectly.
He tried teleporting—only to reappear inside the same sphere.
His smirk faltered.
The water wasn't just keeping up with him.
It contained him.
A realization struck him.
Water… I need air.
He tested the walls of the sphere, pressing against them.
The liquid shifted, morphing with his movements, but never breaking. It was as if it had a mind of its own, responding to him in real time.
His movements grew more aggressive.
He attempted to punch through it. His fist connected, sending ripples outward—but the sphere simply absorbed the impact, reforming instantly.
He clenched his jaw.
With a single thought, he unleashed a devastating energy pulse—light flared, exploding outward—
Only for the water to compress tighter, neutralizing the force entirely.
Kepler's voice echoed from the elemental.
"Trouble, Colt?"
Radiant Man scowled.
He surged forward again, his aura flaring. The sphere compressed further, restricting his movement.
Something rare flickered in his expression.
Mild… irritation.
Kepler's voice rang through the cavern.
"You breathe in space. You move between planets. But even you, Radiant Man, have limits."
The water around him thickened.
The density increased.
The pressure mounted.
Kepler's voice remained calm.
"You need to breathe, do you? But how do you function in an environment where every movement is met with resistance? Where every ounce of energy you exert is absorbed, redirected, and used against you?"
Radiant Man's golden eyes burned.
He clenched his fists, summoning a surge of raw power—
Only for the water to constrict.
Tighter.
Tighter.
Tighter.
The sphere wasn't just holding him anymore.
It was drowning him.
Kepler's voice was sharp now, cutting through the tension.
"How about now, Colt?"
Radiant Man's expression darkened.
Then—
Suddenly—
He smiled.