Three hours.That was how long it dragged on.By the time the twin suns had shifted slightly in the sky, Kai’s breathing was ragged, chest rising and falling like a bellows on the verge of tearing apart.Sweat poured down his face, soaking the ground beneath his feet. His arms trembled uncontrollably, muscles screaming in protest, and bones humming with a dull, dangerous ache.And yet, the Iron Buffalo still lived.It was no longer charging with the same terrifying dominance. Its steps were uneven now, one of its legs clearly fractured, blood seeping from deep cracks in its iron-like hide. One of its three eyes had gone dull, the pupil shattered from repeated impacts. But even like this, it refused to fall.Its life force was stubborn and vicious. The kind that didn’t understand retreat.Every time Kai completed the seventh punch, the same thing happened. The power peaked, spread, battered the beast… and then collapsed. He would instinctively dispel the technique to stop his body from

The moment they stepped back into the villa, the quiet atmosphere shattered.Abigail and Emily, who had been sitting around pretending not to worry while absolutely worrying, stood up at the same time. Their eyes moved from Kai… then slowly downward… then widened in unison when they saw what he was carrying.A massive corpse.A three-eyed Iron Buffalo.Its body alone nearly filled half the living room doorway, thick hide still faintly gleaming like metal under the villa lights, horns sharp and curved, dried blood crusted along its skull.For half a second, neither of them spoke.Then, without any warning or dramatic buildup, Kai walked two more steps in, loosened his grip, and dropped the entire beast on the marble floor with a heavy BOOM that made the walls tremble.“I’m going to sleep,” he said flatly, already turning around.Abigail’s mouth opened.Emily’s brain stopped.Zora scoffed loudly from behind him. “Look at him. Drag one little buffalo back and he’s acting like he climbed

Kai burst out laughing the moment Emily whispered her question, the sound sharp and unrestrained, like someone who had long given up pretending life made sense around Zora.“If she really went all out,” he said casually, waving a hand as though he were talking about the weather, “even if you piled both our families' resources together, cooked them properly, and served them with seasoning, it still wouldn’t be enough to fill her.”Emily stiffened. “That’s… that’s not comforting.”“I know,” Kai nodded solemnly. “That’s the point.”He leaned back, resting his hands behind his head, eyes drifting toward the empty ground where the buffalo had once been. “She’s basically a walking void. Bottomless. Endless. I honestly want to see the day she actually says she’s full. That alone might end the world.”From the side, Abigail snorted softly, clearly used to Kai’s matter-of-fact exaggerations when it came to Zora.As if summoned by the mention of her name, Zora rubbed her stomach lazily and stoo

Soon, the scenery around them shifted again.The dense rainforest faded away like mist being wiped from glass, replaced by a wide valley stretching endlessly before their eyes.Jagged cliffs rose on both sides, their surfaces etched with strange patterns that looked less like erosion and more like ancient scars. The ground was dry and cracked in places, yet spiritual energy pulsed faintly beneath it, slow and heavy, like something breathing in its sleep. Above them, the twin suns hung high, casting long shadows that made the valley feel both vast and oppressive.Zora stopped walking.Abigail halted beside her, already sensing that this place wasn’t chosen randomly.Kai lingered a little farther back, arms crossed, instinctively scanning the surroundings, but Zora didn’t spare him a glance this time. Her attention was fully on Abigail.Zora turned slowly, eyes sharp, unreadable.“Do you know why I brought you here?” she asked.Abigail shook her head. “No.”Zora scoffed softly. “Of cour

Just as Kai had expected, Zora was soon back.He sensed her before he saw her, the faint distortion in the air, the subtle pressure that always accompanied her presence, like reality itself was bracing.Kai didn’t stop his practice when it happened. His fists continued to move, steady and deliberate, each punch flowing into the next, his breathing controlled, his focus locked entirely on the Octane Fist.Then a shadow fell over the ground.Kai glanced up.Zora stood a short distance away, arms crossed casually, and cradled in one arm was a beast that immediately made his instincts scream. It wasn’t small. It wasn’t cute. And it definitely wasn’t harmless.The creature had the powerful, corded body of a lion, muscles layered thick beneath its hide. Its forelimbs ended in long, curved claws that gleamed faintly, sharp enough to tear through steel. Its movements, even while restrained, were unnervingly smooth, carrying the coiled speed of a tiger ready to explode forward at any moment.A