From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 453

Bam! A thunderous crack rolled across the mountains. Leander's fist tore a glowing line through the air before slamming into Halia's chest like a hammer dropped from the heavens.

Every spectator expected her body to scatter into flame again. Primal-element metahumans always dissolved the moment physical force touched them. Nothing solid was supposed to land since nothing could reach their true bodies.

The crowd held its breath, waiting for Halia to blur into sparks.

Nothing happened.

Her body didn't disperse. It plummeted as if a meteor had struck her. A raw scream burst from her throat while a streak of blood arced behind her like a crimson comet.

She crashed into the cliff with brutal force. Flames exploded outward before gathering again into her human shape.

This time, her reformed body didn't stand perfectly.

Blood trickled down her lip. Her chest caved inward, a deep fist-shaped dent crushing the curves she had moments ago. Her breath hitched, uneven and tight.

A wave of silence swept the entire peak.

Halia—the legendary Flame Goddess, a primal-element metahuman—was wounded. The scene shattered everything the crowd believed possible.

Dozens of stunned gazes snapped toward Leander. No one understood how he bypassed her elemental form.

Questions raced across their minds.

Did he possess Profound Force or a hidden technique? What kind of power touched a primal-element metahuman?

Halia wiped her mouth, staring at the blood in disbelief. "How did you hurt me?"

Leander lowered his fist as though brushing dust from his knuckles.

"Why wouldn't I?"

His voice came out flat and cutting.

"Yeah, primal-element metahumans can dissolve their bodies. Standard attacks pass straight through. That's the rule."

He stepped closer, eyes cold. "But that rule doesn't apply to me."

Flames poured toward Halia from every direction as she tried to repair the damage.

"You mastered Profound Force?" Her voice carried doubt and unease.

"No." Leander's response came instantly. "Profound Force isn't my path."

He raised his hand, palm glowing faintly. "My strength hits your kind harder than Profound Force ever could.

"There's a third force capable of striking a primal-element metahuman. Mine is called Nirvana Energy. You might know it better as Nirvana Primordial Energy."

A sharp brilliance lit his eyes, an aura rising that pressed on the world itself.

"That punch earlier was me holding back. If I wanted, your head would've vanished with the rest of your pride."

He curled two fingers at her with lazy contempt.

"Second Seat of the International Combat Units—Flame Goddess Halia—you're nowhere near the level required to stop me."

Halia's beautiful features twisted. She had dominated her rank for two decades. Not a single person during that time had dared to humiliate her so openly.

Yet Leander publicly dismissed her before every elite on the mountain, marking a humiliation she'd never tasted in nearly a century.

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