Chapter 595: The trial of Ego (Part 1)

A voice came first, sounding so deep and resonant that it carried a weight that made the marble beneath Noah’s feet vibrate.

"I am Ego."

The Last Dragon Knight stepped forward from the shadows, each boot strike creating spiderweb cracks that spread across polished stone. His scaled armor caught the torchlight, black and gold plates reflecting flames.

"Last Dragon Knight of a kingdom long dead."

The chains wrapped around his arms clinked softly, a sound that somehow carried more menace than any weapon being drawn. His tail dragged behind him, the spiked tip carving a thin line through marble like it was chalk.

"Every soul that reached this room died here."

Ego stopped maybe thirty feet from Noah, his horned helmet tilted slightly downward. The dragon skull visor showed nothing but darkness inside, yet Noah felt the weight of his gaze like physical pressure against his chest.

"Kneel. Or join them."

Silence filled the throne room. Just the sound of torches crackling, of Noah’s labored breathing, of his heart hammering against his ribs.

His legs were still shaking. His hands trembled despite his attempts to steady them. Every instinct he’d developed through months of combat was screaming at him to run, to retreat, to do anything except stand here in front of something that radiated power like a sun radiated heat.

But Noah didn’t kneel.

’Level 100 or not,’ Noah thought, forcing his legs to lock, forcing himself to stay upright. ’I’m not kneeling. Not to him. Not to anyone.’

Ego’s head tilted further, like he was observing something curious. Then his hand extended, palm up, fingers spreading.

The chains around his arm uncoiled slightly, links separating.

"Render."

Black flames erupted in his palm, swirling, condensing, taking shape. The fire formed a handle first, then a head, then the full weapon materialized with a sound like thunder contained in a bottle.

A hammer. Massive, easily five feet from base to head, the striking surface covered in draconic patterns that glowed red like contained magma. The weapon shouldn’t be wielded one-handed, shouldn’t be held so casually, but Ego gripped it like it weighed nothing.

"Show this wretch despair."

BOOM!

Ego vanished. Not blinked, not teleported. Just moved faster than Noah’s enhanced perception could track.

’So fast!’

Noah’s brain registered the blur, registered movement, registered threat. Then pain exploded across his chest before his conscious mind could process what happened.

His body launched backward. Not stumbling, not falling. Flying. The force of impact lifting him completely off his feet, sending him tumbling through air.

CRASH!

His back hit a pillar hard enough to crater the marble. Stone cracked, pieces falling, and Noah’s vision went white from the impact.

[-347 HP]

[Health Points: 900/3,720]

He started to fall, gravity reasserting itself. Made it maybe two feet before something massive slammed into his midsection.

The hammer. Render’s head caught him square in the ribs, and Noah felt bones break. Multiple ribs, snapping like dry wood, the pain so intense his scream died in his throat.

[-198 HP]

[Health Points: 702/3,720]

His body became a projectile again. Tumbling end over end across the throne room, each rotation bringing new pain as broken ribs ground against each other. He hit the ground once, bounced, hit again, bounced again.

One rotation. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

On the sixth impact, his momentum finally arrested. His body slammed into the far wall and stayed there, crumpled in a heap.

Blood poured from his mouth. His vision swam, darkness creeping in at the edges. His entire torso was screaming, every breath sending fresh agony through his chest cavity.

Then he started laughing.

Not loudly. Barely audible, really. Just a quiet chuckle that hurt like hell but came out anyway.

’Shit,’ Noah thought, tasting copper. ’I’m gonna die here, aren’t I?’

His enhanced regeneration kicked in, purple light flickering around his broken ribs. But healing felt slow, sluggish, like his body was struggling to keep up with catastrophic damage.

Noah pushed himself upright. His left arm gave out twice before he managed to get his knees under him. Standing took another ten seconds of pure determination.

[Health Points: 702/3,720]

"Alright," Noah said, his voice rough. Blood ran down his chin, dripped onto his torn tactical gear.

He checked his void energy mentally, found the number lower than expected.

[Void Energy: 4,847/24,000]

’Regeneration’s burning through void energy to keep me alive,’ Noah realized. ’Every second I’m healing, I’m losing fuel. Can’t maintain this forever.’

He wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, watching Ego approach. The Dragon Knight walked slowly, deliberately, Render resting across his shoulders like the hammer weighed nothing.

’If I’m gonna die,’ Noah thought, ’might as well give it everything.’

He screamed. Pure adrenaline, pure rage, pure desperation compressed into sound that echoed off marble and stone.

Then he charged.

Not tactically. Not with a plan. Just straight-line aggression, enhanced agility carrying him across the throne room faster than most people could perceive.

"You’ve never fought someone willing to lose to win!" Noah shouted, his voice carrying challenge despite the blood in his lungs.

Distance closed. Fifty feet. Thirty. Twenty.

Noah’s fist cocked back, chi flaring around his knuckles, white energy building for a strike that would put everything he had into one attack.

Ten feet.

Then Noah saw them.

White lines. Hundreds of them, appearing in his vision like threads made of light. Each one originating from Ego, extending outward, creating a web of possible attack vectors that covered every angle simultaneously.

His head. His chest. His legs. His arms. His throat. Every vital point, every vulnerable location, all of them threatened at once by lines that represented fatal outcomes.

Noah had only seen this many lines once before. On Sirius Prime, when he’d first faced Kruel and realized he was staring at something that could kill him a hundred different ways before he landed a single blow.

But he didn’t stop. Didn’t hesitate. His fist drove forward with everything his enhanced strength could generate, chi explosion building at the impact point.

"HAAAAAA!"

Nothing.

BOOM!

Noah’s face buried into the throne room floor. Not his fist connecting. Not his attack landing. Just sudden, overwhelming force driving his skull downward, his nose breaking against marble, blood exploding across polished stone.

’What?’ Noah’s thoughts were scrambled, his brain trying to process. ’I saw him. Ego was right in front of me. I was about to hit him. How did—’

He’d been watching Ego up until the last microsecond. The Dragon Knight had been there, standing in his attack path, perfectly positioned to take the strike.

Then suddenly Noah was eating floor with force that made his teeth rattle.

’He waited,’ Noah realized through the haze of pain. ’Waited until the absolute last moment to move. Which means he’s fast enough that I can’t even see the transition.’

Noah rolled immediately, pure survival instinct overriding conscious thought.

Render’s head came down where he’d been, the hammer cratering marble with an impact that made the entire floor erupt. Stone chunks launched upward like a rug being flipped, pieces the size of Noah’s torso tumbling through air.

Dust filled the space, obscuring vision.

When it cleared seconds later, Noah wasn’t in front of Ego anymore.

He’d used a pillar as a springboard, his boots finding purchase on the stone surface, launching himself into a trajectory that brought him behind the Dragon Knight.

His body spun mid-air, building momentum, his right leg extending in a spinning heel kick. White chi energy erupted around his shin and foot, condensing into visible light that made his leg glow.

The kick came around toward Ego’s horned helmet with force that should shatter the scaled armor.

THOOM!

Noah’s heel connected. Not with Ego’s head. With his hand.

The Dragon Knight had raised his arm without turning around, his palm catching Noah’s chi-enhanced kick and stopping it completely. The impact created a shockwave that radiated outward, but Noah’s leg didn’t move past that open palm.

Ego’s fingers closed around Noah’s ankle. His grip was iron, crushing, and Noah felt bones grinding together despite enhanced durability trying to protect him.

Then Ego pulled down.

Noah’s body slammed into the marble floor with force that broke more ribs. The impact drove air from his lungs, and he bounced—actually bounced—his body leaving the ground from the violence of the throw.

Before gravity could reassert itself properly, Ego’s boot caught him in the ribs.

The kick launched Noah sideways. He skidded across polished marble, his body rotating, blood trailing behind him in a red streak.

Movement in his peripheral vision made Noah’s eyes snap toward the threat.

Render. Spinning through air, thrown like a javelin, the massive hammer rotating end over end as it closed distance with terrifying speed.

Noah rolled desperately, his body protesting every movement. The hammer passed overhead close enough that he felt wind displacement, close enough that it would have caved in his skull if he’d been a fraction slower.

He came out of the roll into a sprint, charging back at Ego despite every rational thought screaming that this was suicide.

’Need to find a weakness,’ Noah thought, his eyes scanning Ego’s armored form as distance closed. ’The scales cover everything. No gaps at the joints, no exposed flesh. Even if there was a weak point, how the hell am I supposed to exploit it when I can’t even land a clean hit?’

Twenty feet separated them. Then ten.

Noah’s fist came around in a haymaker, chi flaring.

Something massive hit him from behind.

The impact drove Noah forward, his trajectory changing involuntarily. His body tilted backward, his view shifting from Ego’s armored chest to the throne room ceiling.

’Render,’ Noah realized. ’He threw it past me, then called it back like a boomerang. Hit me from behind while I was focused on him.’

Before Noah hit the ground, Ego’s hand closed around his face. Fingers covering his eyes, his nose, his mouth, grip crushing against his skull.

Then Ego drove downward.

Noah’s head hit marble with force that cracked stone. The impact sent shockwaves through his neck, his spine, his entire skeleton. His vision went completely white, then red, then dark.

[-112 HP]

[Health Points: 590/3,720]

Ego didn’t release his grip. His hand stayed locked around Noah’s face, and he started walking. Dragging Noah along the floor, Noah’s body scraping across polished stone, leaving a blood trail.

Through the haze of pain and disorientation, Noah registered movement. The throne room’s entrance, the massive doors swinging open.

Ego’s arm moved. A casual toss, like discarding garbage.

Noah’s body flew through the doorway, hit the ground outside, tumbled twice before stopping in a heap.

The doors closed with finality. Stone grinding against stone, sealing shut.

Noah lay there, breathing. Each inhale was agony, his broken ribs protesting. Each exhale brought fresh blood into his mouth.

Minutes passed. Maybe five, maybe ten. Time became meaningless when everything hurt.

His enhanced regeneration worked steadily, purple light flickering across his injuries. Ribs knitting back together, internal bleeding stopping, flesh repairing.

[Health Points: 847/3,720]

Eventually, Noah’s thoughts cleared enough to process what had just happened.

’He threw me out,’ Noah realized, staring at the closed doors. ’Like I wasn’t worth fighting. Like I was just an annoyance he needed to remove.’

Something hot and angry built in Noah’s chest. Not pain. Rage.

He pushed himself upright. His body protested, muscles trembling, but he made it to his knees. Then to his feet, swaying slightly.

Noah started walking toward the doors. More hopping than walking, really, his gait uneven from lingering injuries. But he moved forward anyway.

The doors opened as he approached, stone mechanisms recognizing his presence.

The throne room looked exactly as he’d left it. Torches burning, broken throne at the far end, marble floor cratered and blood-stained from their brief exchange.

Ego sat near the throne, legs crossed, Render resting across his lap. His posture suggested patience, like he’d been waiting.

The Dragon Knight’s head tilted upward as Noah entered.

"I am Ego. Last Dragon Knight of a kingdom long dead. Every soul that reached this room died here. Kneel. Or join them."

The exact same words. Same cadence. Same tone.

"Not a chance," Noah said, his voice carrying more confidence than his body felt.

BOOM!

Ego moved. Noah’s enhanced perception caught a blur, nothing more.

Pain exploded across his jaw. The punch launched him sideways, his body airborne, tumbling.

He hit a pillar, bounced off, hit the ground.

Ego was already there. His boot came down toward Noah’s ribs.

Noah rolled, the stomp cratering marble where he’d been. He came up swinging, his fist driving toward Ego’s midsection with chi reinforcement.

The Dragon Knight caught his wrist, twisted, and Noah felt bones in his forearm crack.

[-67 HP]

Ego’s other hand grabbed Noah’s throat, lifted him off his feet entirely.

Then he slammed Noah into the ground. Once, twice, three times. Each impact driving Noah deeper into the marble, creating a body-shaped crater.

Noah’s vision was fading, consciousness slipping. He tried to fight back, tried to strike, but his arms weren’t responding properly.

Ego stood, walked to the doors, and threw Noah outside again.

The doors closed.

Noah lay there longer this time. His breathing was ragged, wet sounds suggesting internal damage his regeneration was struggling to address.

[Health Points: 543/3,720]

[Void Energy: 3,294/24,000]

’Getting lower,’ Noah thought distantly. ’Healing is burning through energy faster than I can regenerate it naturally.’

But he stood anyway. Took longer this time, his legs giving out twice before he managed to stay upright.

He limped toward the doors. They opened for him, revealing the throne room again.

Ego sat in the same position. Legs crossed. Render across his lap. Waiting.

"I am Ego. Last Dragon Knight—"

"Blah blah blah," Noah interrupted, his voice carrying exhaustion and defiance in equal measure. "Dead kingdom. Everyone dies. I’ve heard it twice already."

Ego’s head tilted slightly, like Noah’s interruption was mildly interesting.

Then he stood, and Noah knew this was going to be worse than before.

The Dragon Knight closed distance faster than the previous two fights. His fist caught Noah in the stomach, doubling him over.

His knee came up, caught Noah’s face, snapped his head back.

Noah stumbled, tried to counter with a wild hook. Ego caught his wrist, broke it with a simple twist.

[-43 HP]

[Health Points: 500/3,720]

Noah’s other hand came around, chi flaring desperately. The punch connected, actually connected, catching Ego’s helmet where the jaw would be.

CRACK!

The chi explosion detonated against scaled armor. For one moment, Noah saw it—black blood seeping from beneath the helmet’s edge, running down Ego’s neck plating.

’I made him bleed,’ Noah thought with savage satisfaction.

Then Ego’s fist buried into Noah’s ribs.

The strike didn’t just break bones. It pulverized them. Noah felt his entire ribcage collapse inward, felt organs shifting from trauma that exceeded what enhanced vitality could immediately protect against.

[-237 HP]

[Health Points: 263/3,720]

Noah’s scream died in his throat, blood filling his lungs.

Ego’s follow-up came immediately. His fist, his knee, his elbow. A combination delivered so fast that Noah’s brain registered them as simultaneous rather than sequential.

[-88 HP]

[-76 HP]

[-94 HP]

[Health Points: 10/3,720]

[CRITICAL WARNING: HEALTH CRITICALLY LOW]

[VOID ENERGY INSUFFICIENT FOR FULL REGENERATION]

[WARNING: VOID ENTROPY SYNDROME IMMINENT]

[RECOMMENDATION: DISENGAGE IMMEDIATELY]

Noah couldn’t see anymore. His vision had gone completely red, then dark. He couldn’t feel his legs, couldn’t tell if he was standing or lying down.

Something grabbed the scruff of his neck. Lifted him effortlessly, his body hanging limp.

Through the haze and darkness consuming his consciousness, Noah managed to raise his head slightly.

Ego was walking. But not toward the doors.

’Where?’ Noah thought distantly. ’Where is he going?’

His vision cleared just enough to see their destination.

The throne. Ego was walking toward the broken throne, dragging Noah with him like a trophy.

’What’s he doing?’ Noah wondered, his thoughts sluggish. ’What’s about to happen?’

The last thing Noah saw before darkness took him completely was Ego standing before the shattered throne, his free hand reaching toward the rubble.

Then nothing.