Creation Of All Things

A slow, mocking clap echoed through the shattered arena.

Adam turned.

From the rubble, Wraith stood—his body twisting, bones snapping back into place. His wounds sealed themselves, flesh knitting together in real-time.

He grinned, fangs glinting under the arena's light.

"Hey."

His voice was steady, unbothered—like he hadn't just been beaten into the ground.

"You really think I'd go down that easily?" Wraith rolled his shoulders, the cracks echoing through the silent battlefield. His aura swelled, dark and oppressive, warping the air around him. "Only a champion of a universe can kill me. And you? You're not one."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

Wraith chuckled, his crimson eyes burning even brighter.

"I'll admit, you're strong—stronger than I expected. Stronger than the Monarch, even. That bastard had to resort to dirty tricks to keep me under his thumb." He spat on the ground, his expression twisting with contempt. "But now? Now I'm free. And you? You're just another obstacle in my way."

Then—

BOOM!

His power exploded.

Wraith's body began to change.

His hair grew longer, wild and untamed. His nails sharpened into claws, his fangs extending past his lips. His muscles expanded, veins glowing like molten lava beneath his skin. The very ground trembled beneath his feet.

His aura twisted into something primal, something ancient. The arena lights flickered. Shadows stretched unnaturally, slithering toward him like they were alive.

Adam simply watched.

Unimpressed.

Then—he smiled.

"Let me guess." He tilted his head slightly. "Vampire?"

Wraith's grin widened, revealing razor-sharp teeth.

"Close." His voice had changed—deeper, more inhuman. "I'm beyond a vampire. I am Wraith, the apex predator. The nightmare of civilizations. The—"

BANG!

A fist collided with his face.

In an instant, Wraith's body bent backward, his head snapping to the side as a shockwave tore through the battlefield.

For a second, nothing moved.

Then—

BOOOOM!

Wraith's body exploded backward, crashing through stone, steel, and air itself. He tumbled end over end before slamming into the arena wall—shattering it into dust.

Adam slowly lowered his fist.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, shaking his head. "Everyone's a nightmare these days."

The dust hadn't even settled before—

WHOOSH!

Wraith appeared behind Adam.

Faster. Stronger.

His claws swiped—

But Adam was already gone.

A flicker of movement—

Then—

BAM!

Adam's knee smashed into Wraith's gut.

The air rippled from the impact. Wraith's eyes bulged, saliva flying from his mouth.

Before he could even register the pain—

BANG!

A palm to the chest.

BOOM!

Wraith rocketed into the sky.

He barely had time to react before—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Adam was there.

Punching. Kicking. Everywhere.

Each blow sent Wraith higher. Each strike bent his body in unnatural angles. The sky itself shook from the force of the onslaught.

Then—

Adam appeared above him.

And—

With a single kick—

BANG!

Wraith crashed back down, slamming into the earth with the force of a meteor. The entire battlefield erupted, a shockwave tearing through the land, carving a crater miles wide.

Silence.

Smoke.

Then—

A growl.

From the pit of destruction, Wraith rose.

Blood dripped from his mouth. His body trembled. His chest heaved.

But—

He laughed.

"Hah… hah…" He wiped the blood from his lips. His glowing red eyes locked onto Adam.

"Okay." He exhaled, cracking his neck. "Now this is fun."

His aura surged again.

Fangs bared.

Claws gleaming.

The fight wasn't over.

The Predator's Turn

Wraith vanished.

BOOM!

The next thing Adam knew, a fist slammed into his ribs.

A shockwave erupted from the impact, shattering the already broken ground. Adam barely moved, but before he could react—

CRACK!

Wraith's claws raked across Adam's chest, leaving deep gashes.

Adam staggered back slightly, his clothes in tatters.

But he wasn't bleeding.

Not for long.

The wounds sealed instantly, skin knitting together as if nothing had happened.

Wraith didn't care.

He grinned, flashing those bloodthirsty fangs.

"Not bad, huh?" He sneered, disappearing again.

Then—

BANG!

A knee drove into Adam's stomach.

BOOM!

A roundhouse kick sent him skidding across the battlefield, tearing up the earth beneath him.

CRASH!

Adam smashed into a ruined pillar, the stone collapsing on top of him.

Silence.

Then—

WHOOSH!

Wraith appeared above the rubble, eyes glowing like molten fire.

"Let's see you heal from this."

He raised both hands—

And dropped them.

BOOOOM!!!

A column of darkness exploded down, swallowing the entire area in an instant. The pressure alone shook the battlefield, warping the air like a black hole had formed.

A second later, the energy cleared.

And Adam was still standing.

Completely unharmed.

His clothes were torn, but his body? Flawless.

Wraith's grin faltered.

Adam stretched his neck, looking bored.

"...That it?"

Wraith twitched.

Then—

He attacked again.

BOOM!

A fist to Adam's jaw.

BAM!

A clawed swipe to the throat.

THOOM!

A full-powered punch to the chest.

Hit. Hit. Hit.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And Adam didn't flinch.

Didn't even blink.

He just stood there.

Wraith stopped.

Breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his brow.

His claws trembled—not from exhaustion. From realization.

Adam had been letting him have his fun.

"...What the hell are you?" Wraith whispered.

Then—

GRAB.

Adam caught his wrist.

Tightly.

His smirk returned.

"That's enough."

Then—

His aura exploded.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The entire world shook.

The sky cracked.

The air ignited.

A massive shockwave erupted from Adam's body, sending Wraith flying like a ragdoll, tearing through buildings and mountains like they were made of paper.

Adam didn't move.

Didn't chase.

Didn't need to.

He just stood there—his golden aura swirling around him, burning like a sun.

His eyes glowed.

Unamused.

"Now... it's my turn."

"Impossible."

Tatia who had been silent this whole time. Just watching.

But the moment Adam's aura exploded—she shot to her feet.

Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat.

She knew this. She had seen this before.

A power like this.

A presence like this.

It was just like him.

Her late husband.

Daniel Williams.

The strongest superhuman of the previous era.

A small smile formed on her lips.

"So… he really is a Williams."

Her gaze locked onto Adam, standing tall in the middle of the battlefield—his golden aura swirling like a storm.

At that moment…

He didn't look human.

He looked like a divine being.

A force beyond this world, standing above it all—

Looking down on everything below.