"You are using trickery?" Caen asked, his eyes narrowing with a frown.
"It's no trick," Ryder replied calmly. "I have no intention of fighting you, and yet, I won't let you harm anyone here either. So I can only show you how helpless you are here.... Leave if you don't want to force my hand, because I won't allow you to hurt any other mortal on earth."
Even though he would've killed Caen because of what the young man did here, thinking about Caen's family, he controlled his rage and only tried to teach the young brat a lesson that there were places that he couldn't approach.
Ryder's eyes narrowed, understanding Caen's meaning. Caen was trying to trap him between a rock and a hard place.
He couldn't allow the Abyssal Beasts to wreak havoc on Earth, but he also didn't want to engage in a destructive battle with Caen, especially since the young man seemed to be consumed by anger and arrogance.
Still if he had to choose between one, he knew what he had to choose.
"You're treading on a dangerous path, Caen," Ryder warned, his voice carrying a sense of authority. "Using the lives of innocent people as leverage is not something I can stand by and watch."
Caen's smirk only grew wider. "Then show this Deity what you've got. Prove that you're not just all talk, that you can back up your words with action."
Ryder sighed, disappointed that it had come to this. He had hoped for a peaceful resolution, but it seemed Caen was too far gone in his arrogance to see reason.
"If it's a fight you want, then a fight you shall have," Ryder said calmly, the intense energy around him transforming into a burning aura.
With that declaration, Ryder stepped forward, his movements more deliberate and focused. This time, he didn't focus on dodging only. Instead, he had made up his mind. He had to teach his arrogant nephew a lesson that he was never going to forget.
As Ryder stepped forward, the ground trembled beneath him, and a powerful surge of energy emanated from his being. His eyes glowed with a fierce determination, and his once calm demeanor transformed into that of a formidable warrior.
Caen's expressions faltered for a moment as he sensed the change in Ryder's aura. However, he quickly regained his composure, refusing to show any sign of weakness.
"Finally, you're showing some spine," he sneered, conjuring dark energy around his own body.
The two stood facing each other, surrounded by an air of tension that seemed to affect the very fabric of reality around them.
Caen charged first, propelled by his anger and arrogance, launching a barrage of dark energy attacks toward Ryder. The sinister blasts streaked through the air, aiming to engulf Ryder in their malevolent power.
Ryder's eyes remained focused and steady. He moved with an almost ethereal grace, sidestepping the dark attacks effortlessly. As the energy blasts passed him harmlessly, he countered with waves of golden light that met Caen's attacks head-on, neutralizing them one by one.
Their battle danced between light and dark, between the unyielding determination of Ryder and rage of Caen. Caen's arrogance had clouded his judgment but he didn't underestimate Ryder's true strength.
As the battle raged on, Ryder found opportunities to communicate with Caen amidst the chaos.
"You think power alone will earn you respect and dominance?" he called out, his voice carrying a mix of sadness and wisdom. "True strength lies not in the ability to harm others but in the restraint to protect and preserve life."
"From where I'm standing, you're weaker than an ordinary mortal on earth in many ways... Much weaker.*
Caen's attacks intensified, fueled by anger and frustration. "I don't need your lectures! The only things I received in my life are lectures from people who think they are better than me, just because they are older! But they forget who I am!"
The surrounding area kept getting destroyed in the battle between Caen and Ryder. The Abyssal Energy spread everywhere, even infiltrating Ryder's body, but he didn't show any change.
Ryder shook his head, still parrying each strike with measured precision. "Blinded by your thirst for power, you fail to see the bigger picture. There are consequences to your actions, and you must learn to face them."
The battle continued, but it was against Caen's expectations. Surprisingly, he was being pushed back even when he used the Powers of Abyss! He had never felt this feeling ever since he last faced a Janus, but even from that long onwards, he had only gotten stronger.
Even after that, he couldn't push Ryder back, who still appeared effortless. He couldn't understand who this man was. Why was he as strong as Janus?
'No, he's even stronger. What's his identity?!'
In a moment of frustration, Caen unleashed a devastating attack, attempting to overwhelm Ryder completely.
But Ryder, with a calm resolve, summoned an impenetrable barrier of light that repelled the onslaught. The shockwave from the collision sent debris flying in all directions, but the barrier held strong.
"You can't win this way, Caen," Ryder said firmly. "Power without wisdom is meaningless."
Caen hesitated for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes. But he quickly shook it off, pushing his powers further to the limit.
"I'll never back down! I won't be lectured by the likes of you!" he shouted, launching a final, all-out assault.
Ryder let out a sigh. He could see that words weren't working on Caen. And since the earth was being kept hostage, he didn't want to take it lightly as well. Even though he could protect Earth from Abyss, the harm it could cause was too much.
While Ryder was still hesitating if he should actually hurt Caen, his eyes shifted momentarily, noticing something in the distance.
Near a wall, he could see a small doll lying on the ground. Next to the doll was a body... The body of a little girl who had barely learned to walk. Even a child wasn't spared by Caen.
