"Ha...? Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
The pain arrived a moment later. Hypno stared down at his own fist, only to realize it had been twisted into a grotesque, jagged mess.
At the same instant, he understood. That sickening crunch hadn't been Ryuga's face shattering—it was his own hand breaking against it. He collapsed to the floor, rolling in agony as the realization hit him like a physical blow.
"Why?! How is this possible?! I broke through my limits! I possess physical abilities beyond any human! So why am I the one losing?!"
"It's quite simple. You might have found a way to unlock one hundred percent of a human's potential... but your physical body can’t keep up with that kind of output."
It was a basic, fundamental truth. A Limiter isn't just an arbitrary restriction; it exists for a reason. It is a safety mechanism designed to keep power in check to preserve the user's life.
The reason a human body typically only utilizes a small percentage of its strength is that the flesh itself cannot endure the strain of anything more. Hypno, who had never bothered with even a day of real training, had suddenly pushed himself to Full Throttle, drawing out a level of power that was literally tearing his body apart. He was deteriorating at a speed his own perception couldn't even register.
"The fists you kept swinging were already disintegrating from the impact of your own blows. Soon, your arms and every other part of your body will fail in the same way. What you see now is the consequence of never having built a foundation."
"A-gagaga, ga, gaaaah!?"
"...A person who values nothing more than themselves can never truly surpass their limits, no matter how much they struggle. A warped, bloated ego only serves to crush the very person it’s supposed to protect, leading them straight to ruin. Savor that pain; let it be your teacher. Whether you'll ever have the chance to apply that lesson, however, is another matter entirely."
"Ga, ga...!"
Self-suggestion could be either a medicine or a poison.
When Hypno convinced himself he was the Strongest Being, he had indeed managed to draw out power beyond his normal capacity. There was a clear benefit to the technique, but it was a double-edged sword.
If, while in that state, the thought "I can't win" ever crossed his mind, it would instantly become a command to his subconscious. The caster's psychological state would then dictate the physical reality of his body. Hypno was now trapped in a loop where his mounting terror was physically manifesting as his own destruction.
"By the way, there’s one thing I’ve been wondering about. I’ve indulged your tedious questions long enough; now you’re going to answer one of mine."
"Hie...!"
The Sword Aura wavered and flared.
A heavy, suffocating weight erupted from behind Ryuga. Hypno let out a thin shriek as the Spirit Pressure intensified, growing larger and more menacing by the second. Ryuga pinned him down with a cold, piercing gaze.
"You said you could draw out a hundred percent of your potential. You said you were ten times stronger than before. Perhaps that’s true. But—"
Ryuga hadn't even reached for his Katana. He was simply standing there.
Yet, despite knowing this, Hypno could see it clearly. In his mind's eye, the razor-sharp tip of a blade was being Thrust against his throat. He was so paralyzed by terror that he couldn't even recognize it as the effect of Ryuga's overwhelming spirit. Ryuga’s eyes burned with a predatory light.
"—What made you think that being ten times stronger would be enough to beat me? Where did you find the confidence that such a pittance would give you the win? Answer me, Hypno."
"Hi, hie, hieee, eeee...!"
I can't win. He understood it now. It wasn't a logical conclusion or an emotional realization; it was a truth etched into his very soul.
This man was on an entirely different level. He was overwhelmingly strong, and he possessed a cold cruelty that allowed him to harvest a life without a second thought.
His spirit broken, his arguments dismantled, and the gap in their power made undeniable, Hypno finally snapped. The absolute sense of defeat, amplified by his own auto-suggestion, began to tear his body apart from the inside out.
"Ah, aaaaa, aaaaaa...! H-Help...!!"
"No. Think about what you've done."
"Uaaaaaaaaaaa..."
Sickening cracks and snaps echoed through the room as his bones gave way. Reverting to his human form, Hypno began to age at an impossible rate, his vitality withered by his own failing will.
Ryuga looked at the hand reaching out for mercy, then turned his back. He spoke quietly to the man who could no longer even muster the strength to scream.
"Savor every moment of it. Despair is your goal."
"Ha, ga..."
With a heavy thud, Hypno's eyes rolled back as he reached his absolute limit. He collapsed into a heap.
Zenon had watched the entire scene in silence, stunned by Ryuga's fathomless strength—a man who had defeated a monster using little more than sheer presence. When Ryuga finally spoke to him, Zenon looked up, blinking.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The others should be free from the hypnosis now. Let’s get back to the surface and get those wounds treated."
"T-Thank you..."
"...No, I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for fighting, my friend."
The demonic, terrifying aura Ryuga had projected toward Hypno vanished, replaced by a gentle, sincere smile. He reached down and pulled Zenon’s arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight.
Though he had carved a path straight down to get here, Ryuga wondered if there was an easier way back up. Together with the hero who had summoned him to this battlefield, he began the walk back toward the surface where their comrades were waiting.