Titan Rumble Ch 35: Clash! the Winners Decided!

The moment Cain's fist shot forward, the world seemed to split.

The war cry—"Shin Ryūken!"—was still echoing when his knuckles collided with Aurora's incoming strike. Her crimson-infused fist met the warped air that clung to his hand, and for a heartbeat the two forces didn't clash—they rejected each other. The ground beneath their feet sank inward as though gravity itself had forgotten its role, and then, with a sound like a mountain range tearing apart, the energy detonated.

A blinding flash swallowed the battlefield. The cityscape around them cracked open like glass under a hammer; skyscrapers buckled, windows burst outward, and streets spider-webbed with fractures. Dust and debris were lifted into the sky in a churning storm.

Cain gritted his teeth. His entire body screamed with pain as the recoil of his own attack slammed through his bones and muscles. He felt his skin splitting along his arm, blood rushing out in thin streams that evaporated in the heat of their clashing energies. His ribs ached like they'd been cracked, his heartbeat thundering against the cage of his chest.

But he didn't let go.

Aurora only had a moment to widen her eyes before the world around her erupted. Her aura cracked like shattered glass, blue energy ripping through her chest and spreading outward in a blinding wave. She felt her arm vanish, then her torso—gone in an instant, as if her body had been erased by pure force. The shock hit her like nothing she had ever experienced before. It wasn't pain so much as the terrifying awareness of ceasing to exist.

The blast tore through the battlefield, swallowing the crumbling buildings, the streets, the very sky above. Everything disappeared under the flood of blue light until only silence remained. The ruined city dissolved, peeled away like an illusion, and in its place was nothing—just an endless, stark white void.

And then—

Aurora's body dropped hard to the floor, her back slamming against the wooden boards of the dojo's training room. She coughed, air rushing back into her lungs as though she hadn't been breathing. Her chest heaved, her hand clutching at her sternum, desperate to ground herself in something real. For a few seconds, she didn't even realize she'd fallen out of her seat.

Across from her, Cain jolted awake too, the impact startling him so badly that he nearly toppled out of his chair. His vision swam, the ringing in his ears still fading, but the moment he looked at Aurora, he saw it—raw shock in her face. She was pale, trembling, eyes wide like she had just stepped out of the jaws of death.

Aurora's breaths came sharp and uneven. She pushed herself upright, legs shaky as she staggered to her feet. Her eyes found Cain immediately. For a long second she just stood there, staring down at the small omega she had been so sure she could crush.

She had lost.

Her pride screamed against it, every instinct in her refusing to believe, yet the memory of that last moment—her body being completely erased—was still too fresh, too visceral to deny.

Cain slowly stood as well, stretching out his shoulders, testing his arms. His injuries were gone—no cuts, no bruises, no blood—but the exhaustion weighed on him. His body wasn't screaming in pain anymore, but it wasn't celebrating either. His breaths came steady, his stance loose, but he knew exactly how much that fight had taken out of him.

Still, he smirked.

"Looks like I won," Cain said casually, though his voice carried the weight of certainty. He tilted his head up at her, meeting her eyes without a shred of hesitation. "I'll see you today for practice."

Aurora's jaw tightened, her hand still pressed to her chest as if the memory of the destruction lingered there. She didn't say anything—not yet.

For the first time, Cain had left her without words.

Aurora's lips parted, but for a moment, no sound came out. She just stood there, her fists trembling at her sides, her mind running circles around the truth she didn't want to accept. Finally, the words slipped out, ragged and low.

"I... I can't believe it." Her eyes narrowed on Cain, who stood so casually, as if the fight hadn't nearly torn her apart. "I actually lost..."

The admission stung like a knife. She straightened her posture, trying to put her pride back together, though the lingering shake in her hand betrayed her. Her gaze dropped to the tiny omega standing on the counter—such a small speck of a man, and yet he had just beaten her in the one arena she thought was hers alone.

"I demand a rematch," Aurora said sharply, her voice rising to fill the room.

Cain tilted his head, meeting her glare without flinching. "Yeah, that's not happening." He rolled his shoulder, exhaling as if every muscle ached. "I'm tired, I need a shower. We're done here."

Aurora's eyes widened, her teeth grinding audibly. "You can't just walk away! I lost—I can't accept that!" She slammed a fist into her open palm, the sound cracking like thunder in the training room. "One more match. Right now!"

But Cain only smirked, stretching his arms out like he was testing his joints after a long workout. "Sorry, princess. A win's a win. You'll just have to live with it."

Aurora's face twisted with frustration, her pride warring against the truth. She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Every instinct screamed at her to force the issue, to drag him back into the fight and prove herself. But the memory of her own body dissolving into nothing still lingered, and it silenced her more effectively than any blow could.

The two of them went back and forth, their voices filling the training hall, neither noticing the figure standing just beyond the wall by the door.

Yuna leaned against the wooden frame, her arms folded, a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips. She had been listening from the moment the crash startled her, curiosity pulling her closer.

Her little sister's indignant shouting. Cain's calm, tired refusal. The whole exchange painted a picture clearer than any training report could.

"Not bad, Cain," Yuna murmured to herself, her smile widening as she shook her head. "Not bad at all."