Throughout the room, their des held onto each other at a standstill.
Winds erupted and thunder crackled.
From both sides, neither couldn''t give up on this sh.
Jan''s hands clung to the silver broadsword for his dear life.
He believed that if he were to lose here he''d also end up perishing with the others.
Rel, on the other hand, held onto Axel with everything he''s gotten within him.
Losing here not only means he''d affect Jan as a character but it would also stain the progression and plot of the story.
"Give up now and I promise I won''t kill you," Rel spoke through his mask in a low manner attempting to push Jan''s de back just a little.
"Why don''t you give up?! If you do I''ll only tear up your mask, you evil monster."
Jan tried to push Rel''s de back but realised that both their strengths at this moment were equally matched.
Neither de could budge and even if there were subtle movements in the sh, their des would only revert itself to the central space it upied.
『Damn this Jan guy! My Trickster ability is going to wear off soon. I''ll need to act before then.』
『His aura is unlike anything I''ve ever seen! There''s no way someone like him exists.』
Even in the heat of their sh, both Jan and Rel were preupied with their observations and concerns.
However, Rel couldn''t maintain his grip forever. His hold on his de began to shake and slowly slip. Jan noticed this vulnerability and gritted his teeth, pushing forward.
As his de pressed Rel''s closer, Jan could almost taste victory. But things wouldn''t y out that way.
CRACK...
Cracks appeared in the centre of Jan''s steel de, slowly spreading towards the tip.
"...!"
『What?! I didn''t- wait no those few seconds weren''t in the same line of possibilities right?』
Jan was puzzled. Why was his de on the verge of shattering?
It wasn''t something he understood.
But then he remembered his earlier foresight.
『It was only mere glimpses of it all.』
That''s right. He had only seen fragments of what could happen, not what was guaranteed to happen.
His mastery over Sensory Aura hadn''t reached that level yet.
CRACK!!!
"Crap!"
Jan reflexively pulled his de back, and their sh ended abruptly.
TAK...
As he pulled away, he felt a stinging pain on the left side of his stomach.
The same injury he''d seen in his vision.
Seeing the masked man a few meters away, he knew what wasing next.
『He''s gonna go for that kick!』
Jan reinforced the t side of his de with both hands, anticipating the attack he had foreseen. He remembered the brutal pain in his stomach from the vision. So, he reinforced his core with aura in case the attack pierced his defense.
"What are you doing?" the masked man asked. "Why aren''t you guarding your head?"
"What?!" Jan''s expression turned to disbelief.
He witnessed everything in slow motion.
The man''s de vanished into thin air, and he pulled his entire arm back, clenching his fist tightly.
**
He didn''t bother using mana or aura.
Because everything in this moment felt perfect for Rel.
"...!"
CRACK...
[Critical Hit!]
Rel''s punch connected with Jan''s face, and ck lightning erupted from his fist.
Jan was sent flying backward, crashing into the double doors of the Sunlit King''s boss room.
『I couldn''t see it... his attack... that shock didn''t just erupt from my face, it''s stinging my entire body.』
The pain was bearable, but Jan was clinging to his life.
The damage was as severe as being pierced by a sword.
His fragile body was still a problem, and enduring full-force attacks always took a toll on his mental stamina.
His mind could ignore the pain, but his body couldn''t.
BLEH...
Jan spat out blood, but he refused to give up.
"I won''t lose..."
He used his sword as a crutch to get back up.
"I''ll make sure of it," the masked man replied condescendingly.
Jan gritted his teeth, realizing it was time to use that ability.
After all, he had vowed to only use it when his life was on the line.
"???リ? iリ??リ?? ? || p∷????∷???? a?!???? ? o? r??????"
"...!"
Rel''s eyes widened, his heart sinking as he witnessed Jan''s transformation. His blue eyes turned gold, his right eye morphing into a clock, and his left eye taking on a golden cross surrounded by stars.
Rel realized the gravity of the situation. Jan was only doing this because his life was at stake.
Jan''s expression was a robotic frown, devoid of emotion, ignoring the pain and exhaustion in his body.
Rel had no choice.
"Threat..." Jan muttered, his voice cold and detached. "Must destroy or die..."
He imbued his damaged broadsword with aura and marched slowly towards Rel.
TAP...TAP...TAP...
Jan''s movements were robotic and deliberate.
But Rel wasn''t going to stand there and wait.
[Special Ability: Clockwork of Time [Grade 2] Has Been Activated!]
DOOOOOSH!
Rel had to act first, before things escted further. His life was in danger.
As time slowed down, he dashed forward as fast as he could without depleting more stamina or mana.
[Special Ability: Pocket Realm Has Summoned Weapon: Axel [Grade 1] - ]
Rel''s de reappeared in his hand, and he was now only a few meters away from Jan.
...
...
...
"I''m sorry, but I can''t let you adapt to this..."
Those words echoed in my soul.
Everything I witnessed shed before my eyes as the masked figure closed the distance with impossible speed.
His de appeared out of thin air, and before I knew it, my ability woke me up.
He passed by me like a blur... he dashed past, but I didn''t feel an attack.
Time seemed to slow down, and I couldn''t fully process what had happened in that millisecond.
I didn''t think I had been attacked or felt anything after he passed.
But when I looked down at my stomach... It was all clear now.
A ck sh stretched across the room, right below me. It wasn''t just any ordinary sh; it was a projectile sh, one that held only the color of ck—the anomaly of aura and qi.
I never understood why it was considered an anomaly.
But I don''t think I''ll ever find out.
I guess that''s okay, because I think I can finally ept my fate.
I had lost.
"Divine Severance."
___________
To Be Continued
___________