Raegar looked at the incoming Devil Lord as the terror welled up inside him, but he ignored it while thinking as he wiped the blood from his lips. 'I need to get stronger so this doesn't happen again!'
He shook his head and activated his special ability. ''Fusion Overdrive!''
The arena fell silent, as the world's Aether surged into Raegar's battered form. It roared through his veins like a tempest, catapulting him from Tier One to the towering might of a Tier Four warrior in an instant.
''I've felt death already! I won't experience it ever again!'' he roared in pure defiance. ''I'll grow strong enough to kill even more of you!''
This was an ascension born from the dire situation he found himself in, and something answered. His body screamed under the strain, pushed to its breaking point, blood gushing from his wounds in torrents.
He felt his muscles bulge and split, veins rupturing beneath his skin as the power coursed through him, far beyond what any mortal frame could endure. Blood sprayed from his eyes and mouth, his bones creaking under the strain, shards of pain lancing through every fiber of his being.
Raegar's left arm hung limp, shredded by the power's recoil, while crimson rivers streamed from his nose and ears, staining the cracked arena floor. His eyes blazed with unyielding fire, a snarl twisting his bloodied lips.
Moments later he let out a feral, earth-shaking roar that shook everything around them. He then exploded forward, his speed a blinding force that shattered the ground beneath him. As he closed the gap, his voice thundered, ''Fusion Smash!''
Seconds later, his fist crashed into the Devil Lord's face with a deafening clap that silenced the world. The fiend rocketed across the arena. But like a typhoon, he tore through the battlefield, a whirlwind of death.
Every remaining enemy was cut down, crushed, obliterated, he left nothing standing in his wake. He ripped them apart with his bare hands and crushed others' heads just as the devil lord got up.
Raegar thrust a trembling, bloody finger at the devil lord, his eyes igniting with the ferocious glow of the eight elements. His voice bellowed in a rage that shook the air. ''With this power I have you'll die here, I'll rip you to pieces with my own hands!''
Channeling every last drop of Aether into his fist, he surged forward, a blazing meteor hurtling toward the near-dead fiend. His fully charged Fusion Punch landed with apocalyptic force.
The devil's heart suddenly detonated in a gory eruption, half its body disintegrating into a void of nothingness. But in its death throes, the creature's remaining fist lashed out, piercing Raegar's stomach.
Blood sprayed, yet a manic grin split his face. ''RAAAH! I'M NOT DONE YET! ONLY THE STRONGEST SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD!'' he screamed, fury exploding from his core.
Reeling back, he slammed his forehead into the devil's skull, again and again, shockwaves rippling outward, fracturing the dungeon itself. Still, it wasn't enough as his daggers appeared in his hands.
With a feral snarl, Raegar abandoned all restraint, his blades flashing in a frenzied storm of wild stabs before they were sent flying. Then, casting caution aside, he sank his teeth into the fiend's throat.
He savagely tore it free, dark blood erupting in a gruesome arc covering him from head to toe. The Devil Lord staggered, then collapsed, its lifeless body hitting the ground with a final thud.
Raegar towered over it for a fleeting moment, blood-drenched, broken, but triumphant before as he muttered. ''I'm finally getting strong enough to protect my family and Yuki.''
Moments later, his strength gave out, and he crumpled to the shattered earth as darkness consumed him.
***
''Did you just see that Tarrin! The world favors him,'' Orin said in amazement. ''Just like the legends!''
The blonde man nodded as Lyra healed his broken arm. ''That kid is something else, that was Tier Five power but what did it cost him,'' he said with worry laced in his voice.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
Seconds later, Elaris's desperate voice cut through the chaos. ''Lyra! Get over here now and heal Rae, it's bad, real bad!''
The group bolted toward him, their footsteps faltering as they saw him. Raegar was like a shattered monument, lacerations crisscrossed his flesh, deep slashes gaped wide, and grotesque wounds oozed rivers of blood that pooled at his feet.
His breaths rasped, ragged and shallow, yet his one remaining eye still burned with defiant fire. Lyra stumbled forward, her hands trembling as she summoned her healing magic while mumbling her incantations.
Golden light flared from her palms, weaving over his ravaged form. Some of the shallower cuts began to knit closed, but the deeper wounds resisted, dark and unyielding. Panic surged in her chest, her voice breaking as she cried out.
''I can't heal him! The damage, it's too much!'' Horror etched her face as the realization sank in
Just then a portal opened in the center of the arena as a dozen people rushed in only to stop when seeing them tending to Raegar. The first to speak was the Guild Master, whose voice echoed out. ''Where's the boy!''
Tarrin stood up while grimacing but still answered. ''Over here! He needs a powerful healer.''
When Lisara heard this, her eyes widened in shock as she rushed over to the unconscious Raegar and gasped in horror at his appearance. Moments later, the elf woman spotted the dead devil lord.
''Did he kill that thing?'' she pointed at the corpse in disbelief.
''Yes,'' Elaris answered, her voice trembling. ''It was unreal, straight out of the ancient tales. He was on the brink of defeat, seconds from breaking, but then it was as if the world itself refused to let him fall.''
The blonde elf looked at the sleeping boy and continued. ''The Aether surged into him, igniting his power to heights I've never seen, and he obliterated the devil lord like it was nothing while taking a bad wound to his stomach.''
Following that, Lisara scooped Raegar up before replying. ''I'm taking him to the royal hospital in Ravengard City. It's three days from here and I can call upon a Sky Eagle to help me but stick around Dreadshade City as the little shit will be back no doubt.''
When Tarrin and the others heard this, their eyes widened in surprise as Orin questioned with a hopeful expression. ''Will the kid be okay Guild Master?''
''What has happened to you guys?'' she said as they stepped through the portal only to appear in the street outside the entrance. ''I didn't think you'd care about the boy.''
They all laughed but Lyra explained while looking at the unconscious teenager. ''He saved us a few times and was nice, plus he reminds us of Tarrin's son.''
Lisara nodded in understanding. ''Just stay here and I'll leave him a message to return to the city when he's healed, which should take a while,'' she answered the bear man's inquiry.
After speaking, the older woman let out a loud shrill whistle, seconds later, a loud screech could be heard before a Sky Eagle landed in the middle of the street, making the guard commander protest. ''Guild Master! You're not allowed to summon tames in the city.''
Her gaze snapped to him with a death glare and warned the vampire. ''Do you want to earn the ire of the Dawnfire Lion? Maybe the entire Von Carstein Family? This is the king's special guest and I need to get him to Ravensguard.''
Just then Tarrin and Orin pushed the guard back, giving her the monster enough space to take off. The elf pushed the Sky Eagle to its limits as they flew south toward Ravengard City to try to save the boy.
Lisara looked down and cringed when noticing every part of his body was scarred by the battle, causing her to mutter. ''You'll be badly scarred but there's healers back in the empire that can repair the damage to your face.''
Following that, the eagle soared across the Nytheria Kingdom heading south to the Veil Strait that split their realm with the Lunathyr Kingdom in the west. It took Lisara twelve hours to reach the hospital, but the king had already ordered them to save the boy.
When she landed in the courtyard, a dozen healers grabbed Raegar and dragged him inside to one of the private rooms where she followed behind. Once away from public eyes, they stripped the boy only to be shocked.
The damage was intensive, but they quickly found out that the Devil's poison was rampaging through his body and burning everything it touched. Lisara was ushered out of the room so they could focus.
When the older woman was outside, she worried and panicked at the reaction of the royal family. She waited for days until a rider from the capital appeared and passed on a message to her about the boy's grandfather.
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