Asher was barely holding himself back from screaming at this mont. Whatever pain tolerance he had built before this mont was rendered utterly useless. He only managed to remain silent out of sheer willpower and nothing more, forcing his body to endure what his mind could barely comprehend.
Virelass humd softly as she unsheathed herself from her sheath and appeared beside Asher, her presence gentle yet tinged with sorrow as she resonated with his condition. Without missing a beat, she activated Crimson Pact, using the blood she had gathered rely minutes ago to begin healing Asher.
His bones began to nd, his skin closing swiftly, while his organs regenerated at a slower pace due to the quality of the blood, yet Virelass compensated for this limitation by simply increasing the volu, forcing regeneration through sheer quantity.
She stared pitifully at Asher; she had seen him receive injuries of various degrees, from his battle during the True Awakening where he had been battered, to his battle with Blue, but all his injuries had always co after prolonged battles and exchanges of dangerous, life-ending attacks, not this, never this, where he had been rendered utterly incapable of anything with a single, effortless strike.
Asher knew that if he didn’t possess Crimson Pact, he would already be done for. A single attack, and the battle would have already been over before it even truly began.
’Thank you, Virelass,’ Asher ntally communicated with Virelass as he felt the imnse pain he had been enduring recede and vanish the mont she completed his healing, leaving behind only a faint echo of what had once been unbearable agony.
Asher didn’t speak anymore; he simply sat where he was in silence as he reflected inwardly... he had gotten arrogant.
Yes, he had grown arrogant, arrogant and careless.
He had been standing in front of a peak Wavestar Life Ranker like a fool placed on a chopping board, without any of his core abilities activated aside from Star Sense and Omni Perception. Asher didn’t need to lie to himself; his arrogance had almost cost him his life, and that realization struck deeper than any physical injury ever could.
He had fought Knight Hillary despite being weaker than the man and had still won. He had fought the assassin Blue despite also being weaker and had erged victorious. All his battles had always been against opponents who stood above him in Life Rank, and yet he had matched them physically, either without Astra energy augntation or with only the most basic enhancents.
Well, aside from soone like Dorris, where he had needed Thalric’s help, which had been understandable given the circumstances.
He had fought a Grave Rank Monster and won, fought a Rank 5 Emovira and won, sparred against Instructor Jane and even claid victory.
He had grown too used to winning, so much so that he had made such a fundantal, rookie mistake. As soone about to battle a Wavestar Life Ranker, he should have activated Star Energy to enhance his eyes for greater perception, his brain for faster thought processing and battle analysis, his central nervous system for quicker responses, his entire body for maximum efficiency, everything short of tapping into Star Form.
Yet, he had done none of that... he had been a fool.
A stupid transmigrated fool who was conscious of the fact that he was still alive only because Debro had held back and had no intention of killing him with that singular attack. After all, the man wanted to take him, not destroy him.
’It seems I need to do so inner reflection when I get back,’ Asher thought to himself as he rose to his feet slowly, Virelass returned to her sheath the mont she saw that Asher was standing once more, her task complete for now.
’Over two kilotres with a single kick, huh,’ he thought to himself, his mind calculating the implications, ’those above Rank 5 in any ranking system truly possess an entirely different calibre of power.’ He shook his head slightly at the thought, acknowledging the vast gap that still existed.
Then, from the side, he heard a footstep approaching. He didn’t need to guess to know it was Debro. The man appeared with an expression that carried traces of guilt as he looked around the area, observing the ravines, the destroyed trees, and the splattered blood that painted the environnt. He wasn’t surprised; he had expected this level of destruction, after all, he had attacked Asher with enough force to render him immobile while still accounting for the resilience of a Wargrave physique.
He wasn’t surprised at Asher’s healed body either. As a Wavestar Life Ranker, he could perceive things two kilotres away as though they were right in front of him, making nothing within this range hidden from his awareness.
"Look what you made do, Ash," Debro stated, his eyes shifting briefly to the hill where Asher had been launched into re monts ago, his tone carrying a strange blend of bla and twisted affection.
Asher wanted to attack imdiately, but he saw no opening. Despite the man’s words of love, he left no vulnerabilities in his stance or positioning, his body perfectly aligned for both offense and defense.
’Would anyone who claims to love soone even attack them with such force?’ Asher couldn’t help but question inwardly.
Asher didn’t speak. He simply removed his shattered breastplate, along with the fragnts of his vambraces and even his greaves. Although the greaves remained mostly intact, he knew they would be of no real help in what was to co.
With that, Star Energy surged through Asher’s body, humming with controlled intensity. His perception expanded as the world around him seed to slow, his brain processing speed skyrocketing, his reactions sharpening, and his physical prowess rising to its absolute peak under the enhancent of Star Energy.
Asher didn’t dare use Astra energy for this battle. He wouldn’t make such a mistake again, not after what had just happened.
With that decision made, he drew his rapier as he shifted into a battle stance, his muscles and fibres coiling like tightly wound springs as he prepared to lunge forward like a predator stalking its prey.
He was ready.
Debro, seeing all of this, remained silent for a mont before shaking his head slightly as he spoke, "While I hate to do this, Ash, if this is what it takes to bring you back with , then so be it. And if a battle is what you want, then I shall give it to you. After all, I understand how you Wargraves are," his tone calm yet resolute.
The mont he finished speaking, his hand moved to the katana resting at his left waist, and without wasting another mont, he drew his blade. His black eyes t Asher’s purple ones, the air between them growing heavier with each passing second.
He didn’t draw upon his Astra energy; to him, there was no need. Asher’s augntation would still fall short due to the overwhelming difference in their Major Life Ranks.
And with that, tension and silence stretched between the both of them like a tightly drawn bowstring, ready to snap at any mont. One fought to bring the object of his twisted affection back with him for his own desires, while the other stood firm, prepared to end this mission and put down a sick, deluded man once and for all.
Then, without warning, the tension snapped as they both vanished from where they stood in blurs of absolute velocity, their movents so fast they seed to erase their very presence from the space they once occupied.
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