163: Punching Above My Weight 163: Punching Above My Weight [Skill Level Up!] [Seismic Burst – Level 4 → Level 5] I didn’t have ti to enjoy the rush.
Below , the cloaked man turned and activated a glowing blue shield.
The Essence shimred across its surface, dense and layered.
I yelled as I fell, voice tearing from my throat.
“RUUNNNNN!” I watched as Steve and the others turned on their heels and ran away from the man.
My staff blazed with fire.
It gathered at the tip into a spinning inferno, compressing into a sphere of focused destruction.
I activated [Blitz Hakai] the mont before impact.
The staff ca crashing down like a teor.
The shield held for less than a second.
Then, crack.
The spinning stopped.
The heat folded inward.
And then everything exploded.
Boom!
The blast hurled backward through the air, fire spiraling around as I tumbled.
I caught myself mid-fall and turned my head to look.
A crater smoked where the man had been.
He was half-buried in it, limbs twisted at odd angles, the ground beneath him shattered like glass.
His cloak was completely gone now.
I saw a young man, brown hair matted with blood, his face bruised and skin charred.
Smoke curled off him in thin wisps.
His body twitched, and I watched in disbelief as he moved.
He was still alive.
But both his arms hung limp at his sides, clearly broken.
There was no way he could fight anymore.
Then my perception flared, danger from behind.
Both of the other n were rushing straight at .
I forced myself to stand.
My legs shook, bones aching, but I didn’t have the luxury of rest.
I turned to face them just as the hamr-wielder scread out in rage.
“You bastard!
I’ll kill you!” His body tensed, then he roared, “teor Smash!” I barely had ti to react.
His figure blurred, vanishing into a blur of speed and fury.
I caught a glimpse of his hamr, glowing red-hot, his arms lit up with the sa fiery glow, and even his eyes shone with crimson light.
My instincts scread.
I threw up my defense as fast as I could.
[Spatial Shield] The air in front of thickened, distorted, and compressed, space itself bending into a barrier.
Then ca the impact.
The hamr crashed into the shield with a deafening boom.
The compressed space held for a mont but only a mont, before it shattered with a sound like glass breaking under pressure.
I didn’t have ti to breathe.
I raised my staff in front of just as the hamr followed through, smashing into it.
Bang!
The world spun.
Pain shot through my arms as the impact launched backward like a ragdoll.
The wind tore past my face before the crash ca.
I slamd into the dirt beside the half-buried man I’d just taken down.
Dust and debris flew into the air as my body skidded across the ground.
I gasped, chest heaving, the force of the blow leaving my lungs half-empty.
The hamr guy charged at again, but before he could get close, Steve stepped in, placing himself between us.
His sword glead in the light, ready.
A second later, the rest of our group arrived, weapons raised, faces tense.
We stood in silence, the air heavy with heat and threat.
I forced myself upright, my legs still shaky, and limped toward the man half-buried in the ground.
He was barely conscious, groaning quietly.
I lifted my staff and pressed the tip right above his head, the flas on it still burning.
Then I turned to the hamr-wielder and t his eyes through the torn hood.
“You take one more step, and I’ll smash his head like a waterlon,” I said, my voice cold.
“And don’t think I’ve forgotten, you’ve got one more guy hiding sowhere.” The battlefield fell quiet again.
Even the distant sounds of Arkas’s fighting had faded.
Then the hamr guy laughed.
A slow chuckle at first… then a full, loud, echoing laugh.
“Hahahaha!” “What makes you think I care about his life?” he said, sneering.
I tilted my head slightly.
“You don’t?
Well, that’s fine by .” I channeled Essence into my staff.
Flas whirled around the tip, spinning faster and faster until a fireball ford, just above the man’s head.
It grew quickly, almost the size of the man’s head, the heat so intense the ground beneath him began to sizzle.
The hamr guy muttered sothing under his breath, but I ignored it.
“You can say your goodbyes, then,” I said calmly.
The fireball shrank, condensing tighter as it spun.
The hum it gave off beca sharper, louder.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak again, the other man—the earth-user—called out.
“Alright, wait!
Wait!” I could feel his eyes burning into as he added, “What do you want?” “Simple,” I replied.
“Get lost.” He gave a dry, almost amused chuckle.
“You really think we ca all this way just to throw a few attacks and then run?
You might kill one of our guys, sure but what about the rest of the kids around you?
We might not be able to kill you, but wiping them out won’t take much.” My brow furrowed.
I didn’t respond right away.
I studied his face, trying to read whether he was bluffing.
“Go ahead,” I said finally.
“Try it.
I’ve already seen this man’s face.
The army will track him down, and all of you, one by one.
So kill who you want… but I guarantee you, my friends will be waiting for you in hell.” The fireball pulsed louder, its spin wild now, humming like a blade cutting through the air.
Then I felt sothing shift.
A new presence.
My senses snapped toward the edge of the field.
The man who had been hiding finally moved.
He walked slowly, calmly, heading toward us with confident steps.
As he approached, I felt the change imdiately.
The air around him vibrated, the pressure thick and unnatural.
My instincts scread at , this one was different.
“Steve,” I said quickly, without taking my eyes off the newcor.
“Everyone, get behind .” No one questioned .
Steve stepped beside , sword steady in his grip.
The others moved behind us, forming a tight line.
And I stared at the approaching figure.
My heart pounded harder.
He ca to a stop between the hamr-wielder and the earth-user.
The two of them stepped back, almost instinctively falling behind him.
‘Is he their leader?’ I wondered.
The air was heavy with tension.
A few long seconds passed before the man finally spoke.
“Billion Ironhart,” he said, his voice raspy and strangely artificial, like he was forcing it through so kind of filter.
“You’ve really surprised us.
Not even Level 50, and yet you had the power to drive a Level 103 into the ground.
That’s… unheard of.” My jaw tightened, but deep down, I felt sothing warm, satisfaction.
Pride.
I had taken down soone far above my level.
Sure, I’d caught him off guard, and maybe that guy wasn’t the strongest out there.
For all I knew, his class could’ve been a rare one, or maybe just common.
Still, no matter how I looked at it, that was a win.
The man continued, his presence pressing against like a rising tide.
“I’ll be honest with you.
I know your vice commander is nearby, lurking.
I’ve been trying to pin her down, but she’s slippery.
Impressive.” He paused, then offered sothing that made every nerve in my body tighten.
“So here’s the deal.
You co with us.
Join our side… and we leave your friends alive.
For now.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Billion_Generator Your gift is the motivation for my creation.
Give more motivation!
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