BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
BAM!
I regained my bearings—just before hitting the ground.
BOOM!
A crater exploded beneath me from the sheer force of impact.
"Haah…" I gasped, wiping the blood from my lips.
Unbelievable.
He can manipulate his abilities that well?
Right after appearing there—somehow—I was surrounded again by flaming spheres.
No… wait.
I think he conjured them elsewhere.
And just as they were about to explode, he brought them to me.
Bastard.
He's adapting… to time drag.
Freaking monster.
"Haah… haah… haah…"
I heard the panting. Then I turned.
He was behind me.
A spear in his hand. A grin on his face.
"So this is the power you've been trying to tap into all this time? Impressive, I won't lie.
But… how long can borrowed power last?"
POOOOM!
Wait—
He just got faster?
Wait…
Was he holding back this whole time?!
"Heh… hehehe… HAHAHAHA—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I couldn't hold it in.
I see.
I finally see it.
How foolish I've been this whole damn time.
Jason didn't defeat this monster.
No… Jason can't defeat this monster.
At least not in the time he claimed to.
Which means…
This bastard let Jason win.
But why?
WHOOM!
In an instant, he appeared before me.
I didn't move.
I could feel it.
The trembling in my core.
My power—
It was growing.
What is this feeling?
BAM!
My arm moved on its own—faster than I could think—
Just as he appeared, my palm clenched into a fist and—
BOOM!
A sonic-fast punch slammed into his gut.
"Ugh!"
He spat out saliva.
BAM! BAM!
Two hits to the abdomen, one clean strike to the face.
At this point I was moving so fast, I didn't need to think.
All those combat drills I was forced to master as Eren Nevana…
Every jab, uppercut, sweep, spin—
It was all ingrained in me since childhood.
My body moved with ruthless, seamless instinct.
"ENOUGH!"
BOOOOOOOM!
A massive shockwave tore through us as we both released devastating attacks at the same time.
The air around us twisted, warped—
Even the dream world started to collapse.
"Pure mana?" he laughed, chest rising.
"Hah… you just keep surprising me."
I looked down.
A swirling vortex of darkness opened beneath our feet.
This place—
This part of the mystic realm—
It's breaking apart.
I looked forward.
He stood there across the shattered dreamscape.
His shirt was gone—burned to ash.
And finally, I saw it—
The physical power hidden beneath the quirky, odd clothes he always wore.
I spat.
Blood and saliva.
Closed my eyes.
I could feel it.
More power…
Just out of reach.
So close.
Even now, during our clash—
I instinctively did something.
When he was about to unleash a massive fire attack, I had no spells prepared.
So I just… poured a ridiculous amount of raw mana into my palm—
And launched it.
No form, no shape.
Just pure energy.
Didn't expect much.
But it countered him.
It actually canceled his attack.
Slowly, but surely…
I'm getting there.
I opened my eyes.
"Haah."
A calm breath.
"This dream realm won't last much longer," I said.
"What do you say we finish this?"
He began rotating his arm—
So fast it looked like a turbine.
One step.
Then another.
In no time, I was sprinting—
So fast the ground beneath my feet cracked.
Yeah.
Let's end this.
BOOOOOOM!
I leapt.
So did he.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His roar shook the world.
His spear ignited—
And above him, an enormous inferno rose like a second sun.
I could feel the searing heat from here.
"Try not to die," he grinned.
WHOOM!
It descended.
I couldn't stop.
I was already airborne.
Haah…
[Time Drag: Activated]
[Warning: User's body can no longer handle the strain of ability]
I sighed.
"Fuck."
Closed my eyes.
Manifested the sword from my spatial ring.
Thin-edged. Katana-like.
I channeled energy—
So.
Much.
Damn.
Energy.
Then—
Zzzzzzzzzzz!
The blade trembled.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I tore through the inferno—
Just me, and a single blade.
No armor. No shield.
Only resolve.
My skin charred—
The pain went beyond my nerves.
And through the flames, I saw him.
"Interesting… truly interesting," he murmured.
"I've seen enough—for now.
We'll meet again, Estelia.
But first—"
He extended a hand.
"A parting gift."
He licked his finger.
And just like before—
I was surrounded again.
By flaming orbs.
I gritted my teeth.
"FUCK YOU!"
"Till we meet again."
He warped.
It lit up.
The greatest firework I had ever witnessed in my life.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!