Chapter 207: Ash vs Ray (4)
"Hey, does that makes any sense...?"
"How would I even know? Maybe I am dreaming..."
"No, idiots, I feel like we are under the illusion of another demon...."
The audience was muttering nonsense, their minds scattered and unable to grasp what they were witnessing. They had no choice—after all, the scene unfolding in front of them was far too shocking to comprehend.
Questions were rising like a tide, and they were not only about Ash. Ray’s sudden surge in power, his strange breakthrough to the next rank, and the fact that he could withstand the kind of raw force Ash unleashed left them speechless. It was hard to accept that someone could endure attacks that looked strong enough to crush bones with a single blow.
Nothing was making sense.
And then there was Ash.
How was he this powerful? How could he cast spells instantly as if the process didn’t exist? How was he so skilled in close combat, fighting like a trained warrior while still being labeled as a mage? How could his punches, which should have been weaker than any weapon strike, shake the ground with such terrifying power? And most importantly..... was Ash truly a mage?
After seeing the last move he pulled off, both Ash and Ray had become something more than students in the eyes of everyone. They were monsters.
"It’s like a fight between monsters..."
Someone muttered in disbelief, but no one spoke afterward. They all felt the same way, as if they were watching beings far beyond their reach.
However, not everyone was impressed. Among the female students, a storm of jealousy brewed. Nearly half of them were seething with anger, their thoughts circling back to Elysia.
What does that bitch have for these two monsters to fight like this....
That was the collective resentment echoing in their minds, and Elysia was slowly becoming the target of quiet hatred from more and more girls.
Among the instructors, Leonard’s reaction stood out. He stood frozen, his mouth slightly open, face painted with shock.
But inside, his emotions were far from calm. He felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement, his body trembling from the sheer thrill of witnessing something so intense. Despite his age, the feeling of watching such an extraordinary fight made him want to jump, cheer, and scream.
What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?!
He repeated in his mind like a broken record. He was just too overwhelmed by what he was seeing, his body shaking as he forced himself to stay composed.
Yet, the one most shaken was none other than Ray himself.
{Sigh, looks like I was right again.}
Aetheris’ calm voice echoed in his mind. When the whole ’Unknown’ incident had taken place, Aetheris had once suggested that maybe Ash was the mysterious figure.
At the time, Ray had laughed it off, saying, "It can’t be him. He has low potential, and I can’t look at every lightning user as an enemy."
But those words now came back to haunt him like an unshakable truth.
"You.... you..."
Ray’s lips trembled, but Ash was not listening. Fueled by despair and unrelenting determination, his fists only grew faster, sharper, and heavier with each strike.
-Bam!!
-Bam!!!
-Bam!!
"You.... are you....."
Before Ray could even finish the thought, something happened. After ten long, relentless minutes of pounding attacks, a faint whiteness began to shimmer over his body.
The skill was finally reaching its limit. The glow deepened, brightening and growing denser with every passing second. Ray didn’t speak either, as if he too knew what was coming.
But beneath his calm exterior, unnatural fury surged through him, and just thinking about Ash being Unknown made him angrier. After all, Unknown has...? What had Unknown or Ash done to him? What had Ash truly done to him that made his blood boil like this?
As Ray questioned himself, there was no answer. Ash had never harmed him or anyone close to him, never interfered with his path, never caused him any loss other than taking the runes...
....Yes....he took the runes. My runes...
Ray’s state was getting a little out of control, his thoughts twisting as if someone was pouring oil into the flames of his anger.
{Snap out of it, boy. Use the damn mind skill you purchased.}
Aetheris’ voice sliced through his chaotic thoughts like a sharp blade. Ray’s mind shook awake. Without hesitation, he activated the skill, feeling a sudden wave of clarity sweep over him. His breathing steadied.
What was that just now...?
{So, it really was... Huh?}
What? What do you mean?
{I know you’re not ignorant enough to pretend you didn’t notice it. Don’t act like you’re clueless.}
But... I really don’t understand what you mean...
{...}
Aetheris fell silent. It wasn’t a silence of reluctance but one that carried weight, as if the sword spirit had realized something terrifying and dared not speak it aloud—or perhaps it couldn’t.
I need to calm down... I need to get out of these chains... My mana is dropping fast, and if I keep wasting aura like this, I won’t last long...
Just then, a strange instinct whispered at the edge of his mind, like a advice, and his body moved before his thoughts could catch up.
[Overclock Activated]
[Skill Description: Temporarily increases all stats by 90% for 5 minutes. After the effect ends, the body suffers backlash, and the user will lose consciousness for one week.]
A surge of crimson energy exploded around Ray, clashing and weaving into the violet aura until both forces merged into a storm of raw power. The chains of lightning shattered apart like they were made of brittle glass. Even Ash, who had been so close, felt the raw pressure slash at his skin, his hands turning bloody from the violent force.
Ash instantly leapt back, a flash of shock in his eyes. His hands healed within seconds, but his expression shifted, becoming cold and still, his mind as calm as an undisturbed lake.
What the hell is happening? Don’t tell me... but could it be...?
Ash’s jaw tightened. Seeing Ray use Overclock didn’t make him feel triumphant like he might have expected. Usually, Overclock meant Ray had only five minutes before his body collapsed into unconsciousness.
But not this time.
Damn it... how the hell is he learning this fast? How does he already know how to link Overclock with Indomitable Mantle...? *
Ash remembered it clearly. In the novel, Ray had only discovered this terrifying synergy much later, during a fight with someone far stronger.
By then, his protective skill had already been close to fully charged. When Overclock wore off, instead of falling unconscious, Indomitable Mantle absorbed all the excess force stored within it and replenished Ray’s body, stabilizing him and letting him continue fighting as if nothing had happened.
This was not supposed to happen now. Not here.
Even so, Ash knew Overclock could not be used twice in a row. The system itself punished such reckless strain. But one use was more than enough.
Ray’s body, now amplified by Overclock and shielded by the Indomitable Mantle, had become something close to untouchable. Every ounce of strength, every attack that Ash threw would now struggle to even leave a scratch.
Ash let out a slow breath, his eyes narrowing.
This is going to get far more troublesome now...
And troublesome it did.
Ray’s stats were now higher than Ash’s. Before Ash could even process his next move, a devastating punch slammed straight into his chest, making his body shoot backward like a cannonball. The impact stole the breath from his lungs, blood spilling from his mouth as he was sent flying through the air, crashing out of the arena.
Instructor Leonard’s expression turned grim. For a brief moment, even he lost sight of Ray’s movements. His instincts screamed at him to intervene. He stepped forward, ready to call off the match, but at that very moment, a sharp voice cut through his thoughts, resonating in his mind.
[Do not stop the fight. Intervene only if someone loses consciousness or is on the verge of death.]
His body halted. Slowly, he turned his gaze and saw the principal standing with an old man, both watching the fight with unshaken eyes. Leonard clenched his fists. His earlier excitement bled away, replaced by a heavy seriousness that weighed down his chest.
The entire arena was deathly silent. The kind of silence that made the hair on the back of one’s neck rise, the kind that felt unnatural, eerie, and heavy.
Meanwhile, Ash’s body, though battered, healed quickly. He stood up, but his instincts were flaring like warning sirens. Without a moment of hesitation, he teleported into the sky.
It was the right decision. The very next second, Ray’s sword aura cleaved through the ground where Ash had just been standing, creating a deep, gaping crater that left the spectators breathless.
I need to stall for five minutes...
But as always...
It’s not going to be easy. I’ll have to keep moving, teleporting constantly, and not give him even a single opening to strike...
Before Ash could finish his thoughts, the air exploded with a sharp boom. Ray had already leapt high, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Did he just... jump?
That was the last coherent thought Ash had before his entire focus shifted. He could have teleported, but he knew there was at least a one-second delay to activate it if he had already stopped moving.
Once he started chaining teleports, there would be no delay between them, but if he paused for even a moment, that single second of activation could become fatal.
So, with no time to risk that gap, he did what he could in that single heartbeat. He gathered every shred of his mana and poured it into his hands, layering them with a dense, hardened coating of energy, bracing himself to take the slash head-on.
-BOOM!!
The impact was brutal. The shockwave alone sent a ripple of pain through his arms. Ash was thrown downward, crashing into the ground with a deafening thud, his body buried in a fresh crater. His crossed arms trembled under the force, and for a terrifying moment, he felt his hands nearly split apart. If not for his last-second reinforcement, they would have been severed.
Lying there, Ash allowed his healing to kick in, repairing the damage before anyone could fully see the extent of his injuries. Then, without wasting even a breath, his body began flickering around the arena—teleporting, vanishing, reappearing in flashes. Each movement left afterimages in the air, creating the illusion that Ash was everywhere at once.
But Ray was undeterred.
With Overclock fueling him, his own mana reserves were monstrous. His aura-coated blade moved like a storm, striking at every corner where Ash appeared. The deadly dance between the two unfolded in the center of the arena, a whirlwind of sword slashes, teleportation trails, and blinding flashes of lightning.
The instructors had no choice but to step forward. Together, they raised a protective barrier to shield the students from the stray slashes and shockwaves. Even so, the barrier trembled violently under the sheer force of the attacks, cracks of energy running across its surface as if threatening to shatter at any second.
The students, however, felt no safety from the barrier. They could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on their chests, suffocating them.
Is this even the same world we live in...?
Are they... even students like us? No. No, they can’t be.
I feel like I’m going to throw up... just from watching.
If I was in that arena, I’d be dead before I even moved...
They’re monsters. Actual monsters. We’re nothing compared to them.
I thought I was strong... but now I feel like I’m just a joke.
Their whispers and thoughts were all drowned by the overwhelming fear that clung to the arena like a suffocating fog. This fight was no longer something they could watch casually. It was a clash between two beings who stood on a level far beyond their understanding. Some students shook in awe, others in fear, their minds breaking under the realization of how vast the gap truly was.
Would this fear spark determination within them? Or would it crush their spirits completely?
Only time would tell.
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