Drake heaved a breath only long enough to steady himself as he hit the ground. The fight was far from over. He may have defeated his opponent, but Han was dealing with two all on his own.
He struggled to get up, using his wind magic to carry his body upright as his earth magic was still unusable from his earlier skill.
Looking into the distance he was amazed by what he saw. Han was holding off both Voidlings with skill and speed much greater than before.
That was when it clicked for Drake. The skills that Han had used.
It's the same as my elemental endowment… He really does have every skill I do and more? Drake thought, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.
Is that just another reason I'm here…? To see what my future is like through my own Father?
But Han's fight was reaching a fever pitch. Kuuwei's swords clashed with Han's, as Han defended himself against the onslaught. His arms a blur as they deflected each strike, the sparks basking him in hail of light.
Between each exchange, Han was also dealing with the Voidling currently using his brother's body as well. The flurry of blows from Marun' Dune only further increased the tension in the air to a palpable level. The clash of aura's so chaotic and thick they began to bend the air around them.
For every attack Han attempted to land, he was forced to defend himself from two more. But somehow he was still able to effortlessly compete with them.
Drake's attention stretched as far as his focus would allow, trying his best to drink in every move, every blow, every exchange between the three.
Han wasn't just putting on a class, he was putting on a clinic.
Drake had fought against multiple opponents. He was no stranger in his past fights to such things. But to do so against two E-Ranks, one on the cusp of D-Rank. And one being a full blooded Asuran while the other was half primordial was a feat Drake wasn't sure he could do himself.
The stand off seemed to last forever as the clash began ripping up the ground around them until they finally separated.
Kuuwei's swords began glowing in more intense blue light as they flew forward. Marun' Dune's arms basking in a dark purple glow.
Marun' Dune, threw his hands forward, the glow condensing into a ball in front of him, "Ki Wave."
Drake's jaw dropped as he saw the pseudo hadoken fly forward, the ball gaining speed and size as it traveled forward.
Then he saw Han use the same motion, his arms glowing gold as he thrusted his palms in front of him, "Breaker. Ki spear."
Han's glow turned into a pointed spear at the base of his palms, flying out like a ballista bolt as it skewered and snapped the ball of energy in two. A moment later, his hands reformed the golden glow as they blurred, snatching Kuuwei's blades from the air.
"It's over. Release my brother, now," Han growled.
"No, I don't think I will," Marun' Dune laughed.
Then Drake saw the TItan Primordial thrust his hand into the other Voidling, seemingly consuming it as the main body glowed in a deep purple.
Marun' Dune smiled, his eyes flashing red, "I conceded this round, but I will see you soon. Remember, I always know where you are."
A split in the air crackled it apart, a black void opening up as the Voidling stepped through it, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
Drake was flabbergasted. He couldn't make heads or tails of the situation he had just witnessed.
His father was able to go head to head with the Primordial Titan and live, and he wasn't even S-Rank yet.
But it seemed the power Han showed was not without its drawbacks. Han fell to his knees a loud cough alerting Drake to just how much the fight had taken out of him.
Drake did his best to get to Han to help him, only to see the pool of blood on the ground, streams of red coming from Han's mouth, eyes, and ears.
Instead of concern, Drake couldn't help himself from chuckling.
"Like father like son I guess…" he muttered, unable to stop the slight warm feeling he felt bubble up in his chest.
But the moment passed quickly, the sounds of thundering steps in the distance along with screeches of the familiar insect variety, reminded Drake that they were still in a war zone. At least technically a war zone.
"Damn it, and that lousy bastard sent his damn psycho kids after us too! What a time for my legs to not work," Drake cursed.
"I-if only your mouth would cease as well," Han scoffed, a moment later coughing up another heap of blood on the ground.
"Hey you aren't going to die right?" Drake said with concern. More a faint feeling of obligation to Han than anything. Or maybe he was trying to keep himself at arms length from the man who he couldn't deny was his father anymore.
Drake struggled with replacing the father he had known his entire 'life' with the one he saw in front of him. Who might as well be his own age as well. Because Drake knew that the moment he did, it would mean that father from earth that he had so many fond memories of was no longer there, no longer real. That would mean the man he saw in a drunken stupor, beating his son senseless and blaming him was the real man.
He shook his head.
"Can you stand?" Drake asked, his jaw tightening in irritation at his internal thoughts.
"No, the backlash from using my Legacy Conversion for longer than normal is not something I can just walk away from so soon," Han replied, grimacing.
"Perfect. You know I was really hoping you were going to be a proper tough bastard and tell me it was just a flesh wound."
"Does this look like just a flesh wound? What would false bravado serve in this situation?"
"You know what, nevermind. Just how the hell are we going to get out of here…"
Drake attempted to lift Han up from the ground with his wind magic. And thankfully he was able, even if he was much heavier than he looked.
The expense on his mana wasn't awful and didn't seem to be a need for concern, however, Drake began to rethink that as soon as he saw the incoming army of insectoids make their way to them.
But they didn't seem to just be charging at him, no. They seemed to be running away from something.
That was when Drake looked over the trees towards the horizon where a mount of fire was moving towards them.
"W-Wha the actual fuck is that!?" he roared, his face paling.
Han coughed, tilting his head upwards he gave a sigh of annoyance.
"The children of Marun' Dune. Each one could destroy entire sectors, yet they are using their avatars to torment and fight on this planet… Voltor, the Eternal Consuming Furnace. It would seem our luck is even worse than I thought."
"What kind of name is the Eternal Consuming Furnace? And what the hell is an avatar!"
"We should start running," Han said casually.
"Why aren't you more freaked out!?"
"It isn't the first time I've seen a titan, and it won't be the last. The pinnacle, the apex of what is possible, the realm of gods and Originators. A single titan can't compare to the mountain I wish to climb."
That was when the air turned cold, a blue, glass-like mountain in the distance, peeked over the line of trees.
Han's head turned and he scoffed.
"Tandecence, The Timeless Permafrost. I rescind my previous statement, one titan can not compare, but perhaps two can."
"Oh very funny! We're joking now huh?!"
"I thought you could appreciate it."
"Only I can make the uncomfortable and out of place jokes around here! Fuck! How are we going to get back with all these insects let alone the titans!?" Drake spat, willing his magic to turn them in the direction Ganeer and the others went.
"I can give us a head start. Flex your aura or you are going to die," Han said seriously.
Drake felt his back stiffen the hair on his neck stand on end as Han spoke. The words feeling more than just a warning, but a threat.
But doing as Han said, he flexed his aura to its full extent, feeling the strain on his body and consciousness as he did.
The swarm began closing in all around them as Drake tried to focus on his aura as well as moving them forward with his wind magic, while his body still recovered slowly.
Then he felt it. The overwhelming pressure exuding from Han. Unlike before when he fought the Voidling, this pressure, this aura was something else entirely.
The sheer oppressive force it was creating was unmatched by anything Drake had ever felt. It was even more tyrannical than his own. The aura wasn't just oppressive, it was as if it was displeased with the notion of Drake even existing within its domain. It wasn't just a sphere of absolute rule.
It was fact. There was no arguing, no room for debate, no way to exist without its permission.
Drake could feel his own sphere of aura nearly crumble instantly. And it truly would have if it wasn't for Han's warning.
He was immediately drenched in sweat and was in a fight for his life that couldn't even be comparable to the fights he had before. There was nothing like it. Drake felt that if he let himself slip here, he would disappear forever. That he would be- then he realized what the feeling truly was.
It was hunger. The desire to consume and the pure unadulterated fact that he was lower than Han.
But Drake fought back. Every atom in his body refused to see that as true. Refused to accept that he was lesser than. After everything he had been through, all the things he'd done? There was no disappearing, not now, not ever.
His own aura shrank down to nearly being skin tight around him, but he forced it back out. Fighting with everything he had in that moment as he flexed it in every possible way he knew how and more. Eventually he managed to keep a small bubble of his own aura to protect him.
However, Drake's body strained for what felt like an eternity, his eyes just fighting to focus on something. In the brief moment time stretched so far he thought he had entered a certain time chamber and gone over the limit.
That something he focused on?
It was the incoming insect army that was still running right for them.
Han's aura vanished after the moment finally passed. Drake letting out a breath that turned into a cough of blood, slightly feeling his eyes drip with warm liquid as it ran down his face.
He stopped them both as he began condensing what he could manage of his fire magic in front of them. Prepared for the worse.
That was when the entirety of the swarm stopped. Their colorful shells and bodies turning gray, drained of any life. A moment later they all turned to dust.
Drake's spell dissipated as he was unable to focus, his breath in heaps as his air magic also became erratic, falling apart.
He coughed, "W-What the hell was that? And why the fuck didn't you use it against that Voidling!"
Han laid with his face chest towards the sky, barely moving up and down from his exhaustion.
"That was my true aura. The Asuran's Absolute Pride. It only works against those who are truly beneath me. Be that level, class, race. But it costs… me…"
Before he could finish, Han had passed out.
"Oh, come on! What kind of shitty cliff hanger is that!?"