Aaron's body twitched—the backlash slamming into him like invisible claws, tearing through his core from within.
While the burst of mana from the Naelith might have seemed useful from an outside perspective, the way the Apex of Life supplied it wasn't the safest.
To put it simply, the energy he had been given was something between an illusion and a steroid, allowing him to surpass the limits of his core but face dire consequences.
And as the pain engulfing his body began to cease in the short term, he knew that on top of his already half-broken state, he would now face extreme repercussions.
T-This is fine… Yeah… I can move, and that moltenback is distracted by that… thing…
Turning his gaze towards the red giant, he felt a strange tingling sensation behind his eyes, one that made his hand move upwards subconsciously as if drawn to his head.
Pressing his ruined fingers against his temples, the world folded inward on itself.
Colors burst to life, lines protruded from anything that drew breath, the astral plane bleeding into the real world like ink through paper.
Looking around cautiously, he noticed no abnormalities around the island, bar the strange dream-like energy circulating through the land.
Sweeping his gaze around towards the Oblivacis, he saw the orange strings flickering rapidly as they drew mana straight from the air.
I wish it could be that simple for me…
Releasing a short sigh, he raised his hand to deactivate the vision, only taking a small glance at the giant he had been looking at before.
His expression immediately froze, panic surging into his throat like a lump while his heart dropped to his stomach.
N-No way…
Deep inside the giant's massive gut, something pulsed, buried beneath the surface.
Slowly, the scene became clearer, and a figure—human—flared into view, bathed in sickly magenta light that oozed with the power of dreams.
A boy, only a couple of years his elder, holding a staff that shone the same color that streamed through the whole island like blood in the veins of an enormous beast..
H-He actually got swallowed by it!?
The pure insanity of someone getting devoured by a sea terror as part of a plan nearly made him laugh, but the realization of his own hypocrisy quickly snapped him back to reality.
Slowly, a dark look fell on the blond boy's face as he quickly surmised the fate that would soon befall the noble.
I-It's going to vaporize him…
Dread filled his throat as the promise he had made to himself rippled through his mind.
No matter if it cost him his life, he would save the people close to him; it was something he held dear to his heart.
But when faced with that exact scenario and the option to flee, he hesitated.
He wanted to run; every nerve screaming at him to bolt away as fast as he could.
But his feet stayed planted, chest burning, not with heat, but with something much fouler.
Guilt, anger, and, buried beneath it, a twisted satisfaction from seeing a high noble, born into power, influence, and authority, suffer the same way he had before.
These vile, dark sides of the usually cheery boy boiled to the surface as the choice between saving his life or another's weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Less than a minute remained before the giant would be blasted to pieces, the white-haired boy along with it.
Slapping his cheek with his right palm, he exhaled quietly, words collecting deep in his chest.
"Naelith."
The word was but a mutter.
"You wanted a show, right?"
There was no answer—but there was a tremble, something within his mind chuckling in amusement.
"Damn right you do. Let's make this quick, eh?"
With the words echoing lightly off his lips, his head snapped forward, blood soaring through his veins, mana filling his core in an instant.
It was an amount so vast that Aaron nearly gasped from the sheer burden lifted off his back, pain fading faster than he could even react.
Feeling bones snap back into place, skin heal, and burns fade into nothing but scars, the boy knew that his time was limited.
Best case scenario, I'll be comatose… Worst case…
A slim smile crept along the boy's face as he tensed his calf muscles, preparing for the greatest feat of his life.
Inside his head, a dim but powerful voice whispered through his consciousness.
"This debt will be repaid."
The Naelith's serpentine words resounded through his mind—the price of power wasn't free, and Aaron knew this.
Tapping the sapphire ring on his finger, he felt the lifeless blade appear in his hand, his mouth moving slowly.
"Got it."
…
Aaron's feet struck the earth—and the world tore open in a flash.
The air screamed around him, shredding away at his skin and clothes, but he didn't slow his pace even a bit.
He was a comet of pure brilliance made of flesh and bone, streaking across the morning sky, burning himself away just to reach the spectacular orange light above him.
Within moments, he had reached the flaming hot creature whose gaze fell on the floating boy beside it.
Panic surged through its body, forcing it to activate the steam wall barrier that incinerated anything in its reach.
Aaron's eyes darted around frantically until he discovered a small crevice in the topside of the creature's body.
Then, for a brief moment, he saw it—a rupture where magma bled instead of steam.
Forcing mana through his arms and into Ocean's Bane, he slammed the edge downward, and the sound of the air snapping burst throughout the meadow.
A thin column of absolute turquoise destruction smited the terror from above, straight into its blowhole.
The monster shrieked, lighting up the dim sky with hellish flames as the island shook with such ferocity that massive cracks tore through the rock.
Aaron, who had already prepared another slash, turned his body towards the lumbering giant that had suddenly stopped in the distance.
Lava poured from the Oblivacis's form, spurting clumps of the molten hot substance high into the clouds.
The first shot made contact with the blond boy's foot, but he shook the liquid off, feeling nothing but mild heat.
Remaining balls of death flung at higher and higher speeds, all directly aimed at Aaron, who was still suspended in the air.
In the span of half a second, the boy rotated his body, spinning his blade like a spear in an omnidirectional slash that sliced apart the magma bullet.
Mana surged out beneath him as the Apex charged its blow again, this time straight at his body without any inaccuracy.
Forming a small grin, Aaron allowed his body to fall, gravity taking control and sending him hurdling towards the feet of the massive giant.
THUD!
He collided with the ground in an impact that shook the island once again, debris flying in every direction as the monster hurriedly corrected its aim.
A deafening roar tore through the sky as even more molten projectiles filled the air, vaporizing anything in their path, and raining down on the boy whom the Oblivacis had designated as its enemy.
Aaron, however, instead of allowing himself to die that easily, raised his blade in front of his face, a look of pure determination covering his expression.
FWOOOOOOSH!
Magma collided with the magical steel, the sound of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
The impact screamed, metal and lava grinding together until the air itself seemed to tear under the strain.
For an instant, the world was nothing but a white light that shone brighter than the sun.
The frenzied energy overflew, impossible to stop, and tore through space, including the giant's body, burning away anything it touched.
The ground shook hard as the red brute's body blistered, blazing hotter than anything should.
Then, with a pop capable of shattering eardrums, it burst into thousands of individual, smoldering pieces.
Feeling the pressure of the Oblivacis's strike beginning to fade, Aaron took the opportunity to jump upward, noticing a stowaway appearing at the same time.
Mr. Crab had latched onto the boy's head, following him upward as he felt the familiar holy presence plummeting toward him.
Reaching his hands outward, he nearly buckled under the intense momentum of the boy who had fallen into his arms.
Raphael von Steinfeste was badly burned and, without immediate medical attention, would soon meet a fate similar to Aaron's.
His golden eyes were hazy, only meeting Aaron's gaze for a moment as a gruesome cough burst from Raphael's lungs.
There were no words between the two challengers, but the burden of responsibility for both their lives fell onto Aaron in that moment.
And with such a thing on the line, he would not fail again, not when he still had his own body to burn.