In the midst of a shop's rubble, now scattered debris, a faint tremor emerged from beneath a pile of wreckage. As the vibrations persisted, they grew stronger and more violent until a figure burst out from under the ruins, soaring into the sky.
"That really hurts!" James said, holding his jaw and rubbing it with his hand.
It was truly a powerful punch, so much so that James couldn't block or dodge it due to the immense speed with which it was thrown; it was both swift and strong!
"I wonder what happened to them underground? To cause such a change in their energy!" James couldn't help but ponder this sudden surge in their power.
He looked down at the shop wreckage he had just emerged from and saw it had been reduced to fragments, along with the destruction of the nearby shops. The once famous Monarako Street, known for its bustling shops, had become a zone of ruin. But James wasn't worried; he had already moved the residents elsewhere, and they were now asleep. As for the destruction here, this was merely a replica of the original street.
Anything residing within the square, specifically within a 200-meter radius, was just a copy, not the real street!
Furthermore, everything within this square was under James Beyond's sole control!
"Tsk, tsk! Perhaps I should end this as quickly as possible!" James declared his intention before sensing someone appear behind him.
"You seem eager to die!" James twisted his body and kicked out with his left leg.
But that person caught James Beyond's foot before he could complete the move, then swung him like a fan and threw him far away.
However, James regained his balance and shot like an arrow towards that Immortal, who in turn charged towards James!
"BAAANG!" Fists and kicks collided in the sky, causing a powerful wind to gust, violently fluttering the Immortal's hair and making James's coat flap in the air.
They were exchanging extremely fast blows. Every kick and punch produced loud sounds in the sky, but James Beyond was being pushed back with each collision. He soon abandoned offense and focused on defense.
'I don't know exactly what happened to him, but his energy doesn't feel the same as before. I was dominating, but now I'm being pushed back. This is insulting!' James thought to himself while defending against the Immortal's strikes.
His situation had changed from before, but James Beyond remained calm and showed no trace of fear. Thus, he attacked again, with even greater force than before.
"Nothing you do will work!" When the Immortal felt James resisting more and pushing him back, he could only sneer before continuing, "Once we remove the seal, our abilities increase tenfold!" the man shouted forcefully at James.
"Is that so! It seems I overestimated you!" James Beyond looked at the Immortal with his right eye before saying, "You've only broken through to the fifth level! Tsk, you and your pathetic methods to break through so easily!" James's tone was sarcastic in his last words.
"How dare you speak insults about the ancestral techniques passed down through generations with your filthy mouth!" The Immortal's expression changed completely; his coldness vanished, replaced by fury.
"I didn't know you could make such an expression! But this ends now!" James moved his right hand backward before thrusting it forward with great force.
"And this will be the last expression you see in your life!" shouted the Immortal, also pulling his hand back and thrusting it forward, uttering the word: "Repel!"
James Beyond laughed when he saw the man do this, but he continued pushing his hand forward, adding a word this time, just like that man: "Attract!"
"Huh?!" A surprised exclamation escaped the Immortal's lips as he saw his opponent using an ability from the same sequence and level as his own!
At that moment, their fists collided in the sky, causing everything on the ground to lift into the air momentarily before falling back down. This was due to the clash of opposing energies moving in the same direction.
...
"What is this?!" The leader, who was trying to gather energy, was surprised. The scythe in his hand was consuming it at the same moment, but there were signs of progress as the scythe began storing energy instead of draining it.
However, that leader felt the immense pressure emanating from the sky. He looked up and saw a blood-red energy colliding with a gray energy, creating massive effects on the area.
...
"What are you, really?!" The Immortal could only utter those words as he was sent flying 50 meters back from the energy collision.
"You want to know who I am? Well, I am the one who will take your life," James retorted and attacked again. Although he wasn't pushed back much by the explosion, he was sent flying 49 meters before stopping—just one meter less than his opponent!
"In your dreams!" The Immortal assumed a fighting stance and thrust his left hand forward, saying: "Gravity!"
James stopped abruptly because he felt an unnatural force pulling him downward, but he endured it and said: "Reverse Gravity!"
As he spoke, an invisible collision occurred—invisible to ordinary people or power holders, but visible only to the world (the environment). The two gravitational forces clashed against each other.
"I will definitely end you," roared the Immortal, paying no heed to the clashing gravities, and continued his attack, uttering the word: "Distort!"
"Assuming you survive first, that is!" James spoke coldly and added: "Restore."
A crack appeared in the middle of James's body, but his body quickly repaired itself as if nothing had happened.
"You---" The Immortal wanted to curse James but felt a fist in his stomach. He looked and saw it belonged to James.
"Impossible! What speed is this?!" Those words escaped his mouth as saliva and some blood spilled out. He continued, "No, no... it wasn't speed, it was the power of my own attraction!"
"Hahaha, this is only the beginning, Mr. Immortal!" James Beyond let out intermittent laughs while saying, "Attract!" and landing punches on the Immortal.
"Urghhhhhh." The Immortal finally let out a groan and seemed to be in pain now, due to the violent and continuous punches from James Beyond, meaning his immortality was reaching its limits!
"Your human sensations have returned. So how does it feel, Mr. Immortal, now that you're merely mortal?!" James paused and added, "Feels wonderful, doesn't it?" At that moment, James charged his leg with comprehensive energy, ready to deliver a final kick!
The Immortal felt that this kick would be his end, but he wasn't prepared to flee. So, he gathered the last of his energy into his own leg as well.
"Although you are my enemy, you have truly earned my respect. You've given me the third-level Reality Path Sensor powers, and that's very good. Therefore, I will ensure you are freed from the constraints of the organization behind you!" James Beyond spoke respectfully towards the Immortal.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to do that!" The man's tone carried praise and a false hope for what James had just said!
"Why?" James wondered why this Immortal would say such a thing? ..'Is it because it's impossible?!' Questions swirled in James's mind, but he refocused on the fight.
"These are matters no one should know!" the man replied coldly before continuing, "But I will tell you one thing: once you become a member of the organization, you no longer have the right to decide your own death or survival!" His words carried deep regret within them.
'So, you become like a puppet controlled on stage! This reminds me of a certain path!' "I'm sorry to hear that from you!" James replied with words of consolation to the Immortal before him, but he continued, "However, I want you to tell me just one thing, and I beg you to ignore the secrecy and tell me: why are you doing all this for a novice?"
"I can't tell you!" The man quickly refused James's question.
"Alright, I understand your position," James sighed and added, "You will die now. Get ready!" James warned while performing a roundhouse kick, releasing that energy in the form of a blood-red scythe strike.
"Death's Scythe!" James shouted powerfully.
"It has been an honor to fight an expert like you! I wish we had met under more suitable circumstances!" The man uttered sorrowful words. He wanted to perform a roundhouse kick too, but mid-kick, he felt his body no longer moving as he wished. Worse, phenomena were occurring randomly around him, like multiplied gravity, shops disintegrating, and objects being pushed upward.
"So, the side effects of my power have truly chosen this moment to appear. But it seems the effects are stronger because of the stimulant. Anyway, I will die without regrets!" The Immortal looked at the blood-red energy rushing towards him, which made his long, gray hair flutter violently. He was ready for the end without remorse, so he closed his eyes.
But at that moment, he felt someone grab him and pull him away from the path of the attack. When he opened his eyes, he was in a different location. The person who had moved him was his leader, but he now looked extremely aged, unlike before, due to the life-consuming effect of that scythe; it had consumed his lifespan.
He looked towards his previous location and saw that blood-red attack sweeping away everything in its path. It soon exploded, illuminating everything within a 200-meter diameter with a blood-red light. Because of this, all smoke was pushed away from the area, revealing the sunlight!
"What a terrifying energy!" The Immortal couldn't imagine what would have happened to him if it had hit him, sending shivers down his spine.
...
End of Chapter ~ To Be Continued