CHAPTER 28: FINAL PHASE!
Panc shouted with all his might.
"MATTER MANIPULATION – FINAL PHASE!"
Panc raised both hands into the air. And instantly, the flow of their surroundings stopped.
Panc had altered the perception of time. Since the flow of time had stopped, Panc began to move independently of time itself. But this was limited. He only had one minute.
Bumb asked in shock.
"Wh-what did he do, Raimen?"
Raimen answered, seeming to accept the situation.
"He stopped the flow of time."
"What does that have to do with Matter Manipulation, Raimen?"
"We're in an environment made of matter. So through Matter Manipulation, he can probably manipulate time as well. But I'm not entirely sure."
Bumb was determined.
"I'm attacking. I'll finish him while he's wounded."
He attacked immediately. But because the flow of time had changed, Bumb moved like a turtle.
"Damn it! I can't move the way I want. Long-range attacks won't work. But I can't get close either. What do I do?"
Raimen kept his cool.
"Bumb, don't rush. He's very dangerous right now."
At that moment, Panc suddenly appeared in front of Bumb.
"You're too slow!"
He covered his fist with Po and landed a solid punch on Bumb.
BAM!
Bumb, though floating slowly in the stopped time, took a very heavy blow.
Raimen gritted his teeth.
"Damn it! How is he still moving this fast? Or is it that energy doesn't matter to him because the flow of time has stopped? Th-this is incredible! But no matter what, I will complete my mission."
"FLAME SPHERE!"
Raimen formed a flame sphere with both hands, as if moving in slow motion, and sent it toward Panc.
Panc spoke mockingly.
"Do you really think such a slow attack can reach me?"
He raised his right hand into the air. The flame sphere immediately froze in midair, unable to move.
Raimen couldn't hide his shock.
"H-how? How did you stop my flame sphere in midair? This isn't Matter Manipulation. This is something else entirely."
Bumb attacked again.
"BLACK EARTH MANIPULATION!"
Limitless black earth appeared in his arms once more.
"DOUBLE BLACK DRAGON ATTACK!"
Two massive black dragons emerged from his arms and tried to advance toward Panc at full speed. But they were far too slow.
Panc shook his head.
"I may not be able to control your black earth, but an attack coming at this speed wouldn't even hurt a child. You fool!"
He raised his left arm. The two rocks in front of him suddenly transformed into stone dragons.
"Go! My dragons against yours."
The stone dragons charged at full speed toward Bumb's black dragons.
Bumb was stunned.
"His techniques aren't slowing down? That's impossible."
In the middle of the clearing, the slow-moving black dragons and the fast-moving stone dragons clashed.
BOOMM!
A massive flash of light erupted. When it faded, the result was surprising.
The two attacks had neutralized each other.
Panc spoke, sounding impressed.
"Interesting. The black dragons corroded my stone dragons on contact, I think. But because they were too slow, they too were destroyed."
His eyes narrowed.
"This man is dangerous. There's something different about him. I knew it from our first encounter. His Ren is unlike any human Ren. Unless… he's a Djinn? Nox… it's becoming more and more dangerous."
He made his decision.
"I have to stop those two here. But my time is running out. At the very least, I need to finish off that red-haired bastard."
Bumb used another technique.
"BLACK DOMAIN!"
A circle formed around Raimen, Bumb, and Panc. Black pillars rose from its corners. The three of them were trapped inside a black domain.
And everything returned to normal.
Panc was shocked.
"What? The Final Phase effect ended? This technique is very powerful."
Bumb spoke, out of breath.
"Raimen, the rest is up to you. I need to recover some Ren."
"That's exactly what I wanted."
Raimen stretched both arms backward.
"FLAME WIND!"
A wind of fire burst from behind him and rushed toward Panc. It burned everything in its path. The black earth domain began to catch fire.
Panc thought quickly.
"If I escape that attack, the domain will disappear and the Final Phase will activate again. But I have to be fast. I have only fifteen seconds left. I'll use my last Ren now."
"MATTER MANIPULATION!"
He raised both hands again and aimed them at the incoming Flame Wind.
But the Flame Wind did not dissipate.
Panc's eyes widened.
"W-what?"
Bumb's voice was calm.
"You can't control matter within this domain, Panc. I'm sorry, but you've lost."
The Flame Wind rushed forward and struck Panc. His body immediately caught fire. The flames burned all the way to his flesh.
But at that moment, the Black Domain dissipated.
Panc spoke, out of breath and in agony.
"N-not yet… I still have five seconds left!"
The Final Phase activated instantly. The flow of time stopped again. Panc no longer felt the pain. The burns ceased.
And he made one final attack.
Raimen shouted in frustration.
"Damn it! Why won't this man die?"
"We have to use our destructive techniques now, Raimen."
"Yeah, you're right. Have you recovered your Ren?"
"A little, yes. But we have to wait for this technique to end. Otherwise, our techniques won't mean anything."
Panc picked up a small stone. With a single leap, he appeared right in front of Raimen.
Raimen was startled and tried to step back. But he was too slow. The Final Phase was still active.
Panc transformed the stone in his hand into a massive sword in an instant. With a swift motion, he plunged the sword into Raimen's abdomen.
Raimen collapsed to the ground, covered in blood.
But Panc was finished. His Ren was completely depleted.
Bumb's scream tore through the forest.
"RAIMEN!!!"
His eyes blazed with fury.
"You damned bastard. You're going to die now."
The Final Phase ended. Everything returned to normal. The flame sphere in the air fell to the ground, causing another explosion.
In the chaos, Bumb revealed his claws and made his final move to kill Panc.
Just as his claws were about to sever Panc's head – an energy slash from a large tree ahead struck Bumb's claws.
Bumb retreated, alarmed.
"Who's there?"
Panc collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
A voice came from the shadow of the tree.
Cold. Calm. Deadly.
"Don't touch him."
TO BE CONTINUED...