Disregarding the usual rules set in place to regulate a fight, Ash advanced towards Asura. With sword in hand, he channeled mana into the blade, preparing to strike and kill his opponent. Normally, he would wait for a signal to signify the start of the fight, but "Asura was unworthy of being respected." He thought as his blood boiled inside his body.

The burning rage that consumed him needed to be sated. An Ogre's life was purposeless and only caused harm to those around them. It was up to him to remove this stain that tainted his world. Clenching his fist around the hilt of his blade, he prepared to slay the demon before him.

Asura was taken by surprise. Waiting for the signal, he was left unguarded as his opponent rushed at him. Close enough to strike with his blade, Ash thrusted with all his might, sending the blade into Asura's chest. In the moment, time seemed to slow down, and Asura could see the white of Ash's eyes.

His cold, unyielding stare was left without empathy for him. "I know I am obnoxious, but jeez, man, do I deserve this much hate?" Asura thought as he watched his face contort in anger, the lines between his brows and snarl hardened into a mask of malice.

As the blade pushed against his chest, the mana released itself from the confines of the blade. An explosion erupted from the mana, creating a beautiful golden ball of fire that slammed into Asura's body. Sending him flying through the air, Asura smashed against the ground as he returned to the earth. The momentum carried the ogre across the floor's surface like a rock skirting on a lake.

With each impact, Asura groaned as his body suffered the heavy blow of smacking against the floor until he finally came to a stop. For a moment Asura waited, processing what unfolded before him. As he pushed himself off the cold floor, Asura was certain of one thing now. Ash's strength had increased by at least threefold.

However, that didn't matter to Asura right now. "Ohoho... You wanna use dirty tactics now, huh?" Asura thought as he dug his fingers into the ground. That wasn't acceptable for Asura. "I'm the one who uses underhanded tactics." The blinding anger swelling within fueled a growing fire in his heart.

He didn't care if he hurt Ash anymore. If he were willing to disregard the rules that even he followed, then he wouldn't show any mercy to the priest. His anger fueled his body, allowing him to rip large chunks of rock from the floor.

"Take this ya dick!"

Wain watched in horror as Asura threw the yoga ball-sized rocks at Ash. "Holy... shit... Mel is going to kill me," Wain thought as he gripped his hair with one hand. Thankfully, Ash looked prepared for the same trick Asura used in every fight. Ash appeared unfazed by the boulders soaring at him while he spoke an incantation.

"Judex Divinum is my protector and my shield. Through Mazriel, the walls of heaven will not fall."

Mana erupted from the surface of the floor into a thick, transparent golden wall that blocked off nearly the entire room. The only gap was a portion left open at the top, about a quarter of the distance from the ceiling. To Asura's surprise, the grand wall materialized enough to interrupt the rock's paths, causing them to explode on impact.

"He's much faster, too..." the ogre thought as he watched the two rocks erupt into dust and rubble. The wall evaporated them like confetti. The dust and rubble showered the floor as it settled, slowly revealing the undamaged wall.

Asura lunged forward to punch the wall, expecting it to shatter like before. However, the wall stood firm this time, showing no signs of budging as his fist smashed into its surface. "Whatever, I'll just punch it more." Asura thought as he repeatedly slammed his fists against the wall rhythmically.

Starting with his right fist, then his left, and back to his right, he repeatedly struck the wall, hoping to find a weakness in its structure. Even the wall seemed to be sturdier and stronger. Whatever Ash did, it worked. Stopping for a moment, Asura asked,

"So, you got stronger huh? How'd you do it? It can't be from just training, right? Such a boost in such little time. Are you a main character in a show or something? Hahaha, what a load of crap. You, a main character? Impossible. Something feels off about this, you know..."

Laughing, Ash remarked,

"Enough chatting. I thought you liked fighting, not talking. Looks like the big bad demon can't break the wall now. What are you going to do now?"

Asura pulled two of his fists back together in unison.

"Good luck, soy boy."

Throwing both fists forward, they slammed into the wall with enough force to shake the room. Wain's eyes went wide as the room trembled from the impact. The reality of how strong ogres were began to settle in for Wain as he witnessed a crack spread like roots down the wall.

A bear wouldn't even be able to make a dent in this wall, and yet he shook the very foundation. Asura pulled his arms back again, punching the wall once more. Ash's face went flush as his confidence began to crumble. He wasted time because he was confident in his newly acquired strength but it still wasn't enough to overpower the ogre...

"Holy crap."

Realizing Asura was stronger than he expected, Ash quickly let out another incantation. He was going to taunt the monster more, but this changed things. A ring of holy runes lit up around him, and his sword began to glow as he held it close. The golden light cast on his face and reflected in his eyes as he spoke.

At first glance, Asura thought nothing of it, but as he studied Ash's eyes, an eerie feeling washed over him. The golden light is a trademark of Judex Divinum, displaying righteousness and purity, but behind Ash's eyes, a darkness lurked. "What?..." Asura paused,

"Judex Divinum's righteousness shall always prevail. Through Ohriel, the wicked shall be vanquished."

With Asura's last punch, he managed to break through the wall. Shattering like glass, the once large structure began to crumble as the ogre charged through at Ash. Although Ash had a plan set in place, unlike the last encounter. This time, Ash was prepared as he finished the incantation. "I won't make the same mistake twice." Ash couldn't help but bear a giant smile as he held his sword.

As Asura raced to Ash, a gut feeling told him to put up his arms and brace himself for an explosion or sword slice like last time, but he was wrong. It wasn't either of those, and regret filled Asura as he watched Ash lift his sword above his head.

The lifted sword began to be coated with mana, which expanded rapidly into a large holographic blade around the original. Its size increased as mana was continuously pumped inside, causing the blade to pierce into the ceiling. A shadow cast over Asura, blotting out the ceiling's lights.

"Fuck."

Ash swung the blade with ease, bringing it down onto Asura. One would expect the large blade to have a hefty weight to it, but for the owner, it felt like a feather. As the blade swung forward, the tip ripped through the ceiling, leaving a crevice behind. Asura's eyes widened in shock,

"You have definitely gotten stronger, soy boy. I'll give you that much."

Asura, bracing himself for impact, caught the sword with all four arms. "Shit... It wasn't enough." Asura gasped as he sank to his knees under the weight of the blade. As his knee struck the ground and the pressure increased, the ground cracked as the weight brought down on him intensified.

"The mana manipulated the weight as well," he thought as he looked up at the golden blade resting on his palms. Asura, however, did not waiver and held firm under the blade. Realizing its momentum had stopped, it allowed Asura to recover enough to gather himself.

Ash's excitement quickly turned into dread. Rising from the ground, lifting the massive blade, Asura could be heard laughing as he thwarted Ash's plan. The ridiculousness of the situation kept dramatically increasing. Wain, watching the fight like a film, suddenly desired popcorn. "This was awesome! I have watched some sparring in the past, but this one was like a movie! A monster fighting back against the hero and winning! Well, if you could consider Ash the hero..." Wain thought as he cheered for Asura on the inside.

Clenching the hilt of his sword as hard as he could, Ash poured holy mana into the sword, causing it to expand even more. The weight doubled with its size. Asura struggled once again, and it came crashing down on top of him. However, this was nothing compared to what Asura had to endure when fighting the giants.

Try having their blade crash down on you, and you will realize this is just a baby sword. Asura shifted the blade onto his shoulder and pulled back his two right arms. With a taunting smile shot in Ash's direction, Asura punched the blade, shattering the large projected sword and returning it to its original form.

The ogre tried to let out a laugh, but Ash seemed unamused by the situation. "I wonder why?" Asura giggled to himself. Leaving no time to gloat, Ash dashed at him, striking him with a flurry of slashes. With a wild look in his eyes, the priest swung with all his might.

Asura tried to block each blow, but Ash was faster than usual. He elegantly danced around Asura, swinging and slicing at him. After each attempt to block the strikes, Asura's frustration grew as each blow struck him. First in the back, then the side, chest, back again, then his right rib. Whenever he tried to block, Ash changed his grip or shifted the blade to move it in another direction. Striking him dozens of times, Asura groaned as the blade ran across his skin.

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For a moment, Ash was hopeful as he watched the ogre struggle to react to his attacks. However, the ogre seemed to have noticed a gap within his armor. Asura's eyes locked with his blade as he struck once more, but this time, Asura grabbed the blade as it came towards him. "He predicted it... Shit." Ash thought while trying to pull the blade from the ogre's grasp, but it was too late. Asura locked two of his arms around the blade, imprisoning it within the folds of his skin and muscle.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he punched Ash in the gut with his right two hands. Before his eyes could ever register the blow to his stomach, he felt it. The sickening feeling of his organs being ruptured forced vomit from his mouth.

Doubling over, Ash could only watch as pools of blood formed on the ground underneath him. With each heartbeat that throbbed in his ears, his body trembled from the pain, reminding him of his mortality. He felt excruciating vulnerability for the first time as he held his stomach, knowing the ogre could easily finish him off here.

Asura laughed, "A solid blow just connected! The crowd goes wild! Wooooohoooo! Asura! Asura!" Tossing the priest his sword, the metal clattered from striking the ground before Ash. Looking down at the blade, he could only ask his opponent,

"Why would you?"

"It's just getting good! Let's go another round!"

The ogre sat back and watched Ash quickly manifest mana in the wounded area, healing his torn muscles and ruptured organs. Watching his opponent heal his injuries, Asura stated,

"That's bullshit, though. Fight like a gladiator! TO THE DEATH! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Wain shouted from the sidelines.

"NO DEATH. ABSOLUTELY NO DEATH!"

Although it was annoying to admit, Ash realized he was still no match for the monster in front of him. Picking up his sword, he rubbed one hand down the sword's side and gave a quiet incantation. Asura wouldn't go easy even if his opponent was still slightly injured. The wind rushing against his face as he sprinted towards Ash invigorated Asura, leaving him with uncontainable excitement. This was what he lived for! The thrill of battle!

"Oh shit..."

Before he could stop himself, the sword in Ash's hands ignited with an unstable fire, a fire unlike any other. It raged uncontrollably, causing Asura to hesitate for a moment. Something sinister lay within that golden fire, which perplexed him. Its presence was still created from holy mana, but a peculiar feeling made Asura hesitate.

Just like his eyes, there was no righteousness in its movements. It felt chaotic, as if it abhorred order, detesting the idea of being controlled. Asura thought it could be quotidian mana creating it due to the erratic nature of most races' mana. However, he didn't smell any quotidian mana within Ash. "What drove that flame?..."

Ash swung the sword, causing slashes of fire made of mana to fly towards Asura. Asura blocked the first slash with his arms, but as it connected with his body, the searing pain made him regret it. With enough force to stop a train, Asura soared into a wall from the explosion. Asura exhaled as the impact knocked the wind out of his lungs. The ogre raised his head, but his blurry vision made it difficult for him to stabilize himself.

He could only sit and watch as another missile of fire came slamming into his face. Although the old man's blow was more painful, the whiplash from these felt worse. His neck snapping back right after another caused his neck to tense and strain, pulling the muscle in the side of his neck. It was tough to move his head as the intense aching pain from the tightened muscle throbbed.

Then came the last blast that struck him in the chest, showering the area around Asura with fire that lingered on the floor.

"Fuck you-"

Asura jumped to the side as another blade of fire flew past, colliding with the wall where he once sat. Concussed, Asura was sluggish as he dodged the remaining slashes coming towards him. The dizziness twisted his stomach, making him want to vomit from the jarring movements. As each slash struck the wall behind him, their explosions created a massive hole in the wall, each larger than the last, launching dust and debris everywhere. The relentless storm of strikes made Asura call out,

"Chill man, shit...."

Ash walked to Asura with a smug look plastered on his face.

"How's that for being weak?"

"Ehhhhhhh, If I am rating you, I'd give you a three out of ten. But look over there! It's Mel!"

Asura pointed behind Ash. Although it was the oldest trick in the book, it surprisingly worked as Ash looked behind him.

"Ahahahah made you look!"

Ash turned back just in time to watch a rock strike the side of his face.

"Agh!"

Clutching his face, Ash boiled with rage.

"You might want to get that power under control, or someone might-"

Ash shouted angrily,

"Shut up!"

Ash was infuriated that Asura could sense the unbalanced mana waging war with his body. "He was in control! No one else could control this mana but him. The ogre was just jealous!" Ash thought as his chest became heavy. Recovering his composure quickly, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword, sending more flaming slashes at Asura. As each slash flew in the air, they were met with large rocks ripped from the ground, exploding into clouds of dust and fire.

Asura laughed while holding a rock in his hand. The ogre watched as each rock exploded on impact, shooting rubble everywhere.

"Bullseye!"

Before Ash realized it, a blanket of dust formed and became denser as each rock exploded, hindering his ability to see. Although Ash could not see Asura through the dust, he knew he would use this to attack. "He always did..." So, he waited... and waited... and waited... As time passed, uneasiness filled his body. His heart pounded in his chest. Ash struggled to maintain his composure as he waited in the ominous cloud. Nothing was beyond the veil of dust, and the silence began to suffocate him.

Ash watched diligently, expecting an attack at any time. However, it never happened. As the dust cleared, revealing an empty room, he couldn't help but panic a little. Then it happened. Concrete from below his feet started to crack and rise from the pressure being applied from below. An arm struck out, grabbing Ash by the ankle.

In an instant, his body was consumed by the earth as he sunk halfway into the ground. Ash struggled to break free from the tight hole that imprisoned him, but with the little room he had, it felt impossible. Looking around for his attacker, Ash notices Asura pulling himself out of a hole. The ogre laughed as he looked down at imprisoned Ash,

"Saw that in a show once. I always wanted to try it."

Without another word, Asura began to throw pebbles at Ash while laughing at him.

"Who's the idiot now, huh? A little guy stuck in a hole? Timmy in a well? Shorty."

Ash thrashed around in the hole, trying to avoid being hit by pebbles.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Ah, good luck, mole man, but you're stuck right now."

Ash's face began to emit a golden light that grew brighter as mana built up inside. His face reminded Asura of a toaster's wire that cooks the bread.

"Maybe a lightbulb is a better comparison." Asura thought as he watched Ash explode.

"Damn, he got so mad he exploded... literally."

Jumping back, Asura watched as the dust settled, revealing Ash standing in a giant crater in the center of the room. Blinded by rage, Ash lunged at Asura, swinging his sword erratically. With no rhythm or thought behind each swing, Asura found them rather easy to avoid. Simply stepping to the side and displacing the blade with his hands was enough to stop Ash. The wild rage had ruined this fight. Asura thought as he let out a disappointed sigh.

Before Ash realized it, his opponent was behind him. He tried to react, but in the end, all he could do was stand helplessly. Asura grabbed him with all his arms, lifting him into the air. Like a wrestler, Asura laughed while throwing himself backward with his arms wrapped around Ash's body. Slamming the top of Ash's back and head down with all his might, Asura crushed him against the floor.

The impact could be heard even from where Wain stood, an unsettling thud that sent shivers down Wain's spine. Wain begged Asura in his mind, "Please don't kill him. Just please..."

"Bleghhh.."

Coughing up blood, Ash struggled to stand up as he realized most of his bones were broken. A grin spread across the ogre's face as he looked down at the human struggling to breathe underneath him. However, "It couldn't end like this." Ash thought as he mustered what little strength remained in his body. With everything he had, Ash punched Asura in the gut. It felt like a feather striking his stomach to Asura, which only made him laugh. The pathetic attempt was distasteful to the ogre.

"Time to end this like a gladiator fight! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"

Asura shouted to himself, mimicking a crowd cheering him on. However, his cheers were cut short as a whisper could be heard. Standing above Ash, Asura looked down and could decipher three words that the priest muttered in desperation,

"Mazriel's holy fist."

In the blink of an eye, a giant armored fist came through a portal and slammed into Asura, launching him across the room and back into another wall.

"Holy crap, man, how many times are you going to hit me into a wall..."

Pissed off by the hit, Asura walked slowly toward Ash, who was still on the floor, limping away. His body began to heal due to an incantation, but Asura would end that. Ready to rip Ash in half, Asura held himself back because he wanted to enjoy beating him for as long as possible. Asura's bloodlust filled the room, and Ash could only watch in terror as Asura approached.

"This was it... I die here... Father, I'm sorry."

Ash became flush as he collapsed on the ground, looking at the ogre's face as it twisted into a wicked grin. The devil's lustful eyes desired nothing more than his suffering, to torture him just as the others did with his family. Ash felt like he was seeing the presence of the devil who had come to collect his soul.

Maybe it was due to Ash's fading vision, but as Asura drew near, it felt like he had a red aura expelling from his body—an aura that could not be contained, driven by madness and fueled by rage. After being lifted into the air, he prepared himself for the worst.

Then, their worst fear emerged from the shadows of the hallway, bursting into the room. The irritating sound of furious screaming and shouting erupted as Mel barged into the training room. "Oh dear God, please kill me," Ash thought as he realized the worst had yet to come, now the real misery begins.

"So, you want me to beat you both? Is that what you want? I'll kill both of you morons and do the mission myself. I'll blame it on Asura. He went rogue. I had to put him down after Ash died to him. Fighting? Really? Before something this important. Oh, I am going kill you."

Before anyone could process her arrival, Mel closed the distance between them and grabbed Ash by the ear. Ash groaned in pain; his body was still mangled from the fight. After seeing this, Mel grew even more furious.

"What are you doing using holy mana right before we leave?"

In pain, Ash yelped as Mel dragged him out of the room to be healed. She yelled back at Asura and Wain.

"I expect this from.... him, but you should've stopped Ash. Get your asses ready, and let's go."

Asura walked to Wain with a baffled expression. Looking at each other, Asura and Wain laughed as they watched Ash get dragged out like a child. But as Ash moved alongside Mel, his movements became more refined, and he stopped wincing.

"So you heal fast too, huh? Just who did you make a deal with..."

His body regenerated at an absurd rate like the monsters they fought with Wain. He dismissed the thought as they followed Mel out of the room. Behind them, the training room started to repair itself from the heavy damage done to it as they walked out into the hallway. The impressive sight would never get old to Asura: "If only we had this back home... We wouldn't have had to repair all the damage done when natural disasters ravaged their kingdom."

Walking down the hall to the main worship area, Asura's clothes began to repair themselves. Ash's fire did not even seem to burn the seams of his clothes. The damage from the blade also appeared to be minimal compared to what happened before. He would no longer be forced to be naked in fights! With completely different results than the last time, he couldn't help but feel like his clothes had been upgraded.

"Why are my clothing repairing now?"

Wain watched as the monster fiddled with his shirt.

"It's enchanted, infused with holy mana like ours. Guess they gave you a pair as well. How do you think we manage our uniforms while fighting? It keeps us from going through thousands of clothes."

"Why didn't they get ruined though? Is it fireproof now?"

"I mean, it's fire-resistant. I assume they got sick of you being naked because you just run into the fire instead of away."