“Do you understand?” Raúl asked.

“How can I, I don’t understand strength like you. I don’t know how to carry your burdens.” Marzen replied.

“I am not asking you to become me, all I know, is that sometime after you gain the month, I will face Rancour, and for some reason, I will lose.” Raúl stated.

“You know why you will lose, don’t you?” Marzen implied.

“I won’t kill him in time, and he will find a way to defeat me.” Raúl noted, a tinge of what seemed to be guilt in his voice.

“So you have predicted that after I go and face Rancour, you will face him, and you will lose?” Marzen inquired.

“From what I have analysed of the course of this coming war, yes.” Raúl responded.

“What is my purpose, what am I to do?” Marzen queried.

“Lead in my stead, and guide the boy, he will need someone to temper his growing power, or he may become the monster that hides within him.” Raúl instructed.

“Marzen”

“Marzen”

Marzen gasped air into his lungs, jolting upward, to which Hjalmarr held him in place.

“You alright? You still look a little pale, we were about to set out to confront Rancour again, as he has nearly defeated Takahiro, even with that dominion technique of his, he’s getting bested easily, but if you need to rest, we’ll let you be.” Hjalmarr conveyed.

“No. I’m fine, but if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk to Momo before we head out.” Marzen instructed.

“Of course.” Hjalmarr responded.

As the others left, Marzen gestured for Momo to walk with him, to which he attentively followed.

“How are you handling things kid? I know that losing your mentor and sister must be hard on you.” Marzen commented.

“I don’t know how to feel.” Momo replied, his eyes heavy with emotions that he could not explain.

“Raúl asked me to look after you Momo. He didn’t want you to be alone with your power, knowing the hole losing your parents, and now your mentor would leave upon you, let alone your sister. He asked me to lead as king in his stead, but he put more emphasis on taking care of you. He believes in you kid, and I do too.” Marzen assured him.

Momo broke down into tears, the weight of the world falling from his eyes, as the heat from the tears seemed to sear his face. Marzen embraced Momo in a hug, pitying the man before him.

“It’s alright kid, we’ll get them back, but you need to face your pain. If you don’t, you could lose control.” Marzen gently conveyed.

“How?” Momo sobbed.

“You must realise what is at stake and empty yourself. Life is not in your control, and there will be tests that will break you down, but you must have sure faith, and things will become better after the tests pass.” Marzen explained.

“Why must my tests be so hard? I have nothing left.” Momo remarked.

“Those who’s tests are harder, shall have a greater reward once they pass. Every test, every trial and tribulation is a blessing, as once they pass, only good awaits you.” Marzen replied.

Momo smiled slightly, somewhat satisfied with the fact that after all this ends, he could be whole again.

Rancour stood still, looking down upon Takahiro with a mild sense of satisfaction and impression.

“You know, although I have already said this, you are truly the most impressive sorcerer I’ve come across. It’s a pity you have to die, I could learn from you.” Rancour commented, fixing his hair.

“I’ll have to disappoint you, I’m not the teaching type.” Takahiro laughed, leaning on his katana as his breaths became shallow, blood dripping off of him as fast as he could restore it.

“A pity, again, but I’ll do you one favour, because I’ve learnt a lot from our short time together.” Rancour declared, healing Takahiro’s wounds and entirely restoring his stamina, before imbuing his hand with Spectral Energy, as an icy glow overtook it.

“Ardour’s Spark!” Rancour yelled, but Takahiro was nowhere to be seen, instead, what stood before him was Hjalmarr, who looked down at him with contempt.

Rancour looked up at Hjalmarr, who had just brushed off an Ardour’s Spark. The two stared at one another, nothing but anger protruding from the fibres of Hjalmarr’s being as his face remained dark and determined.

Rancour fell back, wanting to converse with the giant before engaging him once more.

“Welcome back Hjalmarr. I’m surprised you recovered so quickly, where are our friends?” Rancour asked.

“They won’t be joining us. You tried to kill my friend, and now, I’ll pay you back in full.” Hjalmarr stated, as a storm gathered above them, a gentle rain falling upon their faces, as Rancour used the time to push his body to its fullest extent once more.

“Spectral Dominion: Tempest Surge.” Hjalmarr recited, as a barrier formed around the two, a vast, stormy landscape that encapsulated the heart of a storm being formed as if it was painted on a canvas. Flickering flashes of blue, violet and yellow brightened the pitch-dark clouds above. Wind funnels of inconceivable pressure tore around Rancour, who found it a genuine struggle to remain centred.

Hjalmarr switched his position immediately, forcing Rancour twisted around, with Hjalmarr’s fist connecting to his face, feeling the electrical sparks spread across him as Hjalmarr instantaneously moved away again, shocking Rancour with his inconceivable speed.

Rancour felt cuts, innumerable in their sheer scale pierce his body, pain like he had never felt searing into his very soul, forcing him to output amounts of Spectral Energy to regeneration he could barely bare, even after an Ardour’s Spark. Rancour intensified his aura, feeling the cuts stop as his aura repulsed Hjalmarr at every turn.

Rancour saw Hjalmarr stop, his eyes widening as the guaranteed hit of the dominion was now plain to him. Lightning struck him from every angle, feeling the strain on his aura, he knew the technique was coming to the point of burnout, as he felt his brain begin to bleed from the pure damage that was being inflicted upon it by keeping the technique active through such a large array of punishment.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The Ronin’s technique, if I could just replicate it, at least to the extent of Raúl, I could shake of the dominion to heal my burnt out technique. Rancour thought, entering the stance of the Pure Dominion.

“Pure Dominion: Umbran Vigour.” Rancour chanted, as a small purple circle formed at his feet, feeling the relief wash over his body as he began to heal his aura. Hjalmarr remained unphased, knowing that his lightning could still damage Rancour, even within Pure Dominion.

Expanding his technique to its fullest potential, lightning of incomparable scale fell from the sky, the crackle of thunder deafening them both as Rancour was struck, feeling the damage inflicted upon him, shock and horror entered his face as his left shoulder was torn off to the ribs.

Rancour’s eyes widened, as he turned off the Pure Dominion technique to regenerate from his wound. Hjalmarr instantly grabbed him by the neck, slamming him into the ground with a force that could shatter worlds.

His strength is on a whole other plane! His raw power is greater than even Raúl’s! Rancour thought, fear setting into him, as for the first time since returning to the world, his thoughts raced to only one conclusion; I might be about to die.

Rancour reactivated his aura, regenerating the damage dealt to him as his mind scrambled to think of a way to break the Dominion. Rancour kicked Hjalmarr on the shoulder, throwing him away as he drew his sword and began gathering his thoughts.

It seems his speed resumes to its normal level when fighting, meaning he can only move at an infinite speed or teleport, but he cannot sustain that speed in combat, I need to make him stick to me for long enough to allow me to create an amplified slash to break his barrier. Rancour postulated, imbuing his sword with Spectral Energy, as rain piled onto his aura, leaving him dry, and entirely focused.

As Hjalmarr launched the guaranteed hits in unison with striking his aura, he perceived the exact moment at which Hjalmarr stopped, grabbing onto him and stabbing him in the shoulder.

Face to face, the two warriors looked at one another with unfiltered anger, each one having pressed the other to their fullest extent, the cool rain and deafening thunder masking the boiling hatred that simmered between them. Hjalmarr threw his axe at its absolute maximum force, cutting through Rancour’s aura, to his absolute horror, feeling the blade sink into his skin, with lightning searing into his flesh, as parts of his body were becoming entirely obliterated by the guaranteed hits.

Rancour, in his desperation, grabbed on to Hjalmarr, sending slashes across his skin, as he punched him across his body, leaping upward and kicking him across the jaw, as he slammed his sword into his jugular, watching blood pour out of it with satisfaction.

“Obliterate.” Rancour recited, holding on to Hjalmarr as he watched the slash break into the barrier, as it began to fall apart.

Hjalmarr broke free, knowing that he still had half a minute before the barrier broke.

I don’t need time, I just need one good hit now that he can’t block it. Hjalmarr thought, charging his axe to its absolute highest extent.

Imbuing the rest of his Spectral Energy into his technique, the storm intensified, gusts of wind powerful enough to destroy a continent tore into Rancour, who was entirely off-guard.

Hjalmarr charged into Rancour with speed beyond anything imaginable, his eyes flashing with an icy glow as Rancour helplessly flailed to stop him.

"Ardour's Spark!" Hjalmarr yelled, launching Rancour out of the barrier and shattering the Dominion as he chased after him. Rancour poured all of his remaining Spectral Energy into regeneration, leaving him with only a fifth of his original supply as Hjalmarr bashed into him with his shoulder, winding him as he punched him in the ribs, shattering them as he coughed up blood, unable to fight with his full strength.

Rancour launched Spectral Slashes at Hjalmarr, who walked through them, his determination unwavering as he launched a lightning bolt down at Rancour, paralysing him temporarily as he renewed the hand sign for his Dominion.

“Spectral Dominion: Tempest Surge.” Hjalmarr chanted, the barrier and landscape forming around them. Hjalmarr wasted no time, blitzing Rancour immediately and slicing him across his chest and causing his soul to bleed alongside his body, making him roar in pain.

Hjalmarr called upon the most potent possible lightning bolt he could, decimating Rancour as he slammed him into the ground, holding his axe up to kill him, as his Dominion shattered.

Hjalmarr attempted to swing downward toward the helpless Rancour, to which his axe was caught in the hand of Lord Vallum, who kicked Hjalmarr in the gut, throwing him away.

“My master.” Vallum uttered, healing his masters’ wounds to the soul and body, and kneeling before him, as he stood up once more.

“Good timing. How fairs your progress, my friend?” Rancour asked.

“The girl is co-operative, I followed your instructions to their finest point, however, her technique is not yet potent enough to complete your plan.” Vallum reported, his head still bowed.

“Very good. All we must do now, is wait.” Rancour conveyed, a smile, greater than any he had worn until this point, as Momo and Marzen prepared to face this new threat.