The 5th's Vice captain sighed heavily, deep within, he wished that the end of the battle had a less life altering results. "Contestant Rai Voltia is no longer fit to continue. Thus by the rules, Theron has advanced to the nex-"
"Over?" Rai's voice stopped the 5th's vice captain. "Who said it was over?"
"Shadow Recovery." He muttered under his breath.
A dark energy engulfed him, and steam escaped his back. In response, his bones banded back together by a mysterious force, and his back healed completely.
Then he got up to his feet like nothing ever happened.
"I-Impossible."
"H—He got up!" Whispers filled the halls in unison, even the head commander sat up with a straight face.
"That's it kid!" Zarek was the only one whose surprise turned to excitement, for him, the stronger Rai became, the more fun he'd have in battle.
"Impossible... I dislocated your back... I'm sure of it... How the hell are you still standing up!?" Theron's eyes wavered, and his once calm demeanor began fading away.
"Rai Voltia... is still in it!?" The vice captain of the 5th shouted loudly, and the commoner's side of the spectators responded with thunderous cheers, knowing the battle was still far from over.
'Shadow Recovery huh? I never imagined it could heal even dislocated bones. That bastard really went for my spine didn't he?' Rai thought.
"Just who the hell is he?" The 5th's vice captain muttered to himself, he had never seen a newly awakened Soul-Hunter who moves like Rai and possess the ability he does.
"There is no way... There's no way you should have gotten up from that! It's the fate of all commoners to be weak, so why are you still standing!?"
As Theron grew angrier, the atmosphere within the dome grew heavier. Rai literally felt the weight of gravity increasing exponentially. "... I'd never lose to a commoner like you!" He exclaimed in his rage.
He plunged forward with an explosive speed, and he built up the black hole fist in his hands. The moment he aimed it at Rai, he sidestepped.
"Fate?" Theron's fist slammed into the ground, sending up a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Rai was standing there, staring at him with cold eyes.
The mention of fate angered him, for he had been a victim of its cruelty, and that was the very reason he sought strength.
The strength to change his fate.
"Shut up peasant!" Theron hurled another Black Hole Fist at him, but Rai sidestepped to the side once more and locked eyes with him.
Rai spun low and swept his leg across, knocking Theron off balance. As Theron fell to the ground, Rai drove his fist into him and sent him crashing into the dome.
"My speed will be decided by your authority? Who determined that?" As Rai raised his head, his eyes gleamed while faint trails of shadow drifted from his body. "I am no longer bound by the threads of fate, your attacks no longer has an effect on me."
The exam room erupted with a loud applause and cheers from the commoner's side of the candidates. The head commander had his eyes on Rai, smiling brightly as it seemed the future of the Soul-Hunter's Corps was right in front of their eyes.
And Kaira had her sights on him.
She had never seen her father smile like that, not even after she managed to activate the Knight's Soul-Core.
"There is no way.." As Theron stood slowly to his feet, trails of a golden black aura swirled out of his body. "I'd ever lose to a commoner like you!" He shouted in rage.
The ominous energy coiled around him like a violent storm, it even seeped through the barrier and filled the whole room.
The dark energy swirled around him like a raging storm, spilling past the barrier and filling the entire room. Trails of the aura shot across the space, and everyone raised their hands over their heads to shield themselves from the heavy wind pressure.
"What's happening!?"
"What's with this Soul-Energy!?"
Both captains shot up to their feet. "It can't be..."
As the ominous energy settled, Theron came into view. Half of his body was cloaked in a monstrous aura, its form twisting and shifting menancely.
A massive horn jutted from the side of his head, while his arm and leg were sheathed in sharp golden-black claws and talons. His entire frame on that side looked jagged and warped, as if carved out of raw energy itself, giving him the appearance of a half-man, half-beast.
"W-What..."
"What the hell is that!?"
Alaric and Hiro's amusement faded into shock as they laid eyes on Theron. Even the head commander went silent, and his smile faded away completely.
The form Theron took, it wasn't supposed to be possible, not right now, not in the early stages of him awakening.
"I-is that..." Alaric muttered under his breath.
"Soul-Transfiguration." Hiro said. Theron got serious, and this time, he wasn't fighting to win.
'Soul-Transfiguration!? This early in the story? What the fuck!?' Rai thought.
Soul-Transfiguration.
It was an advanced level of Soul-Energy that was introduced volumes into the series, but there was a problem.
The first person to use Soul-Transfiguration in the novel wasn't Theron, it was supposed to be Xandee, or at least the real Xander. He unconsciously activated the Soul-Transfiguration later in the series. But this wasn't even far into the story.
All Rai could assume was that just like an antivirus, fate made another attempt to eradicate him by activating the Soul-Transfiguration in Theron.
Theron stretched out his right hand, and channelled the energy of his Soul-Transfiguration into his fist.
"Soul-Technique: Dark Gravity Fist."
"This is it for you commoner!" With one thrust, he propelled himself forward with unprecedented speed thanks to the energy cloaked around his body and aimed his fist at his chest.
"It's over!"
[Skill [Bloodlust Of The Assassin] has been activated]
[Bloodlust Of The Assassin] is a skill Rai gained during his solo raid. The skill allowed him to fight without the use of his five senses.
It disregards all sense of emotions and feelings and focuses solely on the bloodlust his target releases. It works as a sort of sensor.
In theory, he didn't require his sense of sight and hearing to fight. With a fluid motion, he caught the right hand of Theron, using his own momentum against him and flinging him over his body and to the ground.
"What!?" Alaric exclaimed for the first time in the match. At that speed he shouldn't have been able to counter him, not while he was using the Soul-Transfiguration.
The spectators were speechless, Theron looked nothing more than a blur to them, but Rai easily predicted his movements.
"It's time I end this once and for all." Rai spoke softly, Theron got to his feet slowly as he tried to understand how all this was possible.
"Don't mock me! You insignificant worm!" Out of anger he dashed forward at him, building up the energy in his hands he almost used to end Ren's life.
In response, Rai subconsciously built up the [Raisen] and aimed it directly at the energy surrounding his fists, hoping to cancel it out.
But it was the other way around, the dark compact energy surrounding his fist completely overpowered his Raisen, sending him flying into the barrier of the ring.
"Gh-Bleh!" He groaned, ejecting saliva from his mouth as he fell to the ground.
"Did you actually think your technique could over power mine? Unlike our failure of a brother, the two siblings of the Veylir obtained a power that could even rival the Soul-Squads. Someone like you who couldn't even activate a Soul-Core can't comprehend it, know your place, commoner."
Rai got to his knees, then glanced over his shoulder at Silver who watched from the audience with a nonchalant look. He knew about his siblings Soul-Transfiguration, a technique he struggled greatly to master but just couldn't.
"You're right." He placed his hand on his knee, then pushed himself up to his feet. "He's nothing like you, you were gifted, chosen and blessed with Soul-Energy. If anything he's like me, the one who was rejected by fate, the one who wasn't chosen."
He raised his palm in the air. "However, that didn't stop us. If the world rejected us, then we'll simply chose ourselves, we'll choose our path and reject the fate that awaits us."
He knew immediately he couldn't beat Theron just with the attacks he had now.
He had to risk it all on the new technique he was developing if he was going to win this.
He activated his skill [Bloodlust Of The Assassin] which shut off all necessary emotions and indulged in his instincts to kill.
His eyes glowed an ominous white as he slowly rose to his feet.
'Days ago I tried to create a technique based off of Ren's, but the Soul-Core of Steelfang was too powerful. But now, thanks to Silver...' He thought.
"Behold Theron, this is my true power." He grunted softly, as electricity coursed through his arms and towards his hand, building up into a blue ball of energy in his palm.
As he gradually built up the ball of energy, sparks of electricity surrounded it swiftly. It's intensity ripped the surface of the ring apart little by little and Rai's hair danced in the wind generated by the technique.
As Theron gazed at Rai, a blue blinding light emanated from from his palm forcing everyone to block their eyes and was followed up by a gush of wind.
"Electricity!?"
"How!? I thought he didn't activate a Soul-Core!?"
"Soul-Technique: Electric Burst." He muttered under his breath, but he wasn't done just yet.
'This is close to the limit I can build it up in size without it bursting, but I have more than enough Soul-Energy to do this, amplify...' As he thought, the static ball of electricity grew intensively in ferociousness.
'And finally, enhance.' He squeezed the ball of electricity in his palms tightly, sending the electric currents coursing through his whole body. His hair immediately spiked up as an electric burden was now placed on his body.
As the light died down, all eyes were fixated on Rai, everywhere was silent as they gazed upon the static flow of electricity that coursed throughout his body.
[You have created a new ability!]
[You have earned 500 Soul-Essence!]
[You have levelled up!]
[Level 14 > 16]
"Rai..." Xander could only whisper his name softly as he gazed upon the dazzling technique he had been working on since the start of the exams.
Rai stood tall with his hand raised above his chest, and a cold look in his eyes as sparks of electricity bounced off his body. "This is the results of my training. Limit Break: Electric Burst Evolved."