CHAPTER 29: TRUE POWER!
Panc collapsed to the ground, unconscious. His body was a ruin—burned, bloodied, and utterly spent. The Final Phase had drained every last drop of Ren from his body, and even his breathing was so shallow it was barely visible.
A voice came from the shadow of the great tree. Cold. Calm. Deadly.
"Don't touch him."
It was Master Woli.
The words hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall. Bumb's body tensed the moment he saw him. He recognized that voice, that presence, that weight. He had heard stories—the kind whispered among Nox members when they thought no one else was listening.
Panc and Raimen were already lying on the ground, broken. Bumb was alone now. Before him stood Master Woli, Master Rambeel, Kaito, Ren, and Aiko—five figures emerging from the darkness of the forest like a death sentence.
Woli didn't wait. He didn't give a warning, didn't offer a chance to retreat. He simply lunged forward at a speed that Bumb's eyes could barely track. The older man's white hair streamed behind him like a banner, and his brown eyes—so often half-lidded and tired—were now fully open, burning with something ancient and terrifying.
Bumb's survival instincts screamed at him. His hands twisted and stretched, the flesh warping as black claws extended from his fingertips—the same claws that had torn through Andre. He raised them to block.
Woli's sword spun horizontally in his grip, the blade cutting through the air with a sound like tearing silk.
Steel met claw right in the middle of the clearing.
BAM!
The impact sent a shockwave through the ground. A small cloud of dust and debris burst outward, and Bumb was thrown back two, then three steps. His feet dug furrows into the dirt as he struggled to keep his balance. His arms trembled. His claws—hard enough to pierce Andre's chest—were now chipped at the edges.
He stared at Woli with wide eyes.
"That strength…" he muttered under his breath. "So the rumors weren't exaggerated after all."
At that moment, Raimen struggled to his feet. His body was a wreck—the wound in his abdomen was still fresh, the flesh torn and ragged where Panc's stone blade had pierced through. Blood was pouring down his waist, staining his clothes a deep crimson. But despite the pain, despite the blood loss, he reached down, gripped the hilt of the sword still lodged in his stomach, and pulled.
The sound was wet. Horrible. Blood gushed out in a fresh wave.
But Raimen gritted his teeth. He wouldn't fall. Not here. Not now.
"Ahh… Damn you, Panc," he hissed through clenched teeth. "You pushed us harder than I expected. I never thought he'd be insane enough to launch a suicide attack like that."
Bumb glanced at him, his expression unreadable.
"That's exactly why we underestimated him. We didn't think he'd go that far." His eyes flicked to Raimen's wound. "How bad is it? You're losing too much blood."
"It's nothing. I'm not the kind of man who drops dead from a wound like this." Raimen wiped the blood from his mouth and straightened up, his eyes locking onto Woli. "Besides… we have bigger problems now."
Just then, Master Woli spoke, his voice cutting through the night like a blade.
"Hey, you two pieces of filth."
Both Raimen and Bumb snapped their attention to him.
"You will pay for everything you've done today. Every life you've taken. Every family you've destroyed. Every ally you've stolen from us." His voice was calm, but it carried a weight that made the air itself feel heavier. "Be sure of that."
Raimen's lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes were cold.
"Master Woli… I've heard of you. The great hunter who hides in the shadows of Aurelia. The man who can cut through dimensions themselves." He spat blood onto the ground. "Let's see if you're as strong as the stories say. We'll find out right here, right now."
Woli didn't respond to the provocation. Instead, he turned his head slightly.
"Rambeel. You and the kids handle the red-haired one. That filth called Bumb…" His eyes locked onto the Djinn. "…is mine."
Rambeel nodded firmly.
"Understood, Woli."
Without another word, Rambeel and the three young hunters turned toward Raimen. They fanned out, each taking a position around him—Kaito on the left, Ren on the right, Aiko behind, and Rambeel directly in front.
Raimen's grin widened. There was no fear in his eyes. Only amusement.
"Oh! So the four of you are coming for me? How flattering." He cracked his neck, flames beginning to flicker around his fingertips. "Let's have a bit more fun then."
Ren moved first.
The blue-haired young man shot forward like an arrow, his fist already crackling with electricity. Sparks danced along his knuckles, illuminating his cold, focused eyes.
"LIGHTNING FIST!"
Raimen didn't flinch. He simply coated his own fist with fire, the flames roaring to life with a hungry intensity.
"Do you think a small attack like that can affect me?"
"FLAME FIST!"
The two fists collided in the center of the clearing.
BAMMM!
A blue-red explosion erupted outward, forcing both fighters back a step. The air shimmered with heat and static. The ground beneath them cracked and blackened.
But just as the explosion began to fade—Kaito had already moved.
He had anticipated the timing perfectly. While Raimen was still recovering from the clash with Ren, Kaito's fist—wreathed in white spirit energy—came screaming toward him.
"SPIRIT FIST!"
Raimen's eyes widened. He hadn't accounted for Kaito's speed, for the way the young man moved like a ghost, for the sheer unpredictability of his attack. The spirit-coated fist slammed directly into his chest.
BOOM!
A second explosion erupted, this one even larger than the first. Raimen was thrown backward, his feet leaving the ground as he sailed through the air. He crashed into the dirt several meters away, coughing up blood as he struggled to breathe.
"S-so I underestimated you brats," he growled, wiping his mouth. "Fine. Now I'll get serious."
He rose to his feet, and this time, there was no amusement in his expression. Only cold, calculating fury.
Meanwhile, the real battle had begun.
Woli and Bumb stood across from each other in the center of the clearing. The air between them crackled with tension. Neither moved. Neither spoke. They just watched—each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Woli's sword was in his hand, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. Bumb had summoned his own weapon—a pitch-black sword formed from the same black earth that coursed through his veins. It wasn't just a weapon; it was an extension of his being.
Then, in perfect unison, they moved.
Steel met black earth.
CLANG!
Sparks flew everywhere, lighting up the darkness like fireflies. The clash was brutal, each blow carrying enough force to shatter stone. Again and again, their blades met—left, right, overhead, thrust. Woli moved with the precision of a man who had spent decades perfecting his craft. Bumb moved with the raw, unpredictable aggression of a creature born for combat.
The soldiers in the distant city watched from their posts, their hearts pounding. They didn't know who these new arrivals were—but they knew they were watching something extraordinary. Something terrifying.
"Who are they?" one of them whispered. "What kind of monsters can fight like that?"
No one answered.
Raimen had grown tired of playing around.
He raised his hands, and behind him, a massive pillar of fire erupted from the ground. It rose into the sky like a tower of pure destruction, its heat so intense that the trees nearest to it began to smoke and blacken.
"FLAME SPEARS!"
From within the pillar, dozens of spears made of condensed flames shot forward—each one aimed with deadly precision at Rambeel.
Master Rambeel reacted instantly. He spread his hands, and a curtain of pure, blinding light materialized in front of him.
"LIGHT CURTAIN!"
The flame spears struck the curtain with a deafening hiss, sending steam and sparks in every direction. But the curtain held—at least at first. Then, slowly, it began to wear down. The flames were too intense, too relentless.
Rambeel's eyes narrowed. He knew he couldn't hold this position for long.
"DIVINE SPEED!"
In an instant, he was gone. His body became a blur of golden light, moving faster than the eye could track. Kaito, Ren, and Aiko stared in awe.
"Wh-what is this speed?" Kaito breathed.
"I can't even see him anymore," Ren admitted, his blue eyes wide.
"I only see a yellow streak," Aiko added. "That's it."
Raimen, however, was not impressed.
"So this is the speed of light, huh?" He grinned. "No problem. I can still catch you."
He dropped to one knee and pressed his palm against the ground. Flames erupted from his hand, spreading outward in a widening circle. Within seconds, a cage of fire had formed around the entire area—a prison of searing heat that trapped everyone inside.
Rambeel skidded to a halt, his movements now severely restricted.
"Damn it!" he cursed. "He's trapped me. But this alone won't be enough to stop me."
But before he could react further, the Light Curtain finally shattered. The remaining flame spears—three of them—hurtled toward the group at full speed.
Kaito reacted without thinking.
"DOUBLE SPIRIT FISTS!"
Spirit energy exploded from both his arms. But this time, instead of keeping the power close to his body, he pushed it outward. Two massive fists made of white spirit energy shot forward like projectiles, colliding with the flame spears in midair.
BOOMM!
Two spears were obliterated. But the third continued its deadly trajectory.
Rambeel, even in his restricted state, reacted instantly. He formed a tiny sphere of light in his hand—no larger than a marble—and, with a precision that bordered on supernatural, launched it at the remaining spear. The sphere passed cleanly between the spear's flames and struck its core. The spear withered instantly, crumbling into ash.
But Raimen had been waiting for this.
"FLAME WHIP!"
A whip of fire extended from his hand, snaking through the air faster than anyone could react. It wrapped around Rambeel's waist, and with a brutal yank, Raimen pulled him forward.
Rambeel's eyes widened. He couldn't resist. He was being dragged through the air like a ragdoll.
Raimen didn't wait for him to arrive. He leaped forward, closing the distance in an instant, his fist already glowing with orange-red energy.
"FLAME PO!"
The punch landed squarely in Rambeel's solar plexus.
BAM!
All the air left Rambeel's lungs in a single, violent exhale. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, motionless.
"MASTER RAMBEEL!"
Kaito's scream tore through the clearing. His brown eyes blazed with fury. His fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.
"You despicable bastard!"
Raimen was about to bring his fist down on the fallen Rambeel again—to finish him—when Aiko stepped forward.
Her green eyes were burning with determination.
"MIND POWER! Stay still!"
Raimen's body froze. His arm stopped mid-swing, trembling as he fought against the invisible force holding him in place.
For a moment, it seemed to work.
But only for a moment.
Raimen's lips curled into a sneer. With a violent surge of will, he broke free.
"Those little mind games won't work on me, young lady."
He spun around, both hands extended, and a beam of pure fire erupted from his palms.
Ren reacted instantly.
"LIGHTNING BEAM!"
A beam of crackling electricity shot from his own hands.
The two attacks met in the center of the clearing.
BAMMMMM!
The explosion was catastrophic. A pillar of white-hot energy erupted into the sky, so bright that it illuminated the entire city. Windows shattered. The ground shook. For a moment, it was as if the sun had risen in the middle of the night.
When the light finally faded, both Ren and Raimen were still standing—but both were panting, their bodies pushed to their limits.
Woli and Bumb's battle had reached its climax.
Bumb swung his black sword with everything he had. Woli parried, then countered with a thrust. Bumb dodged to the right, then swung diagonally, aiming for Woli's neck.
The blade stopped one centimeter from Woli's throat.
But it didn't just stop.
It was pushed back.
Bumb's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wh-what's happening? Why can't I cut you?"
Woli's voice was ice.
"I've been waiting for this moment."
His sword began to darken. The blade, already black, became something deeper—a darkness that seemed to swallow the light around it. It was darker than Bumb's sword. Darker than the night itself.
"You son of a bitch."
"DARK SEVERANCE!"
Woli swung.
Bumb couldn't react.
The blade tore through his chest.
SWISH.
Bumb collapsed, blood pouring from the wound.
But the blood was black.
Woli's eyes narrowed.
"You're a Djinn?"
His grip on his sword tightened.
"One more reason to kill you."