The ground trembled beneath Garrick's feet, dust and debris swirling in the wake of his rising aura. His body was battered, wounds lining his arms, but his grip on his spear was unwavering. The tip of the weapon, stained in fresh blood, pulsed with an unnatural glow. It thrived off the damage he had taken, storing the pain, the force, the very essence of his suffering—waiting for the perfect moment to release it.
Across from him, the Ashborne stood, her form wreathed in twisting strands of molten steel. The metal swirled around her like living tendrils, forming an exoskeleton of silver and black armor, spikes protruding along her shoulders, bracers reinforcing her arms. The faintest smirk played across her lips.
"You still stand?" Her voice was filled with twisted amusement. "Even after all this, you still have fight left in you?"
Garrick didn't answer. He simply launched forward.
His spear screamed through the air, the force of his charge rupturing the ground beneath him. The Ashborne barely had time to shift as he thrust forward, his weapon's tip exploding with a burst of fire. She twisted, her armor reinforcing at the last second, blocking the impact.
BOOM!
The force sent shockwaves rippling through the underground chamber, cracking the very foundation of the lab. Yet, Garrick did not let up.
He pivoted, his spear moving faster than sight, cutting through the armor plating over her ribs. The moment the blade connected, it released stored damage, a burst of concentrated energy blasting through her armor.
The Ashborne's body jerked violently to the side, her smirk faltering for the first time. The pain registered.
But then she laughed.
"Good, good! Finally, you're making me feel something!"
Her hands shot forward, metal whips surging toward him, curving mid-air like predators seeking their prey. Garrick spun, his spear tracing arcs of fire as he intercepted the attack, slashing through the first set of bindings before another wrapped around his ankle, yanking him off the ground.
He reacted swiftly by slicing off his foot freeing himself from her metallic grip.
The Ashborne raised her other hand, and a wall of spikes erupted from the floor, aiming to impale him mid-air. Garrick twisted, rotating his body in mid-flight, his spear igniting once more.
WHOOSH!
The weapon released another stored blast, incinerating the incoming spikes, sending him flying back just in time to land on his feet.
Dr. Ferris, still inside the collapsing lab, watched through the shimmering barrier of Infinite Space, his body completely untouched by the destruction. His hands remained steady over the console, ensuring the Scion experiment remained undisturbed.
"This level of combat strength… It far exceeds my calculations."
His eyes gleamed as he analyzed Garrick's movements. "A Peak Rank 3 burning through his life force, reaching temporary Rank 4 capabilities… Interesting. Even I would struggle to battle against that but ultimately, futile."
The Ashborne was done playing.
Her hand lifted, and the very ceiling of the underground base crumbled.
The earth above gave way, buildings, streets, and debris cascading into the depths, the hospital collapsing as the battle surged above ground.
BOOM!
The city trembled as the two warriors burst into the open air, their fight spilling into the streets of Doitand. The civilians who had once roamed its bustling avenues were already fleeing in terror, screams piercing through the devastation.
Garrick barely had a moment to breathe before she was on him again.
Her arms shot forward, twisting shards of metal ripping through the earth itself, spears, swords, jagged daggers forming from the very environment around them.
Garrick weaved through the incoming onslaught, his spear a blur of destruction. He cleaved through blades, dodged spikes, and countered every metal construct that sought to impale him. The fire from his spear left scorching trails in its wake.
Yet, the Ashborne was only getting started.
Her aura began to flicker, a deep, crimson hue leaking into the air, spiraling around her form.
Garrick's heart pounded. He had felt it before—the pressure of a true Rank 4.
The streets buckled under the weight of her essence.
She lifted her hands, and the sky darkened.
The metal from the entire center of the town twisted into the air, blotting out the heavens, forming a colossus of death above them.
Everything in a 100-square-kilometer radius was drawn into her influence.
Buildings shattered. Metal ripped through structures, impaling anything unfortunate enough to be nearby. People screamed as jagged shards pierced through flesh.
Blood ran like rivers through the streets of Doitand.
Casualties. Uncountable.
Garrick could only watch, horror burning through his soul.
This… was the power of a Rank 4.
And yet, even as death surrounded him, as despair gripped the city, his flames did not flicker.
He roared.
His body surged forward, dodging through the labyrinth of blades that sought to end him. His spear pulsed, absorbing more damage, more pain. He ignored the wounds, ignored the agony—because if he stopped, he was dead.
The Ashborne's laughter echoed through the ruined city.
"Garrick, Garrick, Garrick! Do you see it now?" She extended her arms outward, motioning to the carnage she had wrought. "The gap between us?"
She curled her fingers, and more weapons formed from the sky, layering onto her armor, reinforcing her form.
Garrick struck.
His spear pierced through the thickened plating, sending a fiery explosion through her chest.
She staggered, her smirk faltering for the first time.
Her gaze snapped to her arm—burned. Charred, her armor melted away where the spear had struck her.
Her eyes widened. Not from pain—but realization.
"So that's it."
Her head tilted, analyzing the wound that was hurting more than it should have. "Your life force… so because you're burning it the effect of your attacks are more dangerous even to someone like me."
For the first time, she was on the back foot.
Garrick didn't let up.
He became a blur, his spear striking in rapid succession, every hit delivering the full weight of his suffering, his flames blazing hotter than ever before.
The Ashborne clicked her tongue. Her Rank 4 aura surged, the air distorting under her pressure.
And then she grinned.
"Yes… YES! This is it!"
Her laughter turned into an ecstatic cry as her true aura burst forth, sending shockwaves that flattened everything within kilometers.
Her eyes gleamed.
"Come, Garrick. Let me show you the great chasm between us." And with that, she unleashed hell.