Chapter 21
The world around Blaze twisted and spun. His vision blurred as searing pain coursed through his body like molten lead. Every breath felt like dragging in shards of broken glass.
Blood dripped from his lips as he hunched over, one knee barely holding him up. His hands trembled, his muscles unresponsive—his body betraying him at the worst possible moment.
Then, the system messages flickered before his eyes, cold and unfeeling.
[Warning! Host efficiency reduced by 60%! Due to Ecliptic Venom, physical and magical output significantly weakened!]
[Critical Status Detected! Condition: Paralytic Fatigue. Reaction Speed Reduced.]
The weight of the system's words settled on him like chains, shackling his movements, dulling his senses. He gritted his teeth, trying to push through it, but his limbs felt like they were submerged in tar—slow, sluggish, barely responding.
A shadow loomed over him.
A slow, mocking clap echoed through the battlefield, followed by a deep, smug laugh.
"Hahaha! Didn't I tell you they'd fall right into my trap?"
Pothaire stood before him, exuding absolute confidence. The golden glow of the enchanted mask covering the upper half of his face shimmered under the sunlight, accentuating his smirk.
His presence was suffocating.
The other combatants had gone silent, all eyes locked onto the scene unfolding before them. The once-intense battlefield had been reduced to a cruel spectacle—an execution waiting to happen.
Pothaire took another step forward, the soft crunch of his boots on the dirt seeming deafening in the eerie stillness. His crimson robes billowed slightly with his movements, the sigil of his faction embroidered in black across his chest—a snake devouring its own tail.
His gloved hand flicked forward, sending a small spark of energy crackling between his fingers as he spoke.
"To think I had to go this far just to deal with a mere Zero… But after seeing what you did back there, I understand why."
His voice was laced with amusement, but Blaze could hear the underlying edge—the cautious respect hidden beneath the arrogance.
Blaze remained silent, his mind racing.
A Zero. That's what they all called him. A waste of space. A mistake. Someone who should've never been given a chance to exist in the first place.
But even now, when his body refused to cooperate, when his strength had been ripped away from him by a carefully planned attack—he refused to let them decide his fate.
His fingers curled into fists, nails digging into his palms.
He needed time.
He needed a plan.
But time wasn't on his side.
---
FLASHBACK –
The towering trees of the dense forest cast long shadows under the pale glow of the twin suns. The only sounds were the distant calls of nocturnal creatures and the rustling leaves as Blaze and his group navigated through the thick undergrowth.
Kaito let out an exaggerated groan, kicking at a loose rock. "Tch. Our crystal is still red. How the hell are we supposed to get anywhere at this rate?"
Akira sighed. "Stop whining and focus. We're not alone here."
Unbeknownst to them, two separate forces lurked in the darkness, hidden among the twisted branches and dense foliage.
One of them belonged to Pothaire.
Perched high on a tree branch, he observed Blaze's group with a keen, calculating gaze. The glint of his golden mask caught the sunlight as he leaned against the rough bark, arms crossed.
His subordinates, however, were less patient.
A man clad in dark leather armor whispered harshly, "Why are we still tailing these weaklings? This is a waste of time. Let's just rush in, cut them down, and take their crystal."
Another smirked, gripping the hilt of his dagger. "Yeah, I mean—look at them. They're barely in the Foundation Phase. The Zero is practically dead weight."
Pothaire didn't respond immediately. Instead, his black eyes remained locked onto Blaze, unblinking. Something about the way he moved—the way he carried himself—felt... off.
Finally, he spoke, voice calm yet firm.
"No."
His men exchanged confused glances.
Pothaire's eyes narrowed slightly. "Something's wrong about that Zero. He's dangerous."
A scoff came from one of the watchers. "That guy? He's barely standing straight. You're giving him too much credit."
But before they could argue further—
Another group attacked first.
A blur of shadows burst from the trees as a rival faction lunged at Blaze's group, their blades flashing under the sunlight.
Pothaire's men tensed, some instinctively reaching for their weapons, but he raised a hand, silently commanding them to stay put.
"Let them fight," he murmured, his smirk returning. "Once they're weakened, we strike."
They watched from the shadows as Blaze's team turned to face their ambushers.
The attackers moved swiftly, overwhelming in both numbers and cultivation stage. Their leader—a 6th-stage Foundation Phase wizard—barked a command, and two 5th-stage wizard flanked Blaze's group with deadly precision.
A one-sided massacre.
Or so it should have been.
Then it happened.
Blaze—who had seemed the most vulnerable, the most useless—moved.
And in an instant, everything changed.
One of Pothaire's men instinctively stumbled back, gripping his weapon tighter.
Blaze's movements were inhuman—fast, precise, relentless.
In the span of a few breaths, the supposed Zero had annihilated the two 5th-stage wizards. Not wounded. Not weakened. Destroyed.
Their bodies hit the dirt, unconscious before they could even scream.
The 6th-stage leader barely had time to react before Blaze's fist connected with his chest.
A sickening CRACK echoed through the trees as the man's ribs shattered.
He was sent flying over ten meters, smashing through tree trunks before crumpling into a motionless heap.
Silence.
The day was still once more.
Pothaire's entire squad stared, stunned.
One of his men whispered, voice trembling, "Are you seeing this?"
Another wiped the sweat from his brow. "Is that really a Zero?" he muttered in disbelief.
Pothaire, however, did not look shocked. If anything, he seemed almost... entertained.
His smirk returned, but this time, there was a glint of caution behind it.
His black eyes darkened.
"Change of plans."
He turned to his men, voice devoid of its usual arrogance.
"We neutralize him first."
---
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Blaze barely remained on his feet. His limbs were sluggish, his breath ragged, but his resolve remained unshaken. His vision swam, the edges darkening as the Ecliptic Venom sapped his strength.
Across from him, Pothaire stood with his arms folded, his golden mask gleaming under the sunlight. He studied Blaze like a predator toying with its prey.
"But to think, after injecting that much Ecliptic Venom, you're still standing." Pothaire let out an amused chuckle. "You must have some insane physique."
His smirk widened.
"Not that it matters." He lifted his hand lazily. "Crush your own crystal, and we might spare your lives."
Behind him, Kaito and Akira lay on the ground, bound and beaten, their clothes tattered from the earlier battle. Blood dripped from Kaito's temple, but his eyes burned with defiance.
"Blaze… don't…" Akira coughed out, struggling against her restraints.
Blaze's fingers trembled as they reached into his pocket, securing the team's crystal. His body was on the brink of collapse, but his will refused to break.
His grip tightened.
I'm not surrendering.
Then—
A sudden flicker.
A shift in the air.
His muscles screamed in protest, but he pushed forward, feet digging into the dirt. Energy surged through him as he activated his skills.
"Feral Pounce! Astral Strike!"
The world blurred—
Blaze vanished.
A gust of wind blasted outward as he reappeared mid-motion, his fist already soaring toward the nearest enemy.
A sickening CRACK echoed through the clearing.
The man's head snapped back, his body lifted off the ground before being flung like a ragdoll, smashing into a tree with bone-breaking force. He hit the ground, unmoving.
Pothaire's smirk vanished.
"Enough." His voice was cold. "Activate the Tri Lightning Formation!"
Three warriors immediately moved, forming a perfect triangle around Blaze.
Their hands shot outward, and the air crackled with power as they began chanting in unison.
"Tri Lightning Formation—ACTIVATE!"
A brilliant blue light erupted around them.
BOOM!
A torrent of electricity descended, slamming into Blaze's body like the wrath of the heavens itself.
His screams tore through the forest.
His body convulsed violently, the searing heat of the lightning ripping through his nervous system like molten fire. Every fiber of his being screamed in agony as the system chimed with emotionless cruelty:
[The host is being struck by a powerful lightning attack. -5 HP per second.]
[-5, -5, -5…] HP: 20/100.
Kaito and Akira's frantic cries were drowned out by Pothaire's laughter.
Blaze fell to his knees.
His vision blurred.
His body burned.
It was over.
Or so they thought.
Then—
A single chime echoed in his ears.
[Host's body has endured excessive lightning damage.]
[Due to your perseverance, the system has unlocked your first magic affinity.]
Blaze's eyes snapped open.
A new notification blinked in his mind.
[Affinity: Lightning Unlocked.]
New spells unlocked:
Lightning Gloves (Lvl 1): Attack speed +20%.
Lightning Boots (Lvl 1): Movement speed +20%.
[Ecliptic Venom Neutralized. All stats restored to peak condition.]
A shift in the air.
Sparks danced across Blaze's fingertips. The pain in his body was gone, replaced by a surging, uncontrollable energy that made his veins feel like they were pulsating with raw thunder.
He could hear the current in the air. Feel the hum of electricity beneath his skin.
"Activate rejuvenation skill."
His health bar refilled instantly.
[100/100 HP Restored.]
The three warriors maintaining the Tri Lightning Formation staggered back, their eyes wide in disbelief.
Pothaire took a step back. His usual arrogance flickered with the first trace of uncertainty.
"No… impossible…"
The once-oppressive atmosphere shifted.
Now, it was them who felt suffocated.
Blaze slowly rose to his feet.
Sparks crawled across his arms like living serpents, flickering through his hair, licking at the air with unstable crackles.
He lifted his gaze.
His green eyes glowed—no, burned—with streaks of stable lightning energy.
He smirked.
A sharp, wicked smirk.
The very air trembled.
Then—
With a low voice that reverberated through the clearing, he uttered two simple words:
"My turn."
To be continued.
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