episode_0101

Chapter 101 – Affinity

‘Fortunately, I’m not late.’

I looked around.

They were all in tatters, looking as if they’d been through an incredibly tough ordeal in a short time.

Especially Abel, who would have been crippled if it weren’t for his divine power.

Still, perhaps because of it, I liked that I could feel venom and conviction in his eyes. In the game, it took quite a while for him to reach that state of mind.

As I was checking on the group, a tiger beastman slowly emerged from the thick fog.

“Quite an interesting fellow has appeared.”

He rubbed his blackened forearm.

Having taken a direct hit from the Flames of Destruction, even his immense regenerative power was ineffective.

“I am Krak. Who are you?”

“…”

“So you can’t speak? It doesn’t matter. I think I generally understand. That dangerous power. You must be the descendant of the divine beast that Hersculer-nim spoke of. But for that, you’re quite weak.”

“…”

“Well, there’s no need for conversation. Show me your power!”

*Thump!*

Krak kicked the ground powerfully.

With that tremendous stomp, the ground cracked, spreading fissures.

Reaching me in the blink of an eye, he stubbornly threw a straight punch. He was insistent on a confrontation of pure power.

I did not dodge it.

*CRASH!*

The two fists collided, generating a shockwave.

The strike, amplified by brute force and charging momentum, was difficult to withstand.

With just a single collision, the bones in my right arm were already creaking and breaking.

However, the Phoenix Flames instantly restored everything to its original state. My bones regained their previous form, becoming even harder.

The problem was that even if the wounds regenerated, the pain I felt in between remained.

I should definitely avoid head-on collisions.

‘Still, I generally understand now.’

I deliberately took the blow, even knowing it would be disadvantageous, because I wanted to gauge my current level.

* Ruan Friuli Level – 134 (+26) Strength: 157 (+38) Stamina: 139 (+29) Durability: 130 (+26) Senses: 130 (+37) Magic Power: 423 (+0) *

I’ve grown so much.

My magic power hasn’t increased at all, but perhaps as a trade-off, all my other stats have converged, making me abnormally strong.

I remember my total stats were exactly 100 when I first possessed this body, so this is remarkable growth.

Of course, even so, I couldn’t keep up with Krak.

“Hahahahaha! You have regeneration too!”

As if delighted to have met an opponent with similar power, he let out a belligerent laugh and unleashed a furious barrage of attacks.

At first glance, it seemed like he was swinging wildly, but the hidden techniques within were truly excellent.

By thoroughly restricting my movements, he forced me to move as he wished.

In the end, I had no choice but to continue clashing with him head-on.

*CRUNCH!* *CRACKLE!* *GRIND!*

My fist repeatedly broke and regenerated without pause, bringing constant pain.

I was able to avoid flinching thanks to Cain’s hard training. If I had just possessed this body, I might have screamed pitifully and collapsed.

To catch my breath for a moment, I unleashed the energy accumulated in the Arachne’s Gauntlet.

*CRASH!*

Krak, who parried the blow, stepped back.

“Khuhuhu… You’re using all sorts of strange tricks. Shall I go all out too?”

A heat haze made of magic power rose from his entire body, and the fist aura covering his punch swelled greatly, forming the shape of a tiger’s maw.

The ferocious momentum, as if it would tear out a throat at any moment, pressed down on its opponent.

I pushed back the heavy pressure descending upon me and drew out all the magic power I could control.

“Khahaha! Take this! Tiger King Fist!”

I slammed my Crushing Fist against the charging tiger’s maw.

Just before the two fist techniques clashed.

“Tsk… This is taking too long.”

The flame mage, who was completing a magic circle, made an annoyed expression and waved his hand.

*Whoosh!*

Then, a black fireball, ignited instantly, struck my back with lightning speed.

The flame, composed of demonic energy, burns until the opponent is completely annihilated, and its wounds will never heal until purified.

Nevertheless, I did not avoid the flame.

‘Anyway, I can just regenerate.’

After absorbing the Phoenix Egg, I gained near-immunity to flames, so the damage wouldn’t be significant, and if it were Pure Flame, I could purify demonic energy in one go.

That was the decision I made based on that judgment, but the problem was that it looked completely different to others.

“Watch out!”

Seeing my action of enduring the black flame, Alisa desperately cried out and thrust herself between us.

*CRASH!*

*Boom!*

At the same time, Krak and I clashed, and the black fireball engulfed Alisa.

“Aaaargh!”

Alisa screamed in terrible pain.

Bouncing off the floor from the impact, she rolled and fell outside the broken wall from the aftermath of the fight.

“Damn it!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I immediately spread my wings and chased after Alisa.

*Swish!*

The wind rapidly brushed past my skin.

Penetrating the blue sky swiftly, I quickly snatched Alisa.

The black flame burning her entire body tried to spread to me, but it dared not penetrate the Pure Flame.

I quickly infused Pure Flame into Alisa’s body.

The black flame extinguished quickly, but the demonic energy that had already infiltrated her body did not disappear easily.

I continued the purification while taking out potions and repeatedly sprayed them all over her body.

However, as expected, it wasn’t as effective as direct ingestion, and the regeneration speed was too slow.

First, I needed to wake Alisa.

“Hey, Alisa. Snap out of it!”

As I repeatedly called out, Alisa’s eyelids fluttered, revealing her red eyes.

“Ugh… Hyu…n.”

She smiled upon seeing me.

At her foolish appearance, I bit my lip tightly and brought the potion to her mouth.

“Drink.”

“…”

“Hurry!”

Despite my urging, Alisa didn’t move.

Her lips were fumbling, as if she was trying, but it seemed impossible for her.

After agonizing over it, I finally took the potion into my own mouth and pressed my lips against hers.

“Gasp!?”

Having her lips taken in an unexpected moment, Alisa’s eyes widened. Embarrassed, she shyly averted her gaze.

-Drink.

Then, as I whispered to her again via telepathy, she closed her eyes and slowly began to receive and swallow the potion I passed to her.

The wounds all over her body repaired themselves more quickly, and the trembling from the pain also ceased.

Once Alisa regained some strength, she actively moved, craving the potion.

Tongues intertwined, and a squelching sound tickled my ears.

“Hnngh… Mmm! *Slurp*…”

It was confusing whether I was feeding her the potion or simply kissing her. As soon as all the demonic energy was purified, I pulled my lips away, shaking off her persistently clinging tongue.

A long strand of silver stretched between our tongues.

“Haa…”

Alisa opened her eyes with a deep sigh.

Her red eyes were moist with drowsiness and a certain excitement.

“You can drink it yourself now, right?”

“…Mm.”

“Good. Then, let’s go back for now.”

Confirming that the immediate danger was averted, I turned and returned to the top of the clock tower.

As I set Alisa down, the group gathered around.

“Ah, Alisa. You’re safe!”

“I was worried, meow!”

Leaving them to their conversation, I headed towards Krak.

“Why did you leave them?”

“Are you finally speaking now? I’d rather ask you. Should I have gotten rid of them? Their lives are already in our hands anyway.”

“…”

“Anyway, to be able to purify even black flames… that power is truly dangerous. I’ll have to finish you off for good this time.”

“Try it.”

“Khaha! Your momentum suddenly became fierce. Is it because that woman got hurt? Then, let’s go!”

*CRASH!*

Krak leaped and instantly covered me.

Seeing the concentrated aura on his fist as if he was staking everything on this one blow, I too unleashed a strike.

And at the decisive moment, I activated my authority.

*Rumble rumble rumble….*

“Ugh!?”

An unprecedented momentum crushed Krak.

Dragons, also known as transcendent beings.

Among them, the Dragon Fear unleashed by an Ancient Dragon was powerful enough to obliterate an opponent’s mind.

Of course, I wasn’t even a dragon, let alone an Ancient Dragon, so I couldn’t fully unleash that power, but even so, it was enough to momentarily halt Krak.

And due to that effect, the power of Krak’s punch was greatly diminished.

*Thud!*

For a very brief moment, Krak and I entered a standoff.

Through our clasped fists, we compared our strengths, mobilizing all our capabilities to overwhelm each other.

I utilized that brief opening.

‘I can do it.’

Two streams of flame, extending from my middle dantian, twisted like a spiral and moved towards my fist.

Up to this point, it was the same as the Crushing Fist.

But I additionally incorporated the Infiltration Technique into this skill. Instead of just releasing it outwardly, it infiltrates the opponent and destroys them from within.

“Ugh!? This is…!”

Feeling the flames infiltrating from our clasped fists, Krak’s face contorted in pain.

But it was too early to be surprised by just this.

The spirals of flame that roughly pushed into his mana pathway suddenly tore at each other, then spectacularly exploded with immense repulsive force.

*Boom!*

“KRAAAAGH!”

Krak’s arm shattered into fleshy fragments.

The greedy inferno swallowed everything without exception, annihilating it.

This was the second form.

Blazing Heaven-Shaking Fist!

Contrary to its meaning of ‘shaking the heavens and making them roar’, the sound wasn’t that loud, but at least to the recipient, it must have felt like the world was turning upside down.

Krak let out gasping moans, collapsed, and clutched his wounds.

I walked in front of him.

Sensing my presence, Krak struggled to lift his head and met my gaze.

“Kekekeke… Is this the end? What is the name of this technique?”

“…Blazing Heaven-Shaking Fist.”

“Flames that shake the heavens and make them roar, you say. Enough to finish me off. Go on, kill me.”

As if resigned to his fate, Krak rose to his feet, spread his arms, and stood proudly.

Just as I, seeing his resolve, was about to deliver the final blow.

“Die!”

*Whoosh!*

The flame mage, who had been watching the situation without much presence, summoned a wave of black flames and engulfed both Krak and me simultaneously.

From beyond the scorching wave of black flames, the flame mage’s laughter could be heard.

“Uhahaha! He’s finally dead. That monstrous fellow. No matter how much demonic energy he can purify, he couldn’t possibly be safe within those flames. I can finally complete the plan.”

He was already convinced that I was dead.

It seems he couldn’t imagine that such demonic flames could be repelled simply by having Pure Flame enveloping my body.

Well, if he had known that, he wouldn’t have participated in the terror attack in the first place.

I lightly waved my hand.

*Woosh!*

The Flames of Destruction shattered the very magic structure of the black flame, dispersing it.

I slowly advanced.

And finally, the flame mage, who spotted me, gasped in horror.

“Wh-what!? You took that and aren’t even scratched? This is absurd! Die, die!”

He continued to pour out magic.

The black flames transformed into various shapes and struck my body, but they couldn’t stop my advance.

His face gradually became paler.

“Don’t come! I said don’t come! If you come any closer, I’ll detonate the bomb!”

Finally cornered, the flame mage used the bomb as a hostage. He stretched his hand towards the magic circle, as if to activate it immediately.

I let out a small laugh.

“Try it.”

“What?”

“I said, try it. Detonate the bomb.”

“Th-this bastard! Do you think I can’t do it if you tell me to?”

“So go on, try it.”

“G-grrrrr! Fine. I’ll kill everyone!”

With his gesture, the magic circle glowed brightly.

Then, after a moment of silence, the light subsided as if nothing had happened.

“Wh-what?! Why isn’t it activating?”

The flame mage, flustered, repeatedly tried to activate the magic circle. But it only noisily emitted magic light before returning to normal.

Moreover, the light gradually weakened, and eventually showed no change at all.

I approached him.

“Did you think I would just stupidly take your magic?”

“What? Surely you!”

The Flames of Destruction burn even magic power.

A moment ago, on my way to him, I wrapped the Flames of Destruction around the Infinite Thread and cut off all the magic circuits of the magic circle.

“Yes. I’ve already taken care of everything. So, are you ready to die now?”

As I aimed my fist, the flame mage, as if realizing his end, burst out in anger.

“D-damn it! If it weren’t for him! Where did he go? Ed—”

And just as he was about to reveal the true identity of the mastermind.

*Crunch!*

Space itself folded, turning the flame mage’s body into a pulp.