Chapter 76 — The End or My Defeat
ROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!!!
A thunderous roar exploded from my throat as I forced every remaining ounce of power out of my body.
Blue-white lightning erupted violently around me like enraged dragons unleashed from their prison.
My muscles trembled.
My breathing grew ragged.
Every vein in my body burned like molten iron.
Yet I continued pushing harder.
Further.
Beyond the limits my body could safely endure.
CRACKLING!!!!!
Lightning crawled beneath my skin like living creatures trying to tear their way out.
Pain surged through every nerve.
But I ignored it.
Because slowing down now meant death.
---
Normally, recovering from injuries was simple.
As long as enough energy remained, the body could regenerate rapidly.
Bones could reconnect.
Organs could restore themselves.
Burnt flesh could reform.
But that process consumed enormous amounts of energy.
And during battle—
energy was life itself.
The more damage sustained…
the more energy required to recover.
Until eventually—
nothing remained.
No strength to heal.
No strength to fight.
No strength to survive.
---
There were exceptions.
Rare abilities capable of bypassing normal recovery laws.
The Azure Flame was one of them.
A healing force born from the Primordial Azure Beast Scripture itself.
Unlike Demonic Energy, which healed violently by forcing regeneration through destruction and rebirth…
the Azure Flame healed differently.
Gentler.
Cleaner.
It drew upon hidden potential within the body while resonating with surrounding natural energy.
The process was smooth.
Balanced.
Without long-term damage.
---
Then there were beings naturally aligned with the Laws of Nature.
Fire.
Lightning.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Some were even born with affinity toward Nature itself.
Existences capable of synchronizing directly with the world around them.
And beyond those…
stood magic.
Runes.
And countless strange paths walking the line between natural and unnatural power.
---
But none of that mattered right now.
Because my body was approaching collapse.
ROOOAAARRRRR!!!!!
I roared again, forcing my aura higher.
My feet carved trenches across the volcanic battlefield as I slid backward under the pressure of VARKHUL's advance.
The giant bear warrior pierced through the air like a meteor descending from the heavens.
Massive.
Unstoppable.
Oppressive.
BAMMMMM!!!!!
His colossal fist descended toward me.
BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
I intercepted it with my left palm.
For a brief moment—
the battlefield froze.
Shockwaves rippled outward violently from the point of impact.
The force traveled through my arm, into my torso, then downward into the earth beneath my feet.
CRACK!!!!!
The volcanic ground shattered apart.
Massive webs of destruction spread backward for thousands of meters.
Molten magma erupted upward from the fractures.
Yet neither of us moved.
Neither retreated.
---
Then—
I spun.
Using the force of his attack against him.
My body twisted gracefully to the left, redirecting his momentum forward.
For the first time—
VARKHUL's balance shifted slightly.
And in that instant—
my eyes flashed.
AUTHORITY.
The word echoed silently within my soul.
BAMMMMM!!!!!
A fist coated in compressed Lightning Law and traces of Authority exploded toward his face.
The air itself screamed apart.
VARKHUL's expression changed instantly.
For the first time since this battle began—
true danger appeared in his eyes.
BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
At the final moment, his massive hand redirected my strike away from his skull.
Even then—
the attack still connected partially.
A violent shockwave erupted.
Lightning exploded across his face.
A deep burn mark stretched across his cheek.
The back of his neck split open slightly as blood and sparks scattered into the air.
Entire mountain ranges behind him vanished from the residual impact alone.
---
We both pushed away from each other simultaneously.
Distance opened between us.
Though compared to the scale of this battlefield—
it was insignificant.
---
VARKHUL floated silently above the molten landscape.
The stars within his crimson eyes glowed brighter than before.
For the briefest moment—
fear appeared.
Real fear.
Not for himself alone…
but for what I represented.
Then—
his expression stabilized once more.
Composed.
Calm.
Ancient.
The composure of a warrior who had survived countless eras soaked in blood and war.
---
"That attack…"
he muttered softly.
"…was dangerous."
His voice carried no mockery now.
No arrogance.
Only truth.
---
Laws were terrifying existences.
They were not mere techniques.
Not mere energy.
They were fragments of the universe itself.
Manifestations of cosmic will.
And among all laws…
Authority stood at the pinnacle.
The forbidden law.
The law tied to the First True Sovereign.
A power countless geniuses had tried to comprehend throughout history—
only to fail.
Some spent entire lifetimes understanding less than one percent.
Others went mad chasing enlightenment.
Yet even incomplete Authority…
could overwhelm fully mastered laws.
That was the terror of it.
---
VARKHUL stared at the burns across his hand.
His flesh regenerated slowly beneath abyssal crimson flames.
But the healing was far slower than before.
Because the damage carried traces of Authority.
A force that rejected ordinary recovery.
---
"Nyxarion…"
he murmured internally.
"So this is what you saw."
---
His gaze returned toward me.
Toward the child standing amidst blue lightning and destruction.
A being not even a fraction of his age.
Yet possessing monstrous talent beyond reason.
Unnatural instincts.
Rapid adaptation.
And now—
Authority itself.
---
A strange emotion surfaced within VARKHUL's chest.
Excitement.
Not the excitement of domination.
But the excitement of witnessing the rise of something legendary.
During his era, he too had once stood among heaven-defying geniuses.
Feared.
Praised.
Worshipped.
But time surpassed all.
His generation faded.
Some died.
Some ascended.
Some disappeared into legends.
Yet now—
before him—
stood a monster capable of surpassing them all.
---
A smile slowly appeared on VARKHUL's face.
Small.
But genuine.
"If this child survives…"
he thought quietly,
"…the lower worlds will never fall."
---
Meanwhile—
my senses operated beyond their limits.
Every muscle twitch.
Every heartbeat.
Every microscopic movement in VARKHUL's body—
I analyzed everything.
The rhythm of his breathing.
The contraction of his tendons.
The flow of force beneath his skin.
Nothing escaped my observation.
---
But the strain was becoming unbearable.
My mind began slowing.
Thoughts lagged slightly.
My vision flickered.
Blood dripped from the corner of my lips.
I was running out of time.
---
And yet—
a plan had finally formed.
A reckless one.
A dangerous one.
But the only chance I had.
---
Slowly—
I raised my head.
Blue-white lightning exploded upward around me like heavenly judgment descending upon the battlefield.
The phantom image of a colossal white tiger appeared behind my body.
Its glowing eyes opened.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Divine.
ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!
The roar shook the volcanic world itself.
Even the magma seas trembled.
---
VARKHUL narrowed his eyes.
The air around him distorted violently.
Crimson flames erupted across his gigantic frame.
The gravity pressure surrounding him intensified once more.
Mountains collapsed instantly beneath its weight.
The battlefield groaned like reality itself was struggling to endure our presence.
---
Then—
both of us moved simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!