Aldrich's skin was burnt. Black and charred . The smell of burned flesh filled the air around him. But even as he fell, something was happening. His skin began knitting itself back together. The burns faded. The damaged tissue repaired itself. New skin grew over the wounds.
The Library of Seraph's Grace was working. Its healing properties were heavily effective.Aldrich landed on the ground. He rolled once. Then pushed himself up to one knee. His breathing was heavy but steady.
"So he hid those explosive masks underground while he was doing his tornado attack," Aldrich muttered. "I see. I would have died if not for the Library of Seraph's Grace."
As he spoke, his system prompted. Only he could see it.
[System Alert: Library of Seraph's Grace - Healing Protocol Activated]
[Analyzing Host Damage…]
[Damage Assessment: Burns (Severe), Impact Trauma (Moderate)]
[Initiating Auto Healing Repair…]
[Progress: 25%… 50%… 75%… 100%]
[Healing Complete]
[Host Body Damage: 0]
[Body Recovery: 100%]
[All Vitals: Normal]
[Status: Combat Ready]
Then another notification appeared. This one was different. Brighter and more prominent.
[System Notification: New Library Available]
[Library Acquisition Detected]
[Source: Combat Performance Analysis]
[Host Has Been Granted A New Library]
[Accept: Yes / No]
Aldrich's eyes widened. A new library? Just like that? He didn't hesitate.
"Yes!" he said quickly.
[System Alert: Command Accepted]
[Processing Library Integration…]
[Download Progress: 10%… 30%… 60%… 90%… 100%]
[Integration Complete]
[Host Has Been Granted: Library of The Martial Spirit]
[Rank: A-Rank]
[Type: Combat Enhancement / Technique Mastery]
[All Archives Unlocked]
[Knowledge Transfer: Initiating…]
Aldrich's mind suddenly flooded with information. Memories that weren't his own poured into his consciousness. Techniques. Movements. Stances. Fighting styles. Martial arts from a thousand different schools. All of it downloaded directly into his brain in an instant.
He saw himself performing techniques he had never learned. Striking with precision he had never possessed. Moving with grace he had never trained for.It was overwhelming. But also exhilarating.
Within seconds, the transfer was complete. Aldrich understood the power. He understood how to use it. Every archive. Every technique. Every movement was now as natural to him as breathing.
"I see how this works," Aldrich muttered. A smile spread across his face.He stood up. Fully healed and was ready for the fight.
The commentator's voice exploded through the arena. "ALDRICH HAS SURVIVED! THAT OUTRAGEOUS ATTACK SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM! BUT HE'S STANDING! HE'S COMPLETELY FINE! THIS MAN IS AMAZING!"
The crowd erupted. People were screaming. The energy in the arena was electric.Meanwhile, Aldrich just stood still. His eyes locked on Sylvester, who was about thirty feet away. His IceKing Breaker Sword was somewhere on the ground behind him. He didn't need it right now.
["Library of Martial Spirit," Aldrich said quietly. "Flow Step."]The moment those words left his mouth, Aldrich vanished.Not slowly. Not gradually. He was there one second. Gone the next.
Sylvester's masked face turned left. Then right. Searching. "Where"
Aldrich reappeared. Above Sylvester. His right leg was raised high above his head. And then he brought it down.A devastating axe kick aimed directly at Sylvester's skull.
But Sylvester's reflexes kicked in. He moved sideways. His rubber body stretched and bent. The kick missed his head by inches.Aldrich's leg slammed into the ground instead.
The impact was catastrophic. The ground didn't just crack. It shattered. The entire area around the impact point exploded. Dirt and stone flew into the air. A crater formed instantly. The shockwave rippled outward, causing the nearby frozen ground to break apart.Sylvester leaped backward immediately. He created distance. About fifty feet. He landed and stared at the crater Aldrich had just created with a single kick.
His eyes behind the mask were wide. Stunned."It seems he has figured out my weakness," Sylvester muttered to himself. "Close combat. If he gets near me, I'm done. I will have to keep him away from me as much as possible."
He extended his hand forward. His fingers spread wide.
"Library of Mad Mask: Archive 45 - Four Angered Masks!"
As the words left his mouth, four masks appeared. They materialized out of thin air. Floating in the space around Sylvester.A black mask. A white mask. A red mask. A green mask.
Each one was identical in shape to the mask on Sylvester's face. But each had cracks. And from those cracks, different colored lights leaked out. Black ?White.,Red,Green.
Sylvester smiled behind his mask. "Let's see how you deal with this, huh?"The red mask's mouth opened. And a beam shot out. A massive red beam of pure energy. It was at least five feet wide. It tore through the air with a roar. Straight toward Aldrich.
Aldrich reacted instantly. He slid down. His body dropped low to the ground. The beam passed over him. So close he could feel the heat. It struck the wall behind him and exploded.
But as he dodged the red beam, the black mask attacked simultaneously. Its mouth opened. And a wave of darkness shot out. A black tendril that moved like a living snake. It struck where Aldrich had just been.it was a blank attack. Coordinated. Timed perfectly to catch him while he was vulnerable from dodging the first strike.
Aldrich was now in a tight spot. Two masks attacking at once. From different angles. With different types of attacks.He had no other option but to act aggressively now and end this once and for all.
"Library of Hermes," Aldrich muttered under his breath. "Speed of Hermes Technique."
A streak of lightning surged through his body. His feet glowed. Winged sandals materialized. And then he moved.He was no longer there. Before the black tendril could hit him, he was already gone. Moving faster than the eye could track. Faster than sound. Like a bolt of lightning shooting across the battlefield.
Within a fraction of a second, Aldrich was in front of Sylvester.
Sylvester's masked face barely had time to register what was happening. His eyes widened behind the mask.
Aldrich's hand shot forward. He grabbed Sylvester by the throat. His fingers wrapped around the rubber neck and squeezed.And then the lightning came.
A surge of electrical energy poured from Aldrich's hand directly into Sylvester's body. It entered through the neck. Traveled through the torso. Down the legs. Up the arms. Through the head. Everywhere.
Sylvester's entire body lit up. Blue and white lightning danced across his skin. His rubber body conducted the electricity perfectly. There was no resistance. No protection.
He couldn't scream. His vocal cords were paralyzed. His muscles locked up. His body convulsed violently.The smell of burning rubber filled the air.
Aldrich held him there. His grip firm. The lightning continued to pour. Five seconds. Ten seconds,Fifteen seconds had gone by.
And then Sylvester's body went limp. The mask on his face cracked. The red light faded. The four floating masks around them shattered into pieces and disappeared.
Aldrich released his grip. Sylvester's body dropped to the ground.His Chrono Gauge beeped.
[Chrono Gauge: Fatal Alert - Sylvester]
[Health Point: 100]
[Damage Taken: -100]
[Remaining HP: 00]
*[Status: DEFEATED]
[Cause: Electrical Overload]
The arena was silent for a moment. Complete silence. No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone was processing what they had just witnessed.And then the commentator's voice exploded through the speakers. "THE WINNER! ALDRICH! HE HAS WON WITH A DEVASTATING LIGHTNING ATTACK! SYLVESTER IS DOWN! THE FIGHT IS OVER!"
The crowd erupted. The noise was deafening. People were screaming. Jumping. The energy was overwhelming.Aldrich stood over Sylvester's body. His breathing was heavy. The winged sandals on his feet faded away. The lightning around his hand dissipated.
He turned and began walking toward the tunnel. His footsteps were steady. Like he had just finished a casual sparring match.Guards rushed onto the field to carry Sylvester's unconscious body away.
Up in the royal stand, Lucian leaned back in his chair. A small smile played on his lips. "It seems your brother is impressive. Hmm. If we don't experiment and find out what or who he is, we might regret it later."
King Augustus said nothing. He just stared down at Aldrich's retreating form. His expression was unreadable.
Meanwhile, the commentator spoke again. His voice was calmer now. More measured.
"ATTENTION ALL PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE PASSED AND WON THEIR BATTLES! IN ONE MINUTE, A DOOR WILL OPEN! ALL OF YOU WILL BE GIVEN A CHOICE! YOU CAN CHOOSE TO STAY HERE IN THE TOURNAMENT REALM AND CONTINUE FIGHTING! OR YOU CAN TAKE A STEP FORWARD AND PROCEED TO THE NEXT REALM! THE CHOICE IS YOURS!"
A massive door began to materialize at the far end of the arena. It was tall. At least fifty feet high. Made of solid gold. Covered in intricate carvings and symbols.This was the door to the next realm.