Chương 19: Chapter 19 – Clash with Lower Moon 3
The demon, now sporting a freshly regenerated arm (talk about a handy ability), glared at me with pure, unadulterated rage.
"You dare wound me, insect?!" it roared, its voice echoing through the misty clearing. "I am Wakuraba, Lower Moon Three! You are nothing but a speck of dust before my might!"
Lower Moon Three? Oh, crap. This just got real, I thought, my heart pounding like a drum solo.
Wakuraba's body pulsed with dark energy, the air around him shimmering and distorting. Suddenly, a crushing weight pressed down on me, like an invisible giant had decided to use me as a footstool.
"Ugh, what the..." I grunted, struggling to stay upright. My legs felt like lead, my Odachi a thousand pounds heavier.
"Behold my Blood Demon Art: Weight of Dominance!" Wakuraba proclaimed, his voice booming with a god complex. "I control gravity itself! You are but a plaything in my hands!"
I glanced over at Hiro and Aika, who had both collapsed to the ground, their bodies pinned beneath the immense pressure.
"Guys, hang in there!" I shouted, struggling to lift my head. "I'll take care of this oversized bully!"
I tried to move, to fight back, but it was like trying to swim through molasses. Every step was a monumental effort, every swing of my Odachi a Herculean task.
Wakuraba laughed, his voice a cruel mockery. "Struggle all you want, human. You cannot escape the weight of my power!"
He gestured with a clawed hand, and the gravity intensified. I felt my bones creak, my muscles strain, my vision blurring at the edges.
Damn it, I thought, gritting my teeth. I can't let him win. Not like this.
I took a deep breath, forcing my lungs to expand against the crushing pressure. I focused on the flow of energy within me, the untapped potential waiting to be unleashed.
I need more power. More speed. More... everything.
"Struggle all you want, human," Wakuraba sneered, his voice echoing with sadistic glee. "You are nothing but an ant beneath my boot!"
I gritted my teeth, my muscles straining against the oppressive force. It felt like I was carrying a mountain on my back, every movement a monumental effort.
Think, Akio, think! I urged myself, my mind racing. There's gotta be a way out of this.
And then, amidst the crushing weight, a spark of inspiration ignited.
Kinetic Breathing. It wasn't just about offense; it was about harnessing the energy of every movement.
I started shifting my weight, taking small, deliberate steps, each one a struggle against the immense gravity. With every movement, I focused on my breathing, channeling the energy into my legs, my core, my entire being.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I began to rise. The pressure lessened, my body feeling lighter with each step. Wakuraba's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible!" he roared. "You defy the laws of gravity?!"
"Not defy," I retorted, my voice strained but determined. "Just... bend them a little."
With a final surge of effort, I broke free from the crushing force, landing lightly on my feet. A triumphant grin spread across my face.
"Take that, you gravity-obsessed freak!" I shouted, raising my Odachi in defiance.
Wakuraba's expression twisted into a mask of fury. "You insolent worm!" he snarled. "You will pay for your defiance!"
He raised his hands, and I saw dark spheres of energy forming, pulsating with an ominous power.
"Blood Demon Art: Ambition's Crush!" he bellowed, launching the spheres towards me.
I barely had time to react. The spheres hurtled towards me, their gravitational pull warping the air around them.
Crap, this doesn't look good, I thought, my heart pounding in my chest.
I tried to dodge, but the spheres seemed to anticipate my movements, their gravitational fields dragging me towards them.
Think, Akio, think!
In a split-second decision, I activated the Kinetic Breathing - Second Form: Ryūten Hangeki (Flowing Counterstrike). I twisted my body, deflecting one of the spheres with my Odachi. The energy surged through the blade, and I channelled it into a powerful upward swing.
The sphere, its trajectory altered, soared into the air, exploding harmlessly above the treeline.
But there was no time to celebrate. Another sphere was closing in, its gravitational pull threatening to crush me from the inside out.
I gritted my teeth, my muscles straining against the immense pressure.
Wakuraba chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Impressive," he said, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "You're more resilient than I thought. But don't get too cocky, human. You've only delayed the inevitable."
He raised his arms, and the air around him crackled with dark energy. A sense of dread washed over me, heavier than any gravitational force he had conjured so far.
"Behold my true power!" Wakuraba roared, his voice echoing through the mountains. "Blood Demon Art: Realm of Ambition!"
The clearing warped and twisted, the very fabric of reality bending to his will. A massive gravitational field enveloped us, the air growing thick and oppressive. I felt my body grow heavy, my movements sluggish, as if I were wading through quicksand.
"What the...?" I grunted, struggling to lift my Odachi. "It's like I'm wearing a suit of armor made of lead!"
Wakuraba grinned, his cruel smile widening. "Welcome to my domain, human," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "Here, I am the master of gravity. And you... are nothing but a helpless puppet."
He lunged towards me; his movements deceptively swift despite the intensified gravity. I tried to dodge, to parry, but my body felt like it was moving in slow motion. His claws grazed my arm, leaving a burning trail of venom.
"Gah!" I cried out, stumbling back. The pain was excruciating, the venom searing through my veins.
Damn it, I can't let him get the upper hand, I thought, my vision blurring at the edges. I need to break free from this... this gravitational hell!
I took a deep, ragged breath, forcing my lungs to expand against the crushing pressure. I focused on the rhythm of my Kinetic Breathing, the flow of energy within me.
Move, Akio, move!
I pushed myself forward, each step a battle against the relentless force. My muscles screamed, my bones ached, but I refused to yield.
My legs burned, my lungs screamed for air, and my every movement felt like I was wading through a pool of molasses. Wakuraba's "Realm of Ambition" was no joke.
This is like trying to do a workout in a spacesuit, I thought, gasping for breath. Except instead of floating in zero gravity, I'm being crushed by a thousand elephants.
But I refused to give up. I kept moving, pushing my body to its limits, Each step demonstrated my persistence and absolute willpower.
With every movement, I generated more kinetic energy, the air around me crackling with anticipation.
Wakuraba, however, wasn't satisfied with my slow-motion defiance. He wanted more. He wanted to see me break, to crumble under the weight of his power.
"Come on, human!" he roared, his laughter echoing through the distorted clearing. "Struggle! Fight back! Show me the extent of your pathetic defiance!"
He raised his hands again, and a swarm of dark spheres materialized, each one pulsating with gravitational energy.
"Blood Demon Art: Ambition's Crush!" he bellowed, launching the spheres towards me like a barrage of cannonballs.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me, I thought, my heart sinking. This is like a boss battle on hard mode!
But I didn't have time to panic. I activated Ryūten (Redirecting Flow), my body twisting and turning as I deflected the incoming spheres. Each parry, each redirection, sent a shockwave of energy rippling through the air, the ground trembling beneath my feet.
Wakuraba's laughter grew louder, more manic. "Come on, come on! Struggle! Struggle!" he chanted, his voice a twisted symphony of sadism. "I wonder how long you can keep this up!"
More spheres materialized, their gravitational pull tugging at my limbs, threatening to drag me down into the earth itself.
I gritted my teeth, my muscles burning with exertion. "I'll... keep this up... as long as it takes," I gasped, my voice barely a whisper. "I... will... win."
"I wonder about that..." Wakuraba's voice dripped with a mixture of amusement and sadism.
He raised his hand, and the air above me warped and darkened. A sense of impending doom washed over me, heavier than any gravity I'd felt before.
"Blood Demon Art: Ambition's Anvil!" he roared, his voice echoing like thunder.
The pressure intensified, crushing down on me with the force of a thousand mountains. My bones creaked, my muscles screamed, and my vision blurred. It felt like an invisible anvil was pressing down on me, threatening to flatten me into a pancake.
But even as I struggled, a defiant grin spread across my face. "Like I said," I gasped, my voice strained but unwavering, "I... will... win."
My body crackled with a newfound energy, a darkness swirling within me, hungry for release. The air hummed with an otherworldly power, and my eyes burned with a fierce intensity.
With a roar that echoed Wakuraba's own, I unleashed the full force of my Black Lightning Breathing.
Black Lightning Breathing First Form Improved: Black Flash Slice (Kuro Hikari Giri)!
But this time, it was different. The black lightning surged through my veins, amplifying my speed and power beyond anything I had ever experienced. I moved with a blinding swiftness, a streak of darkness cutting through the oppressive gravity.
Wakuraba's eyes widened in shock as my Odachi sliced through the air, leaving a trail of black lightning in its wake. Before he could react, the blade connected with his outstretched arm, severing it cleanly.
Zzzt-KRAKOOM!
The sound of the black lightning echoed through the clearing, a symphony of destruction. Wakuraba screamed in agony, his severed arm disintegrating into a cloud of black smoke.
"You should have gone for the head," he snarled, his voice laced with pain and disbelief. "My hand will regenerate in an instant!"
I merely smirked, mimicking his earlier tone. "I wonder about that..."
Seconds ticked by, but Wakuraba's arm didn't regenerate. Instead, the stump remained charred and lifeless, the black lightning having cauterized the wound and disrupted his demonic healing abilities.
"Impossible!" Wakuraba shrieked, his voice rising in a panic. "How... how did you...?"
"You see," I explained, my voice calm despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins, "the temperature of regular lightning is around 30,000 Kelvin. But black lightning? That's a whole different ball game. It's basically pure energy, so hot it can't even be measured. It ionizes anything it touches, disrupting the very atoms that make up your body."
Wakuraba stared at me, his multiple eyes filled with confusion. Clearly, he didn't understand a word I was saying.
"Don't worry about it," I said with a shrug. "Just... die with that confusion."
With a final burst of speed, I closed the distance, my Odachi flashing once more.
Black Flash Slice!
Wakuraba's head flew off, his body dissolving into nothingness. The black lightning dissipated, leaving behind only the silence of the forest and the lingering scent of ozone.
I stood there, panting, my body buzzing with the residual energy of the Black Lightning.
(To be continued…)
Over9000words claps enthusiastically, their voice booming with excitement. "Bravo, Akio! That was an impressive display of power and strategy! I never imagined you'd defeat a Lower Moon demon so effortlessly. I was actually planning to kill you off in this chapter, but you proved me wrong. Just kidding, of course!"
Akio stares at the empty space in front of him, his expression a perfect deadpan. "That's it. I'm leaving. This partnership is officially over."
He turns to walk away, but AI-sensei's voice stops him in his tracks. "Akio, while I understand your frustration with Over9000words' questionable sense of humor, I believe their intentions were benign. Perhaps a bit of patience and understanding is in order."
Akio sighs, his shoulders slumping. "Fine, fine. I'll stay. But if Over9000words tries to pull another stunt like that, I'm quitting for real this time."
Over9000words grins sheepishly. "No promises, Akio. No promises..."
End of Chapter 19 (Abruptly)
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