Chapter 138: Iterative Amplification
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Their fists collided.
The impact detonated like a missile strike, sending a violent shockwave across the district. Windows shattered throughout the surrounding buildings, street lamps bent under the pressure, and the road beneath their feet cratered instantly.
SWOOOSH!
For a brief moment, the entire sector of Playmore seemed to tremble.
A block away, civilians hiding inside damaged buildings screamed as the shockwave rolled through the streets. Remaining Royal Guards turned toward the horizon, while even some of the monsters roaming the city paused for a moment.
There was something terrifying about the battle between Mardale Aranos and the King.
Neither man was holding back.
SKREEETCH!
The King skidded backward through the air, his boots carving glowing trails across the sky before he finally stabilized himself.
CRASH..
Mardale landed on the roof of a shattered building.
Neither man waited as they launched themselves toward each other again.
CRASH!!
BOOM!!
BANG!!
Punches flew between them.
Knees collided.
And elbows struck.
SWOOSH!
Every exchange produced another burst of destructive force.
Fwooo....
The King slipped beneath Mardale's guard.
WHAM!!
A devastating uppercut connected directly beneath Mardale's chin.
SWOOSH!
Mardale shot upward.
CRASH–CRASH–CRAAAASH!
The force carried him through three floors of the nearby building, concrete exploding around his body as he tore through the structure.
SWOOSH!
The King immediately followed, he gave Mardale no opportunity to recover.
The air screamed as he appeared above him.
"You're getting slower!"
His boot descended.
BOOOOOOM!!
Mardale crashed through the skyscraper as floor after floor shattered beneath him.
Thirty.
Twenty-nine.
Twenty-eight.
The numbers blurred as Mardale continued falling through the collapsing structure until he finally burst through the side of the building.
BOOOM!!
The entire structure tilted dangerously.
The King landed on the collapsing rooftop, his heavily-torn royal coat fluttering behind him as dust rolled around his feet.
His aura burned like molten gold.
SWOOORRSHH!!
Even injured...even exhausted...he still looked every bit like a king.
"Those lightning strikes caught me off guard."
He wiped the blood from his lip.
"I'll admit that."
His eyes narrowed.
"Monday's interference was unexpected."
"It hurt."
"It threw me off balance."
His expression hardened.
"But don't confuse that for weakness."
Mardale slowly stood from the rubble below. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His ribs screamed with every breath. His teleportation reserves were practically empty.
Yet he still grinned.
"You done talking?"
The King's expression darkened.
"No."
The temperature around them seemed to drop.
"Because no matter how many times we fight..."
"No matter how many hours pass..."
His aura began expanding.
"It doesn't change the truth."
BOOOOOOOOM!!
The nearby buildings shook as the King's energy exploded outward.
"You killed my brother."
Silence.
For the first time since their battle began, Mardale looked genuinely annoyed.
"Oh, not this again."
The King's fists clenched.
"NOT THIS AGAIN?!"
His roar echoed throughout the district.
"You took him from me!"
"He trusted you!"
"He called you his friend!"
The King's rage caused the air itself to vibrate.
Mardale stared at him then sighed. A long, tired, exhausted sigh.
"Your brother wasn't a victim."
The King froze as Mardale pointed directly at him.
"He murdered people."
"He sold people."
"He experimented on children."
"He betrayed his own kingdom."
The King's fists trembled.
"He was my brother."
Mardale's eyes sharpened.
"And that's exactly why you can't see him for what he was."
For a moment, the King said nothing.
His rage remained immense, but beneath it was something else, pain.
Real pain, and Mardale saw it immediately.
Because despite everything that had happened, the King genuinely loved his brother. The problem was that love didn't magically make monsters innocent.
The King slowly lowered his head.
Then he laughed.
"...Kehehe...."
It began quietly a small laugh.
Then it grew louder and louder until it became completely unhinged.
"Hahahahaha!"
He raised his head.
"You still don't get it!"
Mardale frowned.
The King looked directly at him his eyes were bloodshot.
"I KNOW HE WAS EVIL!"
Mardale blinked.
The confession caught him off guard.
The King continued.
"I knew."
"I always knew."
"He lied."
"He cheated."
"He hurt people."
"I knew all of it."
His voice cracked.
"But he was still my brother."
The district became silent. For the first time, Mardale had no response.
SWOORRSSHH!!
The King's aura suddenly exploded.
"AND YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A golden shockwave flattened nearby buildings.
FWOOSH!
Cars were launched through the air.
CRAAACK!
The street cracked apart for hundreds of meters as the King's power surged wildly.
His Savage Power was 'Iterative Amplification'.
The longer the battle lasted...the stronger he became. Every hit and every injury of every passing moment. All of it made him stronger. And now, after fighting Mardale for this long, his power had reached an absurd level.
SWOOSH!
The King vanished.
Mardale's instincts screamed too late.
THWACK!
CRAAAAAAAAASH!!
A punch connected.
Mardale was launched through an entire city block, crashing through buildings one after another as explosions erupted behind him.
SWOOSH!
The King immediately pursued.
He didn't stop, and didn't slow down.
He never hesitated. He became a golden comet of destruction tearing through Playmore.
FLIP–FLIP– SKREETCH!
Mardale spat blood as he struggled to regain control of his body.
"You're insane."
The King smiled.
"No."
His next punch shattered the sound barrier.
"I'm grieving."
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Their fists collided again.
The resulting shockwave split the clouds above Playmore, sending a tremendous pressure wave across the city.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
And throughout the battlefield, everyone felt it.
Wei-Wan.
Zachia.
Aerin.
Nyx.
Champagne.
Even Monday Valhalla.
All of them turned briefly toward the distant sector and they realized the same thing. Mardale wasn't fighting some royal figurehead.
He was fighting a monster.
And the worst part.... The King's power was still growing.
to be continued.....