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“Come on!” Rex jeered as he lunged at Aedan with a punch thrown at a quarter of his full strength. His fist pierced through the air, rippling the space in its wake. It was a testament to the sheer strength packed within that single punch of Rex.

Aedan received the punch with his torso and his body arched, whipping backwards. His feet left the ground. Anyone seeing this would expect Aedan to go flying across the battlefield. However, Aedan planted his feet right back on the ground and thrust out both of his fists in return towards Rex.

“What in the—” Rex couldn’t even utter his surprise fully as Aedan’s assault sent him skidding backwards on his feet. The damage done to him wasn’t tremendous but he felt the pain and the possibility of his loss. “H-how is this possible?!”

“Anything’s possible. No one and nothing’s perfect. Not even you, Rex.”

“What trick are you using this time?”

“Given all the runic inscriptions you have carved onto yourself, I expected you to be able to figure that out in no time at all. Maybe I’m just overestimating you.” Aedan shrugged with a look of indifference.

“You goddamn son of a bitch!” Rex roared and rammed into Aedan as if he was himself at him.

Aedan took his weight and the impact with his shoulder. He grunted with a pained scowl. But in the next instance, he twirled, bringing his fist around, and drove a punch into Rex’s face.

The big man went staggering backwards in a daze. His world danced in blurry multiples. He wasn’t drunk. He was neither under the influence of drugs. These were the only times that his world would be spinning and whirling. When a sharp pang ran through his body from his cheeks, he knew he had to accept the reality. He was suffering a concussion as a result of Aedan’s punch.

Rex groaned while rubbing his cheeks. It was throbbing with pain and it felt odd to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this manner of pain, the kind of pain that told him he would lose if he wasn’t careful and continued to be impetuous.

“It hurts…” Rex muttered. “It really fucking hurts… I didn’t think I would ever feel this again. You… amaze me.”

“I know how you feel. I truly do. But sadly, you will get no mercy from me.”

Rex snorted. “Just because you managed to properly wound me, it doesn’t mean your victory is guaranteed.”

“No, it doesn’t. It merely means that your victory isn’t guaranteed and that’s enough for me.”

“Snarky bastard.” The tattoos on Rex’s leg began glowing vibrantly. “You will rue your tongue for being so derisive.”

It was at this moment that a pillar of fire erupted from a distance away, catching Rex’s attention and interest.

“Impressive flames…” Rex muttered. “Who could it be? Certainly not one of mine. One of yours, I hope?”

Aedan rolled his eyes. “Stop barking and start biting, will you?”

Rex spat at Aedan and moved in front of him in the blink of an eye. He didn’t run or walk. He moved his whole body but he did not move a single muscle and he was right in front of Aedan somehow. “As you wish.” Rex threw a punch.

“Fucking h—” Aedan didn’t manage to finish his profanity as Rex’s fist shot towards his face. He dodged the punch but another one immediately followed suit. The second punch was aimed at his belly and he received this punch instead of dodging.

Aedan retched from getting the air knocked out of his body. He staggered for a single step but he reclaimed that step and retaliated with a haymaker.

Rex raised his arms in defence and blocked Aedan’s wild hook. Even though Rex was prepared, he was still shaken by that feral assault. “This strength… It feels similar to my own. Is this the secret of your trick?”

“You’re welcome to find out.”

“Then I shall!” Rex cried and shoved Aedan off of him before throwing his next punch.

Similar to before, Aedan took the punch and countered with his own.

Rex blocked the punch and once again, the strength felt equal to the punch he threw just before. He threw another punch but it was targeted at Aedan’s head.

Instead of receiving the punch, Aedan dodged it.

Seeing that, a grin crept on Rex’s lips. “It’s not your trick. It’s your armour’s. And there’s a limit to the absurdity of your trick. A blow to the head would be too much or perhaps you need a clear mind to redirect my strength back to me, which is why you always avoid the punches that were aimed at your head. How interesting.”

“I suppose everything looks like a wonder to people like you.”

“Say what you want. Now that I know your tricks, you will not be seeing the end of the day.”

“You know my tricks, you say? How amusing.”

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Rex scoffed.

“We shall see,” Aedan responded with a sneer. Suddenly, a reddish gleam pulsated across his armour.

“What’s this now?”

Then, Aedan disappeared from Rex’s sight.

“What the fuck?! Where did you—”

Rex’s unfinished inquiry was answered with a kick to his head from behind. His world shook violently. Suns and stars exploded in his vision. He went tumbling across the ruined ground and lay sprawled.

Rex was quick to recover from the unexpected attack. He rose to his feet with renewed vigour and turned behind him. “Another convoluted trick of yours? Can you not fight like a coward?”

“No,” Aedan answered dryly and rushed forward after a red gleam ran across the surface of his armour.

“Fast,” was all Rex could say as Aedan was right in front of him just after he uttered only a single word. He raised his arms to guard the punch coming from his head but his belly suffered instead. It was a feint and he fell for it. Not only that, the punch was stronger than the ones he threw with a quarter of his strength.

Red sheen over Aedan’s armour. He threw a hook that caught Rex right across his jaw.

Rex bit on his lips to endure that punch. He countered with a hook of his own but Aedan let it sink into his abdomen before returning the force to Rex.

Another wave of red swept past Aedan’s armour and he threw another punch that sent Rex sprawling across the ground. Aedan had his fist raised, preparing to throw another punch, but he lowered his fist instead. His breaths had turned haggard before anyone knew it.

“I see…” Rex muttered in between his grunts and groans as he staggered to his feet. “Those red sheens… Those are effects of the spell you cast on yourself, isn’t it? No, it will be more precise to say it’s a spell that was already cast on the armour. I wager it’s some kind of a strong attack spell. You coupled it with the armour’s ability to redirect energy. This way, you don’t need to wait for me to attack. Most impressive. Did you make that armour yourself? I reckon you did.”

Aedan sighed. “Do you ever shut the fuck up?”

“What’s the matter? Did I get it right?”

“Yes, you did. Now, for the love of all that’s holy, please shut the fuck up.”

“There’s just no end to your impudence, is there?”

“There will be if you learn how to keep your mouth shut.”

“You’re just making your imminent and unavoidable loss all the more agonising later on.”

Aedan gave Rex a genuine exasperated look. “This is agonising enough as it is.”

Rex’s right arm glowed with a shimmer as he tugged at the air. Aedan was then pulled by an invisible strength towards Rex.

“Crazy bastard,” Aedan cursed under his breath. Rex’s fist came for him. He twisted his body in the air and narrowly dodged Rex’s punch. He grabbed Rex’s outstretched arm and kneed him in his elbow.

Rex screamed, his voice of agony shaking his surroundings.

Aedan tutted. Though he caused great pain to Rex, he didn’t manage to snap his arm. He lacked just that last bit of strength. Before Aedan could move away from the enraged Rex, he was grabbed by the left arm.

“Feel my pain!” Rex bellowed and squeezed Aedan’s arm.

In response, Aedan syphoned Rex’s strength away from the grasp and channelled it into his other hand, which he coiled into a fist and drove into Rex’s face. But that punch alone wasn’t enough to loosen Rex’s grasp. In fact, it only made Rex strengthen his grasp further. Aedan syphoned the strength in Rex’s grasp as quickly as possible and returned the strength to him.

Aedan rained down punches on Rex but the scrawny man with contrasting might did not let Aedan’s arm off in spite of the bruises that were accumulating on his body. In the end, it was Aedan who ran out of juice first. As a result, Rex could easily crush his arm, squeezing the armour along.

Aedan screamed silently as if he was merely poked by a small needle, despite having his arm mangled.

“Curious,” Rex said as he wiped away the blood on his cheek. “You’re taking this pain far better than everyone else. They all screamed like a girl when I crushed a part of their body but you… you’re taking it well.”

“Nothing's more painful than listening to you,” Aedan retorted. A red gleam swept across his armour once and he threw a punch.

But Rex caught his fist and twisted that arm of his too.

Aedan shouted through his teeth as his arm was twisted until the flesh burst, the veins ripped, and the bones snapped.

“I don’t believe it,” Rex scoffed. “It’s louder than before but still nowhere near the reaction I’m expecting.”

Aedan chuckled with a look that was drained of vitality. “Glad to disappoint you.”

“Oh, you are wrong about that. I’m not disappointed. If anything, I am glad that I fought you. You made me realise I have been complacent and there are individuals out there who can still give me a worthwhile fight, a good thrill. For that, you have my gratitude.”

Aedan wasn’t even struggling. Both of his arms were deformed to a frightening degree. Anyone would have fainted from the pain and shock. It was a feat worthy of mountains of praise that Aedan was still even conscious and speaking.

“What was your name again? I forgot. Mind telling me again? For showing me the world is larger than I come to believe, I will etch your name forever in my memories even though I find you… insufferable.”

“Then feel free to call me whatever you like…”

“Insolent till the end. Fine, have it your way.” Rex released Aedan’s mangled arms from his grasp. “You shall perish as a nameless rogue. Pray that someone will remember your name because your slayer won't.” Saying so, he wrapped his hand around Aedan’s neck and lifted him off his feet. Rex then began sinking his fingers into Aedan’s neck.

Although Aedan wasn’t showing it on his face, he was indeed in a dire predicament, one that would actually result in his death. He glanced towards Olivia, who was still unconscious from her fight with Rex. She had truly gone beyond her limits, fighting a monster like Rex.

“No last words?” Rex asked with a mocking smile. “Well, of course, you don’t have any.” And Rex poured more strength into his fingers.

Just then, a screech resounded loudly from above, turning Rex’s gaze to the skies.

“A Wyvern?” Rex blurted out. “Why would a surly monster— No, it’s a mount,” he surmised when he saw the harness around the Wyvern.

Rex’s guess was immediately proven correct as he saw the rider hopping off from the Wyvern while it was still high up in the sky.

“Huh, is the rider insane?”

As if the rider heard Rex’s disbelief before it even left his lips, the rider was falling towards him.

“He's coming here!?”

Right before the rider hit the ground, their descent suddenly slowed drastically and the rapid descent became a gentle and gradual drop.

“A woman?”

As the rider was wearing a light garment, it was easy to determine her gender with how the fabric stuck closely to her slender, shapely, yet ample figure. She was wearing a cloak with a hood over her head. Still, the locks of her red hair could be seen dangling out of the hood.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Rex inquired with a deep scowl. “Friend of this impudent wretch here?”

“Friend?” the woman scoffed. “Enemies would be more fitting.”

“You’re not here to save him?”

“It isn’t my intention.”

“So you won’t stop me from killing him.”

The woman chuckled. “I did not say that.”

“Huh? What the fuck are you spewing now?”

“Just because I’m not here to save him, doesn’t mean I would let you commit murder right in front of me.”

“Ah, I see. You’re just one of those self-righteous pricks. I’m familiar with your kind. Are you all so eager to meet your demise at my hands?”

“In the name of Ruva and all that she represents, you are under arrest,” the woman said, pulling off her hood.

Aedan snorted weekly when he saw her face. “Azaela…” he muttered. "You're late..."