Assimilate All Talents

Sol's muscles tensed and his mind sharpened as he used [Overpower] to squeeze every ounce of potential stored in his body. His perception expanded, the world around him moving at a crawl as if time itself had slowed. His eyes locked onto Varek, who appeared sluggish—moving at only a third of his previous speed. It wasn't Varek who had slowed down, it was Sol's agility and intelligence, amplified past 1500 that made the large beastman seem like a lumbering giant.

Varek, still charging forward with the Raijin's fist crackling with deadly electricity, had no idea what he was rushing into. His lips twisted into a confident sneer as he closed the distance. But to Sol, the attack was too pitifully slow to even register as a threat.

Sol's figure blurred. With an effortless lean to the side, he dodged the electrified maw of the Raijin, the air crackling where it passed.

Varek's eyes widened in alarm. 'What the hell?!' His instincts which he inherited from the Raijin when they fused screamed in warning, urging him to flee.

Before Varek could even follow those instincts, Sol struck. Moving with speed that defied comprehension, Sol closed the gap and delivered a left hook straight to Varek's face. The impact was catastrophic.

Boom!

The sheer force of the punch sent Varek hurtling like a meteor, his body obliterating one of the towering peaks of the Jagged Peaks range upon collision. Rock and debris cascaded like an avalanche, dust clouding the air.

Sol was about to follow after him until he felt a disturbance in his mind barrier.

'Sin of pride… it's trying to make me think that I should cause even more destruction as a sign of my might. Good thing the mental barrier is working.'

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Since he created the skill [Mind Ward (Variant)] the sin of pride had been rather silent. Sol was secretly a little worried that the barrier had no effect and was still influencing his thoughts but he was glad it wasn't the case.

As for the desire to cause more destruction, Sol felt neutral about it. If there were sentient races or large numbers of living beings in the area he would be much more hesitant, but this region only contained old ruins and a few species of birds who had long since flown away when the battle started. He still wouldn't go around destroying any of the peaks without cause but that didn't mean he would hold back his punches against Varek. He couldn't afford to.

Sol felt how much time he had left with [Overpower] and could sense Varek was still alive so without any hesitation he disappeared towards the obliterated peak.

From within the rubble, a groan of pain echoed. Varek clawed his way out, clutching his bleeding head. Blood dripped into his eyes and as he wiped it away with a shaky hand, his mind raced.

'How?! How did his power spike like that? Does he have… [Limit Break]?!'n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The possibility sent chills through him. [Limit Break], a skill known for granting its users unimaginable bursts of power that could turn around any battle. It was an extremely rare skill that even those who had talents known for being able to obtain it often failed to do so.

But if Sol truly had it, Varek knew his path to victory. 'I just need to outlast him. Wait for that bullshit skill to burn out. Then, he's mine.'

Though he guessed the incorrect skill, the fundamentals of the two were similar enough that he was able to reach the correct conclusion.

Grimacing, Varek activated [Beast Recovery] again. The Raijin's powerful regenerative abilities kicked in, and the gash on his head began to close rapidly. But before the healing process could even complete, a shadow fell over him.

Sol had appeared in the air above him, his stone sword glowing ominously with Slayer Aura. But more terrifying than the sword was what loomed behind him: hundreds of black flames, each burning with an unnatural, malevolent energy.

Varek's breath caught in his throat.

Sol was silent, but his mind was rapidly and efficiently manipulating mana far beyond his normal capabilities to loop cast hundreds of black flames. The flames quickly multiplied, covering the sky like a black storm. His amplified intelligence allowed him to cast advanced magic like [Grim Flames] effortlessly, despite the mental burden of suppressing Varek's law technique, [Beast Ascension].

'It's a shame I couldn't suppress his other law techniques, it would've been easier that way.' Sol lamented as he attempted to do so when but found it was still too difficult. He reasoned [Lesser Channel Control] was not only limited by his mental capabilities but by the level of the law technique as well. He gazed down onto Varek who was pale from witnessing the absurd amount of black flames hanging above him like a guillotine.

Panic gripped his chest. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he cursed under his breath. He bolted, lightning sparking from his limbs as he tried to escape. But even at his full speed, he couldn't outrun the black flames raining down upon him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flames struck relentlessly, exploding on contact. Each one burned with a cold, consuming heat that scorched his white fur and left blackened scars across his body. Despite his incredible vitality, Varek was taking damage faster than he could recover.

Growling in frustration, Varek zigzagged from peak to peak as fast as he could, trying to evade the relentless assault. But Sol was faster.

In a blur, Sol reappeared beside him, his movements too quick for Varek to track. The stone sword in his hand warped and wrapped itself around his fist taking the shape of a sharp spike. Slayer Aura was infused into the makeshift weapon and without hesitation, Sol plunged it into Varek's chest.

The spike pierced through flesh and bone, creating a massive, gaping hole. Blood erupted from the wound, spraying the jagged rocks around them.

Varek staggered backward, his eyes wide in disbelief. He clutched at the wound, feeling the shattered remains of his ribcage and what was left of his heart. Half of which was completely erased, and the other half being slowly consumed by the Slayer Aura from Sol's brutal attack.

And yet, he didn't fall.

For the average A-Ranker, even with their high vitality, would have been fatal. But the ancient blood of the Raijin coursing through Varek's veins kept him standing. The Raijin's innately powerful regeneration worked desperately to keep him alive but could not combat the deadly effects of the Slayer Aura.

Sol's piercing gaze locked onto Varek. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned with cold determination. "You're still standing," he said, his voice low and sharp. "Not for long."

Varek bared his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth. He could feel the life draining from him, but he refused to show weakness. "You think this is enough to kill me?" he snarled, though the words lacked conviction.

Sol didn't reply. He didn't need to. His sword reformed, reshaping into a blade. He raised it high, preparing to deliver the final blow.

But just as Sol was about to swing, Varek screamed, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

In a last-ditch effort, Varek summoned every ounce of his remaining strength. He intended to unleash the Raijin's law technique in one massive electrical discharge.

But when he tried, his mind went blank.

"No! Wait!" Varek sputtered in disbelief, realizing his final gambit had been completely nullified. His face paled as Sol's blade descended.

Shwing!