Chapter 1327 Too Scared
Chapter 1327 Too Scared
Once their destination and luggage were taken care of, there was nothing left for Diana and Arthur but to travel. Arthur couldn't create a portal because he lacked the ability to control runes at the moment, and traveling through public portals was too risky. Thus, they had a favor to ask of Rhys.
The Nightroad Company was more than happy to accommodate Arthur's requests. They even arranged a hut for them in the town of their destination. The private jet would arrive in a few hours since their civilian models were a little far away. Arthur was more than happy to spend these hours with his friends and family.
"When are you coming back?" asked Oren while stretching his body in the backyard of their house. Arthur was in front of him, taking off his robes as well. Diana and Selena sat on the side, with Alaric pouring them some tea. Benjamin was still sleeping since it was early morning.
"In a week," said Arthur with a smile. "I have to make sure you're strong enough to defend this place while I'm gone. Do you think you've surpassed your older brother just because you're an Astra-ranker now?"
"In terms of abilities, no one can beat your wrath. But in terms of stats… I'm not worried," said Oren with a grin as he made some light jumps. "Don't hate me for this, Art."
"You've gotten cocky, little bro," said Arthur with a grin. "How about we set some ground rules? Are we fighting with our fists only?"
"If I use my mana, the fight would be too easy," said Oren with a grin. "How about we rely on spiritual energy?"
"That would be unfair to you," said Arthur, shaking his head.
"You underestimate me. I've been training my spiritual energy for the past few years," said Oren with confidence. Arthur stared at his brother for a bit, wondering if he was also a monster like him. "Is it possible that you don't know how to use it yet?"
"…Bring it on, you brat," said Arthur with a twitching eyebrow. His younger brother was taunting him, so how could he take it lightly?
Oren knew what he was doing, and his spiritual energy burst forth. Arthur was caught off guard by the volcanic eruption of power that shook the very mountain they were standing on. Dust particles rose in the air around them as Oren smirked at his brother.
"Don't die from this attack," said Oren as he stepped back and raised a fist. Arthur was surprised to see him control the spiritual energy, condensing it around his hand before using it to attack. The fist exploded with power like a cannon, heading toward Arthur.
"Is he crazy?" cried Selena as she realized Oren had overdone it. However, Diana held her back from intervening with a smile. Selena looked at her in confusion.
"Arthur once used his spiritual energy to attack someone," Diana told her with a little giggle. "It ended up destroying an entire city, and people called him a calamity."
Selena's mouth was agape, and she sat back down as the train of spiritual energy engulfed Arthur. It began to die down before it destroyed the entire clan, and Oren stood there with a proud smile.
"This is my strongest attack without using the rest of my powers," said Oren with a grin. "He should take me seriously now, hehe."
"That is indeed an amazing attack," said Arthur from behind him. Oren flinched as he jumped forward, rolling on the ground, only to find his brother admiring the destruction from behind him. "Well done, little brother."
"You teleported?!" muttered Oren with a frown. "We agreed to use nothing but our fists and spiritual energy!"
"I used spiritual energy too," said Arthur with a smile. "You see, the power of the soul feeds the body. Once it reaches a certain purity and quantity, you can infuse it into your movements. For example, like this."
Arthur released his spiritual energy. A crushing mountain descended on those present as the condensed spiritual energy made it hard to breathe. Oren might have made the entire mountain shake, but Arthur's spiritual energy made the clouds part. Then, his brother tapped the ground with his foot.
Oren could no longer see him, and his brother placed a hand on his shoulder. Even without turning around, he swung a fist toward Arthur. But a wall of spiritual energy blocked him effortlessly. Arthur grinned at him before sending a fist toward Oren.
The entire world seemed to twist with the fist at its center. Oren could see his own death in the incoming attack. His senses flared up as he summoned the armor of Lancelot, which took the full brunt of the fist. Then, he flew like a broken kite, slammed into the walls, destroying them, and rolled outside.
"Oren!" shouted Selena as she rushed forward. Arthur stood in his place with a smile, his eyes staring at the rising figure behind the dust. Oren was fully armored by Lancelot, staring at his brother from behind the iron bars before his eyes.
Selena stopped in her tracks, looking at Oren in surprise. He was unharmed even after suffering that attack, and his armor disappeared soon after. Then, he raised his hands in surrender with a smile. "I lose."
"Of course you lose, damn brat," said Arthur, raising a fist. "It's my job as your older brother to beat you up!"
"Yeah, yeah," said Oren with a sigh as he walked through the hole he created in the wall. "I have to ask… was that your entire spiritual energy?"
Selena hugged Oren right after, and Arthur grinned as his brother grew flustered. Just like Arthur, he wasn't used to showing affection in public. However, a worried Selena wouldn't let him go even after making sure he was unharmed. Arthur even felt a little guilty that he had scared her like this.
"I'm fine, really," Oren assured his girlfriend before turning to Arthur. "Answer my question, damn monster. Was that everything you had?"
"Would it hurt if I say no?"
"It would motivate me to surpass you too," replied Oren with a grin. Arthur smiled at his brother, then turned toward Selena and Diana.
"Diana, can you create an ice barrier around this to block my spiritual energy from leaking? I might scare the entire world if I release it in one go."
"Show-off!" spat Oren as Diana nodded and raised her hands. Ice formed around the backyard to block any spiritual energy. Since this ice was spiritual itself, Arthur wasn't worried about hurting the clansmen. They had suffered enough because of him.
"Don't lose consciousness, Oren," said Arthur to his younger brother. "In truth, I've never managed to release my entire spiritual energy. It can be… a little scary."
"Just do it already," said Oren, disgusted by Arthur for trying to act cool. Arthur laughed, nodded, and then closed his eyes.
Arthur had once released a part of his spiritual energy in the Red Tower, and it ended up knocking out everyone. However, he never got the chance to release everything from his soul. It was like a never-ending river that never stopped gushing out. But it had an ending, right? A limit?
A surge of energy came from his soul, and Arthur opened his eyes. The world began to shake as his energy burst from his body, a deafening clap of thunder echoing in its aftermath. Selena lost consciousness first, and Oren lowered her to the ground as he stared at his brother.
Arthur thought he would reach an end, but the energy kept surging out of his body, almost reaching a terrifying degree. The ground beneath them began to disintegrate, and the grass grew at an alarming pace. Spiritual energy seeped into the world, oversaturating it before it crumbled once its limits were reached.
The never-ending surge of spiritual energy was overwhelming, and the entire world disappeared from sight. Oren was covered in sweat as he collapsed to the ground, staring at his brother. Before Arthur could reach his limits, a crack appeared in the ice barrier, and he stopped.
The spiritual energy receded, and Diana walked toward Selena, who was sprawled on the ground. She placed a hand over her forehead, and it glowed with spiritual energy that brought Selena back to her senses. As she rose in confusion, Oren got up from the ground once he made sure she was okay.
"You didn't reach your limits, right?" asked Oren while staring at his brother with a frown. "I feel cheated now. The moment I suggested spiritual energy, I lost," said Oren with a bitter smile.
"I, too, feel cheated because I couldn't release everything my soul has to offer," said Arthur while staring at his own hand. "I feel incomplete, like there is a hole in my soul that brings out more spiritual energy the more I demand. But… for what reason? What made me like this? I don't know, and I'm too scared to find out."