Too Stubborn to Die

Book 4: Chapter 18

Talia’s breath caught in her throat as she was about to scream, her whole world focused on the ant’s heel against Zero’s neck. But it had been silenced by the aura she sensed.

It was incredible, and it was fucking angry.

How?

How had he grown again since she last saw him? And without even gaining any additional levels. It was unfair. But not unwelcome.

“Don’t fucking touch him!” Came the angry, bellowing roar that sent a shiver down even Talia’s spine as Aaron flashed between them in an instant.

The speed of it all was incredible, and even her eyes struggled to keep up with it all. One moment, Hegemony Blanc was about to end Zero, and the next, he was flying toward the wall at the end of the cavern, leaving behind a trail of greenish, black blood.

“Mate, you fucked up. Zero, you good?”

“Woof!”

He then turned to Talia and Soohyun.

“What are you waiting for?” Aaron smiled cheekily, and Talia internally thanked him for it.

She wasn’t a damsel in distress, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be treated like one.

“Bout time,” she replied, doing her best poker face to ignore the pain as she stretched her arms out. “Thought I’d have to kill these guys without you.”

There was no time to waste, she pulled out a healing potion and downed it. Although it would still take a moment to properly heal her, it was silly to charge in while she was recovering. Especially if she didn’t immediately need to.

Aaron smiled as she recovered. It was obvious that both of them knew all too well the shitty situation she and Soohyun had put themselves in. But things happen, and Aaron wasn’t the kind of guy to grill someone over a mistake. And she was glad, as she was sure to lament her decision-making for some time, and didn’t need any assistance.

However, their little reunion didn’t last long. The terrifying crack of thunder followed, and in a flash, the Frankenstein patchwork ant shot forward, fangs lunging for Aaron’s neck. But unlike the royal guard’s previous prey, this time, his fangs bit into empty air.

“Too slow,” Aaron smiled and returned a punch straight to the ant’s stomach, and followed up with a kick that slammed across Jigsaw Tyrant’s snake face, sending him flying just in time for Hegemony Blanc.

“Aaron, look out!” Talia yelled, but it wasn’t necessary. As fast as the silver-haired royal guard was, Aaron was ready for it

Lightning-fast strikes came flying at him, but they passed straight through him harmlessly. Talia’s eyes widened a little. She had seen him do something similar before, but in the past, he seemed to take some damage from mana-based attacks, which the royal guard clearly seemed to be empowering his attacks with.

But it didn’t matter. They sailed straight through him harmlessly. Was this what he had used to defeat the assistants?

A moment later, Jigsaw Tyrant had returned, and both royal guards went absolutely berserk when their opening attacks failed to harm Aaron completely.

Talia regained her resolve. She couldn’t just stand around and wait. It didn’t matter how strong Aaron had become, or would become. She had her own strength. But she still needed a moment to recover. Her shallow wounds had all vanished, but the deep ones were still closing up, and she winced as she pressed her hand against one.

Almost. Just a little longer.

It almost looked like he was toying with them as he dodged and phased through the battle, then, as the ground around them was being destroyed, he lured them away from her and the others, causing Talia to ball her fists.

No way! There’s no way he’s treating us like collateral!

Okay, maybe they had screwed up and put themselves in a bad situation. But they weren’t useless civilians that he needed to protect.

Some way away as explosions shook the cavern, Aaron planted his feet down and went all Neo on the two royal guards, dodging their attacks with perfect head movement, and circling around. He looked untouchable, and when one of them finally managed to push their limits and get too close to striking him, he just phased straight through it. Making them look pathetically outmatched.

And then his counters came. Jigsaw Tyrant was the first to eat it. The royal guard saw the attack coming and attempted to block the punch with his huge wings. It wasn’t just wings, though. The feathery appendages were enveloped by a shiny sheen. It was clearly some kind of defensive Skill.

But Aaron’s fist passed straight through the feathery defensive Skill and into the ant’s wings. In the next second, the wings exploded into chunks of flesh and feathers. And Jigsaw Tyrant was thrown back, roaring in agony.

But Aaron wasn’t able to finish the job. Hegemony Blanc took the offensive immediately, swinging everything he had at Aaron, but it wasn’t enough.

The silver-haired ant was an incredible fighter. Fast and precise. But Aaron had taken a leap forward and left him in the dust. They were no longer equals, at least not when throwing fists at each other.

Aaron dodged, phased, ducked, and dived. And the moment the ant left an opening, it ate punches, kicks, elbows, and worse.

Soon, it was wobbly, and Aaron had taken all momentum from it. But even wingless, Jigsaw Tyrant wasn’t beaten, and he flashed into range to aid his brother.

Talia’s jaw fell agape. Countless strikes were being thrown both ways every second. It was amazing, and she could hardly believe the steps forward he had taken. Aaron had always been strong, but to advance so much so quickly surprised even her.

If he kept improving like this, she really would be left in the dust. It was a painful reminder of the original boost she had received from taking the Tutorial.

Once, she had thought perhaps it was Aaron who had been lucky by going to the trials early. But she realized that wasn’t the case. He had been handicapped from the start. Anybody else would have failed and gone nowhere. But Aaron made something of the trials because of who he was. And now that he was free from them, he would keep storming ahead.

Feeling the effects of the potion run their course, healing the worst of her wounds, she got ready to reenter the fight.

It was already painfully clear that the multiverse rewarded risk. It rewarded those who didn’t just wait around hoping to be blessed with power, but went out and seized it for themselves.

And she wasn’t about to be somebody's lackey.

Shadows poured out of her, and she closed the distance between herself and Jigsaw Tyrant after Aaron blasted the ant away after another furious flash.

If Aaron could take on two, she could sure as hell take on one of them. Darkness enveloped the ant, and she closed in to strike. But it was a feint, one that the ant fell for.

Talia smiled. She had been a little more direct in her combat recently. But Aaron was inspiring her to mix it up.

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The darkness filled the area around them, and Talia dashed back and forth, appearing and disappearing into the shadows, causing Jigsaw Tyrant to pivot in place, looking for her to attack.

But this was her realm, and the dumb ant fell straight into her trap, and a second later, her attack landed.

Black ribbons of shadowy power infected the gash she had opened across the ant’s shoulder. And she was just getting warmed up.

Aaron

The royal guards were no joke. As powerful as he had become, Aaron could respect them as adversaries. They just weren’t fast enough to hit him with regular attacks anymore.

“Guys, that it? I remember you being stronger.”

“I’ll show you strong!” Hegemony Blanc hissed and summoned his blue barrier.

It was actually quite an impressive Skill. The barrier encapsulated Aaron, who was reminded just how strong it was when he tried to punch his way out. There was a problem, though. He could still phase through it.

“What?! How? Impossible!” The ant spat as Aaron nonchalantly stepped through its formidable barrier.

“Oh, that thing,” Aaron said, glancing back at the barrier. “Sorry, mate.”

Despite easily foiling the barrier, he did realize that his [ Wraith Phase ] had limitations. But passing through mana wasn’t one of them. And as powerful as the blue barrier was, it was ultimately just mana. It did, however, have the nasty side effect of draining a good deal of his mana and aether.

Unfortunately for the ant, Aaron had a lot of energy, not to mention food on standby, and before the fight resumed, he threw a few small meals into his mouth as a precaution. He wasn't sure he actually needed the food; he still had a decent amount of mana and aether left, but he wasn’t going to underestimate these two needlessly.

But of course, the number one royal guard had more tricks up his sleeve, and a second later, a film of blue energy covered the ant.

“You will suffer. To make me use this Skill… I will tear you apart and feast on your heart!” Hegemony Blanc sneered. “Get ready to die!”

“Talia, he’s almost as edgy as you,” Aaron chuckled and cracked his knuckles.

The Skill wasn’t just for looks, though. He could already feel the extraordinary power radiating from the ant. It was almost as if he had jumped a grade. But that wasn’t all. He could already see the royal guard’s perfect skin starting to wilt. The ant was literally wrinkling before his eyes. He was becoming dried out, and his hair was fraying at the ends.

Then, Hegemony Blanc shot forward with the most incredible speed and power he had ever seen.

Even his immaculate phasing and dodging weren’t enough. He did everything as he was meant to. He read the ant’s moves perfectly, and dodged accordingly, and yet the powerful attacks managed to find their mark.

In a second, Aaron was hurtling across the city, slamming through buildings, and setting off cascading explosions.

Finally, the ant actually managed to kill him, though a quick burst of aether brought him back, and he quickly found room to separate by blasting off [ Bombardier Fist ], and using it to stuff some food quickly down his throat.

Aaron had already drawn down on much of his reserves, and as he consumed food, he pulsed on his core, forcing it through his veins and pumping up his aether as he dodged another attack that wiped away an entire section of the city.

But even with the power-up, it was no easy task to hit Aaron. He had a power and speed disadvantage, but he still held the raw skill advantage. And it took the royal guard hundreds of strikes to land even once, and all around them, the underground trash city was leveled.

However, this was a devilish foe. The aura and energy glow created by the ant was more than just power and speed. It came with some powerful corrosive damage. It was as if Hegemony Blanc himself had become radioactive, and just being near him caused severe damage.

Aaron could avoid this damage by phasing, but the effects lingered in the air. And so if he wanted to avoid the damage entirely, he had to hold the Skill activated for longer, which quickly drained his energy.

All in all, it was a difficult problem to overcome, and Aaron was forced to [ Gorgon’s Soul Vortex ], which helped to slow things down. He couldn’t avoid the corrosive damage, but at least he could dodge better when he could see all the attacks coming his way.

They clashed again and again. Leveling more and more of the city around them. Flames caught and spread across the trash, and Aaron was once more forced to eat.

However, he wasn’t too worried. As incredible as the power was that had imbued Hegemony Blanc, he realized it was coming at great cost. The once perfect, silver-haired ant now looked like a hunched-over, ragged old man. Wrinkles were set deep, and tunneling deeper by the second, and the silver hair had lost its sheen and turned into a fuzzy, white mess.

Seriously? So that’s it. He’s using a Skill that drains his own life energy in return for incredible power?

Aaron gawked at such a Skill. It was horrific. But he had to admit, there was a poetic irony to someone like Hegemony Blanc possessing such a Skill. His ace was literally the antithesis of his own immaculate beauty.

Against others, it might have been more than enough to level the playing field. He was probably at the peak of D-grade in his current state. Maybe even a false C-grade, as he clearly lacked a core.

But he was already slowing down. The Skill was eating him up in return for all the power it had granted him. It was impressive. So impressive that even after all his boons, Aaron would have to admit that the ant was the stronger of the two, in his current state. Unfortunately, the Skill was a sprinting Skill, and the ant that was stuck in a battle of endurance was Aaron. And that was a bad place to be.

The ant flew at him again. But the tides were already turning against it. It was breaking at the seams, its body aging and weakening by the moment. Every second that passed, Hegemony Blanc looked older and more broken. And his attacks came slower, and slower.

Aaron deactivated [ Gorgon’s Soul Vortex ]; it wasn’t necessary anymore. As the aging ant slowed, it was clear who had the upper hand.

“What a gross Skill,” Aaron shook his head. “Destroying yourself for power?”

The ant tried again, but it was only falling further and further behind, and Aaron even glanced across at the other as he effortlessly dodged the feeble attacks coming his way.

He had almost forgotten about Jigsaw Tyrant, but when he turned to look at it, he saw the two girls, alongside Zero, picking the ant apart. Somehow, Jigsaw Tyrant was in an even worse state than Hegemony Blanc. The ant’s body was entirely covered in blade wounds, and it looked ready to collapse. Pieces of broken carapace and blood littered the ground.

“Oh, looks like your buddy is done, too. So, that brings us to the end of your little hive. Nice knowing you.”

But Hegemony Blanc didn’t reach his stage by being a quitter. He had never been given anything. His mother had expected him to earn his place. And the ant roared with anger.

One last defiant burst of energy empowered the ant as its body shriveled up. And it actually worked to some degree. Blindingly fast attacks came at Aaron, and a few even managed to hit him despite everything.

But they were weak. Too weak.

“Oh, mate,” Aaron winced. He almost felt bad for the ant.

They were both looking pretty drained as they separated, but Aaron threw something into his mouth, and his skin shimmered with a healthy gleam.

“You, you monster!” The royal guard hissed. “How? How do you keep going?’

“Huh? Oh, right. My eating? Yeah, it’s my belly. I’m good at healing and energy recovery.”

The ant’s face went wide as Aaron ate another meal, and within seconds, he looked almost as healthy as he had at the start of the fight, and the royal guard fell to his knees, overcome by helplessness.

***The Little Ant***

It had all happened so fast that the little ant’s eyes could barely keep up. It had felt the presence coming. Not just because of its incredible aura and power. But something else. Something it felt within itself.

It hated this creature. It hated this human with every fibre of its being. But it also sensed something within them. Something it too shared. It was spiritual energy, or aether.

The little ant barely understood what the power was. Its lessons had been cut short when they were attacked. But it could sense it. The power was something very familiar to it.

But that wasn’t where its thoughts were anymore. It couldn’t believe what its little eyes were seeing. It was simply impossible. An aberration that went against everything it knew.

Its older brothers were about to be killed before its eyes. It wasn’t exactly emotional. It didn’t have that kind of relationship with them, or anything.

Brothers? How? This is not possible. To defeat Hegemony Blanc is impossible. He is the strongest, is he not? My lessons… Brothers are the strongest. Most powerful in the entire world… How can this be?

The little ant tilted its head, confused. It didn’t comprehend what he was looking at. They looked so helpless against the weak humans. And there was absolutely nothing it could do about it.

But this went against everything it had been taught. Humans were inferior. Ants were the peak of the food chain. Destined to rule over all others.

And then it happened, in a single strike, Hegemony Blanc was blown apart before its very eyes.

The little ant gasped. It was all over. First mother, and now his big brothers. Jigsaw Tyrant’s end came only seconds later, delivered to him by the two other humans.

Beaten? By humans?

The little ant shook its head. Had Mother been wrong? This wasn’t a question it could answer, but it knew that its life was in peril. And it backstepped into the tunnel. It couldn’t remain here. The inferior humans would kill it if they found it without a doubt.

It needed to hide. To find safety, anywhere. Anywhere but here.