CHAPTER 155:
The ground trembled beneath Hakashi's feet as the fearsome rock hard Earth Golem loomed over him, its massive stone arms grinding together with an crack. The runes carved into its body pulsed faintly, lavaish red and gold light shimmering like veins of molten metal beneath the rock. It didn't move fast. It didn't need to. Its presence alone carried the weight of something ancient—something that had existed long before any of them were even born.
Hakashi exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward fearlessly.
He wasn't scared not with Meiyo watching him he was her boyfriend he can't rely on her and plus the Rock Golem humiliated his girl as she lost her weird power up that was not gonna stand.
"Alright, you big ugly slab of fuck, let's get one thing straight," he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I don't usually fight overweight, out-of-shape pieces of walking debris, but I'm making an exception for your fat ass. Since you humiliated my Meiyo thats unforgiveable"
The Golem didn't react.
It didn't need to.
It simply existed, standing as an unshakable wall between them and the the Forest of Crossroads.
Meiyo's voice cut through the silence. "Hakashi-kun… Be careful."
Her tone was sharp, but he could hear it. The concern beneath her words. He turned slightly, just enough to catch her worried expression however he also saw her blushing. Her red eyes were locked on him, her hands trembling at her sides. She was still recovering from her failed attack, still shaken by the realization that the power she had wielded in the fight against the Hydra was gone.
For a second, just a brief second, Hakashi's usual smirk faltered.
Then, he cracked his knuckles and grinned.
"Careful? Come on, babe. This thing's a giant boulder with legs—what's it gonna do? Fall on me?"
Meiyo's frown deepened. "This isn't a joke, Hakashi-kun."
"Neither is his cholesterol level, but here we are," Hakashi shot back.
Kaito groaned, rubbing his temples. "Oh my god, we're gonna die listening to this idiot make fat jokes."
"Listen, Vampire Reject, let me do my thing." Hakashi shot him a wink before cracking his neck. "Alright, Rockzilla, let's see if you can keep up."
Then, he moved.
A pulse of golden energy erupted beneath his feet as he activated his magic circles. Unlike Meiyo, whose magic flowed like sharp, controlled wind, Hakashi's energy surged wildly, untamed, like a force of nature barely kept in check. His clan, the Lifewalkers, didn't just control life—they manipulated it. Absorbed it. Used it.
Hakashi lunged forward, magic circles forming mid-air beneath his feet, boosting his speed. His golden hands crackled with energy as he swung—
A direct punch to the Golem's core.
BOOM.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. A sharp crack echoed as dust exploded around them, the ground beneath the Golem fracturing under the force of Hakashi's strike.
For a split second, he thought it worked.
Then
The Golem didn't even flinch.
"...Are you fucking kidding me?" Hakashi's eye twitched.
The Golem's massive stone arm moved with the weight of an avalanche. It was slow, too slow, he thought, until suddenly
WHOOSH.
It wasn't slow.
The Golem's strike came faster than anything that massive had the right to move, a blur of stone and glowing runes crashing toward Hakashi's head.
"OH YOU FUCKING FAT SHIT"
Hakashi barely dodged in time, throwing himself backward as the Golem's fist obliterated the ground where he had just been standing. The impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, cracks splintering outward like a spiderweb. A chunk of debris shot past his face, sharp enough to draw a thin line of blood across his cheek.
He landed a few feet away, skidding across the dirt, breath ragged. His heart was pounding.
"Okay. Alright. Cool. So i guess the fat fuck isn't as slow as i thought."
Another BOOM.
Hakashi didn't have time to react—the Golem was already moving again.
How?
It not fair.
Something that big shouldn't be able to move that fast. It shouldn't be able to react so quickly.
But it did.
Hakashi barely dodged the next blow, twisting mid-air as the Golem's fist tore through the air where his head had been a second ago.
THAT was close.
Hakashi rolled to the side, planting his feet. His mind was racing.
Alright, gotta rethink my approach. Punching this thing is like trying to fistfight a fucking mountain.
All that will do is injured me.
His golden eyes flickered as he analyzed the battlefield.
He had one major problem: his magic was life-based.
The Golem wasn't alive.
He couldn't drain it. He couldn't steal its energy the way he could against flesh-and-blood enemies.
Which meant
He had to do something insanely stupid.
His grin returned.
"Alright, Boulder Bitch, time to test your stamina."
He sprinted forward, this time not attacking—
Just moving.
The Golem swung again—faster this time. The air screamed as its stone fist blasted through the air like a meteor.
Hakashi ducked, rolling under it, dust flying around him as he kept sprinting.
The Golem turned, trying to keep up.
Another punch. Another near miss.
Hakashi smirked.
"Yo, Meiyo!" he called, dodging another attack. "Would now be a bad time to say I was totally bullshitting about having a plan?"
Meiyo's eye twitched. "You think?!"
"Babe, I think I just unlocked a new trauma. If I live through this, we're gonna need couples therapy." Hakashi deadpanned as he vaulted over another earth-shattering punch.
Meiyo was panicking.
Hakashi was fast—but not fast enough.
The Golem wasn't slowing down.
If anything, it was getting faster.
Like it was adapting to his movements.
No—like it was learning.
Hakashi cursed under his breath, narrowly avoiding another strike.
He was running out of space.
Think. Think. THINK.
Then
He saw it.
A faint glow at the center of the Golem's chest.
A core.
The source of its energy.
A grin split his face.
"Oh. Oh, you dumb motherfucker. You actually have a weak spot."
The Golem swung one final time.
Hakashi didn't dodge.
He jumped—straight toward it.
Straight at its chest.
"YO ROCKZILLA," he bellowed, golden energy surging around his fist as he drew it back.
The Golem's eyes widened.
Hakashi grinned.
"TAKE THIS, YOU HEAVY PIECE OF SHI—"
Then—
His fist connected.
A crack echoed across the battlefield.
Then—
The Golem roared.
It wasn't a normal roar. It was a deep, guttural, earth-shaking bellow, as if the land itself was screaming in rage. The golden runes along its body flared violently, the cracks in its core sealing instantly as an explosion of energy blasted Hakashi backward. His body shot through the air like a ragdoll, skidding across the scorched ground, his vision a blur of pain and dust.
Before he could recover—
The Golem was on him.
It moved.
Not slow. Not lumbering. Not like before.
It surged forward with terrifying speed.
How the hell is this fat fuck so fast?!
Hakashi barely managed to roll to the side before a massive stone foot came crashing down where his skull had been a second ago. The impact obliterated the ground, sending chunks of debris flying in every direction.
No time to think.
No time to breathe.
Hakashi twisted, planting his hands against the ground, magic circles flickering to life beneath him as he launched himself into the air—
But the Golem was already there.
A stone fist the size of a carriage slammed into his torso, sending him rocketing backward. His ribs cracked. His lungs screamed as all the air was ripped from his body. He barely had time to process the pain before his back collided with a jagged boulder, shattering it upon impact.
Pain. So much pain.
He coughed, golden blood splattering onto the ground beneath him. His vision was swimming. His bones felt like they had been turned into glass. But he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop.
Because the Golem wasn't finished.
It was furious.
With another earth-shaking stomp, it charged at him, its glowing amber eyes locked onto its prey with an unnatural, calculated malice. The runes along its body burned brighter, its movements faster, sharper—it was adapting.
Oh fuck.
Hakashi barely had time to throw up his arms before the Golem's foot came down.
BOOM.
The ground shook violently as Hakashi was stomped into the dirt. A guttural cry tore from his throat as the crushing weight of the monster pressed down on his body, threatening to pulverize him into the earth itself. His bones screamed in protest, the pressure sending fresh waves of agony tearing through his limbs.
His head was spinning.
His vision was going dark.
And then—
"HAKASHI-KUN!!"
The scream pierced through his haze of pain, raw and full of terror.
Meiyo.
She was screaming his name.
His body ached—but her voice cut through everything.
He forced his head up just enough to see her—her hands clutching at her temples, her body trembling violently as she tried—tried—to summon her Sky Hawk's power again.
She was desperate.
Desperate to save him.
Golden wind erupted around her, her golden-blue eyes flickering with power—
And then—
A choked scream tore from her lips.
She collapsed.
Her entire body seized up, a violent tremor ripping through her limbs as the backlash slammed into her full force. The Sky Hawk's power wasn't coming back. It was rejecting her.
Her hands clutched her chest, her breath ragged, her face twisted in agony.
"MEIYO—!"
Hakashi struggled against the crushing weight of the Golem's foot, his muscles burning with effort—
But he couldn't move.
He was pinned. Helpless. Forced to watch as Meiyo screamed in pain, reaching for him, her fingers twitching, desperate—
And the others—
Akari was already at her side, shouting her name, gripping her shoulders, shaking her—but Meiyo barely responded, her body convulsing from the strain.
Hakashi's vision blurred.
His heart pounded.
Something deep inside him snapped.
Didn't I promise?
He clenched his jaw, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Didn't I promise to protect her?
The Golem pressed down harder.
More pain.
More anger.
Didn't I promise… to never let her feel like she was alone?
His mind was spinning, spiraling—
Flashbacks.
Memories.
Years ago.
A young Hakashi, sitting alone at the back of the classroom at Phoenix Kingdom Prep Academy this was a academy for the elite nobles like him and those with high potential commoners barely made it here only if you had high potential would be allowed to enter as a commoner, Hakashi had his hands stuffed into his pockets, his face blank.
Other students whispered as they passed.
That's Takeshi Tanaka's son, right?
"Yeah he is one of them, a Lifewalker."
"Don't get close to him. You know how those guys are."
"Yeah might steal your lifeforce like greedy bitches."
Careful he's a noble he might get us thrown out."
They avoided him.
Everyone did.
Because of his father's feats.
Because of the Lifewalker Clan's reputation.
They didn't trust him.
They never did.
But then—
A girl walked up to him.
Meiyo Chikara.
Royalty. Untouchable. The princess of the Phoenix Kingdom.
And heiress of the Chikara Clan.
She had no reason to acknowledge him.
No reason to even look at him.
But she did.
Why?
She sat down beside him, her red eyes sharp but curious.
"You look like you're bored out of your mind."
Hakashi blinked, caught off guard. "…What?"
Meiyo leaned back, crossing her arms. "You're sitting here like a moody little bitch. It's kind of pathetic."
Hakashi sputtered. "WHAT?!"
She smirked. "I'm Meiyo. Let's be friends."
"…What?"
"I just said let's be friends, dumbass. You deaf?"
Hakashi stared at her.
No one had ever… just talked to him like this.
Like he was normal.
Like he wasn't some leech.
That day changed everything.
And now
Memory ends
She was reaching for him.
Calling his name.
Crying out for him.
No.
Not again.
He was useless against the Hydra but not today not ever again.
A pulse of raw Omni Energy erupted from Hakashi's core.
For once it wasn't converted to magic.
Unlike Noboru he hasn't trained in using Omni Energy as a raw source only its weaker branch magic like all Phoenix Kingdoms used. His eyes snapped open His vision pulsed blurry, his breath uneven, his body aching from the Golem's relentless assault. His bones felt like cracked glass, his skin torn, bruised, and barely holding together. But none of that mattered.
Because Meiyo was screaming.
His girl—his Meiyo—was writhing in pain, clutching her chest, her body rejecting the very power she had tried to summon.
And that was unacceptable.
She his princess was in such a unrefined state because of him.
His teeth gritted together, his entire body twitching under the crushing weight of the Golem's foot. The amber glow from the monster's hollow eyes flickered, its stone body pressing down harder, attempting to grind him into dust.
"Get… OFF… ME!" He yelled as the ground shuddered.
A deafening shockwave exploded outward.
It started small. A faint ripple beneath Hakashi's hands, a pulse that spread outward in an unseen, violent wave. The grass, the trees, the very air itself withered and shrank away from him, their energy draining into his body like water being sucked into a void.
The sky darkened. The ground beneath him died.
Everything that once lived—every plant, every insect, every trace of vitality—withered into nothing. The once-vibrant earth beneath them turned black, cracked, lifeless.
Hakashi's breathing deepened, slow and methodical, as his injuries reversed.
His broken ribs snapped back into place. His torn muscles reformed, his bleeding flesh sealed shut. His once-shaking hands steadied, his body growing stronger, denser, sharper.
His golden veins flared brilliantly, his pupils shrinking into slits.
He was taking it all.
Not just from the earth.
Not just from the air.
But from the Golem itself.
The beast staggered.
The massive foot pressing him down wavered, its golden runes flickering erratically as if something were being ripped away. The deep, constant hum of its core energy—ancient, unwavering—became unstable.
The Golem let out a low, distorted groan, as if realizing what was happening.
"You feel that, huh?" Hakashi grinned, his voice laced with something primal. His hand—still pressed against the ground—glowed brighter as another wave of invisible force ripped through the battlefield.
The Golem reeled, its massive body twitching, convulsing.
"I'm not just some punk," Hakashi spat, his voice dripping with rage. His fingers clenched into a fist, the veins in his arms bulging with stolen energy. "I don't just rely others to protect my life. I take it!"
The golden runes on the Golem's body dimmed. Its movements slowed.
It was weakening.
Dying.
Hakashi could feel it. The raw life force of the creature being sucked into him, fueling him, restoring every ounce of pain and suffering it had inflicted upon him. The once indomitable titan stumbled, its amber eyes flickering in confusion, in terror.
"You thought I was some soft-hearted pacifist, huh?" Hakashi laughed darkly, his own voice sending shivers through the Vanguard watching in horror. "Thought I was just Meiyo's lapdog? Some weak loser waiting to be saved by the real warriors?"
The Golem swung wildly, its massive stone fist crashing toward him—
But Hakashi wasn't there.
His body vanished.
No magic circles. No flashy techniques. Just pure, raw speed.
He reappeared behind the Golem, crouched low, his hands burning with power.
The Golem tried to turn—but it was too slow now.
Too weak.
Too drained.
"That's too bad," Hakashi smirked. "Because I'm the only one who gets to fuck with Meiyo."
His entire body coiled like a spring—
Then
He launched forward.
The world blurred.
A deafening boom split the air as Hakashi struck.
His fist, now crackling with every ounce of energy he had stolen, collided with the Golem's already-weakened core. The impact ripped through the monster like a divine hammer, sending shockwaves screaming through its body. The once-unbreakable stone fractured, golden cracks webbing outward like shattered glass.
The Golem let out a final, distorted cry—
Before it exploded.
A pulse of golden destruction erupted outward, the shockwave flattening the battlefield as fragments of stone and shattered runes were sent flying in every direction. The very ground caved inward, the sheer force of the impact causing the earth itself to collapse into a crater.
And at the center of it all
Hakashi stood.
His body was torn apart.
The energy backlash had ravaged him. His skin was burnt, cracked, splitting apart from the sheer force he had unleashed. His breathing was ragged, his limbs barely able to hold him upright. His golden veins flickered erratically, the stolen energy now turning against him, threatening to tear him apart.
He was breaking.
Collapsing.
Why?
Because unlike his father he had never stolen Life Energy.
He always refused to not wanting to be a leach and therefore his body was trained not used to having alternate energy.
But before he could fall
A pair of trembling arms caught him.
"NO! YOU'RE NOT DYING ON ME, HAKASHI!"
Meiyo clutched him, her breath ragged, her hands desperately pressing against his chest, trying—failing—to heal him. Her golden-blue eyes were wide, desperate, filled with something she had never allowed herself to show before—
Fear.
She was terrified.
Of losing him.
Hakashi coughed weakly, a small smirk tugging at his bloodied lips. "Damn, babe… you're actually worried about me?"
Meiyo's hands shook as she tried to force her magic into him—but it wasn't working.
Her power—her royal, godly Chikara bloodline magic—was useless.
Because her Hakashi-kun injured.
Her body seized up, panic gripping her chest. "No… No, no, no, no, no—"
"Meiyo…" Hakashi coughed, blood staining his lips. His voice was weak now, but still carrying that damn cocky tone. "You're way too pretty to be cryin' over me like this."
"Shut up!" she snapped, her voice breaking. "I—I can't fix this! I don't have enough magic, I—"
Her breath hitched.
He was hurt.
And she couldn't stop it.
"Hey babe it's okay I'm just a no good leach i resorted to that... I guess the others were right. It's in my blood to revert to being a leach." Hakashi coughed out.
"You're NOT a leech!" she yelled, her voice shaking with rage and desperation. "You NEVER were! You were the only one who ever stood beside me without fear! Without wanting something! You—You're MINE, DAMN IT, and I won't let you DIE!"
Silence.
Then—
Hakashi's breath hitched.
A soft, bloody grin curled on his lips.
"…Didn't know you cared so much, babe."
Meiyo clenched her jaw, her eyes burning—
And then, before anyone could react—
She did the unthinkable.
She kissed him.
"If you want more you better not die." she said.
"Wow." Hakashi said.