Atsuku thought with his body returning to John's appearance, his physical strength would also return to when he was at the peak of the First Stage in that body.
But no. He was wrong.
His physical strength was still similar to his original body, Fujiwara Atsuku's real body.
While he was fitter than other people and had his strength enhanced by assimilating with Iblis, it couldn't be compared with when he was John, who survived 5 years through peril before getting enhanced by assimilating.
He made a mistake in using his strength earlier and ended up being pushed back and injured. Such an injury was proved to be fatal in this kind of situation.
However…
"Get off me!"
Despite his injury, Atsuku's determination remained unyielding. Flames rose from his body and flew toward the giant crow that tried to attack him with its third talon. The crow cawed, flying away to dodge it.
With a swift, instinctive motion, he swung his sword in an arc. The blade connected with a resounding clash against the crow's scaled leg. But as Atsuku understood his limit this time, he knew the impact was still lacking and only slightly injured the crow.
The crow's eyes gleamed with a malevolent glint, seizing the opportunity of Atsuku's injury. With a flurry of wings, it sent blades of invisible winds aiming at his shoulder.
He managed to dodge in time and raised his pistol, pulling the trigger. The shots rang out in a series of deafening cracks. Some bullets struck the crow, causing it to veer off course. However, Atsuku also didn't come out clean.
The invisible blades earlier managed to inflict another wound upon Atsuku—a graze along his arm that made a long, nasty gash. His blood dripped down, and he clenched his teeth to shake away the pain.
Stumbling back from the force of the impact, Atsuku's breath came in ragged.
'It's harder than I thought.' He thought, regaining his footing.
Pains pulsed through his wound, a reminder of his vulnerabilities in the face of real fore. What he killed in the past two days were nothing but small fries. Not even Eve, who only revived with one single horn, was an enemy to him.
But this… This crow was created to make him fail.
His control over the flame faltered slightly, their intensity flickering as his concentration waned. The Arcane he regained from absorbing Secret was almost depleted.
With a low growl, Atsuku pushed past the pain, forcing himself to focus despite the injuries. He had gone through worse.
Channeling his Arcane through his body, the flame roared to life once more, though they seemed dimmer. His sword felt heavier in his grip; his movement slowed down, but he grinned.
"Hahaha…" A mocking laugh escaped his lips. "So what if I got weaker? I only need to get stronger again."
The crow circled overhead. It didn't want to let go of this chance. Both fighters were injured, but the crow's condition was a little bit better than Atsuku's.
"Caww!!"
It cawed loudly and prepared for another strike. Atsuku also steeled himself, ready for the impending clash.
An eerie silence filled the wasteland, with the exception of the wind created by the crow around its body. The ground shook, and Atsuku's footing became unstable, but his gaze remained locked on his adversary.
With a deep breath, he gathered his strength and lunged upward, sword and Desert Eagle ready for action.
Their next clash was fierce.
A chaotic dance of fire and feathers controlled by Wind Control filled the air, illuminated by the eerie crimson moon's light. Pain attacked his body each time he moved his sword in an arc, injuring the crow slowly but surely.
And as the battle raged on, his willingness to face the struggle finally paid off. The crow began to tire itself and created an opening.
'There.'
Flames leaped from his fingertips, intertwining with the wind created by the crow, forming a blazing whip that lashed out at the crow's leg. Sparks erupted, and the crow squawked in agony as the fiery lash struck its leg, causing it to falter in its flight.
Seizing the advantage, Atsuku lunged forward and swung his sword, an arc of flames. As the rune hummed, the blade sliced through the air, carving a searing heat directly into the crow's side.
Feathers ignited, and the creature let out a final, mournful cry as it plummeted from the sky; a streak of fire followed suit.
As the giant crow crashed to the ground, a loud sound reverberated over the wasteland plain. Craters created from invisible wind blades and large feathers were everywhere, but the biggest one was where the crow landed.
Atsuku landed on top of it, delivering a killing blow by beheading the crow. A soaring fire burned the wound, not letting even a drop of blood be spilled out from the crow's wound.
"Huff… Huff…" His breath was uneven, and he lost his footing just a second later.
He was about to fall onto the crow's body, but he managed to stop himself. Using his sword to keep himself from kneeling, he looked at his defeated foe. The wasteland was silent once again.
"Haha… Hahahahaha!" A crazy laugh escaped his lips soon. His back arched, the sword and pistol in his hands disappeared as the Arcane in his body was fully depleted. "I did it!"
Joy filled his thoughts. A minute… No, if the battle continued just a few seconds longer, Iblis would defeat him and get his body taken over.
"Hey! You heard me, right? Give me what I deserve, and take me out of this place." He shouted toward the eerie crimson moon.
A response came just right after that. The moon moved. No, it was more like an opened eyelash—a giant eyeball in the sky, with a black sclera and bright red iris.
Then, a voice that could make one's entire being tremble followed suit.
"Fine."
The voice caused the ground to shake once more—this time, more than before. Everything cracked: the soil, the mountain, the sky, even the giant eye!
Atsuku stood still on top of the crow. Only it remained solid, protecting him from falling down the crack. But it didn't last long. The crow's body slowly turned into a yellow light covering his, seeping through the pores and toward his core.
He didn't resist. This was the real process of advancing to the Second Stage of Core and unlocking the next ability.
However…
"Aaarrghhh!!!"
… It was still painful.
A loud scream echoed in the cracked Twilight Zone. Arcane was forced into his body, replenishing the depleted one, and created a circle around the main core near his heart. Runes and incomprehensible language were etched into it.
The pain was more than when he first assimilated with Iblis. It came from his soul instead of his body. Nothing but holding it could be done.
Fortunately, the process didn't take long. Unfortunately, it took a whole minute to finish it, which was still long enough for him to almost go crazy from the pain if not for his past experience.
When the runes were fully inscribed into his Core, a circle of Arcane was created around it.
Atsuku's consciousness blacked out as if he was forcefully pulled down the abyss. Black was the only thing he could see.
And then…
"Are you done?"
A calm, familiar voice rang in his ears. It belonged to someone he knew well.
Slowly, his eyelashes fluttered open. His golden eyes met with a pair of curious pink eyes that looked at him with worry written on her face.
"Yeah." He smiled to show his sister that he was okay. "I have advanced to the Second Stage now."