The mansion groaned as if it sensed what was coming. The walls trembled, and the air felt thick, suffocating beneath the sheer force of Hiccup's presence. He stood in the center of the hall, unbothered, hands clasped behind his back, a predator toying with prey it hadn't yet decided to kill. His power radiated out, a storm pressing down on everyone. The mansion staff—maids, butlers, and even the junior fighters—lined up behind us, their faces twisted in determination, but the weight of the impending battle threatened to crush them before it even began.
Before anyone could move, Hira sprang into action. His face was set, grim with resolve. "Take this, you monster!" His battle cry echoed through the room as he charged Hiccup, his fists flying with blinding speed. Each strike aimed with precision, each one designed to end Hiccup in one blow.
But Hiccup was faster.
With a barely perceptible tilt of his head, Hiccup dodged Hira's first punch, then the second, then the third. His movements were so subtle, so relaxed, that he made it look effortless, like he'd done this a thousand times before. It wasn't just speed. It was anticipation.
Hiccup's smile widened, his voice dripping with mockery. "Is this all you've got? I expected more from you, Hira."
But Hira didn't stop. "Faster!" he growled through gritted teeth, unleashing a flurry of blows that blurred the air. His fists struck with the speed of bullets, his muscles screaming with effort.
It didn't matter.
Hiccup was untouchable, his body moving through the strikes like water around rocks, each attack slipping past him without making contact. And then, with the simplest of gestures—a casual flick of his wrist—he countered. His punch landed square on Hira's chest.
I didn't even see the impact, but the sound… it was like thunder. Hira's body flew across the room, crashing into the stone wall with enough force to crack it.
Hiccup's Power
"HIRA!" Philow's scream ripped through the air, but Hira didn't respond. He lay crumpled on the floor, groaning weakly.
Philow wasted no time. She launched herself at Hiccup, a spinning blur of speed and fury, her leg arcing through the air toward his throat. "I won't let you harm others!" she shouted, her voice laced with fury.
For a split second, it looked like she might land the blow.
But Hiccup moved faster.
His hand shot up, grabbing her ankle mid-kick. There was no effort in his movements, no strain. He held her suspended in the air, his iron grip tightening around her leg.
"Cute," Hiccup mused, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "But ultimately useless."
And with that, he swung her like a ragdoll, slamming her into the ground. The impact shook the floor, and Philow gasped, the wind knocked from her lungs. She tried to rise, but her body refused to cooperate.
The Staff's Desperate Charge
One by one, the remaining staff—maids, butlers, and junior fighters—charged. It was chaos. Fists, blades, and energy attacks flew at Hiccup from every direction. They threw everything they had at him, a desperate attempt to bring him down.
But Hiccup was untouchable.
He weaved through their attacks with a grace that defied logic, his every movement fluid and precise. His counters were brutal. A single punch from him sent one fighter crashing into the ceiling. A swift kick sent another sprawling across the floor. It was like watching a god toy with mortals.
And through it all, Hiccup smiled. "Is this the best your precious mansion has to offer? Pathetic."
My heart pounded in my chest as I watched. Every move, every strike—it all felt hopeless. These were some of the strongest fighters I had ever known, and yet… they were nothing to him.
Nothing.
Asia's Awakening
"No more!" Asia's voice boomed across the hall, cutting through the chaos. She stood at the center of the room, her presence like a burning sun. Her eyes blazed with fury, and even without armor, without weapons, she was terrifying.
The air around her began to hum, crackling with energy. Her aura expanded, filling the room with an overwhelming power that made even the ground tremble beneath us.
Hiccup's smile faltered for the first time. "Oh? Finally, something worth my time."
Asia stepped forward, her voice low and dangerous. "I've had enough of your arrogance, Hiccup. You want to see power? I'll show you what real power looks like."
Her body began to glow, her aura intensifying to the point where it distorted the very air around her. The energy was palpable, suffocating. I could feel it—everyone could feel it—the sheer, raw strength radiating from her. This wasn't just any power. This was the strength of someone who had reached the 50th stage of anium.
I could barely stand under the pressure of her aura.
Hiccup's eyes narrowed, a flicker of uncertainty passing through his expression. "Interesting. I didn't expect this…"
Asia raised her hand, and the entire mansion seemed to quake, the very fabric of space bending to her will. "Teleportation: Total Evacuation."
In a flash of light, the room shifted. The fighters—Hira, Philow, the maids, the butlers—all of them were swallowed by the light. And then… gone.
Asia had saved them. She'd teleported them away.
Only she and I remained.
Hiccup's lips curled into a dark smile. "Impressive. You saved your pawns. But now, Asia, what will you do… all alone?"
Asia's eyes locked onto his, her resolve unshakable. "I don't need anyone else to deal with you."
The room fell into a deathly silence, the tension so thick it felt like the world was holding its breath.
And then, with a cold, cruel laugh, Hiccup spoke. "Bold words. Let's see if you can back them up."
The atmosphere was suffocating, as if the mansion itself had stopped breathing. Asia, standing defiantly in her ethereal glow, faced Hiccup like a queen who had just descended from Olympus. The air crackled with the friction of their auras colliding.
I stood a few feet behind, heart pounding, barely keeping myself from shaking. This... this was a battlefield where gods walked.
"You think you can stand against me?" Hiccup's voice was soft, mocking, every syllable dripping with disdain. His smile, oh God, that smile, it was the grin of a predator enjoying the slow torment of his prey. He took a single, deliberate step forward, his body coiled like a panther ready to strike. "I am Hiccup, the Martial King, and you... You, Asia, are nothing more than a brief amusement."
Asia didn't flinch. Her expression was as cold and determined as ever. Her voice cut through the tension like a blade forged in the depths of the earth. "If you think I'm just going to let you walk out of here with the Soul Transformer, you're mistaken." The words were quiet, but the power behind them? It shook the very air.
Hiccup's smirk widened. "Ah, the same old story. Honor, duty, blah, blah. But listen closely, Asia—your efforts, your resolve, your life... it's all meaningless. I've already won."
Without warning, Asia charged, her body a blur of light and power. The ground beneath her feet cracked as she propelled herself forward, her fist glowing with the fury of an unleashed storm.
Hiccup barely blinked.
With the flick of his wrist, he parried her blow, their collision creating a shockwave that sent debris flying. The sheer force of it shook the mansion, the walls groaning as though they could barely hold themselves together.
Asia's eyes flared with determination as she spun, launching a second attack—a lightning-fast kick aimed at his temple. This time, it landed. Hiccup's head snapped to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Not bad," Hiccup muttered, straightening, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. "You actually made me bleed. But don't get cocky, Asia. That's just a warm-up."
His eyes gleamed with twisted excitement, and in the next instant, he vanished. Before I could even blink, he reappeared behind Asia, his hand already closing around her neck. "Let me show you what real power looks like!"
But Asia wasn't caught off guard. In one fluid motion, she twisted out of his grip, her body moving with a speed that defied the human eye. "You're fast, but not fast enough, Hiccup!"
With a fierce battle cry, she unleashed a flurry of punches, each one faster than the last, each one crackling with her overwhelming anium energy. It was as if the air itself bent around her attacks, time slowing down as her strikes closed in on Hiccup.
But Hiccup didn't retreat. He moved like water, weaving through her attacks with inhuman grace, every dodge effortless, every step precise.
And then he countered.
A single punch, swift and powerful, connected with her abdomen. Asia gasped, the force of the blow sending her skidding backward. But she didn't fall.
"You don't get it, do you?" Hiccup's voice rang out, his expression one of pure arrogance. "I don't need to fight you directly. I control the battlefield itself."
Before she could react, the ground beneath her feet shifted. Jagged spikes erupted from the floor like fangs from a monster's jaw, aiming straight for Asia.
She dodged just in time, flipping into the air with the grace of a dancer, her eyes widening in realization. "A trap…!"
Hiccup's laugh echoed through the room. "Of course. Did you really think you could fight me without stepping right into my web?" He raised his hand, and with a mere flick of his fingers, the spikes followed her, twisting through the air like serpents.
Asia spun midair, deflecting one, dodging another. But Hiccup was already there. His hand shot out, grabbing her arm in an iron grip. "It's over!" he snarled, his voice full of triumph.
Asia struggled, her aura flickering as Hiccup's grip tightened. Her energy was draining, her strength fading. "No… it can't… end like this!"
"Foolish girl," Hiccup sneered, his face inches from hers, his breath cold and menacing. "You can't win. You never could."
With a swift movement, he slammed his fist into her stomach, a blow so powerful it seemed to shake the foundations of reality itself. Asia gasped, her body folding around the impact before crumpling to the ground. She tried to rise but collapsed, barely able to breathe.
"Asia!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. I couldn't stand by any longer.
I leapt forward, activating the fifth form of anium, my body crackling with energy. In an instant, I was between them, grabbing Asia's limp body and pulling her away from Hiccup's grip.
Hiccup's eyes locked onto me, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "And what are you going to do, boy? You're nothing compared to her, and she couldn't even touch me."
But I didn't care.
"Teleportation: Fifth Form!" I roared, my energy surging as I wrapped us in a veil of light. The mansion disappeared in an instant, replaced by the serenity of a distant forest.
We hit the ground hard. Asia slumped against me, her breathing ragged but steady. I was shaking, my body barely able to contain the strain of the teleportation.
"Asia…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Stay with me. You're going to be okay…"
But she didn't answer. Her eyes fluttered open, just for a moment, her gaze soft yet full of pain. "Eric… the Soul Transformer… you must stop him… if he gets it… it's all over…"
I clenched my fists, my mind racing.
Hiccup wasn't just powerful. He was something far worse. He had nearly killed her, and I knew… this was only the beginning.
"I won't let him win," I vowed, my voice steadying, my resolve hardening. "I'll stop him… no matter the cost."
The air around us felt like it was on fire. Every breath I took was like inhaling the weight of a thousand storms. Hiccup stood before me—no, towered over me like a god—his presence warping reality itself. I could feel the pressure of his anium radiating off him, a suffocating force pressing down on everything around us. This was it. The end. My pulse drummed in my ears, every fiber of my being screaming for survival, but all I could do was stand there, staring at him.
"Eric," Hiccup's voice dripped with venomous amusement, every syllable a mockery of my existence. "You? You think you have what it takes to face me? The Martial King? Please, this is beneath me. You're beneath me."
I clenched my fists, the surge of fifth-stage anium flooding my veins like liquid fire. Every nerve in my body was alight, ready for battle, but deep down, I knew. I knew what I was up against. "You talk too much," I growled, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm not afraid of you. You've hurt too many people, Hiccup. This ends today."
His laugh cut through the air like a blade, cold and sharp. "Ah, bravery. It always sounds the same, right before it breaks. You really believe your little anium tricks are going to stop me? Eric, you are but a worm wriggling in the dirt."
And then he moved.
I barely saw it—a flicker of motion—before his fist slammed into my gut. The world spun, all the air rushing out of my lungs in one violent instant. I couldn't even cry out. My vision blurred as I staggered back, trying to stay upright, trying to stay conscious. The pain? It was like being hit by a freight train made of pure malice.
"Slow," Hiccup muttered, circling me like a lion playing with its prey. "So slow. After all this time, Eric, you're still… pathetic."
I wiped the blood from my mouth and glared at him. "I've survived you before, Hiccup. Don't act like you've already won!"
I launched myself forward, fists igniting with anium energy. Each punch cracked the air, raw power spilling from me in waves. The ground beneath us trembled as I closed the distance, my fists aimed at his skull.
But he was faster.
He sidestepped, effortless, his smirk growing wider with every dodge. His eyes never left mine, as if mocking the very idea that I could touch him. And then his roundhouse kick came out of nowhere, catching me clean in the ribs. My body twisted through the air, crashing hard into the dirt.
"This is the great Eric?" Hiccup sneered, his voice laced with condescension. "Where's the fire? Where's the fight you promised? You're nothing but talk."
My head spun, the taste of blood thick on my tongue. My body screamed in pain, but I forced myself to my feet. I wasn't done. Not yet.
"Fifth Stage of Anium: Empowered Strike!" I roared, feeling the surge of energy flood my arm. My entire fist lit up, a bright, blinding light of raw anium coursing through me, ready to destroy anything in its path. This was it.
"Come on, then!" Hiccup bellowed, his eyes blazing with twisted excitement. "Show me what you've got!"
I charged with everything I had, my fist burning with anium energy, the ground beneath me shattering as I pushed forward. The wind howled, the earth trembled, but Hiccup…
Hiccup just smiled.
At the last moment, he twisted, faster than my eyes could register, and his hand came down like a blade.
Slice.
I stopped. The world seemed to pause around me. For a split second, there was nothing—no pain, no sound, just the eerie stillness before reality caught up.
Then the pain hit.
My left arm—gone. Just like that. The agony ripped through me, a scream tearing from my throat as I staggered back. Blood gushed from the stump where my arm used to be, and I collapsed, clutching at the empty space. "No… no, no, no…"
Hiccup stood there, holding my severed arm like it was a piece of trash. "Look at you," he said, his voice a mix of disgust and amusement. "Reduced to this. Did you really think you could stand against me? You? You're nothing, Eric. Just a broken, defeated toy."
Broken.
The word echoed in my head, and I felt the world blur. My vision dimmed, the edges of my consciousness fraying as the blood pooled beneath me. I was going to die. Hiccup had won.
But then—a voice.
"System Alert: Other World Transportation System Unlocked."
My head snapped up. The system.
"Now you can transport to any world you want from this list: Construlla, Minorstar, Earth 🌎, Titan, Astrocole."
Earth. I saw it—an image of Earth glowing in my mind, a beacon, a lifeline. It was impossible, it was insane, but it was my only hope.
"Earth… I'll choose Earth," I whispered through clenched teeth, barely able to speak.
"System Alert: World choosing completed. Earth selected."
The battlefield trembled beneath us, the air growing thick with energy. Hiccup's eyes narrowed. He could feel it too.
"What are you doing?!" His voice boomed with sudden rage, his confidence faltering. "You can't escape me!"
"Transportation type: Single or with soul mates?" the system voice asked.
"With soul mates!" I shouted with everything I had left. I couldn't leave them behind. I wouldn't.
Hiccup's anger boiled over, his face twisted with pure hatred. "You won't leave here, Eric!" He lunged, fist outstretched, but it was too late. The countdown had already begun.
"Transportation starting. Countdown: 3… 2… 1…"
The world around me slowed. Time itself froze. The energy enveloped me, and I felt reality itself begin to unravel. Hiccup's furious scream echoed in my ears, but it was fading, growing distant as the world dissolved into darkness.
The pain of my lost arm was still there, but it felt like it belonged to someone else now. The battlefield, Hiccup, all of it—gone.
And as the darkness took me, one thought burned in my mind.
I would come back.
I would come back stronger.
I would face Hiccup again, and next time, I wouldn't be alone.
When the countdown hit zero, everything vanished into the void.
I was floating. At least, that's what it felt like—suspended in the emptiness of space, with nothing but the weight of my confusion pressing in on me. Was I dead? Had I finally met my end at Hiccup's hands? No, something else… something more supernatural was happening. The air was thick with energy, a kind of energy that felt otherworldly, as if I had been pulled between dimensions. Stars flickered in the distance, and the universe stretched around me like an infinite canvas.
"Where… am I?" I muttered, my voice echoing back at me, warped and distant. "What am I? Where is this place?!"
Suddenly, everything turned white. Blindingly white, like I had been dropped into the heart of a supernova. The sensation of falling rushed through me, faster and faster, until—thud! I landed hard on a soft surface, my body rigid with shock. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
"W-What is this?" I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest. Everything around me was sterile, clean, and strangely… advanced. "Why is everything so white? Where am I?"
I tried to sit up, my body feeling oddly light. My surroundings looked bizarrely futuristic—white walls, strange blinking lights, machines that hummed softly around me. "This place… It looks like a medical center in the royal capital, but… but it's different! Too advanced… too… too strange!"
The bed beneath me was unfamiliar, softer than anything I'd ever slept on. The air smelled clean, unnaturally so. I could hear faint voices and strange mechanical sounds from outside the room. I stumbled to my feet, feeling weak but determined to figure out what was going on. "Why am I here? What is this place?"
I pushed open the door and stepped outside. My eyes widened as I saw people. Hundreds of them, walking around, wearing clothes that I'd never seen before—simple, but strange. The material looked softer, smoother, and their bodies… "What's with these people? Why do they look so different? Their clothes... I've never seen anything like them!"
I wandered through the hall in a daze, my mind racing. "Am I dreaming? Is this some kind of illusion?" I stopped, catching my reflection in a mirror on the wall. "What the… WHAT?!"
"Why… why do I look like a kid?!" I exclaimed, reaching out to touch the glass. "My skin… it's so soft! And my hair—why is it cut so short but still white?!" My hands shook as I ran my fingers through it. "This doesn't make any sense!"
Suddenly, a voice snapped me out of my panic. "Hey! Boy! What are you doing out of your room?"
I spun around to see a woman in strange white clothes—her face concerned but firm. "Get back to your room! You're not well enough to be wandering around like this!"
"Who… who are you?" I stammered, my mind racing. "What do you mean 'my room'? I don't belong here! I'm supposed to be—"
The nurse placed her hands on my shoulders, guiding me back toward the room. "Calm down, boy. You've been through a lot. Just get back to bed and rest."
"Rest? Rest?! I don't have time for that!" I shouted, but the words felt hollow. My head was spinning. "I… I was in a battle! I was fighting Hiccup, and then…"
Suddenly, it hit me like a punch to the gut. The memories came flooding back—the fight with Hiccup, the system alert, the transportation. I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't dead. I had been transported to Earth.
"System Alert: Transfer completed. Location: The most crowded and polluted city in the world. Due to lacking experience points, your location is the most crowded and polluted city: Dhaka."
"Dhaka?" I whispered, the name foreign on my tongue. "So… this is Dhaka?" I stared out the window at the bustling city below, the buildings towering into the sky, the streets overflowing with people. "Wait… what about Asia? What about Aria, Sarah… all of them?"
Just then, another alert rang in my head.
[System Notification Update]
[System Version Updated]
[New Features Unlocked]
1. You can see your physical abilities and limitations.
2. Physical body restored. You have lost all energies and powers.
3. Anium Stage Fifth is blocked. To unlock, make your physical body stronger.
4. Fast regeneration activated. You can now regenerate five times faster than the average human.
5. Healing Anium unlocked: You can perform fast recovery and heal others.
6. Limitation: You cannot tell anyone about this system. No one can see the system screen or messages except you.
7. You can communicate with the system whenever you want.
8. Your personality has been changed. But your memories and thinking abilities are intact.
"What… what the hell?" I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. "No powers? My anium stage is blocked? How am I supposed to survive like this?! And… healing? Fast regeneration?!" My mind reeled with the new information, but one thing stood out above the rest.
I wasn't alone.
The transportation had included soulmates. That meant my friends—Asia, Aria, Sarah—they were here too. Somewhere. I had to find them. "I have to get out of here!"
Without another thought, I darted out of the room, slipping through the hallways unnoticed. The machines and strange devices lining the walls didn't concern me, but something nagged at the back of my mind. A feeling… like I was being watched.
But I didn't care. I pushed open the door and stumbled outside, right into the overwhelming chaos of the city.
"What… is this place?" I whispered, looking around at the towering buildings that stretched into the clouds. "Everything… it's so advanced. So… different!" The streets were packed with people, some wearing strange, flowing robes that covered their entire bodies. "Why are they dressed like that? What's with this place?!"
Cars zoomed past me, their engines roaring like beasts, and the air… the air felt thick. "This place… it's so crowded. So polluted…" I coughed, the stench of smoke and chemicals filling my lungs. "What kind of world is this?"
Suddenly, the ground beneath me trembled. A shadow fell across the city.
"What… what the hell is that?!" I looked up, my eyes widening in horror as I saw it—a massive shadowy gate hovering above the city, like something straight out of a nightmare. It loomed in the sky, radiating dark energy, pulsating with power.
"A… dungeon gate?!" A guy screamed. "No way… it can't be…"
The people around me panicked, screaming as they ran from the gate. The streets became chaos, and I could see the fear in their eyes. "They… they've seen this before, haven't they? They know what's coming."
And then, it happened.
The gate shattered, a massive burst of energy ripping through the air as monsters poured out—twisted creatures with glowing eyes and snarling jaws, their bodies covered in scales and spikes. "No… NO!"
The police arrived, their weapons drawn, but it was chaos. The monsters were too many, too powerful. People were screaming, fleeing in every direction as the monsters tore through the city.
"I… I have to get out of here!" I turned to run, but as I did, the ground shook again, and a massive shadow fell over me.
"WHAT?!" I looked up, my blood turning cold.
A giant dragon-like monster towered over me, its eyes burning with rage. It let out a deafening roar, its breath reeking of death, and before I could react, it lunged.
I was frozen. "No… no, I can't fight! I have no powers! I'm just… I'm just…"
The dragon's claw came down, and in that instant, I knew—
I was going to die.
To be continued...