The young man and the vice leader clashed in a flurry of steel and fists, their blows echoing through the air.
Clang! Clang!
The vice leader's attacks were swift and deadly, but the young man parried each one with ease, his movements a blur.
He countered with a series of swift slashes, but the young man evaded each one with a maniacal grin spreading across his face.
The vice leader's eyes widened as the young man's figure blurred, reappearing before him in the blink of an eye.
A devastating kick connected with the vice leader's stomach, sending him flying through the air.
Boom!
He crashed through another building, the sound of splintering wood and shattered glass filling the air.
The vice leader struggled to his feet, but before he could regain his bearings, the young man appeared before him once more.
A swift right hook connected with the vice leader's ribs, causing a sickening crack. "Ack!" The vice leader spat up blood, his eyes widening in pain.
The young man gathered a disturbing amount of mana at his feet, a malevolent grin spreading across his face.
With a burst of inhuman speed, he kicked at the vice leader's face.
Boom! Crack!
The vice leader managed to raise his hand in time, mitigating the force of the kick, but it still broke his hand, sending him flying through another settlement.
The young man's mocking tone echoed through the air. "Come on, don't tell me that's all you've got. Try your best. Do it. You can do it." He taunted, his eyes glinting with amusement.
The vice leader's face twisted in rage and pain, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination.
He knew he had to end this fight quickly, or risk being torn apart by the young man's merciless attacks.
"This is the end, huh?" The vice leader thought, struggling to stand upright.
Fwoosh! In a swift motion, the young man appeared before him, landing another devastating kick that he couldn't block this time.
Boom!
The force of the blow destroyed the left side of the vice leader's rib cage, sending him crashing to the ground.
Bleergh!
The vice leader threw up a massive amount of blood as he raised his head to look at the young man.
As he gazed up at his opponent, the vice leader noticed something that made his blood run cold.
The young man was just a boy, no more than 15 years old.
"Hahahaha!" The vice leader laughed depreciatingly, his eyes wide with shock.
A 15-year-old boy, maybe even younger, had torn their entire group to shreds. "This isn't even funny," he said, his voice laced with despair.
The vice leader's eyes took on a hollow look as he muttered, "So this is the difference between those who have talent and those who don't."
The young man's expression didn't change, but he seemed to sense that his opponent was broken, his will to live shattered.
Deciding to end the fight, the young man conjured a fire lance and hurled it at the vice leader, who had resigned himself to his fate.
But just as the lance was about to strike, something unexpected happened.
Fwoosh! Boom!
A giant war hammer landed between the vice leader and the lance, deflecting the attack.
The vice leader looked up to see a massive, 7-foot-tall man standing between him and the young man.
He recognized the giant as their leader, and a faint smile spread across his lips. "You took too long," he muttered.
The leader apologized, "I'm sorry for the delay," before picking up his war hammer and brandishing it towards the young man.
The young man's expression didn't change, but he seemed to be sizing up his new opponent. "Hoh? You're their leader, huh? Seems like you're the strongest out of them," the young man said, his voice dripping with provocation.
The young man approached the enormous leader with caution, his sword at the ready.
The leader, wielding a massive war hammer, squared himself against the young man in the destroyed base.
The air was thick with tension as the two enemies faced off.
The young man lunged forward, his blade aimed at the leader's midsection. He infused his leg muscles with mana, increasing his speed and agility.
Despite his massive size, the leader moved with surprising quickness, sidestepping the young man's attack with ease.
Whoosh!
The sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing its target.
The leader retaliated with a powerful blow from his war hammer.
The young man avoided the bone-crushing strike by rolling to the side, his agility allowing him to evade the attack by mere inches.
Boom!
The war hammer struck the ground, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.
As the dust settled, the young man took advantage of the leader's temporary imbalance.
He lunged again, this time aiming for the leader's unprotected flank. His blade grazed the leader's skin, leaving a small trail of bright red blood in its wake.
"Raaarrr!"
The leader roared in pain and rage, his war hammer whipping through the air like a battering ram.
The young man dodged the attack, but his focus on the war hammer left him open to a surprise fist strike from the leader.
Boom! "Argh!"
The young man groaned in pain as he was sent flying into one of the settlements. He struggled to his feet, his ribcage throbbing with agony.
'Fuck, this one's strong. Could he be on the threshold to [D-] rank already?' He thought, his mind racing with strategies.
The leader approached him, his war hammer at the ready. The young man knew he had to end this fight quickly.
'Looks like it's time I tried elemental mode,' he thought, a plan forming in his mind.
The leader charged at the young man, his war hammer swinging in a wide arc. The young man whispered, "Elemental mode," and suddenly, his body began to crackle with electricity.
Boom!
The leader's war hammer landed, causing a massive shockwave that decimated the remainder of the base, creating a crater.
The leader smirked, thinking he had crushed the young man. But to his surprise, the young man appeared beside him.
"Hohhh. So that's the force it carries, huh?" The leader heard the young man's voice right next to his ear.
The leader jumped away, shocked that he had not crushed the young man. But what caught him off guard was the young man's transformation, his hair was spiky, and lightning crackling around his body.
His limbs seemed to be oozing with power and agility. The young man said, "Time for round 2," before disappearing and reappearing right before the leader.
"Hu-?" The leader tried to react, but before he could, the young man landed a punch so powerful it sent him flying.
Zzt! Fwash!
The young man disappeared and reappeared where the leader was about to land, covering his foot with both lightning and raw mana.
As the leader came into range, the young man launched a kick so powerful it broke his ribs. Crack!
The leader's body crashed to the ground, sending shockwaves through the rubble-strewn base.
BOOM!
The sound echoed through the air, followed by the faint tapping of debris settling into place.
Tap Tap Tap.
The young man approached the leader, his footsteps calm and collected.
As he drew near, he noticed the vice leader attempting to launch a surprise attack.
The vice leader's eyes were wide with desperation, his face twisted in a snarl.
Without hesitation, the young man unleashed a devastating backwards punch, fueled by his mana.
The blow connected with a sickening crunch, shattering the vice leader's jaw and sending him tumbling into the wreckage.
BOOM! Crack!
The sound of breaking bone echoed through the air, accompanied by the vice leader's pained screams.
Enraged by his companion's defeat, the leader unleashed a torrent of dark energy and charged at the young man.
His eyes blazed with fury, his massive frame propelling him forward like a human battering ram.
Undaunted, the young man raised his hands, conjuring a swirling vortex of fire and lightning.
The air around him seemed to distort, as if reality itself was bending to accommodate the sheer power of his magic.
As the elements merged, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the devastated base.
The young man's eyes gleamed with intensity, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke the words of incantation.
[Plasma spear], he whispered, before unleashing the concentrated energy at the leader.
The spear shot forward with incredible speed, its trajectory marked by a trail of blazing destruction.
BOOM!
The spear struck the leader's abdomen, unleashing a massive explosion that obliterated the surrounding area.
The leader's body was lifted off the ground, his abdominal cavity exploding in a shower of gore.
Intestines spilled from the gaping wound, accompanied by a torrent of blood that splattered across the rubble.
The stench of charred flesh and smoke filled the air, a noxious cloud that hung over the battlefield like a malignant specter.
As the dust settled, the young man gazed upon the leader's lifeless upper body, which had been torn from the rest of his torso.
The leader's eyes were frozen in a permanent snarl, a testament to his unyielding fury.
His skin was charred and blackened, his muscles exposed in a gruesome display of carnage.
With a quiet sigh, the young man turned away from the carnage, his gaze falling upon the sole surviving structure – a makeshift house that stood as a testament to the base's former occupants.