"You bastard! I'll make you pay for that!"
Gad roared furiously, his pride wounded once again as he found himself faltering before Asher.
In a fit of frustration, Gad charged at Asher with increased speed and strength, relentlessly slamming his hammer in rapid succession. However, Asher effortlessly deflected the attacks using his Guardian Skill: Energy Barrier, shielding himself from the onslaught.
Behind the barrier, Asher watched Gad slowly unravel, smiling faintly as he taunted.
"Is that all you've got, Gad? Falling apart from a single strike? You really are simple-minded." To add insult to injury, he gave Gad a mocking thumbs-down gesture, further enraging his opponent.
Fueled by rage, Gad raised his hammer high, channeling a swirling tornado of green mantra energy above him. His voice thundered with fury, "I'll show you who the simple-minded one is, Asher!"
But this was exactly what Asher had anticipated. He knew Gad's desperation would lead him to use a high-powered technique. One critical flaw of artifacts below the Divine grade was the delay in activating their strongest abilities.
In that brief moment, Asher seized his opportunity. Dropping the energy barrier, he dashed forward. Before Gad could react, Asher twisted his blade and crouched low, delivering a devastating slash to Gad's side.
The impact sent Gad hurtling across the battlefield, his hammer slipping from his grasp and spinning in the air.
When the dust settled, Gad was barely standing, one hand clutching his abdomen tightly.
"He survived that?" one of the rankers murmured in disbelief.
It was true. Gad had narrowly avoided death. Realizing he couldn't dodge or block in time, Gad had abandoned his hammer and used his arms to defend himself. Luckily, his cosmetic armor absorbed some of the damage, but Asher's blade still cut deep.
The divine nature of Asher's weapon was undeniable. Without the unique Gladiator Skill: Defense Stance—a technique allowing gladiators to reduce incoming damage at the cost of attack power—Gad wouldn't have survived.
Gritting his teeth, Gad glared at Asher with one eye shut, barely standing upright. Relief came as a Cleric class ally of the 'Healer' specialty rushed to his aid, using healing abilities to restore his stamina and mend his wounds.
Asher watched calmly, unshaken by the intervention. He broke the silence with a measured voice.
"I know you're holding back. Even fighting at this level of the common rank, you're still too weak. If you don't go all out, the next opportunity I get might cost you your life."
Despite the pain, Gad smirked, his confidence gradually returning as the healer's magic took effect. He stretched out his hand, keeping his eyes locked on Asher.
"I'll take the loss for this round," he admitted. "But now, it's time to get serious."
With that, the spinning war hammer flew back into Gad's grasp. Gripping it tightly with both hands, he stood upright and slammed the posterior edge of the hammer into the ground.
A suffocating surge of green mantra energy erupted from his body, spiraling violently into the sky.
The clouds above turned a sickly green as lightning crackled through the air. The energy radiated like a storm, climbing higher into the heavens and bathing the battlefield in an eerie, otherworldly glow.
Asher stood quietly, observing Gad's ascension. It wasn't just him—everyone else on the battlefield watched in surprise, murmuring in awe.
"That…that aura mark is definitely the Imperium Rank. What terrifying power," one ranker muttered, sweat trickling down his face.
"I've only ever heard of the Imperium Rank but never seen it. So this is how powerful an Imperium-ranker truly is…" another whispered, barely audible.
"He's not just an Imperium-ranker—he's at the Seven-Star Imperium Rank. No wonder his presence feels so oppressive," a third ranker added, his tone laced with disbelief.
Through it all, Asher stood silently, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Gad.
The aura exuding from Gad completely engulfed him as he floated just above the ground. Slowly, his body began to transform. The green mantra energy coiled around his legs, solidifying into thick, plate-like armor. It climbed up his torso, forming a dense, layered chestplate radiating raw power.
Piece by piece, the energy molded itself over him, crawling up his arms, encasing his shoulders, until finally, a helmet materialized around his head. Moments later, it turned translucent, leaving Gad's face visible.
Asher allowed a faint smile to curl his lips, his thoughts racing.
𝑆𝑜 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐴 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛-𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟—
But Asher's musings were abruptly cut off when Gad's energy spiked again. Behind Gad, faint wisps of energy began to materialize. Thin tendrils of green light unfurled from his back like ghostly wings.
The tendrils thickened and stretched outward, expanding into massive, spectral feathers. These were his Astral Plumes—translucent, shimmering wings of pure mantra energy that allowed him to soar effortlessly into the sky.
The plumes radiated an intense light, their hypnotic flow making them seem alive. They cast an ethereal glow over Gad, who now resembled a green-armored phantom against the storm-darkened sky.
Asher, visibly impressed, noted the manifestation of Gad's mantra energy into Astral Plumes. This was a hallmark of Imperium-ranked experts, a symbol of their mastery over their energy.
"So… Gad really has reached Imperium Rank. And not just that—Seven Stars," one of the wolven warriors murmured.
"Only rankers of this caliber can summon Astral Plumes or channel mantra into armor this potent," another replied, their voice tinged with awe at Gad's transformation.
Hovering in the air, Gad finally turned his gaze downward, locking eyes with Asher. A mocking smirk spread across his face as he taunted, asking how Asher felt about his newfound power and daring him to transform, claiming the next round would be one-sided.
Asher merely smiled back. Without a word, he began to let his own energy flow. A radiant golden aura spiraled upward, piercing the stormy clouds in stark contrast to Gad's green energy.
With calm confidence, Asher replied, "Don't misunderstand, Gad. Even now, with your fully awakened class, Seven-Star Imperium Rank, and gladiator specialty, I still don't need to transform."
But Asher had no intention of staying on the ground.
In one smooth motion, he summoned his own Astral Plumes. Golden and radiant, the ethereal wings unfurled behind him, lifting him effortlessly until he floated at Gad's height.
Below, the remaining rankers stared in awe. Their gazes were fixed on the two hovering warriors, their glowing plumes illuminating the battlefield like celestial beacons.
"They look like gods…" a woman whispered, her voice trembling with admiration as she watched, eyes sparkling.
Gad's face flushed with rage.
"You arrogant fool!"
In a flash, Gad lunged forward, his hammer raised high. The air around him rippled as he swung down, aiming for Asher with all his might.
Asher moved to meet him, his sword brimming with mantra as he parried the blow. The impact was explosive—a clash of green and gold, sending a shockwave that shook the battlefield below.
Gad, furious at Asher's words, shouted:
"You arrogant fool! Underestimating me will be your downfall!"
Asher, unfazed, raised his sword and pointed it at Gad, his expression serious. This time, he made the first move.
In an instant, Asher vanished and reappeared above Gad, who reacted instinctively, swinging his hammer upward. Their weapons clashed mid-strike, sending a shockwave through the air.
Gad stepped back, visibly surprised. Tightening his grip on his war hammer, he poured mantra energy into it continuously—a strategy Asher found absurd.
Seizing the moment, Asher launched multiple energy blades, but Gad unleashed the true form of Colossus. Burning like molten lava, the war hammer transformed, radiating fiery energy. With a sudden swing, Gad caught Asher off guard, sending him crashing into the ground. The impact created a massive crater, shrouding the area in dust and debris.
Wasting no time, Gad raised his molten hammer and thrust it skyward.
A fiery beam shot into the clouds, creating a swirling vortex of flames. Hovering in the air, Gad held his hammer high and shouted:
"I told you, Asher! Underestimating me would be your greatest mistake. And look at you—already down in less than an hour!"
He smirked.
"If you value your life, transform and face me as an equal! I want to defeat you at your best. Otherwise, I'll unleash my ultimate technique—the Blazing Gladiator."
The fiery aura surrounding Gad blazed like the sun, dimming the moon's light. Yet there was no movement from the crater. For a moment, even Gad began to wonder if Asher had truly been defeated.
But then, a silhouette emerged through the haze of dust and debris, silencing the battlefield.
Asher smirked as he wiped dirt from his face. Without a word, he ascended once more.
Gad, taunting him with a mocking gaze, asked, "Still refusing to transform? Do you really think you can beat me in this state?"
For the first time, Asher gripped his sword with both hands. The weapon began to radiate immense mantra energy, causing Gad to tense.
Realizing the threat, Gad unleashed his ultimate technique.
"The Blazing Phoenix Gladiator!"
Pointing his hammer at Asher, Gad summoned a colossal phoenix from the vortex above. The fiery creature screeched, its radiant wings illuminating the battlefield before merging with Colossus. Now, the hammer brimmed with the raw power of the phoenix. With a powerful swing, Gad hurled a blazing wave of energy toward Asher.
Asher, watching the fiery attack hurtling toward him, channeled his own power into World Breaker. The sword crackled with divine lightning as a beam shot skyward, forming a vortex from which a massive lightning dragon emerged.
The dragon coiled around Asher with grace, its roar echoing across the battlefield. It surged into World Breaker, amplifying the sword's power.
Asher shouted, "Divine Judgment!"
With a devastating thrust, he unleashed a bolt of lightning toward Gad's phoenix attack.
The two forces collided in a blinding explosion, shaking the heavens and throwing both warriors backward. Regaining his footing quickly, Asher flew toward Gad, who was still spiraling away from the impact, his massive energy armor slowing him down.
Taking advantage of Gad's momentary vulnerability, Asher appeared directly in front of him.
"What? You—!" Gad began, but Asher cut him off.
Raising World Breaker high with both hands, Asher stared down at Gad and said coldly:
"Overestimating yourself is also your greatest weakness."
With that, Asher delivered a cataclysmic strike, sending Gad plummeting to the ground like a meteor. The impact shattered mountains, and lava erupted from the earth in the aftermath of the destruction.
Asher descended toward the crater, hovering just above it. He saw Gad, battered and broken, his once-imposing energy armor cracking and falling apart.
"What's the matter, Gad? Is this all you've got?"