Chapter 26 - The man who never falls

Davi kept his calm demeanor, watching Vesta's transformation. However, before he could react, the poisoner lunged with surprising speed.

His fist, now surrounded by mana, struck Davi in the abdomen with crushing force, sending him flying backward like a cannonball.

The boy slammed into a tree, the force of the impact splitting the trunk. He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth.

"Shit, why did he get so strong?" Davi murmured to himself.

Vesta didn't give him a chance to rest. He charged again, delivering a series of quick and brutal attacks with his venomous claws, slowly draining Davi's strength.

"You should never have crossed my path," Vesta growled, preparing to deliver the final blow.

Davi tried to respond, but his mind, clouded by pain, was still slow, so he didn't react in time. 

In the moment when Vesta's final blow descended toward Davi's chest, a figure appeared like a blur. Aden, with his imposing stance, appeared in front of Davi and grabbed the man's wrist, stopping the strike.

Vesta quickly stepped back carefully analyzing the one who had intervened in his fight.

"You're still alive?" He murmured, surprised as he finally recognized the identity of the man who was hindering him. "How did you manage to get up?" he snarled, irritated.

Aden flashed a wide, arrogant smile and confidently declared, "I've got a lot of vitality, asshole! Come fight me." Aden provoked.

"If you want to die so much, I will grant your wish!" Vesta charged at his new enemy.

Aden immediately activated , and his body began to shine, as a protective layer surrounded him. No matter how much Vesta tried to attack, his claws couldn't penetrate the warrior's skin in front of him.

"Just get out of my way," Vesta growled, landing a powerful kick on Aden. "I admit you're resistant, but if you keep getting in my way, you'll die. And I guarantee it will be a truly painful death!"

He kept speaking with an angry voice, trying to convince the man to step aside. As confident as he was that he could kill both of them, the longer he stayed in this form, the worse the side effects would become.

"I'm not leaving, no way," Aden smiled and crossed his arms, accepting every blow.

He didn't even have enough mana to use another skill, so all he could do was defend. Besides, he couldn't counterattack. Or rather, he couldn't attack under any circumstances. After all, Aden was born with the title of {Heir of the Shield.}, which made him unable to use force against someone with the intention of attacking.

"Can you still fight?" Aden turned and asked Davi, smiling, as he continued taking several blows from Vesta. "Because if you don't hit him soon, we're both going to die." He pointed to the man attacking him.

Davi blinked a few times, trying to understand the scene in front of him. Was this man crazy? How could he be so calm while being beaten up?

Still, he slowly got up, feeling the pain spreading throughout his body. He then used on himself.

Gradually, his breathing returned to normal, and he charged, attacking the man before him with a . He thought about using the transformation but his body couldn't handle it.

Vesta recoiled from the powerful attack, trying to regain his energy.

At that moment, Davi approached his surprising ally and asked if he was okay, since the blow had grazed him.

"Don't worry," Aden extended his fist toward Davi, offering a fist bump. "I'll hold him in place, so you can attack freely."

"But..."

"Relax," Aden smiled confidently and pointed at himself. "I'm tough to bring down; your fire won't even tickle me."

Without caring for Davi's opinion, or his own safety, Aden charged at his enemy. Then, with a sudden leap, he grabbed Vesta in a tight hold, locking him in place. 

Vesta immediately tried to shake him off, but no matter how much damage Aden took, he wouldn't let go.

"Let me go, you cursed fool!" Vesta roared.

"Look, I'm not exactly thrilled about being all cuddly with another man either, but try to bear with it for now, kid," Aden joked, as the two were consumed by the flames that continued to flow relentlessly.

Once again, fire erupted like a scorching river, lighting up everything around them. The heat was so intense that the air seemed to warp and ripple.

"AAAAARGH!" Vesta screamed, thrashing helplessly against Aden's grip, who refused to yield.

Watching the scene, Davi hesitated, worried he might accidentally kill his ally, but he had no other choice but to keep unleashing his fire.

And just when Davi thought he couldn't maintain his power any longer, Vesta finally succumbed to the unbearable pain and fear of death, screaming:

"You'll regret this... I GIVE UP!"

At last, silence enveloped the area, and the man vanished, leaving behind nothing but a single coin.

Aden picked up the coin and tossed it to Davi, then flashed a victory sign with his hand. "We won, hehe. You did great."

No sooner had he said those words than he collapsed onto the ground, his body covered in burns.

Davi quickly collected the coins scattered around. Finally, he turned toward the fallen warrior and once more used on him, and at himself.

"Cough! Cough!" He coughed up a bit of blood, his body pushed beyond its limits.

Wanting to regain some strength, Davi sat down on the ground, his gaze fixed on the sky. As he rested, his mind wandered over everything that had happened. 

That day, he made an important discovery: the limit of how many abilities he could use applied individually to each girl in his harem.

In other words, he technically had access to three abilities at the moment.

It would've been nice if he had some sort of poison-purification ability, or at least the power to bless them both, which would reduce all negative effects. But that was the extent of what he could do with his current powers.

After ensuring the warrior's condition seemed stable, his bleeding had stopped and his breathing was calmer, Davi finally allowed himself to rest. Aden, however, had clearly reached his limit and was now unconscious.

Meanwhile, Lara was still conscious, observing the situation with a mix of apprehension and wariness. She wasn't sure if Davi was her savior or her next executioner.

Her mind also drifted back to the situation in the women's bathroom, where Ember had attacked him, and she feared he might now seek vengeance.

Luckily, her worst fears didn't come true.

Davi approached with a kind smile and said, "Ember ended up being my partner in the first phase. She was an excellent companion." He began to introduce himself politely.

Still chuckling softly, Davi scratched the back of his head, apologizing for their first encounter and explaining what had happened.

Lara wanted to say it didn't bother her, but her body was still almost entirely immobilized.

"Don't worry; you're safe as long as you're with me," he reassured her. "The friends of my friends are also my friends. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Finally, he extended his hand for a handshake. Then, he blushed slightly as he remembered that the girl couldn't respond to his gesture.

Still embarrassed, he pretended nothing had happened and sat down beside her.

Now, all that was left to do was wait patiently for the poison's effect to wear off.

Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long, as the paralysis gradually faded, and she was finally able to speak.

"Thank you so much," she said in a weak voice.

"Don't worry. Like I said, you can count on me." Davi smiled confidently.

Then his face turned red as she seemed to hesitate, unsure whether or not to say what was on her mind.

"Can I ask you a favor?" she said timidly.

"Yes, of course." The boy looked at Lara with a kind expression, wanting her to feel at ease with him.

"Could you... touch me?"

But, of all the things she could have asked for, that was the last thing he expected.