Once again, I feel the power rising within me. I enter a state of awakening. My aura is growing, pouring out of me... my body is pierced by unimaginable anger. I can see a hazy aura surrounding me, similar to the one I noticed earlier during the skirmish at the inn with the elf and the bastard who is now standing in front of me. But this one is wilder, more unbridled... more chaotic.
"Hey, you bastard! You're no ordinary villager. Hmm... Mortal Realm. But only 1-star. And you're still just awakened. Don't think you stand a chance against me. I've been a 1-star Mortal Realm warrior for years!" the giant shouted, pointing his axe at me.
"Stop talking nonsense and shut the fuck up. I'll fuck you up," I said angrily.
The giant stood still and began to gather his aura. It looked like an almost transparent, vaporous layer surrounding his body. He suddenly seemed bigger and stronger. His face grew more serious, and the air around him became heavy.
"You've picked the wrong opponent, you bastard," he said, running toward me.
Someone of his size shouldn't have been able to move that fast, but he closed the distance between us like a wild animal. He picked up his huge axe with one hand and swung it with all his might at head height.
The axe, with a blade wider than a cartwheel, was heading straight for me. I forced every muscle and nerve in my body to bend as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, not fast enough.
The blade cut through part of my cheek and ear, leaving a long, gory wound.
"Fuck..." I whispered through clenched teeth.
I fell to the ground, holding my wound. The mighty swing of the axe didn't stop so easily. The giant's axe plunged deep into the tree, cutting it almost in half.
He looked at me, grinning with his yellow teeth. "You? You're going to kill me?" he sneered. "It's been a long time since I heard a joke that weak."
Standing over me, he raised his foot and stomped it deep into my chest.
CRACK
I felt an immense pain and heard the sound of my ribs breaking.
"You bastard..." I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
"GHAHAHAHAH," he laughed.
The pressure of his foot increased even more, crushing my chest. Blood began to collect in my mouth. My vision began to blur, and my consciousness slowly drifted away. Energy was slowly leaving my body, and the hazy aura seemed to fade.
"No... not like this," I thought.
"Frei..." A familiar female voice rang out. The same voice that had brought me back to my senses when I lost control at the Inquisition. "Focus, Frei. Control your aura. You can do it. Shape it, sculpt it. Mana loves you. Direct it to your hand. And use it as the most powerful weapon. The aura is a divine weapon. And you are destined to wield it."
I didn't think about who or what the female voice was. I didn't have time. But I felt I should trust her.
With my last strength, I grabbed the giant's leg, squeezing as hard as I could.
"GHAHAHAHA, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, YOU BUM? YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE STRENGTH TO CLOSE YOUR HANDS. YOU'RE BARELY BREATHING. YOU'RE DEAD!" he shouted through his laughter.
"S... shut up," I said, concentrating all my strength in my right hand. The remnants of the aura on my body began to flow toward my hand. They started to entwine it and add strength—strength that I could only have dreamed of before.
"W... what the fuck?" he said, confused. "How can someone barely in the 1-star Mortal Realm weave aura? It's impossible even for 3-star warriors," he muttered, his face showing a stupid expression.
I squeezed my hand as hard as I could, and his leg broke like an apple crushed in my hand. With one squeeze, I halved his leg, tearing his foot away from the rest of his limb. But that was all I had the strength for...
"AAAAAGH!" the giant screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. "Fuck!! Fuck!!! My leg!!" "I'll kill you!!! I'll fuck you up!!!" he added, roaring furiously.
That's about it. I no longer had the strength to move, and the aura had completely left me.
The huge man began to pant loudly and glared at me furiously. His axe was still stuck in the tree. He grabbed my neck with both hands and began to squeeze as hard as he could. My consciousness began to fade, and my neck cracked as if it would break any moment.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I heard a creature running fast.
"Augh!" the giant screamed in pain. The grip on my neck loosened. I managed to catch my breath and opened my eyes with difficulty.
I saw Benek biting into the giant's throat, trying to tear it to shreds.
"You fucking mongrel," hissed the giant, grabbing Benek by the scruff of his neck. With his other hand, he hit him hard in the snout.
Benek howled miserably but continued to bite the giant's throat. The giant hit him with his fists with unimaginable force.
"Let go, you dog..." he hissed.
Blood was pouring from Benek's mouth, and his bite was losing strength.
"N... no," I stammered.
I couldn't let anyone else get hurt. Not this time. I felt my anger rising. Despite my broken ribs, I got up with great pain. I concentrated all the strength I had left in my right hand once again. The remnants of the pale aura floating in the air wrapped around my fist once more. The aura was weak and negligible, but it gave me strength.
"Benny... let go!" I shouted at the damned beast.
Benny glanced at me and loosened his grip. The giant threw him to the ground.
At that moment, with all my might and the last of my strength, I straightened my arm, redirected my entire aura to my fingertips, and attacked the giant's throat with all my strength, trying to pierce it.
My arm sank into his neck, tearing through skin and flesh.
The giant whimpered pitifully, looking at me with hazy eyes.
I knew that in his head, he was asking himself who I was. Why this was happening. How he could have lost.
However, there were no more answers waiting for him. Only death.
When his body fell to the ground, I felt his hazy aura dissipate into the air. I felt that this energy was no longer his. It belonged to no one. It was wild and innocent. I felt that it could be touched, woven. Used as well as one's own. I stretched out my hand toward it and grabbed it firmly and confidently. In an instant, I felt the energy flow into my body, spreading through every tissue. My ribs started to knit together, and the big wound on my cheek began to heal. I felt better than before the fight.
I felt stronger.
I felt faster.
I felt... invincible.