The battlefield was soaked in blood.
The air thick with magic, dust, and the stench of death shivered under the roars of rampaging Overload Beasts. Earth cracked. Sky trembled. Bodies lay scattered like broken dreams.
But amidst that apocalypse stood a single figure Jack.
Unmoving. Unshaken.
A lone wall holding back the tide of oblivion.
"All of you… listen!" Jack's voice exploded like a war drum.
BOOM!
It carved through fear, slicing the chaos apart.
Every Ascendant turned seasoned warriors with dented armor, sharp-eyed archers with frayed bows, elite mages with flickering mana veils all locked their gaze on him.
Jack drew a breath, deep and fierce.
"These Overload Beasts… they're not just strong. They're cursed. Born from twisted evolution hybrids of Magic Beasts and unstable Overload Energy. If you fight blind, you'll die before your sword even gleams."
A tense silence spread like frost.
He pressed on, voice unwavering.
"They each have critical flaws. Elemental vulnerabilities. Structural weaknesses. Behavioral glitches."
He raised his arm and pointed toward the far ridge."The Shadowclaw Manticore its deadliest weapon is teleportation. But after every burst, it needs three seconds to recharge its shadow mana. Three seconds. That's your chance. You either strike then" He raised his blade "or you die."
Realization flashed in their eyes.
He turned next to the rumbling north sector.
"The Crystalbloom Golem doesn't waste time with brute force. That glowing green core? Hit it with spells that trigger mana feedback, mana shock, vibration magic, hybrid resonance. It'll rupture from the inside."
Murmurs rippled across the Ascendants like wind before a storm.
"But… Why are you telling us this?" a trembling voice asked.
Jack inhaled, exhaled slowly. "Because what's the point of keeping information if everyone dies?"
He paused, gaze sharp."I hold the Minor Blessing of the Magical Eye. It lets me see truths about enemies one full Stage stronger than myself. Their stats, patterns, flaws… everything."
THUD.
Silence fell again.
Then
"THANK YOU!"
"You're So Kind even revealing Your Secrets!"
"You just saved our damn lives!"
Dozens of warriors nodded. Voices cracked with emotion. Mages wept tears of relief. Swords were raised in salute.
But Jack didn't smile.
His eyes scanned the horizon, always alert.
BOOOOM!
The Dark sky trembled. A roar rolled like the breaking of mountains.
From the burning treeline, ten Overload Beasts surged forth unstoppable. But one moved like a phantom, a bullet of death.
FWOOOSH!
It landed with no sound… only dread.
Shadowclaw Manticore
Ten feet of muscle, shadows, and wrath. A lion's body wrapped in pitch-black fur. Bat-like wings flared wide. A long, segmented scorpion tail swayed like a pendulum of doom. Its violet eyes locked onto Jack and vanished.
WHOOSH!
"JACK!!" someone screamed.
It reappeared before him stinger lashing.
CRACK!!
Jack flew like a shattered comet.
THUD!
Crashing into the ground, skidding through blood-soaked dirt.
The Manticore vanished again
WHOOSH!
and reappeared above.
THWACK!
It slammed him.
Then vanished.
Then struck again.
WHACK!
THWACK!
CRACK!
A relentless loop of teleportation and carnage.
Every three seconds. Every blow is like a thunderclap. After three minutes it's stopped.
Then
CRAAAAACK!!!
Jack's body slammed into the defense wall of Jakartha City.
BOOM!
Stone shattered. Dust mushroomed like a tomb opening its mouth.
"JAAAACK!!" Emma's scream pierced through the chaos.
James's instincts surged, Beast Tamer senses roaring.
"Jack! Behind you! More beasts coming!!"
But it was too late.
THUMP.
A shadow loomed.
Ten feet tall, humanoid, gleaming like jagged emeralds Crystalbloom Golem. Its body pulsed with mana. Its thorny arms reached down
Grabbed Jack by the leg..
SLAAAAAM!!
BOOM!
Jack smashed into the city wall.
BOOM!
Again.
BOOM!
And again.
It didn't stop.
It ragdolled him.
[Just like the Hulk had with Loki in that Avengers movie except there was no laughter here.]
Only BANG!
Only THUD!
Only CRACK!
Only pain.
Stone crumbled. Flesh bled. Hope flickered.
But Jack's blade never left his hand.
Not even once.
----
"BASTARD!! LEAVE MY SON Alone!!" Emma's scream tore through the air like a sonic blade.
Her body blazed with radiant fury, blessings erupting around her in a storm of divine energy.
WHOOSH!
A vortex of wind and water spiraled around her, magic boiling in her veins.
With a roar, she unleashed a hybrid technique a fusion of Hydro and Anemo, intensified by her Minor Blessings:
Vital Resurgence: Her mana surged like a tidal wave.
Arcane Agility: Time seemed to slow around her.
Hunter's Instincts: Her aim was beyond perfect it was fatal.
And her Main Blessing Arcane Dominion (Blessing of Orvaris, God of Arcane Staves)
In the air above her, ice bullets began to form. Not fragile shards but compressed, howling missiles carved from winter itself.
They spun, twisted, and then
WHOOOM!
WHOOOM!
WHOOOM!
Dozens launched like a blizzard possessed.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The Crystalbloom Golem was consumed in a detonation of ice and wind.
Its crystalline body exploded into a thousand shards, spinning like glittering snow.
Frost-bloom flowers burst open mid-air gorgeous, deadly and then crumbled to dust.
Silence fell over the battlefield. Even the Overload Beasts… hesitated and shocked. Stoped their tracks what are they doing in fear for few seconds.
But Emma didn't stop to look. She was already running.
"JACK!!"
Emma's scream tore through the battlefield, sharper than steel. She skidded beside his still form, knees scraping against the blood-soaked earth, heedless of the pain.
"No… no no no"
James landed beside her, his cloak whipping behind him. His normally calm eyes were wild with panic. "Emma! The potion quick!"
Her hands trembled as she lifted Jack's limp body into her arms. Blood dripped from his mouth like a shattered chalice, staining her robes.
James uncorked the glowing red vial.
POP!
And poured the viscous liquid between Jack's pale lips.
GULP. COUGH!
Jack's chest jerked.
THUD!
His body convulsing as blood sprayed from his mouth. Emma flinched but held him tighter.
His eyes fluttered open unfocused… searching…
Fuzzy shapes. Echoing voices. A scream? A sob?
Everything felt like a dream until he saw her. His mother.
Tears spilled down Emma's cheeks, streaking through soot and grime. "Jack…" she whispered, voice cracking.
"No…" he murmured. His consciousness snapped back like a taut string. His instincts screamed Survive.
He clenched his fists. "I'm not done yet. I will don't die like this. I Have Supreme Blessings Of True God"
"I haven't Conquered This World With My Unique Powers, And I didn't Form my Harem Yet"
From deep within, his core pulsed. He summoned his Main Blessing ability: Abyssal Regeneration.
The broken mana crystal left by the Golem, buried in the earth nearby, began to dissolve.
SLURRRPPP.
Dark tendrils of energy slithered into his body, wrapping around his wounds, knitting torn flesh.
Muscles flexed. Bones reset.
CRACK!
CRACK!
His lungs drew in a deep, full breath. His heart beat stronger.
His vision sharpened. Emma's face came into focus. So did James's stern, tense, but hopeful.
"Mom…" Jack smiled weakly, blood still painting his chin. "I'm okay. Don't cry… You look kinda ugly when you cry."
Emma choked on a laugh. "You little punk…" she muttered, swiping at her face. "Who said I'm crying?"
James shook his head, the tension finally breaking. "You scared the hell out of us. I thought" He paused, swallowing hard. "I thought I'd lost you."
Emma pressed Jack's head to her shoulder, rocking slightly. "When I saw you fall… everything stopped. Nothing else mattered."
Jack let out a soft breath. "Sorry… I didn't mean to worry you."
James placed a steady hand on Jack's shoulder. "Just promise us… when you fight, you fight to win. But don't throw your life away. Not when we've already lost too much."
There was silence between them. Heavy, but warm.
Emma finally chuckled. "You're grounded, by the way. For life."
Jack groaned. "What? Even heroes get grounded?"
James grinned. "Especially heroes."
Jack sat up, bones no longer aching. His body restored vitality surging.
Far across the field, the other Ascendants were closing in about a hundred meters out. They had seen everything… or so they thought.
To them, Jack was just lucky. A miracle child healed by a potent potion.
But no one noticed the truth.
No one saw the Devourer Blessings Ability Usage.
No one saw the Golem's mana core vanish.
No one realized…
Jack hadn't been healed. He had consumed.
And what came next… would change everything.
------
To Be Continued…!!