I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities
Chapter 96 - 96: Ch 95. Limiters

Ethan's eyes locked on the masked man as he summoned his Tenebris Gauntlets, obsidian shadows swirling and hardening over his arms. He didn't wait for an opening. He didn't fall back.

He charged.

The masked man's eyes squinted behind his veil, momentarily stunned by the audacity.

"Is he brain-dead?"

"Why would he charge head-first into me? He should be trying to preserve his life, not throw it away."

A sneer curled beneath the mask.

"No matter. If he wants to die faster, he's just saving me the trouble."

From the stands, the other contestants could hardly believe what they were seeing. Ethan, a Level 3, was charging head-on toward a man emanating Overlord-tier power.

They whispered, gawked, some even assumed it was a suicide run.

But Ethan didn't stop.

He didn't hesitate.

He collided with the masked man in the center of the arena—

—a thunderous boom shook the air, a flash of power lighting up the field like a meteor strike.

And then—

Ethan was pushed back… only a few meters.

Gasps rang out.

"What?"

"He should've been a blood mist!"

"How did he survive that?!"

Even the masked man froze mid-step, eyes narrowing.

"I didn't go all-out, sure,. because I wanted to preserve his body…"

"…But not even a scratch? No cracks in the gauntlets? No broken bones?"

"What kind of logic-defying freak is this?"

In that moment, a dangerous thought took root in the minds of everyone watching:

"If it had been me—would I have even lived through that blow?"

Ethan stood still, arm raised, legs shifting into a defensive stance. His breath was steady, his focus unshaken. He didn't pretend he could win.

But he could buy time.

"Just hold on a little longer…"

Inside his soul, he connected with his companions—Tenebris, the living embodiment of his gauntlets, and Gray, the spirit of the wolf residing in his core.

"Guys… we have to hold him. No matter what."

A rush of emotion surged through him in return—rage, loyalty, defiance.

They didn't need to say words. Their will aligned with his.

"Good," Ethan replied mentally. "I knew I could count on you."

The masked man charged again, this time with more force, more intention to kill.

Ethan's body surged with power—lightning arcing off his limbs, the crimson glow of the gauntlets intensifying to a hellish radiance.

Their next collision was a storm of devastation.

Boom!

The ground shattered, stone bursting into fragments, the air warping from the sheer pressure. Cracks webbed across the arena like glass under stress.

And yet—Ethan still stood.

The battle had only just begun, but one thing was already clear:

This was no ordinary Level 3.

****

Ethan stood firm amidst the chaos, his gauntlets cracked and glowing, his breaths deep and ragged—but he was still standing.

The masked man narrowed his eyes behind the veil, his strikes relentless as he increased his speed and strength with each blow.

"Why... is he still keeping up?"

"I increased my output and he should've crumbled by now…"

His attacks were faster now—sharper, heavier. Yet Ethan matched him. Blow for blow. Step for step.

"Is it my imagination... or is he getting stronger?"

The masked man immediately shut the thought down.

"No, that's impossible. It has to be an illusion… it must be."

But it wasn't.

If he could hear Ethan's thoughts, he would've known: he wasn't imagining things.

With each strike, Tenebris trait of Power fed off the masked man's overwhelming might, multiplying Ethan's strength, his meta essence, his reflexes. The stronger his opponent, the more power Tenebris poured into him.

At first, Ethan had been pushed back meters with each clash.

Then only a step.

Now?

He wasn't moving at all.

Their fists became blurs, the sounds of their blows like thunder cracking in rapid succession. The air around them distorted.

The ground was already cratered beneath their feet. Sweat ran down Ethan's brow, but his eyes never wavered. He was being pushed to the edge—but not beyond.

"I can't win. But I can stall him."

The masked man let out a furious roar and leapt back, putting distance between them. Ethan didn't chase—he needed every second to breathe and recover.

The man was done holding back.

He had preserved his abilities for one reason: to keep Ethan's body intact. But now, all that concern was gone. Rage clouded his logic. If Ethan died—so be it.

"MAKE SURE YOU SURVIVE THIS!!"

His voice echoed like a curse as he screamed:

"SERPENT'S MAW!"

A massive shadowy serpent erupted behind the masked man, its jaws wide open, fangs the size of swords, its body surging forward like a tidal wave of darkness aimed straight for Ethan.

Ethan's heart pounded. The serpent was too fast.

Too large. Too deadly.

And Sophia was behind him.

If he dodged, she would be erased.

He couldn't let that happen.

His mind went into overdrive. He had been using Flow the entire time—his ability to enhance and channel energy efficiently—but now he pushed it past its safe limits.

Ethan made a decision most wouldn't dare.

He poured everything into Flow.

All his meta essence.

Normally, it seemed Ethan had bottomless reserves. But that was only because he had never reached his limit before.

Humanity was born with natural limiters to prevent catastrophic damage from overexerting meta essence.

No one broke those limiters.

Because doing so could end a career.

Or worse a life.

But Ethan didn't care.

He looked inward—deep into his core—

—and shattered the limiter with sheer will.

Meta essence flooded through his body in waves he had never known, burning through his veins like wildfire. His gauntlets sparked violently, lightning coiling around his arms, and his aura exploded with a terrifying density.

His fist pulled back—coated in lightning, force, and pure resolve.

As the serpent's gaping maw neared—

BOOM.

Ethan unleashed the strongest blow of his life.

A shockwave thundered through the arena, cracking stone, ripping through the air. The shadow serpent collided with Ethan's fist in a devastating explosion of power and darkness.

The world held its breath.

And when the smoke began to clear…

Ethan was still standing—barely—but standing nonetheless.

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