OP Absorption
Chapter 95: Let’s End This

Chapter 95: Let’s End This

Dan stared, the dents in his gold armor mocking his earlier confidence. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was Commander Dan, First Blade of King Kain! He didn’t get pummeled by upstart anomalies in weak, fledgling domains.

This little brat... he was actually hurting him.

With a roar of frustration, Dan thrust both hands forward. Not a physical blow, but pure, incandescent energy erupted from his gauntlets – the same crimson force that had sent Fin flying before. It surged towards Fin, hot enough to scorch the air.

Fin didn’t even try to dodge this time. The aura engulfing him flared brighter, meeting the crimson wave head-on. There was no explosion, no clash of titanic forces. The red energy simply... dissipated. Hit the emerald aura and fizzled out like water on hot coals, utterly negated.

Dan’s eyes widened behind his helmet. ’Impossible! My Annihilation Wave... neutralized?’

Fin stepped forward into the fading crimson wisps, his expression unchanged. Calm. Focused. Deadly.

And vanished.

Dan barely had time to register the empty space where Fin had been before agony ripped through his side. A punch, powered by that infuriating green energy, connected beneath his ribs, staggering him.

Before he could even swing, another blow landed on his back, driving him forward. Then a knee to the chest, an elbow to the side of his helmet that made the world tilt violently.

He felt like a training dummy being used for target practice. Thrown, kicked, punched – the sheer speed and relentless precision were overwhelming. His armor, blessed by Kain himself, groaned under the onslaught, dents appearing faster than he could track.

Rage, hot and blinding, surged through him. Enough!

He gathered his power, not into a focused beam, but an uncontrolled outward explosion.

"ENOUGH!"

A violent burst of raw mana detonated outwards from his body, a spherical shockwave designed purely to create space. Fin, caught mid-strike, was blasted backward, tumbling through the air before landing lightly on his feet near the edge of the clearing, the green aura flickering but holding steady.

Dan stood panting, his armor visibly battered, the pristine surface marred by dents and scorch marks. He glared across the clearing at Fin, who simply watched him, waiting. The earlier contempt was gone, replaced by grudging respect warring with incandescent fury.

"I see," Dan rumbled, his voice tight. "You are worthy as an opponent." He reached over his shoulder, his gauntleted hand closing around the massive hilt strapped to his back. He drew the weapon slowly, deliberately, the sound of metal scraping against the armor echoing in the tense silence. "But not worthy as a King."

The sword was immense. Easily as tall as Fin, thick-backed, with a wickedly sharp edge. Runes pulsed along its length, mirroring those on his armor. Just holding it seemed to amplify the pressure in the clearing.

Fin tensed, the green aura around him solidifying. This guy had been tough even just throwing fists and energy blasts.

Dan settled into a low stance, the colossal blade held easily in a two-handed grip. He didn’t charge. Didn’t move.

Fin blinked.

And felt a sharp, stinging line of fire slice across his chest.

He instinctively looked down. A new cut, thin but deep, ran diagonally across the gash Dan had given him earlier, blood welling instantly.

’What the—?’ His eyes snapped back up to Dan. The Commander hadn’t moved. The massive sword was still held in the same ready stance, twenty feet away. ’He didn’t even swing. How...?’

Scarlet, watching from the sidelines, felt a cold dread seep into her bones. ’Oh, no.’ She recognized that kind of attack. Not raw speed. Something else. Something far more dangerous.

Dan offered a cold, humorless smile, visible beneath his helmet. "Surprised, boy?" he mocked, the massive sword still utterly motionless in his grip. "Kingship isn’t just about raw power. It’s about mastery. Control. Something you clearly lack."

He didn’t move, but the air shrieked. Another invisible slash materialized, carving a deep gash across Fin’s left shoulder. He staggered back, the green aura flickering wildly as it tried to negate the attack, failing.

’Where is it coming from?’ He gritted his teeth, trying to track the origin. There was no projectile, no beam, just... the cut appearing. Like the sword itself existed momentarily wherever Dan willed it. ’This is bullshit.’

He pushed off the ground again, green fire flaring, aiming for speed, trying to close the distance before another phantom strike could land. He weaved, ducked, a blur of emerald motion—

SHINK!

A cut appeared on his leg, deep enough to make him stumble.

SHINK!

Another across his ribs, drawing a sharp gasp of pain.

He was getting diced up without Dan even lifting a finger. It was like fighting a ghost who happened to hit like a truck carrying razor blades. He threw a desperate blast of green energy – raw, unfocused power born of frustration.

Dan simply tilted his massive sword slightly. The runes flared, and the green blast harmlessly deflected upwards, dissipating into the canopy.

"Predictable," he scoffed. "Crude."

Another slash materialized, this one aimed low. Fin jumped, twisting in mid-air—too slow. The invisible edge caught his ankle, slicing tendon. He landed awkwardly, collapsing onto one knee, pain shooting up his leg.

’Can’t dodge, can’t block, can’t close the distance...’ He felt panic starting to fray the edges of his focus. ’How do you fight something you can’t even see coming?’

Up in the tree, Arachne watched, helpless, her knuckles white where she gripped the bark. Scarlet had pushed herself upright against her own tree, eyes wide with horrified fascination. ’Space manipulation? Or is the sword itself reaching? Either way... nasty trick.’

Dan raised the colossal blade slightly, pointing the tip towards the kneeling Fin. "Your struggle is pointless. Your power is unrefined. Your domain will belong to King Kain."

Runes blazed along the sword’s length, gathering blinding golden light. The pressure intensified, making the very air crackle.

Fin saw the attack building, knew he couldn’t dodge it, couldn’t block it. He threw everything he had left into his aura, a desperate, final shield.

Dan swung.

This time, the swing was real. The massive blade blurred through the air, impossibly fast for its size, trailing golden light. It didn’t hit Fin directly. It hit the space in front of him.

KRA-KOOM!

The resulting explosion wasn’t fire or energy, but pure, concussive force amplified tenfold. It slammed into Fin like a meteor strike. His aura shattered instantly. He felt ribs crack, the world dissolved into blinding white pain, and then he was airborne, launched backward with terrifying velocity.

He flew out of the clearing entirely, crashing through the dense undergrowth of the surrounding forest, snapping branches, tearing through vines, until he finally slammed into the base of an ancient, gnarled tree far beyond the edge of the clearing and lay still, crumpled amidst the roots and shadows.

Silence descended once more upon the clearing.

Dan lowered his sword, the golden light fading from the runes. He looked towards the path of destruction Fin had carved through the forest. He began to walk calmly, deliberately, following the trail, the massive sword held ready at his side.

Time to finish this.

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