Chapter 25: [24] “Pending accounts”
[One Week Later]
At the top of a building, a young man with white hair and green eyes, dressed formally, fixes his gaze on a man in a suit, messy hair, and red eyes.
"Finally, I found you. You know it's very difficult to find a cockroach that only hides," says Ares with a displeased expression as he looks at Hassan.
Hassan responds with astonishment and fear, "Ares, I haven't accepted your challenge. What is it that you want?" as he thinks to himself, 'How did this maniac find me?'
"Some time ago, when I was injured, I heard that you challenged me. Now that I'm in front of you, you dare not fulfill your word," Ares said arrogantly.
Confused, Hassan replies, "I don't know what rumors you're talking about. There must have been a misunderstanding. You know people talk a lot and make things up," as he thinks to himself, 'How did he know?'
"When you found out I was injured, you had enough confidence to challenge me. But now that I'm in perfect condition, you're afraid... what a pathetic awakening," says Ares.
"A person like you doesn't deserve to live any longer," Ares continues.
Suddenly, a flash of intense light spreads throughout the battlefield, emanating from Ares.
"(Special isolation)," Hassan thinks angrily, 'Son of a bitch, how dare he belittle himself like this?'
'It was said that his injuries were incurable, but here I see him, in perfect condition, defeating other top contenders. No one truly knows how powerful his abilities are right now.'
'I must strike first and make him aware of the consequences of his actions,' Hassan thought.
Then, he used his technique "Hundred Swords," summoning a hundred swords that surrounded Ares as he descended with a powerful aura.
But Ares didn't stand still and activated his ability "Double Light Shield," splitting a golden light into two to protect himself.
The 100 swords clashed against the light shield, causing a massive explosion and leaving evident cuts in the nearby structures.
Hassan unleashed his powerful attack called "Gate of Babylon," where space distorted behind him, and millions of swords appeared, emanating a sharp and terrifying aura.
Ares doesn't fall behind and unleashes his ability "Rays of Light," where thousands of rays appear behind him.
The two attacks clash against each other, resulting in a series of incredible explosions that destroy the nearby buildings.
Despite the vast number of swords from Hassan and the thousands of rays from Ares, only the nearby buildings are destroyed, and the two fighters seem to have survived.
However, Hassan realizes that Ares is much more powerful than he initially thought and decides to employ a defensive strategy to stop the approaching rays of light.
He uses his ability "Sword Shield" to protect himself from Ares' rays, but still, the nearby buildings are destroyed, and debris falls to the ground.
Hassan breathes heavily, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead.
"(Gate of Babylon: Swords of Destruction)," he invokes, summoning a rain of swords that attack Ares from all angles.
Ares disappears in an instant, using his superhuman speed to dodge the sharp blades.
Hassan can't believe it. 'Do they ever get tired? We must keep attacking!'
Ares reappears within his line of sight.
At that moment, Hassan creates a trap of swords ("Sword Trap") around Ares, forming a cage.
But Ares smiles evilly and escapes the trap. 'He reacted, but it's not enough,' Ares murmurs.
Suddenly, Ares unleashes a powerful burst of light ("Light Explosion"), destroying all the swords in the cage and crushing the surrounding buildings.
Terrified and trembling, Hassan says, "Wha... (Sword Shield)" and expends all his energy to create a shield of swords that protects him from the massive burst of light.
Ares, wielding the Spear of Sin, emanates a grand golden aura surrounding the sharp spear enveloped in rays of light.
"Cut through everything," Ares commands, directing his gaze towards Hassan.
Suddenly, Ares disappears from his initial position and reappears in front of Hassan with incredible speed, thrusting the spear towards the sword shield.
A tremendous impact occurred, splitting the shield in two halves. Without hesitation, the spear continued its trajectory towards Hassan's head.
"Noooooo...!" Hassan screamed, frightened, as he watched the spear slowly approach his head.
"Die...." Ares said, releasing a powerful murderous intent in his voice.
Ares' spear severed Hassan's head, causing him to fall to the ground and roll along the ruined street of the city.
"Phew... Phew... Phew... one less. Battles are so enjoyable, but one-on-one encounters are becoming increasingly boring," Ares reflected.
"Very few awakened individuals from the global rankings accept challenges, let alone those who are not in the rankings," Ares added as he regained his energy and sat on the ground with his clothes intact.
'The feeling of a life-or-death battle is simply wonderful,' Ares thought as a devilish smile formed on his face.
"I feel like I'm facing the same problem as Mr. Kayden... but I still have a long way to go to reach his level," Ares said with a hint of regret in his voice.
Suddenly, in the distance, five rather powerful auras were sensed rapidly approaching their location.
'Oh, more insects. Who could they be this time? Are they from some organization?' Ares wondered as he shifted his gaze towards the direction of the approaching individuals.
Five figures surrounded Ares, who prepared himself for what was to come.
"It's your time to die, Ares. You have caused us far too much trouble," Lucy Bourdon said with determination.
"We're fortunate to find you after a battle," Terry Miller added.
"It'll be quite easy to defeat you, even without you at a hundred percent," Frank Mude said arrogantly.
Ares burst into laughter and responded with haughtiness, "Who are you? So foolish as to come after me?"
Suddenly, Ares emanated a powerful golden aura that frightened the five attackers.
"This aura is immense!" exclaimed Matthew Long as he trembled.
"A power as immense as this should not be outside the control of the World Association of Awakened," said Edwin Schinke, visibly nervous.
Ares smiled arrogantly and said, "You saved me the trouble of seeking you out. For being so considerate, I'll give you a swift death."
"(Celestial Punishment)"
An immense number of light beams appeared in the sky, illuminating the dark night in a golden glow.
A second later, the beams descended from the sky, surrounding both the five figures on the ground and Ares in the air.
The deafening roar shook the ground, causing large cracks and burns in a 50-meter radius.
When everything calmed down, Ares descended from the sky with elegance and grandeur, his hands behind his back and his attire immaculate.
In front of him, five bloodstained areas could be seen on the devastated ground.
The spatial isolation dissipated, but Ares disappeared without a trace.
Only the towering city buildings remained, illuminated by the nighttime lights on a beautiful night.
….
1164 words.
Next chapter "Trapped in the enemy's trap"
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