Ascertained

"Spike Surge...?"

Uruk felt Kael's strength drop after hitting him with his Dark Burst. But soon after using that Spike Surge, it jumped back to the same level as when he was using Lightning Flash.

'No, it didn't just jump back, his strength is a little higher than before!'

"I realized this is a horrid question, but I ask you, Hari Uruk, are you willing to die here for the sake of your people and your kingdom?"

"Wha–!"

Pow!

Uruk's fist interrupted the Anino's words with a hard punch in the face.

"Yes." A reply came from the gentle and kind smiling lips of the Hari of Kruule. "If dying here means bringing peace back to my beloved kingdom, I shall face death with no regrets."

"You damn manaless, useless Hari..."

Uruk's gentle expression transformed into an ugly face of annoyance as the Anino took over his body once more.

"Well then, I shall ascertain the peace you wish to bring your kingdom, Mahal na Hari." Kael worded with respect toward Uruk.

Zzz–zzzz Pang!!

"Ah...!"

The Anino watched in wonder as the young knight assumed a battle stance different from the one he did before. Kael pulled his left foot back, the rest of his body are stretched forward along with his head in a crouching position. And, he has his rapier back in its sheath, but not entirely as a seemingly sharp edge made of lightning from both sides of the blade is keeping Kael's rapier from going in completely.

'A quick draw stance? With a rapier?'

While his spiked-up strength brought little concern to it, the Anino inside Uruk couldn't help but feel giddy while watching Kael assuming such a stance.

"Are you an idiot? You almost impressed me with your elevated strength and your bold claim earlier that you will ascertain Kruule's peace, but..." Uruk began charging up his dark flames from the palm of his hand, directing it at the young Malaya. "...What makes you think electrifying me just after letting your rapier touch me is going to do anything?"

Right as Uruk mocked the Malaya, Kael hardened his grip on his rapier and...

"Lightning Flash..."

"...!"

The Anino just felt Kael's strength spiked up at that moment.

"...Plus Shockblade Mode..."

Shling!!

"The First Slash!"

A blinding light obscured the Anino's vision, an ear-piercing sound with a crisp of lightning rang through Uruk's ears.

"Huh?"

Before he knew it, Uruk found himself staring at his own headless body, a pool of blood gushed out of his severed neck.

'My head was severed?'

Pang! Kzzzz–zzz!!

An electrical discharge more powerful than before struck both his body and his decapitated head afterward.

'It's stronger than before," Uruk said calmly to himself before his head stopped in mid-air. 'But how did he manage to decapitate me with a mere rapier?'

With curiosity boggling his mind, a flow of dark energy sprung out of the severed neck from under his head like a tendril before it reached out and inserted itself on the other end. It then pulled the severed head back to his body. In that instant, Uruk's head connected itself to his body, leaving no trace of the cut Uruk received from the Malaya.

Shling!!

"Second Slash!"

Pang! Kzzzz–zzz!!

"Urgh!"

Not letting Uruk get even a second to react, his left arm had been cut off almost instantly, the Anino failed to feel the pain right away. But that's not the end of it.

Shling!!

"Third Slash!"

Pang! Kzzzzz–zzz!

Revealing himself right in front of Uruk in a quick draw stance, Kael went and left a deep cut on Uruk's left abdomen, a spray of blood tainted his black and white clothes.

"Tch!"

Glance!

Uruk locked his gaze with a serious expression on his face, forcing Kael to halt his attacks and just circle on the Hari.

'I see, he used his lightning to change the shape of his rapier in each quick draw stance, giving it a sharp edge on both sides that allows him to cut anything in two like an actual sword can.' The Anino said in thought.

'It seems it already got a grasp on my movement speed, its eyes are following me everywhere.' Kael mumbled in his head as he struggled to find an opening with Uruk's eyes keeping him from charging forward. "Fourth Slash!"

Having concluded that he'll never find an opening again, Kael desperately lunged at Uruk with all his might. With black fire coating his fist, the Anino inside the Hari's body intercepted Kael's Shockblade.

DOHMM!!

Bwooooohh!!

The force of their clash sent a powerful shockwave all across the plateau. The people hiding and peeking through the windows of the giant royal castle were forced to hide behind walls.

"Your lightning can only travel through physical or a solid object, it's not something you can shoot out of your fingertips, that's why you were forced to take my Dark Burst directly! As long as I coat my fist with black fire, your lightning will never reach me, Kael!"

At that moment, Kael, seemingly unfazed, responded:

"If that's the case, I must spike up my strength."

ZZZZ–PANG!!

"Spike Surge: 10%!"

In the instant the sound of lightning exploded, making the surface under his feet crumble in pieces, Kael vanished and reappeared behind the Anino.

"Fifth Slash!"

With a horizontal strike, Kael sliced the torso and lower body apart.

Pang! Kzzzzz–zzz!

"Uuoooogh!!"

In that same moment, Kael unleashed his Sixth Slash, cutting Uruk's head off once again. Then his Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth. Each strike would cut off his limbs and other parts of Uruk's body with great force. With each slash, he'd electrocute Uruk with his empowered lightning magic.

"So you can still further increase your strength, huh?"

Kael jumped back, taking another quick draw stance whilst panting.

"I bet you could still further your strength and go beyond 10%, but I wonder if your body can handle it?" Uruk uttered before reconnecting himself with his severed body parts like it was nothing. "In any case, your ability is already annoying as it is, I'm starting to get fed up with you cutting my body left and right."

In truth, this was the first time Kael used Spike Surge at 10%, which increases his speed and strength. And yet, even with Shockblade active and Lightning Flash which also amplifies his strength and speed to land a swift strike and electrocute his opponents, Kael realized it wasn't enough to deal serious damage on the Anino after landing his Fifth Slash.

'Even if my body can resist lightning to a certain degree, if I use Spike Surge at 10% combined with Lightning Flash for too long, it will eventually damage my body, my nerves in particular. My muscles might contract involuntarily, or I might lose consciousness, or worse, I might die from cardiac arrest!'

Kael steeled his determination as he took a deep breath and...

"Lightning Flash, Plus Shockblade Mode: The Eleventh Slash!"

Shling!!

'I can't stop here now!'

Yet again, he charged desperately at Uruk. However, despite how fast he gained on him, the Hari already got used to his even more spiked-up movement speed and strength.

Clang!!

"That won't work anymore!" So Uruk claimed until Kael Shouted: "Spike Surge: 15%!"

Kzzzz–zzzz–PANG!!! RUMBLE!!

The shockwave that burst out of Kael's Spike Surge threw Uruk's balance off, allowing Kael to deal a horizontal slash on Uruk. The second his feet touched the ground, the young knight twisted his body, facing Uruk again who already healed himself.

"Twelfth Strike!"

Shling!!

Clang!!

"Ah!"

To Kael's surprise, Uruk has caught up with his speed once again. His black fire-coated hand caught the Shockblade before it even hit him.

"How boring." The Anino said at Kael's face.

With a hint of frustration on his face, Kael screamed on top of his lungs.

"Uuoooogh!!"

The Malaya tried to push his way through the Hari's fist.

"Spike Surge: 2–!"

KRRRG!!

"Ack–!"

Kael couldn't finish his words. A pained look in his eyes manifested as he was forcefully relieved of his rapier by himself.

'My body...! It feels as though my body is being twisted all around from the inside...! I-I can't breathe properly...!'

Though he disliked admitting it, Kael had already reached his limit. He knew he was nearing it from the beginning, he just didn't think he'd hit it this soon.

Along with his Shockblade that reverted to his rapier as soon as he lost his grip, Kael found himself about to hit the ground head first. That is, until...

Tug!

"Argh!"

Uruk grabbed Kael by the hair with a strong, painful grip. He then lifted the young knight and looked directly into his eye.

"This is the result of not recognizing your limit and weakness, boy."

"..."

"You..."

Pow!

"Ack!"

Uruk landed a hard punch on Kael, making him spit out blood.

"...Achieved..."

Uruk gave the helpless knight another hit on his gut.

"...Nothing..."

"Kah!"

And another...

"...You coward..."

"Urg...!"

And another...

"...Weak piece of trash..."

"Kuagh!"

And another.

Uruk let go of the young knight before throwing another hard straight on his face, sending him sliding across the terrain.

"You're just like them, all bark but no bite," Uruk uttered as he approached Kael and stepped on his head, burying his face into the grass. "They always talk all high and mighty about themselves while always belittling me in every single flaw they find on me. But after showing them what they made me become, all they do is bawl out and fall on their knees while begging for mercy."

Uruk cruelly stomped his foot on the back of Kael's head.

"What makes them think they can get away with everything with just a simple begging for mercy, huh?! I never begged for mercy when they're stomping their feet on me, so what makes them think they have the right to ask for one?! People like them who are all talk but no bite is the one thing I hate the most in this world! But... I don't particularly dislike them when they are screaming their lungs out in torment!"

Uruk, or the Anino inside him, forcibly pulled Kael's bloody head from deep in the ground. It then made it so that Kael is facing him.

"You cannot ascertain anything, you failed to bring peace in this kingdom, you're all talk but no bite at all! You're yet to beg for my mercy, but I bet you'll do it soon enough. Therefore, I already hate you!"

The Hari moved his grasping hand so that he could grab Kael in the face instead.

"You're just like the people I hated, so I bet you'll scream your lungs out if I torment you, too!" Uruk let out a maniacal cackle and an insane expression on his face. "You'll do that for me, right?"

"I-I..." Kael tried to speak with a muffled voice.

"Oh? Have you finally mustered enough courage to overcome shame and start begging for mercy? All right, let's hear it! Before I start tormenting you!"

Uruk proceeded to ease up his grasp, allowing Kael to speak comfortably.

"I... I failed to kill you myself... My body couldn't hold on any longer... But..."

Uruk remained silent, but at that moment, he saw the weak look in Kael's eyes lit up all of a sudden.

"I... I have ascertained the peace of this kingdom!"

"What?"

Kael summoned the last of his strength to move his right arm and grab Uruk's.

Grasp!

"Grasp Lightning!"

With every ounce of mana left inside his body, Kael forced himself to cast another magic ability. Uruk quickly clad his arm with black fire to render Kael's lightning from reaching him. However, despite his ability being deflected, Kael refused to let go of the Anino. And then...

"Now!"

Upon his call, two silhouettes appeared out of nowhere behind him. One appeared on Kael's left with a golden sword in hand, dashing straight at the Hari. The other jumped high into the sky before making a free fall on the Hari. Upon closer look, Uruk immediately recognized them and their names.

'It's the Prinsepe of Reilaea, Aran! And that woman... The one who's giving the people of Kruule a sense of hope, Lyrica!'

"Water Current..." Aran's golden sword became covered with raging, flowing water.

"40dB: Flintrock..." Lyrica had her left fist turn ablaze.

Uruk released his grip on Kael's face to protect himself, but it was already too late. Both Lyrica and Kael are already in range. All they needed was a mere second of an opening. And they got it.

"...Slash!"

"...Ablaze!"

Swooosh~!!

Aran swung his blade and left a deep horizontal cut on Uruk's torso.

Fwiiish~!!

Lyrica's fiery fist disfigured Uruk's face, setting the Hari ablaze as she continued to push forward and eventually pummelled his head down the ground.

"Raaagh!"

Bahm!! Rumble!!