Power, but at what cost

Titania, why do I know that name? I said to myself as I stare at the pile of ashes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," Lutea cries and screams as she runs to the pile of ashes. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ME." She said as her constant crying interrupted her own words.

"Why did she have to leave you," I whispered under my breath as I heavily questioned why she took her own life to save mine. There must have been another way to keep me alive, or some other way. And why would she do that for a human she just met. I don't understand.

Without saying a word to Lutea I walked outside the whole to find the Ogres that had fallen down the hole. Though something felt different, I felt stronger, more energetic. Was it because of Life Exchange? As I stepped out of the hole the giant blazing sun blinded me, but was suddenly blocked by a large object flying towards my direction. Without thinking I quickly punched the boulder, as it shattered to pieces I realised, I broke the boulder without using mana punch.

I looked at my fists in shock, I was stronger.

"HAHAHA, YOU ARE STILL ALIVE HUMAN," the purple horned Ogre yelled in enthusiasm as he walked closer to me. One thing I noticed was the Ogre with light green horns hasn't done anything, he stood back watching us the entire time without saying anything or moving a muscle. The thought of why he wasn't doing anything terrified me.

"HAHA, HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE HUMAN TELL ME," he said again with enthusiasm, but also annoyed as he walked towards me with arrogance.

"It's called plot armour bitch," I whispered under my breath as I ran towards him again charging another 2000 mana punch. From what I remember, the gravity magic only activates when he lifted his arms, at least that's how I hope it works, so I am going to watch his hands. As I got closer he showed that same worried face as last time. I kept my eyes on his hand as I ran closer to him, he smiled at me and started to raise his hands. Instantly, I dashed towards him as fast as I could before he could cast his spell.

I was faster, way faster than before, and before I knew it my fist had already connected with him. His back bent inwards as the force of the punch almost ripped a hole in his abdomen, moments later he flew back with extreme speed and crashed into the mountain, almost cracking it open. I quickly looked at my arm, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened. Why? What is happening? Why am I so much stronger? Though I was ecstatic about my sudden power increase, I was also bitter about how I received it.

I looked up to see the other Ogre walk towards the one I smashed into the wall. He whispered something in his ear and a giant green rune appeared above him as he rapidly started healing. I stood and watched, though I felt a lot stronger, there was a pain in my heart, I couldn't move.

"Hahaha, you had me there human, I wasn't expecting that." The purple horned Ogre said to me in a more serious manner, losing some of his arrogance from before.

"It's time I take this fight more seriously." Suddenly, purple sparks came out of his horn and a noise came out of them, almost as if it was charging something. Seconds later he used lightning step to close the distance swinging a punch towards my direction as he reached me. Though he was fast, he wasn't as fast as Venus, I jumped to the side but right as I landed he had already teleported behind me punching me in the air.

"AUUUGHH," I yelled as I flew into the air, his punch was powerful, but not enough to put me down. He stared at me as I fell back down to the ground, and then I realised he couldn't lightning step in the air, only Venus could do that. I prepared another 2000 mana punch to get ready, nervous the Ogre stepped back from my landing place and watched as I landed on my feat ready to continue the fight.

*BOOM*

A giant noise emitted from the Ogre's horns, "HAHAHAH," he laughed as a purple ball slowly started to form in the middle of his horns. "YOUR TIME IS UP HUMAN." He yelled as the purple ball had soon become twice the Ogres size, the ball lit up blinding me as a giant beam came from it, I jumped as high as I could to dodge the beam but it followed me hitting me mid-air.

"FUCK," I yelled as I tried my best to move out of the way. Sensing the power from the beam I start panicking as it rapidly came towards me. But I knew I couldn't panic, I needed to think of something.

"Come on Oliver, THINK, THINK FOR FUCK SAKE," and then it hit me, I instantly charged a 600 mana punch, I waited for the beam to get extremely close to me.

*WOOSH*

I punched the air creating a giant gust of wind, the force of the punch let me dodge the beam at the last second I quietly celebrated as I flew towards the Ogre, I noticed that the beam had turned around and continued to follow me. That's exactly what I needed to happen.

I crash to the ground and quickly get up, I run towards the Ogre and before he can do anything I grab both his hands and keep him in place.

"HAHA, YOU THINK YOU CAN HOLD ME H-," he said with arrogance until he noticed he couldn't loosen his grip. "WH-WHAT IS THIS." He said in panic as his own beam zoomed towards our location.

I was using a mana punch to strengthen my grip, usually the mana that seeps out of the mana punch destroys everything it touches, but with control I can use it to strengthen my own body, but not for a long period of time.

"You cocky little fuck, this is what you deserve for causing so much pain, causing the death of Iris and the emotional scars that Lutea will have to live on with." I said as I grip the Ogre even tighter, not letting him escape.

"LET GO OF ME! TYRUS, HELP ME, HELP ME RIGHT NOW," the Ogre yelled towards the other Ogre as he watched. The green horned Ogre smiled, but didn't move a muscle.

"TYRUSSSSSSS," the purple horned Ogre yelled as his own beam had connected with him, almost instantly disintegrating him, even though most of the beam had dissipated, some of the beam was still there instantly passing through him and quickly through my stomach, leaving a giant hole behind. Though I knew this would happen the pain was unimaginable, my stomach and small intestine disintegrated as the beam passed through.

I crashed to the floor and noticed and tried speaking, but was in so much pain I could only mumble and form gibberish.

"Don't try to speak human, it's futile in your state," the other Ogre said as he slowly approached me.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing," the Ogre finally spoke, sounding more intellectual and less arrogant than the last Ogre.

"I've never seen a human beat an Ogre, NEVER. But now it's my turn to have some fun." He said as he almost instantly appeared in front of me, he was faster than the last Ogre, even though he can't use Lightning Step.

"To make this a fair fight I'll heal you, but don't expect me to hold back," he said in an intellectual yet sinister tone. A giant green rune appeared before me, the same one when he was healing the other Ogre. I quickly noticed he used the same healing magic as Helios, the dust on the ground slowly became the organs that I lost and the hole in my stomach had quickly patched up.

He put his hand out to help me up, like the idiot I am. I grabbed it without thinking and instantly regretted it as he instantly lifted me up with one hand and smashed me back down the ground.

"BELHHH," I threw up and the impact was so strong I couldn't breath, he picked me up again and did the same thing, smashing me to the ground again and again and again and again, as it soon felt like every bone in my body had broke.

"You know human, I thought you were a little smart, but what kind of idiot takes the hand of their enemy," he said with slight annoyance as he threw me up in the air, I flailed around like a ragdoll having almost no control of my body. I tried charging a mana punch, but before I could even think, Tyrus lifts up his hands and I fall to the ground with extreme speed smashing into the floor, creating a huge crater. He gave me no chance at all, attacking me constantly every time I tried to use mana punch, breaking my legs so I couldn't stand up.

This isn't fair, I thought as I remember I used to say the same thing when something like this would happen in the games I used to play, the bosses were too broken or weren't scaled to your level and would beat you without a sweat. But this isn't a game, and though I realised that I still had been treating it like a game. I shouldn't have taken this fight, I shouldn't have tried to save these Dryads, it was none of my business.

"I think it's time I end this, you didn't live up to my expectations human, you are not worth my time." Tyrus said as he grabbed my back my broken leg and threw me up into the air once again.

"THIS IS YOUR END HUM-," right as he was about to cast his gravity magic, a huge purple lightning bolt had struck, breaking and cracking the mountain open and causing so much pressure it pushed me while I was in the air, before I could even blink I was caught as I was falling and quickly brought to the ground. I looked up to see Venus standing in front of me, but it wasn't the Venus I knew.

This Venus looked like an angel.