Running out of time {128}

Kenzo inhaled deeply. Suddenly, from the floor, a surge of shadowy soldiers materialized. The Dragon Monarch recognized them instantly – his own fallen soldiers, now animated puppets under Kenzo's control.

A grin stretched across the Dragon Monarch's face at the prospect. As his dragons unleashed their attacks, he prepared to block them. However, the attacks seemed to materialize only at the point of impact, bypassing any attempt at defense.

"Fascinating," the Dragon Monarch said, his voice brimming with excitement. "So, this is your little trick."

Kenzo watched as the Dragon Monarch engulfed himself in a shimmering aura of flame. Any attack, real or spectral, that dared to touch him was instantly consumed by the inferno. This would be a challenge, Kenzo thought, but he was prepared.

With a burst of speed, Kenzo launched himself at the Dragon Monarch, landing a solid punch to his face. The Dragon Monarch, surprisingly, grinned in response. He seemed to be enjoying the fight.

The clash resumed, with the Dragon Monarch now facing a double threat. He had to contend with Kenzo's relentless assault while simultaneously fending off the spectral attacks materializing around him.

Kenzo's grin widened. What seemed like the Dragon Monarch's near-unbreakable defenses were crumbling under the relentless assault of his domain's sure hits. This unexpected vulnerability sparked a thrill in Kenzo. Seizing the opportunity, he pressed the attack with renewed ferocity, raining down a barrage of blows on the Dragon Monarch without a moment's pause.

Exhaustion was a distant concern. Kenzo focused solely on inflicting maximum damage, even increasing his own mass to amplify the force of his attacks. With a final, desperate surge, he materialized a miniature black hole mere inches from the Dragon Monarch's mouth. He spared no effort, unleashing his most of his arsenal against his adversary.

The Dragon Monarch, while visibly battered, seemed to revel in the fight. He fought back with surprising vigor, despite the punishment he was enduring.

The Dragon Monarch roared with laughter, a sound that echoed through the battlefield. "Yes! Yes! This is precisely why I came! To fight, to struggle, to feel the surge of power in response to yours!" His grin stretched even wider, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Kenzo stared in disbelief. The Dragon Monarch unleashed a wave of mana so potent it caused the air to crackle. "He still has that much left?" Kenzo muttered, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. "What a monster."

Undeterred, the Dragon Monarch cauterized his wounds with a burst of flame, the stench of burning flesh filling the air. He wouldn't be slowed down by something as trivial as blood loss.

Kenzo gritted his teeth. This wasn't going as planned. He pushed his domain further, his body expanding to a size he never thought possible. Muscles strained and bones creaked under the immense pressure, but he ignored the pain. With a thunderous roar, he charged at the Dragon Monarch, a living battering ram.

The Dragon Monarch threw up his arms in a desperate attempt to block, but Kenzo's fist was an unstoppable force. It smashed through the Dragon Monarch's defenses, connecting with a sickening crunch. The Dragon Monarch staggered back, a look of surprise flashing across his face for the first time.

Meanwhile, within Hakari's domain...

Baran, the white-flame monarch, watched with narrowed eyes as Kinji Hakari danced within a swirling vortex of cursed energy. The dark energy seemed to flow in and out of Hakari's body in an unsettling rhythm.

A slow grin spread across Baran's face as realization dawned. In the four minutes and eleven seconds since Hakari had triggered this phenomenon – this "jackpot" as he called it – he had become effectively immortal.

Hakari's eyes snapped open, locking onto Baran. With a predatory grin, he launched himself at the white-flame monarch. Baran reacted instinctively, his blade flashing in a silver arc. The razor-sharp edge sliced cleanly through Hakari's wrist.

But to Baran's utter astonishment, the severed hand instantly regenerated, tendrils of dark energy weaving the flesh back together. The reattached limb lashed out, a fist connecting with Baran's jaw with a sickening thud.

The impact sent a jolt of pain through Baran, but a surprising surge of exhilaration followed. This wasn't just a fight – it was a game, a twisted dance of regeneration and destruction. And Baran, for the first time in a long time, was truly enjoying himself.

The white-flame monarch, Baran, unleashed a torrent of searing flames that engulfed the area. Hakari, undeterred, charged straight through the inferno, his laughter echoing amidst the crackle of burning debris. The flames licked at his skin, leaving behind sizzling welts that vanished almost as soon he passed through them.

"You are a special human indeed," Baran boomed, tossing his swords aside. The futility of using weapons against this regenerating foe was evident. "Then let's see how you fare against my bare hands!"

Hakari grinned, his eyes gleaming with a manic glint. "Don't come crying to me when you lose," he retorted, his voice raw from the constant regeneration.

Baran dropped into a fighting stance, muscles coiling beneath his pale skin. The two warriors collided in a flurry of fists and fury. Baran rained down a relentless barrage of blows, each one leaving a crater of raw flesh on Hakari's body. Yet, with each sickening thud, the wounds knitted themselves back together, a gruesome ballet of destruction and renewal. Hakari, impervious to the pain, fought back with wild abandon, his own punches leaving similar marks on Baran's form.

This wasn't a duel of skill, but a test of pure endurance. It was a brutal spectacle, a clash of wills that defied the very concept of mortality. Who would break first? The relentless onslaught, or the defiant resilience fueled by cursed energy? The answer hung heavy in the air, as the fight raged on.

On another part of the battlefield...

Sweat streamed down Yuji's face as he traded blows with the Iron Body Monarch, Tarnak. Each punch Yuji landed felt like striking a solid steel wall. Frustration gnawed at him.

"Don't you get it, human?" Tarnak boomed, his voice laced with arrogance. "You can't even scratch me!"

Yuji gritted his teeth, refusing to give in to despair. "We'll see about that," he muttered, dropping into a fighting stance.

Tarnak charged, a battering ram of iron and muscle. Yuji sidestepped the blow with practiced ease, his reflexes honed from countless battles. As Tarnak lumbered past, Yuji unleashed a flurry of punches, culminating in a well-timed Black Flash.

A spark of cursed energy crackled around his fist as it connected with Tarnak's gut. A metallic clang echoed through the air, followed by a deep groan from the Iron Body Monarch. A dent, almost invisible to the naked eye, marred Tarnak's previously flawless armor.

Yuji's eyes narrowed. He'd landed a clean hit, but the damage was minimal. 'This guy's a tank,' he thought, a flicker of worry creeping into his mind.

Tarnak, however, reacted with a fury unlike anything Yuji had witnessed before. His face contorted in rage. How dare this puny human damage him? But then, a deeper, more primal sensation washed over him – a searing pain that seemed to pierce his very soul.

His eyes widened as a horrifying realization dawned on him. Yuji's Black Flash hadn't just dented his armor; it had bypassed his defenses and struck something far more fundamental – his very essence.

The fight between Yuji and Tarnak intensified. Yuji, fueled by determination, hammered away at the same spot on Tarnak's chest – the point where the Black Flash had connected. Tarnak roared in frustration, his punches a blur as he tried to connect with the nimble Yuji.

Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through Tarnak, a blow that felt like it originated from nowhere and everywhere at once. He lurched back, searching for his attacker, but his vision was filled with nothing but Yuji's retreating form.

Little did he know, Yuji had unleashed his Divergent Fist technique. It created a temporal dissonance, a split second of lag that made his strikes appear to happen twice. With a smirk, Yuji deactivated the technique and delivered another blow to the same vulnerable spot, another perfectly timed Black Flash.

This time, the effect was undeniable. Tarnak crumpled, his face contorted in agony. The ironclad exterior meant nothing now. Yuji had bypassed the physical and struck directly at Tarnak's soul, and with each Black Flash, the damage intensified.

The tide of the battle seemed to shift across the battlefield. Yuta, locked in combat with Yogumunt, the transfiguration monarch, was starting to gain a strategic edge. While Yogumunt's abilities were undeniably troublesome, raw power seemed to be lacking. The real challenge lay in finding a permanent solution.

Thankfully, thanks to Kenzo's intervention, Yuta's restriction on Rika had been altered. Her manifestation time was no longer a mere five minutes. Instead, a new limitation took its place – a restriction on specific cursed techniques. Yuta could now summon Rika for extended periods but could only utilize a particular cursed technique for five minutes before a cooldown period.

This change was a game-changer. Yuta could now fight with a renewed focus on strategy, his cursed energy reserves bolstered by Rika's presence. All that remained was to devise a way to defeat the elusive Yogumunt.

Meanwhile, Rika herself had become a whirlwind of destruction, decimating Yogumunt's mage army with ruthless efficiency. The once-ferocious horde stood no chance against her spectral fury. The battlefield was a canvas of chaos, each location a microcosm of the desperate struggle for dominance.

The tide was turning. Yuta launched himself at Yogumunt, unleashing a devastating "Thin Ice Breaker." The cursed technique tore through the battlefield, leaving a trail of shattered earth and Yogumunt's surprised cry in its wake. Seizing the momentary advantage, Yuta switched tactics, summoning a torrent of frigid air that encased Yogumunt in a rapidly solidifying prison of ice.

With his opponent momentarily immobilized, Yuta gathered every ounce of his strength. He supercharged his fist, imbuing it with incredible mass using another cursed technique. The air crackled with power as he unleashed a haymaker, the sheer force of the blow promising annihilation.

However, Yogumunt was a cunning opponent. Just as Yuta's fist was about to connect, a barrage of magical attacks slammed into the battlefield. Rika, caught off guard by the sudden assault, couldn't deflect them all. Yuta was struck by a few stray blasts, wincing in pain as searing heat coursed through his body.

But Yuta was no stranger to pain. Without missing a beat, he activated a reverse cursed technique, the sickly green energy washing over his wounds and mending them in seconds. Ignoring the throbbing ache, Yuta renewed his assault, raining down a relentless barrage of attacks on Yogumunt's icy prison. He knew he couldn't keep the transfiguration monarch trapped for long. Time was of the essence. He had to deliver a decisive blow before Yogumunt found an escape.

A/N Unlike Yuki,Kenzo mass is not really imaginery,Kenzo also havent fully master the ability so its like when Deku first got OFA,its destroying him the more he use it.