I am the one who will 'Remain'

Chapter 45

And then Ashan raises his aura more and more. He knows that he won't be able to kill Ark at this level. Like he said, he is not at the same level he was all those years ago.

Ark looks at Ashan and knows that, at this power level, he won't be able to kill him. If he wants to save everyone, he needs to raise his power level—and that means Terra will be hurt. 'I wonder if she will ever forgive me for that.'

Melody also looks at Ark, and then at Terra. She can also see the situation and knows that the only chance they have is for Ark to raise his powers. And she knows what will happen if Ark does that. Slowly, something inside her begins to grow and grow, causing her guilt, fear, and self-blame to take more space inside her head and heart. She thinks, 'Is this all I am? A damsel in distress for the bad guys to attack Ark with? Is this really all I am? Aaahh, I don't want that. I'd be better off dead than that. I won't be that weak girl. I won't be someone Ark must save all the time. I'll become someone who will make bad guys think it's better to fight Ark than me. So bad I'll become, and so strong I will be.'

Then something inside her starts to change. Her soul is beginning to grow because she has let go of any limits, and she doesn't care about her life anymore. Her quantum computers are working overtime. Her brain feels like it's going to explode because of the load she's carrying. But all of this is not for nothing. Because of her soul and the quantum computers, she finds a way to maybe use the power of the cube for herself. So she takes it. She doesn't care about anything anymore. She will do anything it takes to become a woman who can proudly stand by him.

While Melody is working from inside for a way, outside the fight is even more destructive. All around them are only craters, as though meteors have just fallen. Cracks in the earth like spider webs, trees are destroyed—all of that because of two men.

After raising his aura, Ashan takes a staff out from his space ring. Once he takes this staff out, his entire aura changes. Now he is using his full powers. Sage Celestials are not close-quarters fighters normally, they are long-range magic users—that is their specialty.

Ashan just puts his staff in front of him and points it toward Ark. Then all around him, magic circles form that are as big as houses. Imagine hundreds of these magic circles, all firing different elements or even curses. Some are even summoning guardians from different dimensions. And they are strong—really strong. Some are knights in full-body armor, wielding weapons. Some are monsters with four arms, each arm holding a different weapon. Some are monsters that look like octopuses, their long arms turning into swords, spinning them and cutting everything around them.

Ark is also using his powers, but at this low level, he can't do much. He also uses magic, and hundreds and hundreds of magic circles appear around him. But his magic is losing to Ashan's.

Ark is more running from place to place and teleporting. He uses his laser eyes and his element-commanding abilities to survive, but just barely. He even uses some of his other powers.

Like: Matter Manipulation, which allows him to turn some of Ashan's summoned monsters into dust.

But in this situation, Telekinesis helps him the most. He moves some of the attacks with his mind, just a little, so he can dodge them. He also forms a mind-powered shield around him, which for now, is still working to protect him.

Even so, Ark is still overwhelmed by Ashan. Then Ashan starts to use his hidden talent. Every Sage Celestial has a hidden talent that made them who they are. Because of those talents, they managed to hold their "Ruler of All" position all this time.

Ashan starts walking toward Ark with slow steps, but these steps are all the same distance between them—not even a millimeter apart. The more Ashan walks, the more energy gathers around him. This energy, if he were to strike a planet with it, could destroy it in a second. But the problem is that with every step Ashan takes, the energy doubles, and that makes even the very Earth tremble from the sheer magnitude of all that power.

Then Ashan just disappears. Ark sees how he appears in front of him, and with all that energy, he points his staff toward Ark's chest and redirects it to hit him. Ark knows he needs to take this hit, because if he dodges, the Earth will be destroyed. He doesn't have a choice. He crosses his arms in an 'X' position in front of his chest. A milky-white transparent film appears all over his body. His spirit is at full power to protect him, and a mind shield is over the spirit shield.

But before he manages to do anything else, he is hit by the energy wave, which looks like a transparent laser. Then he is sent flying by the sheer power of the energy. In just a second, he is outside the atmosphere. The hit sends him into the void of space. The problem is that he is still pushed back even further until he hits the asteroid belt, and there, his body is even more destroyed.

Then the energy wave loses its momentum, and he starts to slow down. But not before hitting a few more asteroids. When he finally stops, his body is a broken mess. His arms are no longer there—his hands missing from the elbows down. His chest is a complete mess, with his heart visible as it beats. His ribcage is gone, with more than half of his ribs missing. His back is also hurt by the asteroids, his back muscles visible, and in some places, even bone.

Then Ark looks down at his broken body, and anger like never before appears on his face. He teleports and appears in front of Ashan. When Ashan sees Ark, he smiles and says:

"I must say, I didn't think my talent to double the energy with every step I take would work so well."

And then he laughs with a mocking smile. Ark starts to raise his aura, his body healing with a speed to the naked eye. In a second, he is fully healed, and his aura begins to rise to the sky. The Earth trembles like an earthquake. The laws of reality begin to tremble. Space and time start to behave like water—one moment tranquil and peaceful, and the next, a raging storm that could pull you under in seconds.

Ark Ember is at... -95% power level.

Immediately, Ark looks toward Terra and sees her in pain. But she forces herself to smile and nods her head, saying, "I'm okay, go and kick his butt."

He looks toward Ashan, and even before he makes an intention to move, he is already in front of him. Before Ashan can even form a coherent thought about how Ark just got in front of him, he is sent flying at the speed of light. His body is a broken mess, his jaw hanging by only pieces of skin. He flies for miles, his body hitting and bouncing off the ground like a ball, becoming even worse. Broken hands and bones are only the light damage. When he stops, he lies with his face toward the sky, and in his head, only one thought: 'How can he be so strong? How is that possible? Can I really kill him?'

But again, before he even finishes his thoughts, he sees a dot flying toward him from above. Then, after only a moment, that dot appears in front of him. It's Ark, with his feet straight like a spear, heading toward his chest. Ashan tries to roll out of the way, but he feels a wave of mind power that holds him in place. That wave only lasts for a millisecond, but that millisecond is all Ark needs. He uses his telekinesis exactly at the perfect moment.

Then Ark hits Ashan's chest with the force of a nuclear weapon. When he strikes him from above with that speed, combined with Ark's now -95% power level, the energy around his body cracks for a moment, as if on the brink of being destroyed. The force of the kick is so strong that the Earth is pushed away, and a crater so large appears that you can't even see the edges of it. Ashan's body is pushed in the earth like a spike, but his body takes the full force of the onslaught.

If it were closer to the City of Hope, the entire city would have been destroyed right now.

And Ark is now standing with a foot over Ashan's chest, inside the almost endless crater. He says:

"You're still alive? Well, I've got to admit, that cube really is powerful. If it weren't for that weapon, you'd be deader than death right now."