Ragna exploded at Aren with a thunderous swing, the hammer glowing even brighter, its speed easily shattering the sound barrier. Aren simply leaped back as the hammer slammed into the ground, cracking it like a web. The fractures spread out for tens and tens of meters, as though an explosion had gone off, debris flying everywhere.

"Tch." Ragna clicked his tongue and attacked again.

This time, Aren pushed forward, his fist meeting the hammer head-on. The collision thundered loudly, and Ragna's hands were thrown back. Before he could collect himself, Aren closed the distance and drove a punch into his ribs.

Crack!

The fist landed, the sound of breaking bone echoing. Shock and disbelief filled Ragna's eyes as he staggered back, clutching his broken ribs, the tattoos on his body flickering violently.

He stopped and stared at Aren.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked.

Aren simply shrugged and bolted forward.

Ragna reacted quickly and swung downward, but the attack missed as Aren leaped just before the hammer struck. He flipped midair and delivered a back heel kick straight to the back of Ragna's head, smashing him into the ground.

BOOM!

Aren stepped off him and walked a few meters away before turning back. By now, the one-minute duration of his armor's true form had ended, returning him to his base state.

He watched Ragna carefully.

Ragna's body tensed. He lifted both hands and slammed them into the ground, slowly pushing himself up. Blood dripped from his head and mouth as he got to his feet, his tattoos flickering even more erratically.

Gripping his hammer, defiance still burned in his eyes. He pointed it at Aren.

"I'm still alive because you're holding back," he said.

Aren gave no reply, but his expression said everything.

Realizing this, hatred ignited inside Ragna.

"How dare you?" he bellowed. "I'll make you pay for that!"

BOOM!

He kicked off the ground, a crater forming beneath his feet as debris shot into the air. He was already halfway to Aren before the rubble even began to fall. His eyes locked onto his target as he poured power into his tattoos, his hammer glowing once more, far more intensely.

He swung first, aiming straight for Aren's head.

Aren leaned back and dodged cleanly, using Swift Wind and Shadow Sense to maintain perfect control of the battlefield.

Seeing his attack miss, Ragna pulled back and followed with a second swing, weaker than the first but still dangerous. Aren blocked it perfectly with Wolf Guard, taking a boxing stance as he tucked his head behind his raised arm and counterpunched at the same time.

Ragna tilted his head to the side, narrowly dodging. He pulled his hammer back and thrust forward. Aren locked both arms together as the hammer slammed into his guard. He slid back only one step before countering with a close-range claw strike.

Ragna wasn't expecting it. He barely shifted aside, the claws grazing his arm as blood sprayed into the air. Still, he continued his motion, swinging diagonally downward. Aren parried while stepping to the side, clearing a clean line to the abdomen.

Using Swift Wind, Aren struck with flawless precision. The punch flew like a missile, his eyes locked onto Ragna's as it traveled. Ragna knew he couldn't block it and hastily channeled soul energy. The tattoos on that side of his body flared as the punch landed.

He skidded backward, the damage reduced but still severe.

Growling viciously, Ragna hurled his hammer at full speed. The distance was short, the weapon flying like a cannonball. Aren twisted sharply to the side, his hair grazed and scorched as it passed.

As Aren straightened, Ragna was already airborne, launching a Superman punch.

Aren blocked, but the punch never came.

Ragna feinted, landing and striking for the abdomen instead. Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't work on someone like Aren.

With Shadow Sense and Swift Wind, Aren had complete environmental awareness. He raised his knee at the perfect moment. Ragna's fist slammed into it, stinging slightly, while his hands were violently rebounded.

Aren didn't lower his leg.

Twisting his body, he swung it like a whip. The kick rose high before crashing into the side of Ragna's skull, slamming him into the ground as Aren spun to bleed off excess momentum.

Ragna tried to get up again,

but Aren was already moving.

He spun, leapt into the air, rotated once more, and delivered a clean kick to the back of Ragna's head. The impact sounded like a gunshot.

Ragna's head bounced off the ground. Aren landed, spun without stopping, and charged forward, driving a knee straight into Ragna's face. His nose shattered, several teeth flying as blood sprayed.

Ragna was flung like a rag doll, his body skidding across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

This time, he didn't get back up.

Aren started walking toward him to finish it.

"Don't run away from me, you bitch!" Zero's voice cut through the air.

Aren turned and saw Lily fleeing on the back of a hawk, terror etched across her face. She didn't dare look back, flying as if her life depended on it.

She was covered in bruises and wounds, her face mangled, her clothes torn.

Right behind her, Zero leaped from spatial platform to spatial platform, rage blazing in her eyes.

Lily spotted Ragna on the ground and immediately dove down. The hawk snatched him up with its claws.

"Don't let her get away!" Zero shouted.

Aren instantly summoned his lightning wolf. As the hawk lifted into the air, the wolf unleashed a powerful lightning blast. The hawk twisted to dodge but was grazed across the wings, staggering midair.

For a moment, it looked like it would fall,

but it ultimately managed to escape, taking the two away safely, or not so safely.

"Shit" Zero cursed, dropping down from the Alex she landed close to Aren, "they got away."

"Yeah, and i worry that won't be the last of them." Aren said.

While they were talking, a group of awakened showed you, evidently coming to take the map, but when Aren and Zero looked at them, they lost interest.

Aren simply turned to walk away summoning his ants and wolves to handle it, while he and Zero walked off.

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