Chapter 69: Restorative Detonation!
Bruce’s smirk widened slightly, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.
Contrary to what Bruce expected, Ozai didn’t rush in again. Instead, he inhaled deeply, slow, deliberate, forcing the tremor in his chest to steady.
Bruce raised an eyebrow, quietly impressed.
’As expected of a well-trained young master,’ he thought. ’Not so easily baited after all.’
Ozai’s eyes sharpened as he exhaled. His swords lowered slightly, his tone firm but calm. "It seems I’ve underestimated you. By a lot, actually."
Bruce said nothing, his daggers glinting faintly in the dim light.
"I’ll admit it," Ozai continued. "Even though we’re both A-Ranks, you’re stronger in pure physical combat. But strength alone won’t save you."
His gaze darkened. "Because from this moment on, I’ll fight you as an equal. Don’t look down on me, Bruce... if you don’t go all out, you’ll die."
Bruce smiled faintly, the kind of smile that could either comfort or terrify, depending on which end of the blade you were standing on.
Ozai’s teeth clenched. ’This guy... he’s rage-baiting me!’
He could feel his pulse hammering in his temples. The fight was drifting further and further from how he’d planned it, and worse, how the Thorne family expected it to go. He was supposed to crush Bruce. To make an example of him.
He inhaled again, trying to center himself.
’Sophie would definitely watch this when its clipped,’ he thought bitterly. ’If she’s so obsessed with him, then I’ll show her. I’ll prove I’m the better man. I’ll kill him here, in this trial, and she’ll finally see that Bruce Ackerman is nothing but trash!’
The problem was, deep down, he already knew Bruce wasn’t.
But pride was a powerful poison.
Ozai steadied his breath, his tone low and defiant. "And if you intend to face me with just physical strength, then I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that won’t be enough to survive this fight."
Bruce tilted his head slightly, his calm never faltering. A small, almost polite smile crossed his lips.
Ozai’s irritation spiked again, but he bit it down. No more distractions.
"Sword of Fire."
The words came out barely above a whisper, but the world responded.
The air trembled. The temperature rose sharply. A deep hum rippled through the stone floor.
Ozai’s silver blades began to glow. Then, with a resonant crack, flames erupted from them, thick, roaring tongues of fire swirling around the twin swords like living serpents.
The heat hit Bruce in a wave, scorching the air between them.
The once silver blades now burned a molten orange, light dancing across the cave walls. Every flicker of flame cast jagged shadows, making Ozai look like a demon bathed in sunlight. His smirk returned, the arrogance rekindled in his eyes.
The flames roared, alive, crackling with violent beauty.
Bruce watched silently, the reflected orange glow painting his calm face. His heart, however, beat faster, not in fear, but in excitement.
’Finally,’ he thought. ’He’s using a skill. Perfect. Time to test Theory No. 1!’
Ozai moved first. His movements quick and filled with expertise.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he lunged forward, flames trailing behind his twin swords. His strikes were faster now, sharper, each slash leaving fiery arcs in the air.
The heat seared the cave. Sparks flew like embers in a forge.
But Bruce didn’t retreat.
He sidestepped smoothly, catching Ozai’s wrist mid-swing.
The flames flared violently. The heat from both blades, well over a thousand degrees, licked against Bruce’s ribs, burning through cloth and skin in an instant. His upper clothing disintegrated, the smell of scorched flesh rising into the air.
But Bruce didn’t flinch.
He clenched his grip on Ozai’s wrist, his voice calm and almost curious.
"Restorative Detonation."
Mana surged from his palm.
Not the normal soft, silvery glow of healing or cloning, this was different. The light was denser, sharper, almost violent. It flowed from Bruce’s hand into Ozai’s wrist, seeping deep beneath the skin.
At first, Ozai’s eyes widened in confusion, then horror.
He felt it.
The healing didn’t soothe, it invaded. The mana raced through his veins, crawling up his forearm like molten acid. He felt his skin swell as his muscles expanded rapidly, far beyond natural limits.
His veins bulged grotesquely. His forearm twisted, veins snaking under his skin like writhing worms. The sound of tearing flesh filled the air as the cells multiplied at an uncontrollable rate.
"Wha—what are you—!?"
CRACK!
A vein burst open. Then another.
The skin on his arm ballooned, the pressure building until—
BOOOOOOM!
His entire forearm erupted.
Chunks of flesh and splintered bone scattered across the cave floor as a fountain of blood sprayed violently into the air. The flames coating his swords flickered and died as the hilts clattered to the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!" Ozai’s scream tore through the cavern, a guttural, raw sound that shook the walls. His remaining hand clutched the severed limb, blood pouring between his fingers as his face twisted in shock and agony.
His voice cracked as he screamed again, red eyes burning with both pain and disbelief.
"You, you monster! What the hell did you—!?"
Bruce stood there quietly, the flames from the swords reflecting off his now bare chest. The burns that had charred his skin moments ago vanished. His flesh knit itself back together as if rewinding time, leaving no trace of injury.
He looked at Ozai calmly, his tone cold, clinical.
"Cellular overgrowth," Bruce said softly, almost like a doctor explaining a diagnosis. "You could say I healed you... a bit too well."
Ozai’s breath hitched, trembling with rage and terror.
Bruce’s eyes gleamed faintly as he looked down at the man writhing before him.
"That’s the beauty of healing," he said, voice low and steady. "It doesn’t have to mend. It can destroy, too."
And in that moment, the air around Bruce felt heavy, dark, divine, and absolute. The aura of someone who had found a new way to kill.
***
A/N:
First mass release Chapter for privilege,