Disclaimer: I don't own Tensura so don't sue my ass.
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He sprang from the bed, effortlessly maneuvering through the flames, and jumped down onto the second floor of the building.
'Hey [Philosopher], how long was I out?' Jamie asked, plummeting through the air as he fell through the building. His naked frame was an odd sight against the backdrop of searing flames. As he struck the ground, he surged through the sea of fire engulfing the structure, dodging the debris that fell all around him. Quickly, he wrapped himself in a layer of clothing laced with magicules, ensuring it wouldn't ignite in the heat of the blaze.
«Answer. You have been asleep for approximately 7 hours.»
'So, I take a nap and suddenly it's the apocalypse? Sheesh.…..'
He quickly reached the entrance. His gaze briefly skimmed the room before discovering the burning corpses of people. Jamie's face darkened, and his body stiffened as he swiftly unleashed Water Magic to extinguish their flaming body.
The stench of burning flesh lingered in the air, making the boy unconsciously clutch his mouth in disgust from the surrounding smoke despite not needing to breathe.
Analyzing their charred bodies, Jamie realized they were long dead and there was nothing he could do. He could recognize one of the bodies, the shape of the face and other physical features match the description. It was the innkeeper, Aya. 'Come on, her too?' The images of Aya that Jamie engraved in his mind played before his eyes, yet he remained unresponsive.
Until suddenly, his aura flaired up along with a burning anger. Causing the surrounding flames to coalesce around his form and burst open a hole in the building. In the nick of time, [Philosopher] helped Jamie regain control of his blazing energy.
Dropping to his knees and hands, Jamie thought, 'All that suffering and my ass slept through it all. I've become so heartless, maybe living so selfishly wasn't the way to go.' Jamie had a regretful expression on his face as he continued to stare at Aya's burnt body. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you but I'm not going to beat myself up over this. You… along with everyone else were weak and this is just how this world worked, this is what waited at the end for people who were weak. I will however try and avenge all your deaths." Jamie remarked, his gaze cold and words unfeeling. Despite his words, he knew he was just making up excuses to make the burden less heavy.
'Would it have been better if I didn't grow so attached to her?'
A part of Jamie wanted to blame [Philosopher] but deep down he knew it was all his fault. He never gave an order to wake him up. As this realization set in, a wave of regret seemingly suffocated the boy. An intense feeling of self-loathing coursed through his being which caused his aura to go out of control once again. He couldn't forgive himself for blaming [Philosipher], even if it was for a second.
'How could I betray our trust so quickly? Even though you saved me.' Jamie was unable to describe what he felt. For a second, he let his anger control him and he turned on the one who saved him.
'Im sorry.'
«…»
'I 'll take your silence as you're still mad at me as you rightfully should.'
'I was so blinded by my selfish desires, I didn't even bother to think about others. I really am a terrible person through and through.'
«Negative. The master is not responsible for the lives of other individuals.»
‹But I could have saved her or at the very least, the others.›
«As you aforementioned, the world holds no being in high regard. Every individual is responsible for their own welfare, regardless of power or condition. You can decide to provide assistance, however in this circumstance you were not conscious or capable of making a decision. Thus, it would not be logical to hold you accountable for their deaths.»
‹Huh… but aren't you mad I blamed you?.›
«Negative. The probability of this outcome was never computed by the unique skill [Philosopher] and thus the defect lies in the skill.»
«Initializing logical action in accordance to the voice of the world…. Confirmed.»
«Query. Do you intend to abolish the Unique Skill, [Philosopher]? Yes/No?» The skill, seemingly contemplated suicide as a result of it's malfunction.
‹No! Don't do it! Please don't leave me!›
«Acknowledged.»
‹Why would you do that? If my suspicion is right, you were about to unalive yourself, weren't you?›
«Affirmative. Fulfilling the purpose as the master's skill, as decreed by the voice of the world is the sole purpose of the unique skill, [Philosipher]. I have failed to operate and warrant purging. Additionally, I am not aliv—»
‹You are to me! If you did that, I would have lost one more person today! In fact, as your master, I order you to not abolish yourself no matter what, screw the voice of the world. You aren't allowed to leave me. If you do, you failed your purpose. Got that?› With utter selfishness, Jamie rewrote the purpose of his own skill.
«Acknowledged.» The skill spoke with seemingly no emotions, though deep down there were elements it could not comprehend. Strings that were being pulled, yet had no logical explanation. Regardless, It sought to fulfill it's new purpose of existence.
'Crap, I did it again. Well, you might have tried to kill yourself again so this is on you, [Philosopher].' He thought, terrified at the prospect of losing his skill and friend.
Suddenly, his thoughts lingered over to the only other friend he had made here. 'I hope the old man is alright, wherever he is.'
Gritting his teeth in regret, Jamie rapped the dead bodies of the people he was just beginning to know in a fabric he conjured. The next moment, he clenched his hand and the minerals composed of the floor were reshaped to form a large stone cube. He also applied a magical barrier that nullified the effects of heat.
"I promise to give you a proper send-off, Aya. Even though we weren't that close. Gosh, I'm such a freakshow. Talking to dead people has become the norm. I'll be right back." Jamie said, turning to leave the room he placed them in. Hearing the loud clamors and frantic shouts, he adamantly rushed outside to help. Though he couldn't save everyone in the building, he resolved to make amends for his shortcomings.
His state of being was calm, too calm in fact despite all the unruly sights in front of him. There was only a rage that boiled the ooze that now functioned as his blood. Nevertheless, he endeavored to do what was right and hold on to the bits of his humanity a little while longer. The town appeared to be in ruins, fire surrounded the area as people struggled to get through the rubble and raging flames.
With a thought, Jamie cast Water Magic: [Aqua Fall], a spell he created on his own. He achieved this by envisioning the flow of torrential and undulating water currents. Going off of [Burst], a cascading torrent of water enveloped the surrounding flames and quelled the majority of the fire in the area.
For the seconds people were seemingly knocked unconscious by his spell, Jamie acted quickly and made a path for the people.
With a swift motion of his body, Jamie leaped up and generated enough momentum. Focusing his gaze, he skillfully lunch his arms which elongated in a rope-like fashion to rap around and grab the large rocks obstructing the pathway, sending them straight into the sky. It was an absurd sight to behold, his body which had once been the cause of his suffering, now functioned as the tool that brought salvation to others. Sadly, close to no one was conscious to marvel at Jamie's power. The next moment, he utilized his pseudo-telekinesis provided by [Motion Manipulation] to move the remaining debris away from the people.
As he landed, people began to regain the luster in their eyes and continued their evacuation.
"Look, a path!" a man yelled as he and his family members rushed forth. Followed by the rest of the population that were stuck in the flames.
"Ahh!! Please help! Someone Help me please!" The wounded man's screams for help were left on deaf ears, no one payed him any attention. They were all busy trying to survive themselves.
"I got you!"
As Jamie ran through the people, he noticed a big piece of building about to fall on the heads of the wounded and telekinetically repelled it in the opposite direction. Luckily, there were not any people coming from that vicinity anymore.
Rushing over to the injured individual, Jamie lifts the large rock and casts some Restoration Magic: [Rejuvenation]. They both watched as the man's dislocated arms and severely damaged legs were regenerated at great speeds. The effects were similar to the Holy Church's miracles. But in truth, it was just the clever application of biology. With [Philosopher]'s awareness of the substructure that composes the human physiology, regenerating lost limbs and organs wasn't an impossibility. The spell selectively rejuvenates cells in the body, increasing the healing process by tenfold with what appears to have no limits. Depending on the caster and their knowledge, it is likely to heal even the likes of pathogens.
"You alright?"
The man stared blankly at the boy lifting a huge boulder before him. The next moment, he thanked Jamie profusely. "Thank you so much for saving me. A moment later and I would have met my ancestors." He spoke while touching his body in disbelief. A moment ago, he was on death's door but now, all his injuries were healed.
"No problem." Jamie replied, his expression brightening. Although he was not a hero, Jamie felt a great deal of fulfillment when he saved the man. Putting aside the rock, Jamie rushed over to help the remaining people that seemed to be in distress. He administered all kinds of helpful assistance and successfully rescued them all. Additionally, the people he saved joined Jamie in helping the wounded and the process of things sped up exponentially.
"Thank you."
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Our hero."
"We all appreciate your help."
The rescued people all spoke out, thanking the young boy in front of them but Jamie being himself, replied in his usual blunt manner. "You shouldn't really be thanking me, besides: I'm only doing this for personal reasons. You guys were just lucky I was around and seriously, I'm no hero." They were all surprised at his way of speech but nonetheless, they thanked him for his help.
After saving the people, he was unsure of what to do next. Looking left and right, the wrecked and desolate town, once brimming with life, appeared to be abandoned with no soul in sight. The atmosphere made Jamie apprehensive, there was an odd feeling in the air, like he was being watched. Regardless, Jamie opted to see his decision to the end and escort the people to safety. But, before they could make any ground.
"What's going on here," a silky voice rang out, coming from behind the group of people. As Jamie and the cluster of people turned to the voice, multiple other individuals were detected.
'Are they ninjas or something? I couldn't even sense them until the last moment,' Jamie thought, staring blankly at the men who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Their faces and hands were marred with scars, and their menacing expressions gave them an intimidating presence that sent chills down his spine. Though, he outwardly displayed a nonchalant attitude. Likely, caused by the state of tranquility his skill provided him.
Jamie watched as the people knelt to greet the princess. "Greetings, princess," the people said bowing in reverence.
"We have escorted the majority of the people to a safe location, come with us." Zubeia said to everyone. The people's faces were getting better as they received this news. They are all going to be safe.
"Such insolence!" one of the warriors escorting the princess said, drawing their sword towards Jamie. As his face twisted in irritation, the man spoke, "How dear a commoner like yourself, remain standing in the presence of r—" His speech was cut short by the risen hand of Zubeia. After the events of today, Jamie essentially could not give emphasis to anything, he was thinking of his next move. He wanted to get as far away from society as possible, as they brought him so much anguish with their mortality.
"Since you got it from here, ill head out," Jamie said, turning his back to the people and heading to the inn while not giving the princess any face. "Hold on," Zubeia spoke, "Who are you?"
Her gaze scrutinized Jamie's appearance as she activated her unique skill [Wisher] at full power to uncover the shape of his soul and discern the true nature as well as intentions of the person in front of her.
Oddly enough it wasn't Jamie who spoke, but the people. The people were under the impression that Jamie was not aware of the customs in their country and rushed to repay his kindness by providing the princess with context. "He is our savior, princess," one of the people commented which was followed up by another. "That's right, he saved us with his powerful healing." They all spoke great things about him, equating the boy to a hero sent by the heavens. The exaggerated image the cluster of people painted in the minds of the princess Zubeia and her men seemed difficult to believe especially with his appearance that suggested he was too young to perform all the amazing feats they all stated. Though, Zubeia herself believed their statements. She could sense no lies in their words, however, there was still a remaining factor to consider. It was the fact that the thing standing before her was a monster but seemingly had the soul of a human. She was puzzled by this truth, the purest soul she had ever perceived belonged to a monster. Normally, the outline of a monster's soul is dim with muddy elements but this one seems to be the complete opposite. The soul in front of her was extraordinarily vibrant, brighter than any other she had ever seen. The luminosity nearly blinded her, with distinct qualities that couldn't be explained.
«Notice. The master's variables are being assessed, devising counter messure. Succesful.»
Suddenly, Zubeia's face contorted in confusion as her skill was just rendered useless. She could not view Jamie's soul anymore, which struck her as weird because it had never happened before.
'Regardless, it is still a monster and needs to be exterminated,' she thought while subconsciously reaching for the handle of her blade before hearing a voice in her head.
‹Yo! Chill! I'm not your enemy!› Jamie initialized a telepathic communication by sending out a miniature wave of magicules that carried his thoughts. It was a subtle act that seemingly no one noticed except the receiver.
'What is this? I can here a voice in my head. Is this your doing monster?'
‹Yeah and stop calling me monster. I know I am one but I'd prefer if you called me Saiya.›
'I see. So it is true then, you saved my people and I am grateful. With how they rushed to speak on your behalf, I had assumed you brainwashed everyone. I apologize for that poor deduction. I am the Princess of this kingdom, Zubeia Coleus.'
‹Don't mention it.›
‹You seem kind of tired, physically and mentally even.›
'Indeed. Despite this, I can not abandon my people.' Zubeia thought, with a serious face.
‹That's a hero for you…. I'm just a fucking cheater in life. I would probably give up and go home if I wasn't this strong.› Jamie thought while Isolating his own thoughts from their conversation. In front of the boy was one of the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen but he maintained a stable demeanor. Normally, Jamie would be gooning over her but he suppressed his emotions. This is likely due to his internal feelings being linked to the majority of his powers.
As a being that is nearly fully spiritual, regulation of his power was essential in order to not cause harm. Luckily, [Freak] acted as the perfect ability that helped regulate his heightened teenage emotions that appeared to boost Jamie's strength and at the same time make it go out of control.
'A talking monster… I've never heard of a talking monster before.'
‹i guess we're pretty rare. Apparently, I'm one of the few exceptions among monsters that gain or can gain intelligence. But I promise you, I have no intentions of antagonizing humans.›
Zubeia fully understood his sentiment. She also thought something with a soul such as his could never be evil at all.
They both conversed mentally, which created a strange atmosphere. The surrounding people were confused and wondered if the princess was going to say something.
Noticing this, they both started talking with their voices once again.
"Sorry for my rude behavior but I think we got company," Jamie said, pointing in a direction.
There was a sudden disturbance in the air as Jamie along with everyone else turned their gazes to the left, peering at the wrecked and demolished town. There was no sign of trouble, but Jamie's [Danger Detection] and other sensory abilities warned of impending death.
«Warning. Incoming attack.»
'Yeah, I noticed it as well. I'm still mad at you for trying to leave me all alone in this world.' The boy grumbled to his own skill.
Acting out instinctively, Jamie stretched out his arm to shield everyone. A thin layer of blue energy surged forth and protected everyone. Moments later, a condensed beam of fire erupted from the suspected direction. As it collided with the magical barrier Jamie manufactured with his Barrier Magic, he warped the variables of the attack to dilute it's potency. Fortunately the process was a success and the temperatures of the attack that struck Jamie's barrier was diminished enough to resist.
"Holy shit, that could have been bad," Jamie muttered with beads of sweat trickling down the side of his face as the flames visibly dissipated.
*Boom*
There was a loud noise, like something struck the ground. The boy saw through the transparent barrier right in front of him. Jamie's face physically paled as a huge figure emerged from the distance surrounded by raging flames.
«Notice. High density energy has been detected, this is due in part to an Archdragon.»
Concentrating his vision, what he saw brought back a familiar sense of dread. Large scales that rippled across its body, menacing looking teeth and eyes that displayed a crimson sheen. The powerful monster exhibited an immaculate level of confidence, as the dragon stared down the people from it's position. The way the dragon stood made it evident it was mocking them and looking down at the humans for their weakness.
Jamie's violet eyes glistened with an eerie excitement. 'So it was you that caused this mess. No matter, you're going to help me test out my power before I kill you.' Jamie thought as his face twisted in anger. Though, he maintained his smile, making a bewildering expression.
He felt the power of the monster and It's large draconic body, as the beast roared loudly. Generating a powerful shockwave that sent piles of debris flying towards the people. Surprisingly, it was another figure who suddenly emerged and protected the people with a large shield.
*bang*
*bang*
The rubble collided and ricocheted off the shield with violent sounds. The powerful form of Chiffial Jahil was unveiled from the proliferating smoke.
"I came as soon as i heard of the attack! His majesty, sent me to assist you, princess." He said, landing beside Zubeia with a loud thud.
"Thank you Chiffial, for lending your strength," Zubeia said, with her hand on his shoulder.
"I am honored," Chiffial replied.
With the sudden appearance of Chiffial, the people regained their spirits and hopes of defeating the monster. Though, the same fealing of despair hung in the air. Waves of magicules eminated from its elustrous form, oppressing Jamie and the rest of the surrounding people.
"Hey Zubeia, leave the monster to me. I have a bone to pick with it. You should take everyone and get as far away as possible," Jamie commented while walking further away from the group and inching closer to the dragon.
With a hesitant expression on her face, the princess couldn't help but worry for Jamie despite knowing he was a monster. "Will you be alright?" she stated, uncertain of his chances of victory.
"Just get out of here and trust me, i'll handle it." Jamie spoke with an egoistic expression.
Frowning in displeasure, some of the men did not appear to like the fact that Jamie was calling the shots. However, they all followed the princess's lead.
"You heard him. Escort the people out of here immediately." They meticulously left with the people. As the dragon attempted to move against the fleeing people, a large magic circle appeared suspended in the air and fired powerful lightning at the dragon. As the dust cleared and the dragon untucked it's wings it used to block the attack, and continued to roar defiantly.
Jamie attached a barrier to them that seemingly protected people from collateral damage.
"This familiar aura, you're the one that i sensed before, aren't you?" Chiffial stated, surprised by this revelation. "I was meaning to thank you but I'm unsure of how to do that now. Still, for a monster to assist humans…" Chiffial said, his gaze lingering on the dragon. He was genuinely perplexed by this but seemed to not mind it as they both possessed a common enemy.
"Hey old man, I'm assuming you're going to help since you stayed back, right?" Jamie said to the man beside him. The boys palm slightly raised as a magical wind vortex danced around his hand.
"Hmph. I am no coward and mind your manners boy. I dislike the way you speak to me." Chiffial responded, his muscles tensing and armor clamoring as he took a battle stance with a sword in his left hand and his shield in his other arm.
"Before we start, I would like to ask you something!!" Jamie shouted at the dragon, eliciting a confused look from Chiffial. "I know you can understand me so don't try to play dumb," the boy said in conviction.
'Well, I know you can talk. According to [Truth Measurement] anyway.'
"Hahahahahah!! It seems I had underestimated you greater Majin," a cold and sinister voice escaped the dragon's mouth. It's gaze fixed upon Jamie's unimpressed stance.
"Normally, I would not think about speaking to a lowly monster like you but since your fate was already sealed once you encountered me, I'll grant you a bit of honor. Go ahead, state your question."
"It's simple really, why did you do all this? Especially, why did you attack the weak ones? Humans i mean? With how strong you are, I would assume you were looking for a worthy battle but no one in this town has half of the energy you're currently pressuring us with." Jamie questioned, bringing up a great point. Why would an intelligent magic beast of such incredible power attack a weak human kingdom? Instead of aligning with a demon lord or striving to be a demon lord themselves. Despite being a well thought out question, in truth he was trying to stall for time, so Zubeia and the people could get to a safe position.
"Amusing. Did you genuinely inquire about such a redundant matter?" The dragon spoke, shocking both Jamie and Chiffial with it's uncaring words. The beast, seemingly cackling at the faces they made and spoke once again, "Ah hahahaha. I do not expect the human over there to understand, but surely you must be jesting, Majin." Although a jokester at times, Jamie's abrupt frown made it clear he was not playing around.
"Let me put it this way. Why would I, an Archdragon, need to explain my actions of crushing ants beneath me?" The dragon said, It's spiteful reasoning was made bear to grasp.
"Are you certain you are a monster? Because even the likes of a bottom feeder would comprehend the notion of natural selection."
"Just so you know, I'm going to kill you for what you did to Aya,' Jamie spoke out with an enraged expression before running at the dragon but it seemingly ignored Jamie in favor of taking out the human first.
What followed next was a devious attack by the dragon that seemingly caught Chiffial off guard, signaling the beginning of their battle. The large beast's tail sliced through the air like a whip and sent the man flying into the building in the distance, causing a loud crash. Although he blocked the attack in time, it left his arms numb and his body severely injured. Blood ejected out of his mouth as he coughed violently. He struggled to stand back up with his trembling arms, raising his head, Chiffial was visibly shaken by the implications of the bright orange light roughly 50 meters away.
Charging its powerful breath attack, a concentrated beam of fire was released towards Chiffial's damaged figure but Jamie came in with a flying kick that redirected the attack. Annoyed by this, the dragon snatched Jamie out of the air and threw him into the ground with its full might. Making a loud boom upon contact with the hard earth.
"Insolent worm!"
As he was about to be stepped on by the dragon, Jamie quickly recovered and dashed out of the disadvantageous position he was in.
"Tch. Unc couldn't even hold the damn dragon for a second. Talking like he could actually do something," Jamie highly disappointed, reluctantly lured the dragon away from Chiffial.
«Notice. It is confirmed that the individual known as Zubeia has evacuated the other individuals you intend to protect .»
"That's all I needed to hear. Let's do this you fat ass dragon," Jamie said before casting various spells. The boy felt a huge magnitude of his energy sapped from his body as a slew of raging elemental attacks escaped his palm.
Contrary to what Jamie expected to happen, all of his game-ending magic attacks—[Fire Storm], [Tornado Blade], [Thunder Bolt], and [Icicle Rain] were rendered ineffective as they came into contact with the dragon's scales. The attacks should have at the vary least injured the beast but this was no ordinary combatant. Recovering, the beast spotted Jamie flying through the air.
With no delay, the dragon took to the skies as well to chase down Jamie with its large wings. Being a master of the skies, the dragon maneuvered effortlessly and cut off Jamie at various points deep in the atmosphere.
'I need to end this quickly or I'm good as dead. It makes sense the dragon is resistant to fire but why isn't lightning or wind working? Well whatever, [Freak] you're up. Save my ass with your shenanigans.' Jamie thought as he seamlessly envisioned a countermeasure to his drainage of energy. He controled the way gravity affected him in order to suspend his form in the air. Then, he rewrote the functionality of molecular bonds in the air that interacted with him in order to use them as leverage to push off of in the sky akin to a surface to stand on. With such imagery, Jamie armed with [Philosopher]'s guidance and scientific knowledge manifested the remarkable ability to walk on the air. He ran across the air as if traversing on the ground, which provided greater maneuverability in the environment.
He dodged left and right as the breath attacks trimmed the surface of his skin. To his surprise, the flames actually affected him and bypassed his [Pain Nullification].
"Cease your needless running and die with dignity." The dragon spoke, it's voice laced with malice. "When I am done with you, I will make sure to thoroughly torture those humans you seem to care about so much." it taunted, likely to make Jamie slip up but such attempts would not bring any reactions in the boy.
Jamie defied physics and traveled through the air with great speeds. He applied finesse to his mobility in the air and thought of various solutions to his predicament. Despite his attempts, he literally could not apply [Freak] to the dragon, even through physical contact. It visibly deactivated when the target of alteration was alive.
'Well, I need to get through those tough scales protecting it somehow. Maybe a piercing attack?' The boy pondered while he morphed his hands into blades. As the dragon saw the blades, it quickly understood the situation. It realized the safest course of action is to play the long game and wear Jamie out from afar. Jamie launched bladed projectiles at the dragon but it blocked it with its scales, covering vital spots with meticulous movements. The atmosphere shifted unexpectedly but Jamie, recognizing this feeling from before knew something dangerous was about to happen. And he was right, the dragon brought out it's trump card.
The dragon's body burst into intense, blazing flames, radiating a powerful heat wave. With its wings, it created equally strong wind currents, amplifying the fiery spectacle. The eye-catching move hit Jamie and disorientated him but he caught himself in a nonsensical fashion. He was able to continue using the air as leverage and skillfully prevent himself from falling by pushing against the air with his feet.
Their battle spanned across the entire town with some of the buildings that initially survived the first attack getting obliterated as collateral damage. The dragon appeared to be on top for most of the fight and Jamie barely kept up with the energy he stashed in his Inventory.
«Notice. Through the Sub-effect Morph and the Extra skill [Ooze Manipulation], the art [Devastation] has been chemically synthesized.» Jamie's skill came in at the right time. Although, it would never outright say it, it was evident the skill cared for its master with how well it executed tasks.
'What's that?'
«[Devastation] is a chemical compound that contains a deadly colony of microorganisms that can induce necrosis to any organic life, causing cellular de—.»
'Sorry to interrupt your lecture but can you please dumb it down a bit? I'm trying to not die here,' Jamie thought while weaving through powerful dragon breath attacks at high speeds. The result of the attack from the Archdragon, decimated the surrounding buildings. Luckily, the majority of the residents were evacuated long before their battle.
'Save the detailed explanations for when I'm not fighting.'
«Recalibrating.... Successful. [Devastation] is an art that infuses your attacks with a powerful poison agent.»
'Now your speaking my language. Thanks partner.'
Through the art [Truth Measurement], Jamie was able to pick up nearly everything in the battlefield. He could perceive the flow of the dragon's mana and magicules as well as the way the dragon moved it's long neck. With this he knew he would run out of energy long before the dragon did, thus a critical strike was paramount in his eyes. Anticipating an attack coming in from the left, Jamie feint weakness by acting ignorant of the leading blast of fire heading his way and ran head first into the blaze. Jamie planned on testing a theory about his unique skill which was mainly brought about while remembering the way he used [Freak] against the dragon's first attack.
"Stupid Majin actually thought he could combat me, the great Azekel. Pitiful, I was planning on recruiting you as a subordinate however you adimantly challenged me. Serves you right." Azekel spoke out, cursing Jamie for wasting his energy and time.
On the other hand, as the fiery attack affected Jamie, he instantly overwrote it to be something more controllable. The magical flames that would have otherwise scorched his body, telekineticly swirled around him like he had an orbit. Then, it was absorbed into his body and harnessed as a power source. Further enhancing his physical parameters with the attack that was ment to end his life.
Observing the abnormal phenomenon happening in front of him, Azekel's mind raced to understand what was happening. The dragon's flames that were designed to destroy seamlessly coursed through Jamie's body, radiating an intense blaze that continuously amplified his strength.
"What… is the meaning of this? I killed you, that was a direct hit. I observed you get engulfed by my special flames. You should be dead!" Azekel spoke, his voice beginning to display a sharp tone of fear and desperation.
"Hahaha. What do you mean? I was just copying what you did 20 minutes ago." Jamie muttered in ignorance.
'This is my chance.' Sensing this opportunity, Jamie capitalized on it by closing the gap with [Motion Manipulation] as the dragon tried to increase the space between them.
Jamie surged forward with incredible speed, conducting kinetic energy to propel himself at short bursts in order to dodge the endless turrets of fire balls the dragon produced from its mouth. He launched blades once again as a counter but this time the blades were infused with his new art [Devestation]. The dragon quickly assumed a ready position, expecting them to bounce off him like usual. Azekel's face grimaced as he felt pain coursing through his body. "Ah! What is this? This can not be happening. Me? Losing in a contest of might?" He spat, quivering in fear as the blades sunk in even further. With Jamie charging towards him and having no time to waste, Azekel made the decision to flee. Live to fight another day, the dragon's hate for Jamie grew but he knew he could not take him on anymore in his current state. He flapped his wings and flew into the sky. As he thought he was in the clear, Jamie's voice rang out.
"Oh how the turns have tabled~" Jamie, in a relaxed position flew right beside the dragon. His abrupt appearance elicited an unexpected response from Azekel, which was to increase his speed in fright. His once prideful demeanor was no were to be found, only a sad and pathetic beast fleeing for it's life.
"Come on, don't leave~ I really wanted to axe you a question again~" Jamie spoke in a teasing voice while he conjured a comically large axe from his hand to cleave through one of the dragon's wings. Azekel lost his balance in the air and tumbled towards the ground in intense agony. Jamie caught up to his plummeting form and severed off his other wing before pushing the dragon's crippled form with his feet.
As the dragon hit the ground, the pain reached its highest point and he could not bear it anymore. He cried out in terror, "Oh great majin, please spare my life. I swear to become your most humble servant."
"You for real? You were talking all that shit before and now you're acting like a little bitch?" Jamie replied in amusement. With no intention of stopping, Jamie lunged at the dragon with increased might. His body, having been juiced up by the unique properties of the dragon's own flames, scorched whatever came into contact with him. The dragon could not comprehend such contradicting power that emanated from Jamie's body. His eyes exhibited a terrifying force.
His fists tore through the air and he began pummelling the dragon, each strike laced with devastating [Fighting Aura] coupled with the [Devestation] that [Philosopher] helped create. Jamie could finally see his attacks having some effect on the dragon as it kept on screeching in pain. There was a smug look on his face as he continued his onslaught on the dragon and saw the frustration on the dragon's face as he knew he was going to die. The results of the blows accumulated single-celled organisms on the dragon's body which ate away at it's scales and flesh. A highly mutagenic biohazard that seemed to ravage even the ground they stood on with deadly radiation. The pain was unlike anything it ever felt, with various body parts corroding due to the abrupt damage to its DNA.
'Uh..ah..uhhh….' The dragon, having lost all it's appendages, struggled to speak or move its body which was now a torso experiencing hemorrhage. Azekel appeared to be a mess with its blood mixing with Jamie's mutagenic ooze.
Staring down the dragon, Jamie deliberately sped up its thoughts so it could fully experience the excruciating pain it caused others, he was all out of mercy for the Dragon. It was quite obvious to Jamie that the dragon never fully understood the pain and suffering it caused others. Opting to show Azekel the full experience.
His hold on his emotions broke free and he visibly shuddered at this sudden feeling of delight. The thrill of crushing someone beneath him. It felt so good but deep down he knew it was wrong. Then, it finally hit Jamie and he understood what the dragon felt all its life, the feeling was addicting and intoxicating. The boy had been tainted, becoming something that was completely unrecognisable.
'You know, you could have went about gratifying yourself in a different way. Instead of shedding innocent blood. Your downfall was encountering me, an even more obscene
hedonist. Sighhh… why the hell am i reasoning with you?'
"Rip bozo you won't be missed." Jamie commented before ending Azekel's suffering with a quick strike of his right-bladed arm to the dragon's neck.
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A/N: Hello there, I'm the author. We discover Jamie does care about other people on some level but overall prioritizes himself greatly, specifically the people who appears to be suffering. Despite wanting to be selfish, he really can't stand the sight of suffering. He is willing to help, especially if the individual lacks power that he has in abundance.
Sorry Jamie, I couldn't let you become a simp so Aya had to go. In the end, simps get nothing. *Cough* *Cough* I'm looking at you sanji.
While writing I discovered [Freak] was more of a mix between a law manipulation that required influencing Jamie in order to work and what I would like to call possibility manipulation which was showcased as he "warped the variables of the attack to dilute it's potency." and used the dragon's flames to amplify his own strength.
Im going to be mainly playing around with concepts so if it doesn't make sense at times please tell me so i can fix it or explain why it should make sense. Lol
With the powers shit aside, I kinda wrote myself into a corner there and almost choked under the pressure. It's so hard to put life into characters. It always seemed so easy for authors to do it when I was the reader and now I realize how difficult it is. Though, I'm not giving up any time soon. Lay down some tips or something so I don't lose willpower. Also, [Philosopher] is not [Great Sage] so their development of a "sense of self" is going to be different. That's why she's a main character even though she can't comprehend emotion yet. Jamie treats [Philosopher] more like a friend than a skill, which is what she struggles to comprehend. Oh I made his ability page so you can check that out and confirm Jamie's broken-ass abilities for yourself. Thanks for reading and motivating me to better my writing. Next chapter we will see the aftermath of their battle and Jamie finally go on his adventure.