Gift.
A sign of goodwill.
A show of joy.
Little things that made both the givers and receivers happy.
Varian learned a new thing about gifts that day.
…They could end up changing the course of an entire battle.
Thunder Fruit. Ice Orb. Tempering Liquids. Space Jade. Mind Flower.
It was a meticulously prepared gift. Not only were these treasures suitable for a level 7 awakener, they also covered all the divine paths he was currently awakened in.
The result, which seemed like a lucky coincidence, was in fact, the fruition of Sia's hard work.
'Sia…' Varian breathed out lightly as the surge of strength finally ended.
Without even consciously trying, he felt a significant difference in all his senses. It was a sure sign of his improvement.
"…Y-You just swallowed the treasures! Even I take days to digest all those treasures!" Charles, in the form of Lykos, growled.
While his eyes spat fires, his voice was anything but confident.
After learning his own talent was 'artificial', his self-esteem crumbled and he couldn't help but fear people who might've had far better natural talents.
Varian, as the wielder of seven divine paths, was naturally the very definition of such talent.
So, Charles hoped it to be false.
"A few treasures like that…" Charles kicked the ground with his hind legs and leaped forward.
With a single dash, he covered two miles in a flash and swiped his claw at Varian.
"Won't make any change."
Booom!
The air was torn apart as the claw reached Varian's face and was about to pierce through his eyes.
But Varian merely took a step back and kicked out.
Kaaacha!
Following the sounds of bones cracking, a white body crashed on the stage, far away.
"W-What the hell…" Charles stood up in shock and fear. His underbelly was bleeding and the pain of broken ribs spread across his body.
"The treasures do make a difference, it seems." Varian smiled coldly.
A blue screen was flashing in front of him.
[Superhuman Level 7: 7k/10k (+3k)
Space Level 7: 7k/10k (+3.5k)
Lightning Level 7: 7k/10k (+3.5k)
Plantae Level 7: 7k/10k (+3k)
Psychic Level 7: 7k/10k (+3.5k)
Macrokinetic Level 7: 4k/10k (+1.5k)
Water level 7: 7k/10k (+4k) ]
All of Varian's paths, except for the macro kinetic jumped to the range of high level 7.
Feeling the immense strength in his grip, Varian had an urge to roar and battle.
And he did.
"Nephew of a bitch!"
Varian's body blurred and he appeared right in front of the white wolf.
"N-No! This is false! You haven't absorbed those trea—"
Slap!
Varian slapped the wolf in the face.
He only used the powers of his body combined with a layered space and macro kinetic power to boost his slap speed.
"Kuuh!" Charles face flipped to the left as he spat out four teeth along with a mouthful of blood.
Slap!
"I fucking did!" Varian slapped again and Charles' face flipped to the right.
Four more teeth fell with blood.
Slap!
"Do you still deny?"
Three teeth.
Slap!
"Speak up, huh?"
Five teeth.
Slap!
"I'm talking to you, humanity's greatest genius!"
Eight teeth.
"Kuuh!" Charles' face lowered as he whimpered in pain.
Varian grabbed the jaw of the wolf and forced it open.
All the teeth were gone and the once ferocious wolf was now toothless.
"Wo—" The giant wolf tried to whimper when it was suddenly cut off.
Slap!
Varian slapped it again and the wolf's head started to bleed.
Putting another hand on its head, Varian lifted the wolf up.
"Woo! Woof! Woof!" The giant wolf struggled violently.
It could've succeeded in breaking free as it had more physical strength than Varian. But Varian had more than just physical powers.
Zzz!
Shuaa!
Huaa!
Arcs of lightning seeped into the wolf's body, bone-chilling cold froze its muscles and slowed its blood, and finally, the space turned rigid, restricting its movements.
The same combination managed to only stop Charles for a single moment earlier.
But now, they were able to immobilize him completely.
"I want to make good use of her thoughtful gift." Varian grinned and slammed the wolf's body to the ground.
Boom!
The blood of the wolf splattered on the ground and a bloodied outline of its body was formed on the stage.
Boom!
Pieces of torn muscles and broken bones flew out as Charles' body heavily collided against the stage.
"Woo~ Woof~"
The miserable howls of the wolf rang out, begging for mercy. It was a tragic sight, but it only induced pleasure in Varian's heart.
"Cry! You bitch!"
Boom!
The left side of Charles' body was now completely sunken. His left leg and arm were broken and all the ribs on that side were crushed.
"I can't discriminate the right side of your body, right?"
"Wooo!"
Boom!
Boom!
With two more slams, Charles' body was compressed.
His whole body was filled with injuries, big and small, his bones, whatever the wolf form had, were broken for good except for the skull and back.
Finally, the whole area surrounding them was now covered in blood. Sticky, warm, and beautiful blood.
"H-How did y—mfff!"
Varian stepped on Charles' broken mouth and prevented him from speaking anymore.
Then, he stomped him.
Again and again.
Even as Charles' eyes turned bloodshot and he started to beg for mercy.
In just a few more seconds, Charles was pushed to the brink of death and his transformation wore off.
A mutilated and bloodied blond man knelt in front of Varian with his head hanging low.
"Kneel and apologize." Varian suddenly said.
"Uhhh-huh?" Charles groaned in confusion even while a terrifying pain assaulted his pain.
"You said those words to me." Varian took a deep breath and looked down at the man to who he once had to look up.
Now, he knelt in front of him. Utterly defeated.
His strength, his connections, his background—none of it saved him.
What had to come came.
"Charles, I vowed to take the throne from you." Varian smiled and pointed to the prince's throne in the distance. "Even though it's not the throne of the academy, I still ended up taking the throne."
Charles trembled fiercely as he recalled the distant memory.
Back then…he dismissed it as the bark of a delusional dog.
Now…
A sense of humiliation filled every fiber of his being and destroyed his fragile self-esteem.
"K-Ki..ll me," Charles said with a bloodied mouth.
Varian smiled brightly.
"I have a better idea."
