Jason Kleora appraised Hiraku's towering figure on the other side of the arena and smiled lightly.
"My name is Jason Kleora and I'm one of the Forest Elves' Blessed Children. I lost my territory a few years ago and have been fighting for the Forest Elves as an independent Rogue since then," He introduced himself curtly., "I hope you don't hold it against me, but I'm already at the Mid rank of Tier-4. My greatest achievement was defeating the Leruma Lord, a Tier-5 powerhouse."
Hiraku raised an eyebrow as he listened to Jason's lengthy introduction.
"I'm Hiraku. I ascended not too long ago. My greatest achievement…is…being part of this territory."
Hiraku could have said a lot more about his achievements, but he answered after genuinely thinking about them for a few seconds. Being part of the Untamed Awakened and a pillar of support for Michael was his most outstanding achievement so far.
Jason Kleora didn't respond. Instead, he made the first move. A golden dagger manifested in his hands, and boots with tiny wings appeared around his feet. Hiraku tensed up when he sensed the power residing within the two Artifacts. Both were High Artifacts with a high star rating.
Hiraku swallowed and conjured his Artifacts as well. A pair of bracelets manifested around his right arm, and a crimson necklace highlighted his neck. Hiraku's mental power skyrocketed. He unleashed Titan Spirit and transformed into a ten-meter-tall Nature Titan. Massive roots emerged from the ground. They moved uncontrollably around Hiraku, whose silver body was covered in vines, roots, flowers, and leaves in no time.
Jason stared at the towering Nature Titan and smiled.
"Not bad. Unfortunately, nature will be on my side today!"
Jason's veins bulged and pressed tightly against his skin. The grass blades, vines, and bushes around him fluttered wildly. It was almost like the nature around Jason grew fiercer by the second. His presence expanded rapidly until it encompassed the entire arena. Hiraku froze in his tracks and noticed quickly that he lost control of the roots around him. Only the roots within one meter of him remained in his control. Jason Kleora overshadowed his control of the surrounding nature. Something like that had never happened to Hiraku.
His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't have the luxury to attempt to regain control.
A bunch of roots burst toward him. They coiled around his legs and kept him in place. Simultaneously, Jason Kleora appeared before Hiraku. Jason's body was shrouded in an armor of nature. That was the easiest way to explain his appearance. He was covered in interwoven vines that protected every part of his body. His eyes were bloodred, his Soultrait unleashing the hidden potential of the surrounding nature and his body simultaneously.
That was what Nature's Wrath did. Nature's Wrath, a 6-Star Soultrait, could be compared to a monster's Berserk modus. The boost in strength depended on the environment's lifeforce. The stronger the surrounding life is, the higher the potency of Nature's Wrath.
"Looks like you take good care of your territory," Jason Kleora noted as he realized that the additional perk of Nature's Wrath had not been triggered.
If the surrounding nature around him felt mistreated, Jason Kleora would grow even stronger. The worse the condition of the surrounding nature, the stronger the additional boost. The additional perk was what Jason Kleora had to utilize to kill the Tier-5 Lord a few months ago.
"But I don't need anymore power to defeat you. You are an easy target," Jason pointed out, slashing at Hiraku with terrifying speed.
Jason was much faster than an ordinary Higher Lifeform. Nature's Wrath increased his physical strength enough to push him to the Peak of Tier-4. He didn't even require the additional perk of his Soultrait to fight Hiraku.
However, Hiraku was not that weak either. He had ascended to a Higher Lifeform not too long ago but adapted to the vast changes he'd undergone after ascending quickly. Hiraku learned to control his Soultraits much better.
A large metal arm guard manifested around his arm, blocking Jason's golden dagger. The arm guard was cut through, but Hiraku wasn't injured. He dissolved the arm guard and conjured a Morningstar in his other hand. The Morningstar smashed down upon Jason Kleora, who kicked the ground lightly to dive to the side.
Jason tumbled over the ground and jumped up while controlling the nature around him to lung at Hiraku. Hiraku used his vast physical strength and heavy mass to tear the roots apart and charge at Jason. A whirlwind of leaves burst past Jason, shrouding the Forest Elf. Jason disappeared from Hiraku's sight, forcing Hiraku to slow down. He focused on the sounds around him, but the rustling branches and bushes distracted him too much.
Jason emerged beside him a quarter of a second before Hiraku noticed him. Jason was slightly faster than Hiraku, who responded just a moment too late to block the full blow of the dagger.
The dagger cut through the vines and roots covering Hiraku's body and barely managed to scratch his skin. However, that was enough for Jason Kleora. He smiled lightly. It didn't take long before Hiraku observed what was going on.
Jason's Dagger Artifact had the power to slowly sap Hiraku's lifeforce. The blade barely scratched Hiraku, but that was enough to drain his lifeforce slowly.
Hiraku could tell that the effect wasn't that strong, probably because it was merely a scratch, but it was enough to know that Jason's High Artifact was either Epic or Legendary.
'I need to finish this soon!'
Hiraku charged at Jason and used Creation to conjure massive walls out of thin air. Their creations were not permanent, but they were just as durable as the original. Hiraku might not like his family much, but their Soultrait was powerful. All he had to do to replicate something perfectly was to know how it had been created.
Hiraku studied extensively all his life to exploit his Soultrait to the fullest, but only now did he tap into its true power—in the middle of a fierce battle.
Highly durable stone walls surrounded Jason Kleora. He panicked for a quarter of a second only to regain his calm a second later.
"You have two high-ranked Soultraits. That's interesting!" He said, charging ahead, only to see a humongous stone appear above him. The stone smashed down, forcing Jason to continue charging straight at Hiraku. " Unfortunately, you underestimate the value of my Artifacts."
His boots turn golden, and the miniature wings attached to them expanded. Jason accelerated and disappeared for a quarter of a second. He moved too fast for Hiraku to follow. A second later, he spun around only to see blood trickle down the golden dagger.
Hiraku looked down and noticed that he had been cut several times. The Legendary Dagger's effect came to display. Hiraku's lifeforce was drained rapidly.
Hiraku bellowed and was about to do something stupid when he suddenly stopped midway.
Michael emerged on the battlefield, his eyes focused on Hiraku.
"Why are you exuding killing intent?" He asked, his vibrant golden eyes staring coldly at Hiraku.
Hiraku's lips parted, but no word escaped from his mouth. There was no answer. He was about to go too far because he didn't want to lose.
But Michael's eyes didn't remain on Hiraku. His attention tugged to Jason.
"And why the hell are you using two Legendary Artifacts in a spar? You spar to train with others, not to show off that you are a spoiled child!"
