Kieran dodged several of the Earthshattering Abomination's attacks, weaving effortlessly between the gaps in its momentum. It was a creature lacking reason, so its actions were fueled by impulsive intent.
However, such unrefined attacks lacking complexity or mastered simplicity couldn't touch someone like Kieran, especially after he raised his execution of Accel Shift and Surge Step to another echelon by attempting to learn Phantasmal Flicker.
"Damned vermin. Is dodging all your vile existence can muster?! Attempting to exhaust me? It'll never happen," Bracca snarled, his voice thick with malice and sinister intent.
"Twin Axe Devastation: Catastrophic Winds!"
A colossal wind filled with catastrophic energy lashed across the air, billowing toward Kieran, who eyed it with a strange glint in his eyes. He had witnessed this technique once before. It was the technique Bracca unleashed before Zinsei interfered in his round.
The attack was dreadful, to say the least, but it couldn't compare to any of Ronan's gravity attacks, and Kieran felt this in an instant.
He raised his blade and pooled the abounding feelings of rage into his next attack.
"Blood Pulse!"
The disorienting pulse of bloody vitality surged toward Bracca's incoming attack, creating a heated contest of might. At times it looked like Bracca's attack would overtake Kieran's, but he waved his hand and injected additional strength into the attack until they both dissipated.
"As I said before, your attacks will fail to touch me. You are a sorry excuse for a Berserker, whereas I am the real deal. You know nothing of channeling your rage, your pain, your suffering. You give in to it as I once did, which makes you weak," Kieran said callously.
Bracca bellowed indignantly. "You can't judge me! Sorry excuse?! You feel you are above me because of your backer when you are, in fact, beneath me? Forget the tournament; I won't stop until I rip apart! The gall of insignificant cretins!"
Bang!
Bracca jumped toward Kieran, preparing his next strike.
"Twin Axe Devastation: Catastrophic Cross!"
Bracca crossed his arms, forming an X-shaped pattern, before forcefully swinging them. A large amount of Mana surged toward his attack, augmenting it until a collection of devastating energy created a massive X-shaped attack.
Under normal circumstances, Kieran would feel a tinge of despair creep into this mind as this attack was powerful enough to dismay several contestants.
However, Kieran continued to speak as the attack approached him.
"The inability to mature emotionally is a sign of deep insecurity. Using external approbation will never fill that insufferable void within you. Do you think you understand what a Berserker is? You don't. You're feeding a toxic power, which will eventually devour you. I will open your eyes, even if it means destroying who you are in the process," Kieran said.
He took a single step toward Bracca's incoming attack, and seconds before it landed, Kieran's body flickered, reappearing a hundred meters away, a few steps from where Bracca would land.
Without looking, Kieran lifted Crimson Ashrune toward the descending Bracca and uttered a single phrase. "Seethe Burst."
Bang!
Unlike before, Kieran created an independent yet magnificent blood sword thrice the size of Crimson Ashrune. Once formed, the sword raced toward Bracca like a homing missile.
Even after descending faster, the sword dived down and followed Bracca's path.
"Explode," Kieran commanded.
BOOM!
The Seethe Burst erupted, forcing Bracca into the ground with force akin to a descending meteor.
"Death Avoidance," Kieran called out.
The vitality surrounding his body thrummed as he walked forward calmly. It was difficult to sense any emotion from him, like a lifeless husk, but Scar understood it was precisely the opposite.
Kieran diverted a large portion of his focus to feeding Blood Mania's source rune his emotions to upkeep a consistent flow of Fervor Augmentation. Right now, Kieran was the calmest yet angriest he had ever been outside of the irregular effects of Deranged Spirit.
"Argh!" Bracca blew through the rubble and charged toward Kieran.
Compared to seconds before, his aura seemed to have grown considerably, adopting one of the most fearsome abilities of a Berserker.
'Oh? He's one of the unstoppable,' Kieran inwardly remarked.
Unstoppables referred to Berserkers with a tendency to continue getting up despite the damage inflicted upon them. The more damage they received, the higher their internal force became. It was similar to the effects of Kieran's Blood Mania, just not as perfected.
It could only increase the Berserker's power according to the amount of damage inflicted upon them, which they couldn't control. At least, not someone like Bracca, who knew no restraint.
"I will knock you down as many times as you can get up. You will know your place," Kieran stated, directing a gaze cold enough to freeze over hell toward Bracca.
At this point, Bracca's ability to speak vanished. With the presence of this "unstoppable" power, Bracca approached a feeling identical to the Earthshattering Abomination behind him.
Bang!
Bracca suddenly sped up.
'Blood Strengthening. Fervor Augmentation, maximum efficiency,' Kieran spoke in his mind.
Blood Mania's source rune thrummed as it released a ripple that seemed to shatter a kind of restraint. Continuously withstanding Ronan and Bracca's attacks pushed the skill past an extreme threshold.
〈System: Your Unique Class Skill «Blood Mania» has reached Lv.5. As the first major threshold, its effects have solidified and taken a step towards its true power.〉
As the source rune released a renewed vigor, Kieran swung his sword and met Bracca's incoming attack.
Bang!
The already shattered ground fractured further from the frightening impact that occurred. Kieran felt pain in his arm and noticed Bracca bringing down his second axe.
Kieran balled his fist and threw an explosive punch at the axe. The outcome mangled his hand, but Kieran's expression grew incredibly ruthless, ignoring the pain.
"Vim Restoration!"
The mangled hand immediately recovered feeling as the numb sensation vanished alongside the bones being reconstructed. Kieran grabbed Bracca's head with savage force and drove his knee into Bracca's face with the intent to pierce it.
Aftward, Kieran tightened his grip on Bracca's head and flipped him to the ground. While above his body, Kieran removed his hand and activated a skill with a menacing smirk.
"Wrath Eruption!"
A web-shaped crack bloomed across the stage as the impact of Kieran's Wrath Eruption buried Bracca beneath the ground.
Kieran's feet returned to the ground a moment later, but he quickly created space between him and Bracca. Despite burying Bracca beneath meters of rubble, Kieran could feel a developing rumble.
Bracca would undoubtedly return to the surface.
Bang!
Bracca sprouted from the ground, landing on the floor with a heavy tremor. His expression was dark and contorted, as was his nose. Kieran's brutal attack had almost disfigured his face.
However, ignoring the condition of his face, one couldn't help but notice the red mist seeping from Bracca's body. It wasn't blood; it was Mana in a berserk form—one that threatened to change Bracca at his core.
'Allowing your Mana to face preliminary corruption? More immature than I thought,' Kieran shook his head with a disappointed sigh.
Unfortunately for Bracca, he meant his words stated earlier. He would ensure Bracca suffered defeat, even if his actions destroyed him in the process.
Kieran was simply inured to the consequences of these actions.
Bracca became faster and more robust, bombarding Kieran with an onslaught of attacks, including one that left a deep crevasse in the nonexistent platform.
Despite the fact he wielded two weapons, Kieran kept his promise. None of Bracca's attacks managed to bypass Kieran's deflection, regardless of how much damage he suffered.
"Death Avoidance," Kieran coolly remarked.
A burst of vitality filled his body as Kieran reversed the moment. "All Berserkers possess a limit. We'll find yours. No matter how much rage you contain, your vessel can only withstand so much."
Meanwhile, Kieran adopted a True Berserker's proper way of fighting. Vim Restoration and Death Avoidance existed to prolong and intensify a True Berserker's onslaught.
Although they were classified as healing skills, their true purpose was to assist in domination.
This brutal way of combat left spectators aghast, appalled, and their mouths agape. How could someone be so ruthless to themselves?!
After playing along for several tens of exchanges, Kieran's deep voice sounded. "Do you know fear? The threat of death? If you're unfamiliar, allow me to introduce you to it."
Kieran noticed Bracca's mental state had reached a bottom line, which served as an opportunity to end this battle.
"Manifestation: Macabre Animosity."
Once this technique appeared, everyone in the stand gawked. Why? Because of this pressure. It was one only a soul could exude—a soul steeped in the darkest recesses of malevolence.
Even those who were already Awakened felt an ominous threat of death looming over their mind as the stage was filled with a macabre presence.
'This young man has an Awakened Soul Trait?!' General Zieg's eyes widened in disbelief.
After experiencing a Will Refinement, which was directly linked to the condition of one's soul, Kieran's Soul Manifestation ripened.
Due to the pressure he sensed, General Zieg somewhat paled. 'Bracca is the student of General Saeva, who even I can't contain. Should I stop this battle? Based on the current pressure, the odds of Bracca's victory are clear. He can't win against an Awakened Soul Trait.'
Unfortunately, General Zieg's consideration came too late. The effects of Kieran's Macabre Animosity were instant.
