CHAPTER 48: I’VE REALLY BECOME STRONG... BUT NOT ENOUGH

—SLASH!

With a sharp swing of my solid blood scythe, I slice a massive boulder clean in half, the cut running straight down as if I had just gone through butter.

Something I once thought impossible, yet now—thanks to John Hawkley’s teachings—it has become not only possible, but ridiculously easy.

I’m sure I could cut through things much tougher, but that rock is the best the Hudson Highlands mountains can offer tonight.

This is my first time leaving New York with John.

He told me my progress has reached a point where training in his private park is no longer enough.

It’s time to move somewhere more deserted, far from people.

To split that boulder, I had to take a step further—use my Sanguis energy not only to form weapons or release beams outward, but also to channel it through my own body.

That way I could boost my physical strength and speed, or even flow it into the scythe itself to make it sharper and sturdier.

Harder to explain than to do. John gave me a week to cut the rock, but I managed it that same night in less than three hours.

Maybe I should have played dumb, pretended to be a failure.

It was already hard to keep him at arm’s length before, but now that he’s seen my talent... shit, I think I screwed up.

But we’re not alone tonight.

His loyal lackey Frank Callhan is here too—the brainless mountain of muscle.

I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I sure as hell didn’t miss him.

John and Oliver—though she’s Olivia now—are pure bastards, but at least you can talk with them.

But with Frank? No chance.

He’s a caveman-level idiot.

My neurons commit harakiri every time he opens his mouth.

Still, his stupidity is apparently balanced by brute strength—or so John claims.

I really hope that’s not true... because John thought it’d be a great idea to make me fight him to test my progress.

So now it’s me and Frank, face to face, only a handful of meters apart.

He’s shaking with excitement like never before—I can see it clear as day.

He looks like me when I’m about to meet a new milf.

He probably can’t wait to get physical, but I’ll wipe that psycho smile right off his face in no time.

Strength means nothing without skill.

You can be as muscular as you want, but if you don’t know how to strike, it’s like giving a gun to a baby.

Even so, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

That walking pile of muscle is still John Hawkley’s right-hand man.

He has to be capable of something.

«Frank, remember, this is just a test to see how much our dear Ren has improved. Don’t kill him.» John warns.

«I’ll try, boss,» Frank grumbles with that usual caveman growl of his.

Great.

The fact that John told Frank not to kill me, and not the other way around, is worrying enough.

He clearly thinks I’m weaker.

Finally, John signals the start.

Instinct kicks in—I leap back, gripping my blood scythe tight.

The beatings I took from Brianne taught me that when you face someone whose strength is unknown, the safest move is to keep your distance.

Thanks to Blood Word Burst, I can attack from afar anyway—no point in risking it by going in close.

But right now, a horrifying sight unfolds before my eyes.

In a blink, Frank transforms completely.

His height nearly doubles, reaching close to four meters.

His muscles swell, bulging monstrously.

His skin turns dark green, sharp black spikes burst from his elbows and back, and thick horns sprout from his forehead.

What the fuck... WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

«Surprised, Ren?» John taunts, grinning. «That’s Frank’s true form—an ogre. Here’s a tip: his muscles aren’t just for show, so you better not let him hit you.»

Thanks for the advice, asshole.

Anyway, there’s no way someone that huge can also be fast.

I don’t even finish the thought before Frank is already on me.

He closed the gap with a single bound—fast as hell too.

How can that giant move like this?!

He raises a fist high—trying to crush me—but I dodge with a side leap.

When his punch lands, it’s like a meteor strike.

The ground splits open with a massive crater, and the shockwave throws me off balance.

Dust and rubble explode into the air, cloaking him in a thick cloud. Perfect.

I’ll hit him while his vision is blocked.

I stretch my arm toward him.

«Blood Word Lv.1: Burst!»

—BOOOM!

A crimson beam erupts from my palm and strikes dead-on.

The explosion is violent, the dust cloud thickens until the whole area is shrouded in dirt.

With our size difference, though, it’s easier for me to spot his silhouette through the haze.

He, on the other hand, can’t see me as well.

John told Frank not to kill me... but he said nothing to me.

He expected I’d be crushed instantly, huh?

Fine then—I’ll pay him back by giving him the show of his faithful lackey being split in two.

I hurl myself upward—almost ten meters high, enough to clear the dust cloud.

I see him right below me.

I raise my scythe overhead with both hands.

A surge of Sanguis energy engulfs me, flowing into the weapon until its crimson glow blazes.

I let myself fall, scythe poised to cut him in half.

I bring it down with everything I’ve got.

—SLASH!

The blade tears into Frank’s dark-green hide.

A spray of foul green blood splashes all over me.

But my triumph doesn’t last long.

The shock hits me instantly when I realize what just happened.

The scythe pierced his flesh... by barely a centimeter.

Maybe even less.

And yet, I put every ounce of strength into that strike.

How the hell did it do nothing?!

I didn’t even make him flinch... shit!

And things only get worse.

Before I can even let go of the scythe, his massive hand clamps around my ankle.

Again—«Blood Word Lv.1: Burst!»

The blast hits him in the face, but his grip doesn’t loosen for a second.

It tightens even more.

Pain explodes through me as my ankle shatters under the pressure.

The agony is so intense my vision goes blurry.

I almost black out.

I hit him with Burst twice now.

The last one right in his face.

Yet... just a scratch, barely noticeable.

What the fuck is this ogre made of? Lead?!

Now he’s got both my legs in his grip.

He starts spinning, like a hammer thrower winding up... only the hammer is me!

—SBAM!

In an instant, I’m hurled against a rocky cliffside.

Blood gushes from my mouth as my spine breaks on impact.

I can’t move a finger anymore.

In fact, I don’t even feel pain now, which is almost worse.

My body’s numb.

That can only mean one thing—my spine is shattered.

Fuck...