CHAPTER 106: A FOOL’S MERCY

Chapter 106

Almighty had no intention of stopping. Only a fool would. But fate — or misfortune — struck first.

A powerful blast exploded just meters away from him, shaking the ground and forcing him to halt. Dust clouded the air. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he slowly turned around.

There they stood — the last four who hadn’t been knocked out.

"Where do you think you’re going?" one of them asked, stepping forward — but his voice faltered. He squinted, then his eyes widened.

"A-Alm... Almighty?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Only a fool wouldn’t recognize the man standing before them, even from several meters away.

The others, upon hearing the name, froze mid-step. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they confirmed the truth for themselves.

Almighty let out a dry, bitter chuckle. It was always the same. Once people recognized him, they’d panic. Some had even shattered their own shards in desperation — hoping it would appease him.

He was hoping these four would do the same.

But reality was never kind.

"He’s just one man," one of them said after a pause, trying to muster courage. "We’re four — and all High B-Rankers. We should be able to take him down."

Almighty’s heart did more than skip a beat—it dropped, rolled, and played dead.

"A chance?" he screamed internally. "You don’t need four! One of you meatheads could fold me like laundry on a sunny day!"

He stood there, face stoic, but mentally, he was already composing his will.

Even at his absolute peak, going one-on-one with any of them was like bringing a spoon to a sword fight. Four? That was just bullying.

The other three hesitated, clearly uneasy about attacking someone with the name Almighty. But after some tense whispering and forced bravado, they finally agreed to attack.

Almighty was close to tears. What’s the point of fighting a losing battle? he thought bitterly.

He slowly raised his hand in surrender.

The four men flinched — hard.

They froze, convinced he was about to unleash a devastating technique. Eyes darting around, they searched for signs of an energy buildup, but saw nothing.

Almighty, watching their reactions, almost cursed out loud. Can’t they see I’m drenched in sweat? I’m not charging anything!

"Could he be... toying with us?" one of them muttered.

The others nodded grimly, falling into paranoia.

Almighty’s hand remained raised, still and awkward. They convinced themselves it was a feint — a bluff before a monstrous attack.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A deafening thunderclap tore through the sky.

The four flinched hard again, panic spreading across their faces.

CRAAAAACKKKK!

Another rumble followed, louder than before — like the sky itself was being torn open.

Their eyes flicked from the heavens to the unmoving Almighty... to his raised hand.

Their minds connected the dots.

Thunder from the sky... a motionless Almighty... his hand in the air...

They all came to the same terrifying conclusion:

He was preparing something.

Something colossal.

Something that could erase them from existence.

Terror took hold.

Without hesitation, the four dropped to their knees, sweat pouring down their faces. "Please!" one cried. "Forgive our ignorance!"

"We didn’t recognize you!" another whimpered.

"Spare us!"

Almighty blinked, stunned into silence. Wait... they’re begging... me?

He had been the one ready to plead for his life. Now, thanks to some freak coincidence — thunder of all things — they were the ones on their knees.

"...Okay," he said awkwardly, lowering his hand.

The four let out cries of relief. To show their sincerity, they shattered their own shards. Then, with a hurried wave from Almighty, they scattered like terrified dogs, vanishing into the distance.

Only after he was certain they were gone did Almighty fall to his knees, clutching his chest as he gasped for breath.

"Phew... that was way too close," he muttered.

He sat down, trying to calm his racing heart.

How long can luck keep saving me?

He looked up at the sky.

"What even caused that thunder...?"

_ _ _ _

Above the Battlefield

High above the sky, two figures hovered mid-air — locked in a battle that seemed to shake the clouds themselves. Thunderous booming sound could be heard as they clashed.

On one side floated a massive, burly man with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. His most distinct feature, however, were his hands — unnaturally large and powerfully built, almost like weapons themselves. They weren’t just big; they were monstrous in scale, veined and bulging with brute strength.

His expression was twisted in irritation as he glared at his opponent.

Opposite him was something... harder to define. A figure that defied classification — not quite man, not quite beast, but something in between. He had two enormous black wings, the kind that could blot out the sun. From his back jutted two thick, jagged white tusks. His arms resembled the fists of a gorilla — massive, dense, built for destruction — though not quite as exaggerated as the other man’s.

But it was the face that stood out. Human. Smiling. Calm.

Golden-blonde hair and that ever-present, smug smile.

Aiden.

"This is getting more and more fun," Aiden said, his voice casual — almost amused.

When Aiden first stepped through the Blue Door, he hadn’t found anyone who could truly challenge him—until he met this man. Their encounter quickly escalated, filled with irritation and sharp words. Though it seemed mutual at first, the truth was clear: it was Aiden who did all the provoking.

Initially, the man paid Aiden no mind, brushing him off as just another overconfident brat who didn’t know his limits. But as time passed, Aiden’s relentless taunts began to wear on him. The calm façade cracked. Bit by bit, the man lost his composure—until all he wanted was to beat the living hell out of Aiden.

All he wanted was to pummel the arrogant kid into the ground. Killing was off the table — the rules made that clear — but beating him half to death? That was still fair play.

Unfortunately for him, reality didn’t cooperate.

As their battle progressed, Aiden had not only survived his attacks but had started pushing back — hard. In response, the man increased the size and density of his arms, boosting his power to dangerous levels. For a time, it worked. He began to suppress Aiden, landing blows that shook the sky itself.

But then Aiden transformed.

His body morphed, gaining attributes from various beasts. The tide of battle shifted in an instant.

Now, both of them had enlarged arms. Both of them were evenly matched. And worse — the man had hit his limit.

Yet Aiden still wore that same maddening smirk.

He looked at the man with quiet amusement. Truthfully, he was impressed. The man was fast — and strong. Far stronger than most he’d encountered. And he could fly, which meant one thing:

He had two abilities.

Aiden had only ever seen Han do that.

Dual-skill users were rare — extremely rare. Favored beings, they were called. In recorded history, only a handful had ever existed. That made the man across from him something extraordinary.

Unfortunately, he was also extremely unlucky.

Because he ended up facing Aiden.

If it were anyone else — anyone but Han — he might have had a shot.

A few more exchanges erupted between them, each clash creating booming shockwaves that cracked the sky. With every hit, the air rippled, and the clouds trembled.

Finally, both combatants paused, panting, bruised, and bloodied.

Aiden tilted his head and exhaled slowly. "If this is all you’ve got," he said, "then I’m afraid you’re going to lose."

The man scoffed. "Stop bluffing, kid. Real men act. They don’t talk."

Aiden simply smiled. "Trust me," he said. "I know that."

Then his arms shifted again — the massive gorilla-like fists condensing into sleek, deadly silver claws. They gleamed in the light, razor-sharp and pulsing with barely-contained energy.

But he wasn’t done.

With a wicked grin, he whispered, "Prepare for the worst."

Then his voice grew cold.

"Dark Essence Mode: Activate."

Darkness erupted from his body.

It crawled across his skin like living shadows, wrapping him in a black, swirling aura. His arms, chest, legs — all turned pitch-black. Only his face remained untouched, the same smug, smiling expression glowing eerily from within the storm of darkness.

The burly man’s eyes widened.

Aiden had been holding back all along.

To be continued.....

Author note:

If you enjoyed the Chapter, don’t forget to leave a review, drop a rating, and share your thoughts in the comments. Every super gift still triggers a mass release — the offer stands. Thank you for your amazing support, and stay tuned for what’s coming next. Aiden’s true battle has only just begun...