Chapter 206: Ash vs Ray (3)

Skill Name: Indomitable Mantle

Skill Rank: Saint

Description: A passive defensive skill that absorbs the force of all incoming attacks. The absorbed force can be stored, redirected, or converted into healing. If the stored energy crosses its limit, the skill will collapse and cannot be used for the rest of the day.

Abilities:

-Force Absorption: All physical and magical impact is absorbed into the body instead of causing direct harm.

-Energy Discharge: The stored force can be unleashed as a devastating counterattack.

-Healing Surge: Part of the absorbed energy is automatically converted to heal injuries, restore stamina and lesser the fatigue.

Although it consumed 400k points along with the other 50k points I used to buy the Limit Breaking Pill to break through into Master Rank and push my stats beyond the 400 mark, I am now left with only around 80k points...

But, it was worth it...

Ray thought, looking at Ash pinned beneath him. By catching Ash off guard, he had managed to suppress him for now, but Ray knew this fight would only become easier from this point forward.

However, Ash, who had looked injured just a moment ago, suddenly seemed fine. His expression turned cold, his gaze sharp, and he muttered softly,

{Lightning Bloom}

In an instant, lightning burst out of him, blooming like a destructive flower unfurling into chaos, but this time Ray didn’t bother dodging. When the blinding flashes and crackling thunder faded, Ash was still down, while Ray stood unaffected.

A grin spread across Ray’s face as he seized the opportunity. Without hesitation, he began raining down heavy punches on Ash’s guard and face. Ash raised his arms to block, but the continuous blows felt like a torrential downpour.

– Smack!

– Smack!

Don’t tell me...?

Ash thought, confusion creeping into his mind as he blocked the rapid punches. His suspicion was becoming reality.

But how did he gather that many points...?

Ash recognized this skill instantly. It was one of Ray’s strongest abilities, something he obtained much later in the original timeline after becoming Legendary Rank. The skill required a massive number of system points, far beyond what Ray should possess right now. This made no sense, and it frustrated Ash.

The punches continued to land, sometimes slipping past his guard and striking his face, but the pain was tolerable. Ash had endured far worse before. To him, this pain was nothing more than a faint sting, like being pricked by a thorn. Pain was never the problem here. The real issue was the skill Ray was using.

Suddenly, Ash moved with sharp precision. He dropped his guard, catching one of Ray’s fists in midair with unrelenting strength. Yet Ray’s expression didn’t even flinch. There was no pain in his eyes, not even the slightest reaction.

I knew it, this is that broken skill...

Ash remembered the outrage of readers from the original novel when this skill was introduced. It was practically unbeatable, absorbing every ounce of force from attacks and converting it into stored energy, while nullifying the pain entirely. It was an absurdly overpowered ability.

Ray grinned, throwing another punch with his free hand, but Ash caught that too. Now both of Ray’s wrists were firmly held. Their physical strength was evenly matched, both boasting perfect foundations and 400+ stats, but this skill tilted the balance heavily in Ray’s favor.

I need to create distance first...

Ash thought, his mind racing.

As Ray leaned forward to deliver a headbutt, now that both his hands were trapped, Ash suddenly made his move. In the blink of an eye, he teleported, dragging Ray along with him.

In the next moment, they appeared high above the arena, the wind howling sharply around them as Ash released Ray’s hands, letting gravity take hold of them both.

Their positions shifted instantly. Ash was now above, while Ray was below, falling fast. Yet there was still a calm, unshaken look on Ray’s face. He did not flinch, because he knew that no matter how hard he landed, he was not going to get hurt.

And it is damn true....

Unfair as it may sound, Ray’s entire existence was unfair. But then again, what could one expect from someone who was favored by both the system and fate?

Still, that did not mean there was no way to counter him. In fact, there was a way, and the answer was hidden within the skill itself. Ash just needed to strike him with an attack powerful enough to exceed the limit of energy the skill could store.

Easier said than done....

But it was not easy. There were many factors to consider. Firstly, Ray could release the stored energy at any moment, using it to counterattack and disrupt Ash’s momentum. Secondly, that skill was able to endure even a Saint’s full-powered attack once before it reached its breaking point.

And producing an attack on that level was nothing short of impossible for Ash at the moment.

Twisting his body mid-air, Ash delivered a powerful spinning kick. Ray crossed his arms and blocked it, absorbing the strike with ease, but the sheer momentum still sent him crashing down like a falling boulder.

The skill could stop the damage, but it could not negate the force of impact.

Sigh.... now that I think about it, I can’t even imagine how strong Ray truly was in the novel....

The thought slipped into Ash’s mind in the middle of the fight. He had always known Ray’s strength from the story, but knowing and experiencing it firsthand were two very different things.

Just counting his runes alone was frightening enough, but adding his class, skills, and overpowered traits made Ray feel like a walking disaster.

And if even he couldn’t fight the Angels head-on, then just how strong were those Angels...?

A shiver ran down Ash’s spine at the mere thought of them. For a moment, the image of divine beings with wings of destruction flashed in his mind, but he immediately forced himself to dismiss it.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, Ash began his descent toward the ground. He didn’t teleport as he fell, using that brief moments to think, reposition, and plan his next move.

But before he could, slashes filled with space aura came roaring from the dust on the ground, cutting the air like invisible blades. Ray was already back on his feet, his figure a blur as he swung his aura blades with wild precision.

Ash then teleported behind him, forcing Ray to spin in response, and the deadly game of cat and mouse began.

Ash dodged every strike with sharp, calculated movements, his body glowing crimson at times, silver at others, each color pushing his speed and flexibility beyond normal limits.

Whenever he found himself cornered, he vanished, reappearing in unpredictable places, using his teleportation like a phantom stalking its prey.

Ray, however, was relentless. His aura blades flowed like an unstoppable river, each slash blending into the next without pause. He was fast, adaptive, and precise, his strikes tearing the air apart as if it were paper.

The arena floor cracked and trembled under the force of their movements, dust and sparks filling the air as their fight escalated.

The game of slash and dodge continued, every second stretching like an eternity as the audience watched in stunned silence.

I can’t continue like this... my attacks won’t work on him, so there is no point in wasting my energy and giving him power...

Ash ducked under another slash, deflecting a sudden kick aimed at his forehead with the edge of his arm. Ray’s movements were no longer bound by convention; they were sharp, unpredictable, and vicious, like a beast cornering its prey.

I will have to immobilize him... if he cannot move, then even if I attack, he won’t be able to release that charged power...

–Bam!!

But damn...

Ash gritted his teeth, blocking another violent strike, his arms trembling faintly under the force.

The way things are going, this is going to be hard...

At this point, their fight no longer looked like a duel. It was more like a deadly dance, every step, kick, and strike flowing into the next. They moved across the arena like blurs of black, neither of them staying in one place for more than a second.

Since Ash was avoiding spells that would directly strike Ray and feed his absurd skill, the battle had shifted entirely to brutal close combat.

And yet, despite relying purely on physical combat, the power Ash displayed was nothing short of mind-blowing to the audience. To them, he was supposed to be a mage. But, he was fighting nothing like a mage.

Although trapping Ray would not be easy, it was not impossible either.

Sliding back a few steps to create distance, Ash clenched his fist, forming a closing hand gesture. It was not necessary, but...

Yeah, a man should fight in a cool way...

He muttered,

{Bind}

Instantly, chains of lightning burst out of thin air, coiling around Ray with crackling force.

Mana poured from Ash’s body in an unending stream, the glowing chains wrapping tighter and tighter, yet every few seconds some would snap and shatter against the violent aura cloaking Ray.

For every broken chain, two more appeared to take its place, tightening the restraint.

I need to hurry...

The strain was immense. Ash could feel his mana draining at a terrifying pace, but the same was true for Ray.

Aura consumption was no less demanding than lightning chains, and holding this kind of defensive state while being restrained would cost him heavily.

With Ray’s movements limited, Ash shifted his stance.

Against an immobile opponent, the Divine Arts of Dark Ash were far more destructive than anything else he knew.

His fists blurred.

Closing in, Ash’s mind sank into a storm of despair-filled memories, and his fists moved with the ferocity of a cornered beast. Jab, straight, underhand, overhook, hook—punches rained from every angle, slamming into Ray’s chest, face, and stomach without a pause.

The air behind Ray cracked like distant thunder with every blow, each strike generating shockwaves strong enough to shake the arena floor. The barrage continued relentlessly for minutes.

But even after five full minutes, Ray’s face remained untouched, his skill absorbing everything like a void.

Ray did not retaliate. He just stood there, staring coldly, as if mocking Ash for charging his skill with every hit.

Meanwhile, Ash was seething.

Goddammit... how much more can that thing take...

The despair in his heart deepened. His mind, already clouded by the memories fueling his form, snapped.

I don’t care anymore... let them know... what can they even do?

His left fist flared with violet space mana, raw and unrefined, while his right hand crackled with violent lightning.

The dual force of space and storm collided in his hands, his fists carrying twice the force of his earlier strikes. Still, even that wasn’t enough.

From above and behind, lightning orbs exploded, striking Ray like divine hammers. The arena shook with each blast.

Five seconds later, Ash felt the burn of exhaustion—one of his mana cores was already fully spent. But still, Ray’s skill showed no sign of reaching its limit.

However, Ray’s expression told a different story. His eyes were wide now, stunned, as if he was finally seeing the full weight of Ash’s power.

....The same was true for everyone watching. Their mouths were open, their faces pale, and their breaths stuck in their throats.

Only the principal and the whisperer remained calm, their sharp gazes fixed on the battlefield.