BXBX NOVEL Chapter 57 : Rematch
Sora gave a small, tired smile, wiping some blood from his face. "I need to grow stronger, and this is the most efficient way I could think of. It may look brutal, but with each hit, I’m training my [Mana Growth] and [Mana Evolution], pushing my body forging to new limits. Every wound sharpens my [Adaptive Regeneration], building my resistance against these elements and increasing my physical defenses. Earth spikes harden my body, improving my physical defense, and wind cuts make my skin harden. I’m forcing myself to grow fast and consistently."
Kara nodded, understanding but still shaken. "I get it, but it’s still insane."
She paused, looking away. "And yet, here I am, getting stronger just by watching you." Her voice held a hint of guilt. "I’m growing without putting in any effort."
Sora shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It’s for the best. We both need to grow. I use your innate skill to grow, and I need to pay for rent ! We’re in this together, and the stronger you become, the better our chances of survival. Besides, you can just find another way to grow"
Kara gave a small smile, her worry easing. "What a gentleman... Then let’s make it worth our while." She glanced at the [Time Bead] in her hand. "We should charge it more. Only about 20 minutes passed outside, so we have plenty of time. If we charge it more, we can spend more time inside."
Nodding, they started pouring their mana into the [Time Bead], watching as the charge grew steadily. They kept at it for hours, the bead absorbing mana like a black hole, until it was filled to nearly 16 months’ worth of time inside.
Because the mana expenditures were enormous, they were kicked out of the [Time Space] after two months inside. However, taking full advantage of the intense training environment, they both reach new heights. With each passing day, they had became more attuned to their abilities.
Kara had mastered all skills from her extraordinary class, and practiced a few of them to perfection. Sora had heavily focused on forging his body, but developed many new skills. He had finally invested time in something he had neglected for a while : his class higher level skills.
1 day had passed when they finally stepped back into reality, they felt a profound difference. The zone they were in was harmless to them, and the first monster that rushed at them was cut in half with a light swing from Sora’s Staff
They felt in sync with their power, focused and refined. The bond between them had deepened from their shared training, and there was a complicity that was hard to fight before.
As they exited the [Time Space], Sora glanced at their panel, noticing they had just half a day before the war began. He turned to Kara, giving her a knowing look. "We need to meet Richard as planned."
With a brief nod, they each activated their movement skills, disappearing from their location and reappearing instantly in front of the city gate guards.
The guards stumbled back in shock, eyes wide. Sora and Kara tossed them the toll and disappeared again forward, leaving the guards speechless.
"What… Was that a glitch?" one of the guards stuttered before holding his mouth, watching as the two vanished.
As they arrived at the clearing where Sora and Richard had last fought, the memories of the brutal encounter replayed vividly in Sora’s mind. He took a deep breath, the anticipation rising through him, and activated the messaging feature in his Army interface.
He typed a quick message to his former captain, now vice captain, Richard Dosse:
"Richard, I’m ready for our rematch."
The message was simple, but it carried the weight of everything he’d endured and everything he’d gained since their last fight. Sora could feel his entire body humming with the power he’d cultivated over their month-long training inside the [Time Space]. He was stronger, sharper, and more attuned to his abilities than ever.
Kara stood beside him, a quiet pillar of support, her presence a steady reminder of the support she was becoming in his life. She gave him a nod, a silent reminder that she was ready to back him up, no matter what.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
Richard arrived shortly after Sora’s message, walking toward them with another figure at his side. The man beside him looked solid and composed, a green-eyed individual who held himself with the air of a seasoned fighter.
Richard offered a brief nod in greeting, then gestured to his companion. "This is Jordan," he introduced. "Team Leader of the Fourth Team and my old vice-captain before you showed up."
Kara and Sora acknowledged the introduction with their own, using their aliases. "Ralph," Sora said with a slight nod, and Kara simply replied, "Kara."
Richard’s gaze shifted to Sora, giving him a once-over, his eyes lingering on the displayed level. He raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the jump. "Level 70 already? Quick leveling isn’t the way us strong players grow stronger, but I suppose I won’t judge until I see it for myself." He crossed his arms, offering a faint, almost challenging smile. "Are you ready?"
"During these few mont-.." Sora spoke, before changing his words "these days, I realized something. We were parachuted here without knowing anything about the war, and have no idea how events like this war unfold... We’ll gladly accept your guidance. It does not matter who wins or loses today. I will still listen to your lead and manage the company. I am ready"
Richard opened his eyes, noticing the air of arrogance of this person having diminished. "Oh... That’s interesting. I’m even more excited to fight you now. Show me what you’ve learned!"
Sora met his eyes steadily, feeling the energy of the dueling space materialize around them once again. The circular arena expanded, enclosing them and buzzing with a familiar sense of anticipation.
"Sure," Sora replied, grounding himself in the center of the space.
[You have accepted the duel against Player Richard Dosse.
Win Reward : 1795 RP
Loss Penalty RP Deduction: -15 RP.
Current RP : 485 (0 win, 1 loss)]
[Duel is about to start]
Three... Two... One.
Richard cracked his neck, settling into a balanced stance. "Good. Let’s see what you’ve learned." The words barely left his mouth before he surged forward, and the duel was on.
The moment the duel began, Sora activated every boost he had. He also released electricity all over the dueling area.
Richard was instantly in front of him, launching a punch to Sora’s face.
Thinking back to the month he spent training, Sora now had an arsenal of skills he wanted to try.
[Lightning Movement]
Skill Description: Channel the essence of lightning to propel yourself with unparalleled speed. While in motion, the user is immune to damage, becoming one with the lightning that surrounds them.
Warning : You can not control lightning while moving.
Just as Richard’s punch shot forward, Sora’s body shimmered with electric arcs, and in a flash, he vanished. Richard’s punch landed on nothing but air, the force dispersing in a gust of wind.
His eyes widened as he caught sight of Sora reappearing several hundreds of meters away, surrounded by lingering sparks of electricity.
Sora glanced at Richard, catching the flicker of surprise on his face.
"Fast," Richard muttered, dropping back into a defensive stance, eyes scanning Sora’s position.
Sora’s body hummed with energy, the arcs of lightning dancing across his skin, ready to spring into action again. This skill was one of many he’d developed, but it had already proven its worth —his ace for dodging lethal strikes in the blink of an eye.
He met Richard’s gaze, noticing from his eyes that he was getting serious. This was only the beginning, as he learned many things that made his strength skyrocket.
Sora steadied himself, his eyes narrowing as he activated his elemental abilities in unison. [Water], [Lightning], and [Wind] surged to their fullest, surrounding him with a chaotic vortex of power.
He took a breath, centering his focus as he prepared to unleash his newest skill, [Thunderstorm].
[Thunderstorm]
Skill Description: Conjure a fierce storm that combines the forces of lightning, wind, and thunder. This ability generates a destructive tempest that surrounds the user, unleashing powerful bolts of lightning and devastating wind gusts, amplifying the user’s control over electric and atmospheric elements.
As the energy built, the wind whipped around him, forming currents that roared with intensity. Rain began to materialize from the air, droplets pelting down with force as they were pulled into the swirling vortex. Lightning arced through the storm, crackling and flashing in brilliant, blinding streaks, the bolts striking randomly within the raging winds.
Richard’s eyes widened as he stepped back, instinctively raising a defensive arm to shield himself from the storm’s onslaught. "A full elemental assault…" he muttered, his gaze steely but undeniably impressed. "Wasn’t this guy a warrior ?", he added, mostly to himself.
The storm continued to build, spinning faster with each passing moment as Sora fed it more of his mana. The lightning surged within, becoming almost a cage of pure, destructive energy, and the wind howled with a ferocity that shook the ground beneath them.
Sora could feel the strain of making it grow any bigger, but he focused, his control honed from countless hours of being beaten up by these same elements.
He locked eyes with Richard, raising a hand, signaling that the storm wasn’t about to relent. "Ready for more?" he called out, his voice barely audible over the roar of the storm.
Richard’s expression hardened, and he shifted his stance, barely seeing anything because of the [Thunderstorm].
The duel had only just begun.