《War Spirit》 Prologue The year is 2018. Current day: the 31st of October, otherwise known as Halloween. The news of the disastrous Shibuya Incident roars out throughout the entirety of Japan, the country of jujutsu sorcery, like wildfire. News stations have reported the destruction of the city as a form of terrorism, not knowing the true cause of the entire incident. Of course, they had no clue that the nefarious disaster curses, Jogo, Mahito, Hanami, Dagon, as well as the King of Curses himself, Ryomen Sukuna, seeked to create mayhem. However, the destruction at the hands of the disaster curses were for the sole purpose of reviving Ryomen Sukuna and attempting to win him over to the side of the curses. This was also accompanied by a secondary intention: The sealing of famous and strongest sorcerer of the modern age, Satoru Gojo of the Gojo Clan. Such a large incident made the masses fear for another future attack at the hand of these so called terrorists. This fear of war and destruction, as well as the future of the country, begins to build and bubble up slowly. What occurs next will completely cause this new sensation to boil¡­ and birth a new kind of cursed spirit. One that the world has never before experienced. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Birth of Destruction 1 The Prime Minister and several other government officials looks up from their work and look at the mysterious monk man. The monk man greets everyone with a soft smile and begins to speak. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Birth of Destruction 2 Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Birth of Destruction 3 This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Birth of Destruction 4 You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Birth of Destruction 5 The grotesque cursed spirit begins to bubble up its breath and spews out the toxic foam from its mouth. Waldo dodges it completely, given the slow speed of the attack. The foam misses Waldo, but it completely disintegrates the cemented ground below him in a few seconds. If that were to hit Waldo, he wonders what would have happened to him. He looks back at the cursed spirit and sees that its mouth is finally free of its toxic liberation. ¡°This is my place¡­ my kitchen! You¡¯re not eating my humans here!,¡± the cursed spirit says in a somewhat slurred and bubbly voice. Waldo chuckles at the cursed spirit¡¯s voice. ¡°I have no use for the humans here. I¡¯m more interested in beating the rest of your stuffing out. Now, let¡¯s end these conversations and continue,¡± Waldo replies. Waldo immediately charges towards the cursed spirit. The cursed spirit prepares to defend, but Waldo throws a feint punch that makes the spirit flinch instead. He flanks to the right, places his palm on the cursed spirit¡¯s back, and blasts it away with a shockwave. Even just touching him felt off putting. The cursed spirit uses a wave of water to slow down its fall and then sends a torrent of water towards Waldo. Waldo dodges the water with ease, having seen this torrent of water already. (This is just the same attack as last time. Does it have any skill?) Suddenly, the water shapes itself into several different blades. Waldo gets caught off guard and attempts to guard against the blades of water. However, to Waldo¡¯s surprise, they cut through him with a thick sharpness. Waldo backs off, staring at the blood gushing out from his injured arms. (This is pain? What a phenomenal sensation¡­ It¡¯s invigorating¡­) Waldo¡¯s smile slowly reaches the corners of his face. The prospect of finally being injured causes him to gradually grow ecstatic at this development. He has come across someone that is actually capable of hurting him. He quickly circulates his cursed energy to heal his wounds and laughs. ¡°You hurt me! You actually did it! I knew you were a good find! Now, you will suffer death at the hands of the War Spirit!¡± Waldo suddenly moves so fast it seems like he teleported. He grabs and slams the cursed spirit against the ground several times. He then lifts it up and kicks it up in the air, blasts it with multiple shockwaves, and then blasts it back down to the ground. The cursed spirit grumbles in agony and begins to build up even more toxic foam in its mouth. As Waldo flies back down to it, the cursed spirit shoots its foam at Waldo, who purposely goes through it. He can feel his body ever so slowly decaying, his cursed energy slowly being eaten away by the toxicity. That makes things even more thrilling. Waldo crashes into the cursed spirit and drags it across the ground. He throws the cursed spirit towards a building and then gets shot with several compressed water blasts. Waldo chuckles to himself, collects all of the nearby debris, and chucks the large ball of debris at the cursed spirit. The cursed spirit puts its hands up and the debris immediately rusts away and explodes. It then jumps down and stares angrily at Waldo, who¡¯s simply enjoying himself like a child. ¡°You insidious, annoying, brat! How dare you come in here and make such a ruckus! (gurgle) I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you! You little fucking rat!¡± ¡°I deeply apologize. I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying behind all of that repulsive odor. Perhaps you should use some of the water to cleanse yourself instead of creating baths for others. With that hideous aura, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the humans here died by your presence alone.¡± The cursed spirit grows furious at Waldo¡¯s mockery. It¡¯s never had to endure such words from anyone before. Especially not from a brat. It stamps its foot on the ground repeatedly, the ground slowly crumbling. ¡°That isn¡¯t funny! That¡¯s not funny! You¡¯ll pay for that! You¡¯ll learn what happens when you mess with a pollution curse!¡± The pollution curse grunts and launches out several poisonous needles and blasts of water. Waldo purposely runs through them, getting hit by it all, and gets up close to the pollution curse. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you believe that pollution was greater than war?¡± Waldo gut punches the pollution curse, causing it to cough up some weird colored blood. Waldo nearly wrinkles his nose in disgust and kicks the curse onto the ground. ¡°In the face of war, everything falls! Nothing will survive! Not you, not this world, not the humans, nothing will prevail! Thinking that you¡¯re above war is pure arrogance. It¡¯s absolutely unthinkable¡­¡± Waldo gets his foot off of the cursed spirit and kicks it again, causing it to fly further away into a destroyed building. Waldo smiles to himself. ¡°You¡¯re not finished already, are you? We¡¯re similar, you and I. Other cursed spirits aren¡¯t even able to communicate property. They are truly just beasts. You¡¯re still far uglier than them, but at least you have some kind of intelligence. So¡­ how about you come out of your little comfort zone and face me like a curse? Or are you just chicken?¡± Suddenly, a low and ferocious growl can be heard coming from inside the building. Waldo hears squelching sounds around him and looks around. The human cocoons that were hanging across the city begin to tear open, releasing a slimy purple substance from within. Once the cocoons burst open, repulsive and transformed humans fall down to the ground. They stand up like disgruntled zombies and stare at the enemy ahead of them. Waldo watches as about a hundred human cocoons burst open and give birth to ugly monstrosities. They don¡¯t have very significant power, so they shouldn¡¯t post much of a threat. It¡¯s just a large amount of them, that¡¯s all. ¡°Hey, you have competition at last. Perhaps you¡¯re no longer the ugliest one here,¡± Waldo says as he looks into the building. For some reason, the curse hasn¡¯t come out of the building yet. It simply stays in there, growling deeply and quietly. Is it controlling these modified humans? Whatever the case, they won¡¯t be a problem for Waldo. And so, Waldo charges up a shockwave in his hand, staring at the modified humans. Suddenly, they all launch a wave of acidic foam from their mouths. Waldo chuckles at this futile attack and shoots the compressed shockwave from his hand. The shockwave neutralizes all of the toxic foam that was shot at Waldo, as well as destroying half of the modified humans. They¡¯re now a pile of blood and liquid on the ground. Their organs and brain don¡¯t even look appetizing. ¡°Hah! Is this supposed to be frightening? Not even 500, nay, a thousand of you could stand a chance at besting me! Now go and die!¡± Waldo continues to launch shockwaves at the rest of the modified humans. The shockwaves instantly kill the modified humans on impact. They fall back down into piles of flesh and purple liquid as well. Waldo smirks, satisfied that everything went away so easily. Then, the fleshy remains of the modified humans begin to slightly move around. Suddenly, the bits of flesh and blood begin to jump up and collectively move into one spot, growing back into the shape the modified humans were in before. In short, their guts and blood have completely regenerated. Waldo¡¯s eye glows a bit at the sight of this. This was something that he wasn¡¯t expecting. (Instant regeneration. I¡¯m assuming if even one small part of them remains they will continue to constantly regenerate until they run out of cursed energy. It¡¯s more convenient to erase them entirely than to waste cursed energy on both sides.) Waldo stands there as he watches all of the modified humans regenerate. They all seem to collectively share a sense of anger towards Waldo and make their way towards him, sprinting at full power. ¡°If that is all I must do, then I¡¯ll simply blast you with everything I have.¡± Waldo generates numerous shockwaves in his hands and shoots them up into the air. The shockwaves fly up and begin to shape into several different figures. The shockwaves morph into blue clones of Waldo, and they land back onto the ground. With all of the Waldos nodding to each other, they rush out in different directions towards the modified humans. 127 modified humans versus 9 Waldos. Such an outcome is quite predictable. The original Waldo speed blitzes several of the modified humans, blasting away their entire structure with compressed shockwaves. The shockwave clones replicate the original¡¯s techniques and repeatedly beat up the modified humans, causing them to drain cursed energy until they can no longer regenerate. However, some of the modified humans begin to combine their flesh together. Their powers and cursed energy are becoming one, and they grow into a much stronger force. Waldo laughs, recalling his shockwave clones, and stands tall to face the hideous creature in front of it. ¡°I must say, you¡¯ve grown even more repulsive. Your disgusting appearance alone might be stronger than a full powered punch.¡± Suddenly, the hand of the merged modified humans slams down onto Waldo. But Waldo manages to catch the hand and stop it. Using his shockwaves, Waldo blows away the merged modified human¡¯s legs, causing it to fall face first. He then severs the merged modified human¡¯s arm and punches it further into the ground. ¡°All you did was make yourself a larger flesh sack. It didn¡¯t matter whether you combined your power or not. After all, I am the War Spirit.¡± Waldo lifts his arm up and the ground below the merged modified human erupts, allowing numerous shockwaves to completely annihilate its entire body. Now that the modified humans have been taken care of, Waldo looks back to the building in which he sent the cursed spirit flying into. ¡°Are you finished hiding behind your dolls, or did you also undergo a transformation? You must be so very shy to reveal what ugly form you¡¯ve turned into. Come out, let¡¯s settle this.¡± Suddenly, Waldo quickly turns around and sees the cursed spirit. However, its form has indeed undergone a transformation. The cursed spirit now has a very burly body, and its appearance is somewhat easier to look at now. It glares at Waldo as it puts its hands together and recites the following words. ¡±Domain Expansion¡± Birth of Destruction 6 ¡±Domain Expansion: Garden of Limitless Decay¡± Waldo watches as the two of them become entrapped inside of some sort of black veil. He¡¯s never seen something like this before from any sorcerer or curse. Also, what the hell is a domain expansion? Suddenly, the entire environment around him becomes a desolate and dead garden. Waldo looks down, seeing several shriveled up and dead plants, carcasses of animals, and watching as the murky skies and water pour their way into everything. They¡¯re no longer inside of the city. It¡¯s as if he was teleported into a brand-new location. ¡°You have mocked my power and I far too much, little spirit. I am Gensui, the curse of pollution and decay. I was born from the substantial loss of the world from its pollution and needless habitual suffering. You have ventured into my territory and caused your petty destruction. And now I, Gensui, will see to it that you suffer a slow, decaying, and painful end,¡± Gensui says in a normal and non-gurgling manner. ¡°Hmph, congratulations for finally having a clear voice. Should I give you a gift or kneel?¡± The plants that lay at Waldo¡¯s feet suddenly spring up and bind his legs together. Waldo attempts to shake off the plants. When that doesn¡¯t work, he generates a shockwave in his hand and shoots at the plants. However, the shockwave doesn¡¯t work, simply disappearing and converting itself into energy for Gensui. Did it just get decayed by the domain? ¡°Your attacks have been rendered useless. They will quickly decay inside of my domain. Attempting to destroy your surroundings with your technique is no longer possible.¡± ¡°Is that so? So, this is what a Domain Expansion is, eh? I must say, it¡¯s rather annoying to deal with if I have to say so myself.¡± ¡°You continue to run your mouth rampantly. You won¡¯t ever speak such insolent language once I¡¯m through with you, little curse.¡± Gensui pushes its arm forward and Waldo is suddenly hit with a large wave of unknown force. He can feel his cursed energy being syphoned away as it decays and converts itself back to Gensui. The more that Waldo struggles, the harder the environment and plants grips his body so he cannot escape. Gensui walks forward, treading over the dead bodies and flora, and stands before the bound Waldo. Waldo continues to frantically move around as he glares up at it. ¡°It¡¯s time you taste the suffering you¡¯ve inflicted upon others.¡± Gensui proceeds to punch Waldo square in the face. With its transformation and the buffs from the Domain Expansion, the punch does a good amount of damage. Gensui continues to strike at Waldo rapidly and repeatedly. With each punch, more and more cursed energy is syphoned from Waldo, lowering his power. The plants restraining him continue to increase their grip, as if they¡¯re threatened to pull his limbs off. Suddenly, Waldo¡¯s eye glows furiously and he roars, escaping its bind with its cursed energy pressure. In a fit of rage, Waldo managed to concentrate his cursed energy together and multiply it, winning back the power that he had lost ¡°You¡¯re in for it now! I won¡¯t allow you to walk away from this humiliation alive! Die!¡± Waldo steps forward and throws a swift punch at Gensui, striking it in the chest and knocking it away. ¡°I¡¯m aware that this so-called Domain Expansion grants you some power and some petty tricks, but it will never prevail against the likes of me. After all, I am the War Spirit! I am the ultimate curse!¡± Waldo appears in front of Gensui and throws a powerful combination of kicks at it. Even without being able to use his technique, the cursed energy that resides within Waldo is more than enough to take down Gensui in hand-to-hand combat. That is, if Gensui continues to fight hand to hand. Gensui counters one of Waldo¡¯s kicks by grabbing his leg and slamming his body onto the ground. It then grips both of the legs and throws Waldo up into the sky. The musky water that is present inside of the domain suddenly becomes still and is faced in the direction of Waldo. Gensui points its arm up at the sky with an exerting grunt and the water quickly blasts off into several beams towards Waldo. Waldo spots the several beams of water coming towards him and scans his surroundings for a way out. However, before he can think of a solution, his body suddenly commands itself on instinct to vault over all of the water beams and safely land back on the ground. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Gensui grunts in frustration and recalls the water, changing its direction and sending it back to Waldo. Waldo multiplies his cursed energy again and begins to sprint towards Gensui, dodging and weaving through the water with ease. ¡°Your time is over, meat sack! You better hit me harder, or you¡¯ll be forced to bite the curb! Come on!¡± ¡°Silence, you insolent brat! I will not take this sitting down! Haaa! Hydra¡¯s Waterfall!¡± The sky inside the domain expansion begins to grow darker with ominous black clouds. These clouds then release a downpour of severely toxic water. Waldo assumes that enough exposure to this water will cause total paralysis. In order to avoid such a problem, Waldo dodges, weaves, and pushes through the rain. Although he still comes into contact with some of the water, it isn¡¯t enough to completely paralyze him. Gensui sees that Waldo is getting closer and searches for a desperate last struggle. It stomps the ground, causing it to instantly decay and crumble away. The mass decay creates a large divide between Gensui and Waldo, creating a cliff of substantial distance. Waldo makes a last-ditch effort and charges a giant jump, leaping across the large cliff that divided the two curses. The two of them clench their fists, come towards one another, and the two powers collide. When two curses become enveloped in a fight, one of the curses must die no matter what. Now, whenever a Domain Expansion occurs in the battle, that statement becomes undeniably, 100% guaranteed. And that is exactly what has happened here. The Domain Expansion¡¯s barrier instantly crumbles away. Whatever was inside is now free. Within the domain¡¯s remains, Waldo marches out holding Gensui¡¯s body by its head. Waldo lets go of Gensui¡¯s head and puts his boot on the head, smirking with glee. ¡°In the end, you failed to best me. You were an amazing curse, but you fought the wrong opponent. However, because of you, I have learned much more about my abilities and technique, as well as what to expect from others. For that, I thank you. Now, good riddance.¡± Gensui stares up weakly at Waldo. It¡¯s unable to say anything and can only watch as Waldo looks down upon it. Waldo slightly lifts his hand up and charges up a shockwave in his hand. Then, the shockwave is released, destroying the city plaza and exorcising Gensui along with it. Waldo looks up at the sky, in a slight sadness. For as much fun as it had, everything must come to an end. Waldo looks at the destroyed city once again. He should figure out more about these new abilities before he ventures out again. Waldo was most curious about this new multiplying application and that instinctual vaulting. His body never moved like that before, and he wasn¡¯t even aware it could in the first place. The multiplying application seems to be too good to be true. Skyrocketing his power in the middle of a battle would be incredible useful ¡°What fascinating abilities. If I can further develop these abilities, or discover more of them, I will become even stronger.¡± With this newfound knowledge, Waldo turns around and faces a building. He charges up a shockwave in his hand and releases it. Then, using the new ability, he multiplies the shockwave by 3 to create duplicates of the shockwave, causing the building to be erased. Waldo checks the amount of damage that the shockwaves did and laughs to himself. This battle was indeed useful. (I can multiply both my cursed energy reserves and my abilities. Now, to find out how much I can multiply¡­ I¡¯ll experiment with that some other day.) Waldo straightens himself up and sighs. While he stares back at the contaminated city grounds, he thinks about several things. What caused the world to fall to such a state? Who was the grand mastermind behind it all? How will the world continue to change moving forward? Questions like this race through his mind like an endless sea. Once Waldo finishes recovering, he gets up and leaves the city. Now that Waldo finished his fight against Gensui, he continues to explore, looking for more worthy opponents. (Perhaps if there are areas that contain survivors, that would be most helpful. Those sorcerers I fought from before must have come from some refuge. If I can find a refuge like that, there will be no shortage of opponents. No shortage of warriors.) In the hopes of finding a sorcerer refuge nearby, Waldo does a search around the center of New Mexico. He launches shockwaves from the soles of his feet and takes to the air. After flying around in a 10-mile diameter and finding nothing, Waldo decides that he must extend his search, as annoying as that is. And so, going north towards Albuquerque, he continues to fly around in search of opponents. 15 minutes into his flight, Waldo sees something down on the ground below. It appears to be the remains of a camp or hideout. Perfect (This must be it. At the very least, if I do not manage to encounter anyone I can search for clues.) Waldo flies down to the ground towards the camp. He lands close by and dusts off his clothes. He quickly scans the area and looks around. Upon seeing that the area is clear of any threats or potential hiding spots for enemies, Waldo walks towards the camp site in search of clues. Birth of Destruction 7 April 18, 2020 The campsite was quiet. Far too quiet. Waldo assumes that anyone that resided here is either dead or have ventured elsewhere. However, the theory that everyone died was more plausible given that he would periodically see red stains of blood on the ground. Humans were massacred here by something, most likely a curse. Waldo likes to think that they fought amongst themselves and ended up wiping each other out. That would have been a much more thrilling tale. But alas, one can never know what has transpired here. Waldo doubts there is a human here that could tell him. Waldo looks inside of all of the tents and tarps that he finds as well as the inside of the miniature log cabin. Scattered around the log cabin are several currencies, clothes, blood, remains of furniture, and some fingers. ¡°Perhaps they really did kill each other. This weapon on the table reeks of human stench. They must have had a disappointing disagreement. That¡¯s all they know.¡± Waldo stares at the knife in its hand that he picked up from the table in the center of the log cabin. Sure enough, Waldo can see human fingerprints on the knife¡¯s handle. He stabs the knife into the ground and exits the log cabin. The tents that were placed around the campsite weren¡¯t interesting either. There was the occasional dead body or two in some of the tents as well as other tools and storage equipment. While looking through the tents, Waldo rips open one of the backpacks that are inside of the tents and spills open the contents. Miscellaneous items such as food, water, batteries, and other supplies fall onto the ground. However, an item in particular that catches Waldo¡¯s interest was a small wallet that contained a little family picture in one of the pockets. ¡°This is a memorial. But why does one need such a thing? There is no purpose to this. Such are humans¡­ useless.¡± Waldo grips the picture with both hands and rips it in half. He lets the picture flutter in the air and then exits the tent before kicking it away into the sky. The camp site didn¡¯t provide any information or clue as to where Waldo could find people. Such a fact angered him, and there was nothing he could do about it. The only option now was to be patient and explore even further. This campsite is proof that tiny establishments of survivors are real. Waldo just has to find them. ¡°There is nothing of use here. If I am to ever find any survivors, I must expand. The world is vast, but I have an excellent idea as to how I will go about this.¡± Waldo generates more of his shockwaves and creates several clones again. Through their collective mind, they each nod to one another and scatter in all directions. With the help of these clones, Waldo can technically be in several places at once, allowing for fast exploration rates as well as any extra knowledge about the world¡¯s environment. Waldo himself went east towards the state of Texas. He doesn¡¯t know where to go, and so he relies solely on his instincts and his gut. Along the way, on the border between New Mexico and Texas, Waldo notices another peculiar sight on the ground. (Is this another establishment? Let¡¯s hope for my sake that I encounter survivors. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to tear this place apart.) Waldo flies down to the establishment. When he lands in the middle of the place, he can see that it¡¯s certainly larger than the campsite. Being on the border of two states must have meant more people mingled here. However, Waldo immediately senses that something is amiss about this place. As he looks around, he finds no traces that humans ever once lived here. There are no blood stains, no equipment, no tools, not even a scent or presence that they were ever here. Instead, Waldo finds several residues of cursed spirits. Cursed spirits must have taken over this place and erased any trace of humans. ¡°But that couldn¡¯t be possible. Unless a strong or intelligent curse such as Gensui crossed here, they wouldn¡¯t have known of a way to get rid of all of the traces. Something greater is at work here. And it seems they are currently not here.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. With an idea in mind, Waldo decides to reside in this establishment until the cursed spirit returns. Perhaps this was futile since the curse may never return, but it was worth a shot. It is better than exploring aimlessly, and besides, the clones are still out there. Suddenly, a chill runs down Waldo¡¯s spine. He stands up and quickly turns around. A cloaked figure stands in the center of the paved road. ¡°What¡­? Is that you, Osoroi?¡± The cloaked figure simply gives a sinister smile. ¡°We meet again, R¨¡j.¡± This figure that stood before Waldo certainly felt familiar. There was a certain air about them that nearly made Waldo recall something, but he couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. (Osoroi? Hold on¡­ why did I say that? Who in the hell even is that? I think this boredom has gotten too deep into my mind. And who is this R¨¡j? Is he referring to me? Why?) The cloaked figure looks around at the establishment. He knows that Waldo has already guessed what has happened here. ¡°You¡¯re confused as to how any traces of humans are gone, and you¡¯re also wondering what could have caused such a thing. Well, you¡¯re looking at it. I was simply passing through and the humans dared to look upon me in such disgust, so I wiped them out. They truly are barbarians, thinking that they are above us.¡± ¡°At the very least, you are correct about that. Humans are disgusting and arrogant creatures.¡± ¡°Indeed, War Spirit.¡± ¡°So, you know who I am. Has my name already started spreading across the world? How fascinating.¡± ¡°You can come up with your own theories. I will not be answering your questions.¡± ¡°Bold. You¡¯re confident despite being in my presence. You must be quite strong.¡± The cloaked figure crosses their arms and tilts their head. ¡°As a matter of fact, yes, I am. And I also believe I am stronger than you.¡± ¡°Stronger than the War Spirit? You must be playing a fun game to think that is true. Nothing is above me.¡± Waldo begins to get irritated by the cloaked figure¡¯s remarks. He was confident that he was far stronger than this mysterious person. After all, everyone that Waldo had previously faced turned into dust. This person won¡¯t be any different. ¡°Shall we put our strengths to the test, then? Your power against mine. Let¡¯s see who comes out on top.¡± Waldo turns around and sees the cloaked figure turned with his back facing Waldo. Waldo smirks at this challenge. ¡°You¡¯d best not cry when you lose. Nothing has ever triumphed over my strength before. You shall be just like all the others: Weak and powerless before my power.¡± The cloaked figure chuckles at Waldo¡¯s seeping arrogance. The War Spirit in front of him is quite delusional. Perhaps they need a reality check. Waldo charges forward and throws a punch. The punch connects with the face of the cloaked figure. However, this person feels much tougher than anyone else. The cloaked figure¡¯s smile can be seen as the punch lands. He turns his head and his eyes stare at Waldo. ¡°Is this all? Quite different from before. A shame.¡± Waldo is suddenly kicked in the stomach before he could attack again. They cough up a small bit of blood before getting launched towards a house, crashing through the wooden walls and falling inside. Waldo quickly gets back up and shoots shockwaves at the person from both his left and right sides. However, the shockwaves stop just short of the person and explode in the air. (What just happened? I didn¡¯t feel any sort of impact or contact. Does he have a certain technique that shields him? That will be troublesome¡­ but very interesting.) Waldo smiles widely and cackles. This person is indeed strong! Strength that knocked him away, as well as a curious technique that blocks his shockwaves. This person is different. Then, Waldo charges forward, suddenly stops halfway and switches the motion of his attack pattern and continues to move around the figure rapidly. As he moves, Waldo looks for an opening to attack but doesn¡¯t manage to find one. And so, trying to catch his opponent off guard, Waldo dashes towards the person and throws a left hook at his neck. Suddenly, Waldo¡¯s punch stops before it can collide. (What? It¡¯s happening again. I figured that if I used enough power, the technique wouldn¡¯t be able to block it all.) Waldo throws another punch, receiving the same result. Waldo grows frustrated, his smile turning into a scowl, and continues with a barrage of attacks. Meanwhile, the man just smiles at Waldo¡¯s futile attempts to hurt him. Then, Waldo jumps back and launches several shockwaves up into the sky. The shockwaves begin to combine together and form into a giant shape. The shockwaves bend and wave around, creating a giant serpentine creature. ¡°Now go! Destroy him!¡± The serpent swiftly slithers its way towards the man. It rotates its body and swings its large tail. The man puts his arm out towards the tail. When the serpent¡¯s tail makes contact with the man¡¯s hand, it is quickly bent out of shape and explodes, releasing the shockwaves across the establishment and crashing into the buildings. ¡°My my, this is unexpected. You¡¯re far weaker than I anticipated, R¨¡j.¡± Birth of Destruction 8 April 18, 2020 What faces before Waldo is an opponent unlike any other. With a mysterious technique, marvelous strength, and an overwhelming perception, this opponent is a dream come true for him. Despite how much he was backed into a corner, he can¡¯t help but smile fiendishly and cackle. ¡°Interesting! How very interesting! You¡¯re intriguing¡­ so very intriguing I can¡¯t help but feel wondrous! After such a long, agonizing drought, spring has finally come!¡± Waldo recalls the shockwave serpent back to his inner being and charges towards the man. The man decides to also charge forward. The two of them reel in their arms for a punch and clash against each other. The two of them now seem to be equal, Waldo is finally starting to catch up with his own power. ¡°Hahaha! Are you still confident that you will win? I have already matched your power, and it won¡¯t take long before I surpass it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you points for your drive, War Spirit. However, you¡¯ll soon see that my power is a mountain that you can never aspire to hike to the top. No matter what tools you take, you will also fall down the face of the mountain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Keep spouting that nonsense! If you¡¯re so powerful, then how about you give me a real fight!¡± Waldo, with his other hand, charges up a shockwave and blasts it at the man¡¯s face. While the man wasn¡¯t harmed, he did get blasted away a considerable distance. ¡°Your mistake was ever believing you could win against me! After all, I am the War Spirit!¡± Waldo proceeds to charge many shockwaves in his hands and transfers them into the ground. His shockwaves follow the laws of sound, meaning they travel much faster through the ground. Therefore, the instant the man lands on the ground, the shockwaves erupt from the ground. (That was a direct hit! I felt the contact just now! It would be inconceivable if he escapes that one unharmed!) Suddenly, a large wave of fire shoots out from the smoke created from the shockwaves. It completely catches Waldo off guard and completely engulfs him. Waldo starts taking heavy damage, his flesh burning away from the fire and falls to his knees, looking up at the man. They seem to have fire coating their hands. ¡°A dazzling show. However, you didn¡¯t prove entertaining enough for me. You shall now be purged and kicked off stage.¡± Then, before Waldo could move or say anything, he was once again enveloped in much harsher flames. These flames burn away the entire human establishment. The buildings quickly catch on fire and are reduced to nothing but ash and dust. (It cannot¡­ end like this¡­ I will¡­ I will not let it end like this!) The man smiles as he watches Waldo burn in the fiery flames. He would surely die from such an attack. He doesn¡¯t have enough power to survive an attack like this. However, his smile suddenly falters when he hears him speak. The man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ruin Counter!¡± The flames surrounding the establishment suddenly go out. Waldo¡¯s burning body begins to extinguish the flames surrounding him as well as reversing the damage done to him by the flames. Suddenly, his cursed energy spikes for a moment before his own hand becomes covered in flames. ¡°Hey, you prick¡­ how about you taste what it feels like to be burned alive?¡± Then, Waldo replicates the exact attack the man used with double the cursed energy output. Everything becomes enveloped in a blinding light and a large explosion covers the entire establishment, blasting it to kingdom come. In the midst of everything, Waldo stands up and tries to find the man. That attack probably didn¡¯t kill him. He must have most likely hid in the smoke and debris. A devilish grin appears on Waldo¡¯s face, happy with how this fight has turned out. ¡°Are we playing hide and seek now? Fine by me. I¡¯ll seek you out and kill you myself!¡± Suddenly, Waldo hears a squelching sound. Immense pain can be felt. Confusion runs through the mind. Waldo slowly looks down to see a cursed tool impaling his body. Specifically, in the location of his core. Humans have a central processing unit that they all have in common: The Brain. This specific organ is responsible for every action that human beings take. It is also responsible for their decision making, emotions, maintaining signals, and all of the other important functions. Waldo doesn¡¯t have a brain. Instead, his ¡°brain¡± is his core, which is the physical representation of his soul. It is responsible for his very existence, his cursed energy, and if harmed, his body and state of being are threatened. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Waldo looks down at the cursed tool piercing his body. It has struck him right in the location of his core, effectively paralyzing him. The cursed tool managed to puncture through his tough body of cursed energy. He coughs out a big amount of blood on the cursed tool as he feels himself becoming weaker by the second. ¡°It¡¯s too bad, War Spirit. That last attack was impressive. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen you use that one before. Perhaps you¡¯re finally starting to come to your senses.¡± Waldo slowly commands his arms to move up the cursed tool. He tries to pull it out of his body and kill this man. He would fire off shockwaves if he could, but with the damage he has currently sustained, that was basically impossible. ¡°You¡¯re still able to struggle? Admirable, really. You certainly must have a great amount of will if you can still afford to stand with your core being struck. I suppose that checks out, given you are the War Spirit.¡± Waldo clutches the cursed tool. He can hardly muster any grip, but he refuses to go down. He turns to look at the man behind him. ¡°Who the hell¡­ are you? You¡¯re no person¡­ You recognize me¡­ recognized me¡­ Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just now inquiring about that? It¡¯s far too late for you to know now. There¡¯s no point in telling you right now, since you don¡¯t even seem to recognize me. How far you have fallen, R¨¡j.¡± The man swiftly removes his cursed tool from Waldo¡¯s core. And with a swift attack to the top of his head, Waldo is crushed into the ground. ¡°You¡¯ll survive. You always find a way to do so. It would be far too disappointing to kill you now, so I¡¯ll allow you to gather up whatever strength you can. I hope you can truly entertain me soon, War Spirit. Just light old times.¡± The small town that once resided near the border between New Mexico and Texas has been completely demolished. It was all at the hands of a single person. And that person has vanished entirely from the scene, leaving the town vacant to all but eternal destruction. However, one thing, one spirit, lived on. He crawls out of the earth, fully recovered and invigorated. During the depths of the night and into the next day, Waldo developed a new extension to his technique that allowed him to transfigure and change his core. Because of this extension, he was able to use a small amount of his entire cursed energy reserves to reverse the damage inflicted. And with using Multiply to regain that cursed energy lost, he was now made anew. Now with a new purpose. Waldo looks around at the destroyed environment. The only thing on his mind right now is the fact that he had his first loss. His first very pathetic and humiliating loss. He just can¡¯t stand it. He punches the ground in frustration, causing a small crater to form in the ground. ¡°Damn it¡­ Damn it¡­ Damn it! How could this have happened!¡± Coming to terms with the reality of loss is normally not easy, especially for pride-ridden individuals like Waldo. Loss is something that these types of beings expect to never once experience in their lifetime. When it eventually does happen to them, they are struck with great grief and resentment. ¡°I¡¯m the War Spirit! Loss shouldn¡¯t even exist for me! Damn it all!¡± Waldo had difficulties accepting this fact, taking an entire two days to process it. In these two days, he worked on honing his abilities without end until his cursed energy pool was nearly depleted several times over. It was all to cope with his frustration and rage, but it has given him time to think. There are people out there that are stronger than him. Acting like a child and a sore loser won¡¯t ever allow him to elevate to those heights. He must use whatever means possible in order to ascend to a higher power. He must use whatever means possible to eliminate that man from existence. Waldo stands before a giant pile of debris. He had gathered chunks of the town from the wreckage and piled them up into a large and wide pile that resembled a totem pole. Waldo holds out his arm and begins to charge a shockwave. He releases that shockwave, and it disintegrates the entire pile of rubble. Waldo smiles with great joy. ¡°My power has steadily increased. If I continue to grow at this rate, I will surely get much stronger. Now I must find a suitable combatant to test my power.¡± Waldo stomps his feet on the ground and gets into a sprinting position, deciding to continue traveling east. Then, he¡¯s off, sprinting at speeds that exceed double the speed of sound. Waldo can hardly believe the speed at which he is moving. This is merely sprinting, not even taking flight or using shockwaves for a boost. This was just a delight; his laughs could be heard from several meters away. As Waldo continues to sprint east, making his way into Plainview, he saw more destruction before him. However, he was surprised by the amount of people living here. By some method, most of the people have managed to procure gas masks or other equipment that would help with living in such an environment. While he couldn¡¯t care less about how they managed to survive, he was delighted to see many fresh targets to test his powers on. And so, he jumps up into the air and stays afloat using the force of his shockwaves slowly coming off of the soles of his feet. ¡°They all look like bits of trash from up here. Quite befitting of such a barbaric race. Now, let¡¯s dispose of them.¡± For the next 20 minutes, the town of Plainview came under heavy fire. Invisible shockwaves would rain down on the masses, tearing them apart and further destroying their homes. People would shout and scream about a monster running amidst all of the chaos, devouring people and laughing like a maniac. Not even the women, the elderly, or the children were safe from its wrath. Soon, the town of Plainview grew in silence as the last inhabitants were devoured in the heat of war. An entire week of time passes by, and the War Spirit has extended their reign of terror all the way to Fort Worth. After the large destruction of the town, Waldo sits atop a collection of human skeletons, biting into a human head like an apple. ¡°This establishment had already faced a previous attack before I came here. Sorcerers or cursed spirits must have plowed through here. There must have been a decent resistance to fend them off considering not all of the humans here have been wiped out. Not like anyone caught my attention.¡± After devouring the last human corpse, Waldo gets up and removes the blood from his hands. Humans might be a good snack, but being sullied in their blood was not a good feeling. Being covered in the essence of such a race disgusted Waldo. ¡°If there was an attack here, some of the humans must have fled. It¡¯s time I look for these survivors, if any still remain.¡± Waldo sprints away from the city of Fort Worth to the south. During his time traveling across the world, he realized that there was a larger density of humans in the south. Why that is, Waldo doesn¡¯t know or care. It simply means he has a new favorite direction. After sprinting for a while, Waldo senses cursed energy readings up ahead. Only one of them, however. There is only one sorcerer up ahead, and their cursed energy is sort of dim. Moreover, he finally figured out the structure that humans have for sorcerers and curses: the grading system. He has also learned how to discern different levels of cursed energy to each of the grades. So, this cursed energy he feels is only about Grade 3. When he starts getting close to the cursed energy, he sees that there are several human corpses and the smell of cursed spirits. A fight ensued here that left only one survivor. When Waldo sees who this survivor is, he is shocked. A lone human girl, a relatively young one at that. She looks no older than five years old. When the girl looks up from her sobbing, she beholds the War Spirit. And the War Spirit¡¯s mind began to shift gears, and he finally had his purpose finalized. Heated Battle 1 April 28, 2020 The little girl can immediately sense that the person in front of her is not a human. They have the same feeling and presence as the monsters from before. No, their auras can¡¯t even be compared with their massive difference. This person is so much stronger¡­ and so much more terrifying than anything that she has ever witnessed with her eyes. The girl falls on her back due to fear. She slowly crawls away, hugging one of the nearby corpses and crying somberly. Meanwhile, Waldo stares at this scene before him. One lone girl in the midst of a massacre. Could she have taken down the cursed spirits on her own? If so, she must have some kind of hidden power, but that shouldn¡¯t be the case. Her cursed energy levels are pitiful. How could she have possibly defeated 20 cursed spirits on her own? That¡¯s bogus. ¡°Pitiful human child¡­ Did you destroy the cursed spirits that attacked this place? Or were there sorcerers that killed them off?¡± The child stays on the ground, looking up at Waldo with a terrified expression. The way he speaks, the way he looks, the way his presence feels, all of these factors were seeping endless fear into the child. She tries to answer Waldo, but her body won¡¯t respond. She can¡¯t seem to think straight, causing her to be unable to respond to Waldo¡¯s question. No words come out of her mouth. Waldo starts to get irritated that this girl doesn¡¯t answer him. ¡°I asked you a question, brat! You¡¯d best answer me, or I¡¯ll obliterate you.!¡± Waldo kicks the girl across her head. She¡¯s knocked unconscious from the attack and falls onto the ground. Waldo scoffs angrily. ¡°Knocked out by a singular attack. Such a weak person couldn¡¯t possibly be a jujutsu sorcerer.¡± He looks at the corpse next to the girl. It¡¯s a male corpse that looked as if he were in his 30s. Waldo crouches down and rips off all of the clothes from the corpse, checking his wares for any items. The only thing he finds from the corpse is a singular diamond ring. Waldo isn¡¯t as interested in bling, but he still decides to keep the ring in his pocket. Once he¡¯s done ransacking the corpse, he grabs the girl, carries her over his shoulder, and walks away from the bloodshed. . . The echoes of screams, the sounds of the dead, and the mingling of curses. Red blood begins to fly around and paint the ground in a crimson hue. A warm drop of blood lands on the girl¡¯s cheek and chills run down her spine. ¡°Just keep running, dear! Don¡¯t look back! Hold my hand!¡± Her father clutches her hand tighter, and they keep running. The girl hears several screams behind her and several sounds of fighting. It was just a peaceful day for her. For some reason, their refuge in Fort Worth suddenly got attacked by crazy monsters. They came from several sides and began to kill everyone they saw. Some people stayed behind to help defend the refuge against the monsters, while the girl and her father, along with many others from the refuge, fled Fort Worth so they could hold onto their lives. They didn¡¯t have anything to take with them besides each other. The trip was going well until some of the monsters from Fort Worth diverted from the crowd and followed the group of civilians that fled from the refuge. Everyone starts to panic as the monsters get closer to them. ¡°Everyone calm down! We¡¯ll keep these things away while you run off! We¡¯ll hold them back, so please live for the sake of humanity!¡± The sorcerers that were part of the survivors selflessly run from the group towards the monsters. They fight back against them using their cursed techniques and cursed tools. They manage to hold them off long enough for the rest of the survivors to gain considerable distance. The girl was certain that the sorcerers would be able to win against the monsters. They were performing strange moves like it was magic. However, the monsters began to become influenced by something. They acted more sporadic and relentless than before, applying more pressure onto the sorcerers and chewing them up into mincemeat. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°AAAUGH!¡± ¡°Thomas, no!¡± The sorcerers began to fall one by one. They just weren¡¯t enough for the desperate barrage of monsters. The girl started to see that hope of coming out alive was slim. Suddenly, one of the monsters comes out from the sides. It roars and throws out a slash of its claws. The girl¡¯s eyes widen in fear. Her body freezes at the sudden jump scare from the monster. However, her father notices the attack before her and gets in between, shielding his daughter and taking the full brunt of the attack. His entire back has been slashed to bits and left some of his bones to be exposed. The substantial blood loss is causing him to lose all of his strength in a matter of moments. The girl¡¯s face loses all of its color as she watches her father slowly fall to his knees. The girl falls down to her knees and wraps her arms around her father¡¯s body. ¡°Dad! No, dad!¡± ¡°Mara, you have to run! Forget about me! Regroup with the other people and save yourself!¡± ¡°But¡­ dad¡­ I can¡¯t leave you! I don¡¯t want you to die too!¡± The cursed spirits begin to circle around Mara and her father. They stopped resisting against the others and went for the closest vulnerable prey. A sorcerer suddenly steps in and kills one of the cursed spirits with their cursed tool. ¡°Little girl, what are you doing? You have to run away from the monsters! I¡¯ll make sure your father gets help once I deal with them! You have to go! Quickly!¡± The cursed spirits begin to charge at the sorcerer. The sorcerer, despite their body trembling, stands their ground and meets the challenge of the cursed spirits. Mara watches the sorcerer fight against the several cursed spirits with courage. She still clutches her father despite being told to run away. A year ago, Mara¡¯s mother died ill with a rare disease that was common in her lineage. There was nothing that doctors or medical experts could do, eventually leading to her death. It was a miserable day for everyone, and Mara¡¯s father began to work extra hard in order to support Mara as best as he could. But now, he was about to die in front of her eyes. ¡°Little girl, you have to go! Please! I¡¯ll keep your dad safe!¡± ¡°Please¡­ Mara¡­ you must run!¡± Mara can¡¯t decide what to do. Should she run away and abandon her father like this, or should she stay here and hope for a miracle? It was the toughest choice she would have to make for the rest of her life, and she wasn¡¯t ready to decide. But she just can¡¯t run away from her father! Suddenly, the sorcerer¡¯s arm gets blown off by one of the cursed spirits. He yells in anguish, holding the area that it was cut off. However, he quickly gathers his composure and tries to smile it off. (I can¡¯t let the girl see me in such a state! I have to protect her and her father until the end! I can¡¯t let her down! Endure!) The cursed spirits begin to cackle and gather around once more. This human in front of them has been weakened. It should be easy pickings now. The sorcerer grunts and steels himself. ¡°Give it your worst, you sick bastar-¡° The head is then taken off the shoulders. Mara gasps and covers her mouth, afraid that she will vomit on the spot. An unexpected opponent comes into the battlefield, one much stronger than the others. It steps over the sorcerer¡¯s body and smirks at Mara. ¡°No¡­ no¡­ please¡­ stay¡­¡± Suddenly, Mara¡¯s eyes and hair flare red as her hands begin to light up. ¡°STAY AWAY!" In the heat of battle, something awakened inside of the little youth. A desire to protect with a burning passion, to keep that which she loved. It was a sudden burning heart that was guiding her. But she couldn¡¯t do it by herself. She must use the power vested inside of her in order to burn¡­ Holding her glowing hands in the air, a couple of the cursed spirits in the group suddenly begin to catch aflame and burn down. They garble and scream in pain, flailing around and trying to get rid of the flames. The other cursed spirits stare at this with horror in their eyes. The new cursed spirit that arrived shrieks in terror at the sudden deaths of the curses. However, it chuckles and sends the cursed spirits towards Mara. However, when they get close to her, Mara coats her fists with reinforced cursed energy and, in one punch, exorcises one of the cursed spirits. Such development would ordinarily be impossible, but Mara was currently in a burning, awakened state that allowed for accelerated strength. The jujutsu powers that lay dormant inside were triggered to activate by the ambush of cursed spirits. She proceeds to run towards one of the cursed spirits, and using her newfound technique, touches its face and burns the body to nothing but ash. However, using her technique in this state makes her power backfire. Her abilities become too powerful for her body to handle, burning her hands as well. But she couldn¡¯t feel the damage she was inflicting on herself. She only had the desire to burn away at these cursed spirits. The strongest cursed spirit scowls in anger and charges towards Mara. It fires lasers from its fingers towards Mara, the lasers weaving through the air and coming from many different directions. Mara gets closer to the cursed spirit, dodging the lasers with nimble movements. Suddenly, she disappears from the cursed spirit¡¯s sight. The cursed spirit desperately looks around, wondering where she could have gone. It feels a touch on its back, before becoming ablaze in a fiery inferno. The cursed spirit is swiftly exorcised by the flame and returns to nothing. Mara looks at her trembling arm, now covered in severe burns and flesh wounds. Her hair and eyes gradually go back to their original color. Her eyes grow heavy, and her legs begin to wobble. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Before she can reach the body of her father, she collapses on the ground. The grounds of the massacre. Heated Battle 2 Waldo continues to wander the plains of Texas, now with Mara in tow. Her squirming seems to have stopped. That is something that Waldo heavily appreciated. However, he needs her to wake up soon. He has a vague grasp of the situation from yesterday. After careful inspection and deduction, Waldo figured out that Mara was indeed the one who dealt with the last cursed spirits attacking her group. Considering the facts, this girl seems to have great potential as a sorcerer. She will become an excellent partner for Waldo¡¯s goals and endeavors if she learns to control her cursed technique. But she hasn¡¯t woken up for a second since he arrived at the massacre. (Screw it. I¡¯m waking this child up. I do not have the leisure time to wait for her to get rest. I will not stand by and let human weaknesses interfere with my strength.) As Waldo continues walking with Mara, he spots a decently sized stone up ahead. The smooth yet rigid spherical surface was the perfect object he needed. And so, using a shockwave, he turns it into a lasso and reels in the stone, the stone landing with a heavy thud. He sets Mara down on the ground on her back. As Waldo begins to put his hands on the stone, Mara¡¯s eyes twitch and she begins to awaken. However, the first thing she sees as she wakes is someone holding a stone up in the air. When she realizes what¡¯s about to happen, she quickly yelps in horror and rolls out of the way, dodging the stone from falling on her. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake. Good grief, you humans are annoying creatures, forcing me to wait until you recuperate.¡± ¡°W-what? Huh? Uh¡­¡± Mara takes a look at her surroundings, seeing that she is nowhere near the outskirts of Fort Worth. That means that she has officially moved away from her father. Such a realization causes her to stop for a second and start to sob. The only family that she had left was stripped away from her in front of her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. She doesn¡¯t even know if he¡¯s dead or alive. Suddenly, Mara is slapped across the face, and she falls on her butt. The stinging pain felt like a bullet, and she looks up at Waldo, the one who slapped her. Waldo¡¯s eye glares into her soul. ¡°You are never to do that in my presence again. Your incessant whining is irritating. If you¡¯re so frustrated with your troubles and losses, then quit acting so damn pathetic. Crying like an immature coward will never help you.¡± Waldo wasn¡¯t aware of this at the time, and he wouldn¡¯t ever be aware of this, but what he said to Mara will become a great pushing force for her. Hearing this, she knows what she must do. She tries her best to hold in her tears from the pain and stands up. Waldo scoffs and continues to walk. ¡°If you¡¯re awake now, you better tag along. I won¡¯t slow down for you.¡± Mara gasps just a bit and jogs after Waldo. She turns her head, looking at the gloomy surroundings. In such a short time, the beautiful world she once knew was changed into a desolate wasteland. So many people, so many animals, so many plants, all of that was gone in a few days. She wished it were a dream, but she knew that wasn¡¯t true. . . Mara couldn¡¯t believe what she was witnessing. Despite having a first-class representation of Waldo¡¯s power from his aura and presence alone, actually seeing him fight in person was a whole other story. The monsters that Waldo is fighting, which she soon figured out to be curses, were around the same level as that strong curse she fought before at Fort Worth. If not the same level, they were at least somewhat on par. However, Waldo was ripping them apart with ease, almost as if it was a simple chore in the morning. He has this expression of extreme boredom and solemness on his face. It¡¯s clear that he doesn¡¯t see this as anything more than annoying. So when he sees even curses beginning to sprout up, he quickly turns towards Mara. ¡°Don¡¯t just idle about, you brat! If you are to gather experience, you must make it yourself! Get your ass over here!¡± He suddenly pulls on Mara¡¯s hair and throws her full force towards the curses. Mara crashes into one of the curses, somehow making it explode upon contact by the sheer power of Waldo¡¯s throw and shockwaves. The other cursed spirits back off at the sight of the human cannonball. When Mara gets up from the ground and sees the cursed spirits, she gasps in shock and then the cursed spirits begin to laugh. They see that it is just a child, and they start ganging up together. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Girl, you will have to finish them off! If you do not comply with my order, I will make sure you do not receive sustenance!¡± That was something that frightened Mara. In the 5 days that she has traveled with Waldo, not once has he ever gone back on his work. If he says that he¡¯ll destroy a city, he¡¯ll do it. If he says that he¡¯ll kill Mara, he¡¯ll definitely do it. So, if he says she won¡¯t receive any food or water, he meant it. That was enough of a motivator for Mara to get started. However, being a small 5-year-old girl and having no experience with the world, she wasn¡¯t sure what to do at this point. She knows she should fight, but how will she do that? The last time was a fluke, and she wasn¡¯t even aware it happened. Her thoughts are suddenly cut short as the cursed spirits begin lunging at her. Mara dodges one of the cursed spirits, the cursed spirit hitting the ground instead. Mara takes a deep breath as she stares at the cursed spirit and throws a punch at it. As expected, the punch does little damage to the cursed spirit since there is hardly any cursed energy. Before the next cursed spirit goes to attack Mara, Waldo clocks her in the head himself. ¡°That was the most pathetic attack I have ever witnessed! Are you purposely trying to rile me up, child? If you are to destroy your opponent, you have to attack them like this.¡± Waldo proceeds to glare at one of the cursed spirits. The cursed spirit suddenly jumps in fear and reluctantly comes closer to Waldo. Waldo then gets into his punching stance and blasts the curse to kingdom come. Now there was definitely cursed energy behind that strike. ¡°Now, show me a true fight, or I¡¯ll kill you next, brat!¡± Waldo glares at the cursed spirits again, causing them to back off with fear. He scoffs at their cowardice and jumps back about 50 meters. He crosses his arms, allowing his cape to fly freely in the wind. Now that he has set the stage for the fight, he has no further reason to intervene and will instead spectate. Mara looks back at the cursed spirits, who are still trembling from Waldo¡¯s presence. After seeing Waldo¡¯s ¡°teaching¡± method, she takes a deep breath and tries to do it herself. When Waldo sees that she is ready, he gives a death stare to the cursed spirits. Out of fear of what may happen, the cursed spirits yell out and charge towards Mara. Mara exhales deeply and focuses. Even if she doesn¡¯t have so much power at the moment, she¡¯ll continue to grow and gather more and more power. Even if she is just a child, she would prefer to go along this path than to die. (This is ok¡­ I have to do this. If I don¡¯t, I won¡¯t be strong. I don¡¯t want to die. I really don¡¯t want to die. But I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m very scared.) Mara assumes a stance again, albeit trembling. One of the cursed spirits at the front of the group jumps up and opens its jaws. Mara imbues her fists with cursed energy and waits for the right moment to strike. The jaws of the cursed spirit nearly chomp down on Mara, until she throws the punch at the cursed spirit square in the face. This time, the punch is far more refined, causing the attack to be that much more effective towards the cursed spirit. The cursed spirit backs away in pain as other cursed spirits begin to surround Mara. She then begins using her technique, causing her hands to glow and control the thermal energy around her. (This is progressing smoothly. It was the right choice to pick up this child. Although the power of her technique is pitiful at best. She won¡¯t ever amount to anything at this level.) Using some of the air to propel her attacks, Mara continues to attack the cursed spirits with her fists. Eventually, after much trial and error, Mara sits down on the ground, panting heavily. She has managed to defeat the cursed spirits on her own. Waldo watches as she gags and goes to a corner. He walks over to the corner and looms over the child. ¡°You did an adequate job, I suppose. However, you took far too much time taking care of such riff raff. It seems I shall have to start personally getting you into shape. You¡¯d best prepare for that.¡± Mara watches as Waldo seems to disappear from her sight. She frowns at being left alone again. She walks over in the direction of the fight to the wagon that Waldo has been making her pull for the past 5 days. She was surprised at how quickly he disassembled the nearby trees and turned the wood into a great wagon. Can¡¯t say that she expected a violent person to be an outstanding carpenter. But her excitement was quickly extinguished when Waldo forced her to carry the heavy wagon herself. She still remembers that moment. ¡°I have no need for sustenance or any sort of assistance. If you wish to gather such things, you¡¯ll have to do it yourself. Do not expect me to ever help you move them around. They are solely for you, and you¡¯d best keep up if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± Mara looks into the wares of the wagon and pulls out a leather bag. She has no idea how Waldo got any of this equipment, and she would rather not find out. Inside of the bag are some fruits and nuts. Mara pulls out 2 bananas and 1 apple from the bag. She sits down on the wagon and begins peeling the banana. This is her life now, wandering around with a monster. A monster that forces her to fight and do meaningless tasks. She hates it. If she could, she would run away but she knows that it wouldn¡¯t do anything. Waldo will find a way of finding her no matter where she could be. After peeling the banana, Mara takes a bite into it. The soft texture and taste of the banana helps calm her down. After the bombs went off around the world and transformed the land, she wasn¡¯t so sure that food would continue to exist out here. She¡¯s witnessed many trees in her old home decay and die anyway. She¡¯s just happy that she was lucky enough to find any food at all. (That man is a mystery. He¡¯s scary when he¡¯s fighting the curses. He¡¯s more of a curse than the other ones. I just hope he doesn¡¯t kill me one day.) Waldo suddenly lands on the ground, creating a small crater and making the wagon tremble. Mara looks up and wonders what he¡¯s going to do now. Is he mad at her for something? ¡°Off of your ass. Your training session with me begins immediately.¡± Heated Battle 3 May 4, 2020 Before Mara can even question what Waldo was about to do, Waldo suddenly launches himself over to her direction and throws a punch. Mara yelps and quickly gets off the wagon, dodging the attack and allowing the wagon to be completely destroyed. The wagon splits apart into several shards from the force of Waldo¡¯s attack. Mara falls down onto the ground and quickly gets up. She watches as Waldo begins walking towards her, crushing her half eaten banana under his boot. Fighting cursed spirits is hard enough, but now she has to fight the very thing she tries not to get mad? Is this the day that she dies? Waldo lunges towards Mara, catching her off guard with his incredible speed, and punches her in the gut. For Mara, the punch felt like the heaviest thing on Earth. It could never compare to the attacks she was taking from the cursed spirits. She coughs out a small amount of blood onto Waldo¡¯s arm and it ticks him off. ¡°You dare soil my arm with your human blood? You insolent brat!¡± With his other hand, Waldo grabs Mara¡¯s head and slams her into the ground. Mara tries to escape from his grasp, but her resistance is futile. He lifts her up again and slams her into the ground once more. Repeatedly, he lifts Mara up from the ground and slams her back into it. Mara cries out in pain and agony, tears and blood flowing down from her face. The crater that is slowly being formed from Mara¡¯s torture is gradually becoming stained with her crimson blood. Her blood also begins to splatter on Waldo¡¯s body. When Waldo has had enough of slamming Mara¡¯s head on the ground, he punches her across the face, sending her flying. He stares down at his hand that is fully covered in the red blood of a human. Waldo begins to chuckle. It¡¯s not about having blood on his hands, or even having a fun fight. It¡¯s the thought of relentlessly beating down on weak prey. If the girl won¡¯t learn to fight willingly, then he¡¯ll have to forcefully beat it into her. One way or another, he was going to make it work. And he was not going to take disobedience for an answer. Mara lies on the ground, clutching her broken head and crying loudly. The pain is absolutely unbearable. Her head was split open and it feels unreal. She assumed she was going to die at this very moment. But something within her wasn¡¯t going to allow her to give up. She could feel that feeling swelling up inside her. Once again, the desire to burn. (I hate you¡­ I hate you¡­ why do you do this to me¡­ I hate you¡­ I hate you¡­ I hate you! ) Waldo makes his way towards Mara, his footsteps resounding across the barren ground. He looks at the pitiful state Mara is in and grins. He chuckles to himself as he gets on one knee and looks at her body. (She¡¯s not worth it. Look at her, crawling into her own little safe spot. She¡¯s not a warrior, but that doesn¡¯t matter to me. I¡¯ll pound her into dust until she complies.) Suddenly, Waldo feels something on his arm and looks down. He sees some kind of steam or vapor coming out from it. And then, Waldo¡¯s arm catches aflame. His eyes widen in surprise at the sudden development and quickly cuts off his burning arm. He looks back down at the crater only to see that Mara is not in the spot she was just in. He turns around just fast enough to block an incoming kick from Mara. As he blocks her attack, he sees something different with her. Her eyes¡­ her eyes are different now! Her whole entire demeanor has changed and her attacks are sharp! ¡°So this is how you defeated the cursed spirits at the massacre! I knew there was something off about it! What a pleasant surprise!¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Waldo releases more power, deciding to not hold back so tremendously anymore. He regenerates the arm that he had cut off and throws a bizarre punch at Mara. The punch connects cleanly with Mara¡¯s face and knocks her away. Waldo immediately follows up with a drop kick, landing on Mara¡¯s chest. However, Mara grabs onto Waldo¡¯s legs and they begin to heat up incredibly fast. He grabs ahold of Mara¡¯s glowing hand and twists it out of place. Mara grunts in pain but still continues to persist. She lands a kick of her own on Waldo¡¯s face and throws several punches at his chest. ¡°Good! That¡¯s the spirit! You¡¯re finally on the same wavelength!¡± Mara can¡¯t help but get even angrier. Her hate is being associated with this monster¡¯s joy for battle. She¡¯s sick of it. She uses her left hand, conjuring her cursed technique, and tries to pull Waldo in using air pressure. Waldo glances behind him and blocks the blasts of air pressure that are hitting his back. Mara sees that the air isn¡¯t doing anything and throws another punch at Waldo. However, he catches Mara¡¯s fist. He then slams her into the ground and stomps on her stomach. Mara coughs out even more blood. She¡¯s starting to lose strength, not able to get Waldo¡¯s boot off of her. ¡°Get¡­ off of me!¡± Waldo smirks even more once he hears this defiance. He grabs Mara¡¯s head with the grip of a vise and lifts her up. Mara is forced to look at the face of a smiling demon. She¡¯s covered in bruises, wounds, blood, and grime. Her body is no longer in the condition to fight. She can only helplessly stare at the War Spirit with fear. She watches as Waldo¡¯s smile continues to spread across his face. ¡°For a small tyke like yourself, you have a great amount of power and potential. How in the world were you conceived? Your father didn¡¯t have any cursed energy or any source of a technique. You¡¯re a rare gem¡­ a treasure.¡± Waldo lets go of Mara¡¯s hair, her body dropping and falling limp on the ground. He chuckles for a moment. ¡°You¡¯d best engrave into that small head of yours that I shall always watch you. Any form of escape or retaliation is futile. I will make you endure a lifetime¡¯s worth of harsh training and discipline. Whether you will enjoy it or not, you will grow into a fine jujutsu sorcerer for my plans.¡± Waldo then realizes that he was talking to no one, seeing that Mara has gone unconscious. He scoffs in annoyance and picks her up roughly. If this child were to grow into a fine jujutsu sorcerer, she cannot be in this state forever. After all, humans are quite the weak creatures. The slightest crack in their defenses and they crumble to pieces. But Waldo will make sure that this child will not grow into such a human. He¡¯ll develop her into a human that will be able to clash with the strongest of curses. After picking Mara up, Waldo sets her down on a boulder. Using his cursed energy and Multiply, Waldo closes all of Mara¡¯s wounds and gets her patched up. Now all he has to do is wait until she wakes up. (Screw that, I¡¯m not about to wait another long time just for her to get her beauty rest. I¡¯m going off to find something amusing. Osoroi wouldn¡¯t wait around at a time like this. That person wouldn¡¯t rest, so neither should we. I will need to cultivate this child into the best warrior she can possibly be. If the partner I see in her comes true, then she will be a valuable asset and tool to overcoming Osoroi. I need to make that happen as soon as possible.) . . Waldo is currently hauling an entire dead cow on his way back to the site. The small amounts of food that the child collected were most likely destroyed during the fight. After all, the wagon got absolutely shattered by his punch. Since Waldo was already around and about and happened to come across a lone cow, he decided to kill it in one fell swoop and bring it back to the child. Having her own game being given to her instead of getting it herself would definitely make her frown. At least, according to Waldo¡¯s judgement. When he returns to the site with the cow in tow, he sees that Mara has awaken, now sitting on the boulder. Unexpectedly, he picks up the cow with one hand and launches it towards her. Mara sees the growing shadow of the cow, looks back to see the animal in the sky, and quickly gets off of the boulder to avoid sustaining any more damage. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your next supply of sustenance for the next 2 weeks. You¡¯d better use it well.¡± Waldo smirks, expecting to see Mara frown from seeing her own food being given to her by someone. Instead, she goes over to the cow and inspects it with wonder and curiosity in her eyes. Waldo¡¯s smirk falters upon seeing this, and just decides to throw a rock at Mara. Mara dodges it in just in time to only get a small scratch on her face. Waldo stands there and turns around. ¡°We¡¯ll be going west from here on out. You¡¯d best rebuild your wagon and get prepared. The journey is going to get rough.¡± Heated Battle 4 May 5, 2020 After Waldo and Mara¡¯s very first training session, instead of continuing to travel east, Waldo decides to go west from now on. When Waldo returned to the site with the cow, he made Mara rebuild the wagon herself using her own strength and technique. Down to the last wheel and plank of wood. Although it¡¯s not as reliable and sturdy as the wagon Waldo created, it would have to suffice. Thankfully, the wagon was able to withstand the weight of the dead cow and anything that was still left. Of course, the weight of such an animal only made it harder for Mara to pull the wagon ahead. Waldo would often scold her for being so slow and make her pull even harder by threatening to crush her with the cow. Mara would just have to suck it up and go along with it. After reaching a stopping point, Waldo decides to venture into the town of Abilene while Mara stayed behind with the wagon. She felt her stomach growling for food and uses a makeshift knife to cut out a small piece of the cow¡¯s flesh. She turns around again to see that Waldo has already turned into a simple dot in the distance, sprinting to the town. She looks back at the piece of meat that she cut out and gets out of the wagon with it. After taking a careful look around her surroundings, she tries to look for some wood or something flammable she can use to cook the meat. After all, humans eating raw meat isn¡¯t the best for them. An idea then pops into her head. What if she doesn¡¯t need material to cook the meat. She just needs to use her own technique to heat up the meat and cook it. And so, with this idea in mind, Mara finds a small flat rock to set her piece of meat on. She then concentrates her cursed energy and focuses on her technique. Her hands begin to glow, and sizzling sounds begin to be heard from the meat as it gets hotter. Then, Mara sees some steam coming from the meat. (It¡¯s working. It¡¯s really working!) Mara smiles with delight as she watches the meat quickly become cooked by the technique. After a couple of minutes, she releases her technique and goes over to touch the meat. Of course, like anything fresh out of the pan, it¡¯s pretty hot and it burns Mara¡¯s fingers. She instantly pulls back and decides to sit down, waiting for her meal to cool down. She looks back at the town, wondering what Waldo could be doing. Actually, that question should have an obvious answer: Nothing ethical. . . Waldo emerges from a cloud of smoke, his mouth and hands covered in red human blood. A smile grows on his face as he hears several screams in all directions. He turns to the right and sees several humans and children running away from him. He then turns to the left and sees more children with their mothers running away. There are sorcerers appearing and charging at him, attempting to take him down and save the town. Waldo turns towards the sorcerers and begins to stomp towards them. ¡°A few sheep coming to challenge the wolf. It¡¯s no different from running towards the gates of death. This resistance is meaningless. You shall satisfy my hunger for battle! Have at thee!¡± Waldo dashes towards the sorcerers, his speed immediately catching them off guard. In the eyes of the sorcerers, he seems to teleport. One of the sorcerers doesn''t even get to turn around before their head is cleanly cut off by Waldo. The sorcerers watch as their comrades fall one by one as the curse continues its onslaught. This entire massacre, and he¡¯s smiling throughout it all. ¡°What the hell is this thing? Everyone, fall bac-¡° The sorcerer suddenly has their heart ripped away before they even finish their statement. Waldo brings the organ towards his mouth and gulps it down in one large bite. He notices that the morale of the sorcerers has considerably dropped and they all run away with their tail in between their legs. Waldo¡¯s smile begins to fall and he gets pissed. The fight is running away from him. (The fight is supposed to be coming towards me. You¡¯re running away from your opponent like a coward? Oh, that strikes my nerves¡­) This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Waldo proceeds to condense a shockwave in his hand. Once enough cursed energy has been collected in his hand, he fires the shockwave from his hand and blows away all of the humans in its range. Any building or structure that was caught in the crossfire has crumbled away. Waldo smirks once more upon hearing the screams and picks a human body off of the ground. He grips one of the arms and tears it off forcefully, the ligaments and joints coming off as well. After devouring the arm, bone and all, he senses some people hiding inside one of the buildings. The exits collapsed so there was no choice for them but to stay inside. Waldo looks at the rest of the humans in the streets that are running away. He uses his shockwaves to create several serpents to block off the exits. They have also been tasked with killing off the rest of the humans that are trying to escape and the sorcerers that defend them. ¡°Now that the pests have been taken care of, it¡¯s time to enact this little game of hide and seek.¡± The sound of screams flood the town. It was the sound of these screams that causes Waldo¡¯s drive to play along with meaningless games like Hide and Seek. He wishes to relish moments like this where he can torment the weak like playthings. This is truly what it means to live as the War Spirit. Waldo looks at his shockwave figures tearing apart the humans that are escaping. He specifically ordered them to leave the bodies mostly intact. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be much meat or bones to snack on once this raid is finished. Waldo looks up at the top of the building for a few seconds and proceeds to step inside of the blazing building. He can immediately sense the humans inside of the building, but for the sake of keeping the game more enjoyable, he purposely dulls his senses so it¡¯s slightly harder. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are! It doesn¡¯t matter where you humans may hide, I will eventually find you. This is what you deserve for being such an atrocious species.¡± Meanwhile, back at the wagon, Mara enjoys the last remains of her cooked steak. She squeals silently with joy at the exquisite taste and texture of the meat. She hasn¡¯t had anything decent to eat ever since Doomsday had started. Being able to cook something and smell the scent of smoke again was amazing. Wait¡­ smoke? (I¡¯m smelling smoke? But there¡¯s nothing here. Is it the air? Did I accidentally burn something while cooking the steak?) Then, Mara looks to her right and finds her answer. She sees the town from afar now engulfed in a golden and orange light. That¡¯s where Waldo went, and he¡¯s destroying the town! Should she go and see what¡¯s happening? No, he¡¯ll probably kill her right then and there. There could be other curses attacking as well. It doesn¡¯t have to be Waldo. If it really is other curses, could she take care of them when their power is that high? And so, despite her urge to run towards the town and check what is happening, Mara restrains herself and abstains from coming across another massacre. ¡°For a minute, I forgot that he was a curse¡­ a monster that kills and eats humans¡­ how did I forget that? He¡¯s cruel, so strong, and he¡¯s crazy. Why¡­ Why did he take me with him?¡± Back at the ruined town, Waldo bites into a human head. There are a couple of things that he has learned after being out and about for a good amount of time: Children taste much better than adults, the blood of adults has a much more appealing consistency, sorcerers are males 9 out of 10 times, and females have a much better reaction to bloodshed. The screams they release are like music to his ears. He finishes chewing the human flesh in his mouth and licks the blood off of his teeth. He watches as his shockwave soldiers come back and await further orders. ¡°Continue to pile them up. They¡¯ll make for brilliant appetizers in the near future. Perhaps I can even trick the child into eating her own kin without realizing. Say, that¡¯s not a bad idea at all. Hehe.¡± And so, at the orders of Waldo, the shockwave soldiers continue to pile up all of the corpses that they see on the streets. Waldo hollows out the top of a human skull. He wrings out the blood of a random corpse and fills up the skull with blood. He drinks from the skull as he watches the shockwaves soldiers move the humans into piles. After a few minutes of piling and checking each of the humans, Waldo counted about 392 human corpses piled together. He smirks and laughs. ¡°What a harvest. It was quite the entertaining hunt. I see that there were several children as well.¡± Waldo opens his mouth and begins to rapidly devour the pile of corpses. He tears through them greedily and bites through all of the bones. He continues to eat the human corpses for several minutes until only 5 remain. Once he leaves these last corpses untouched, he commands his shockwave soldiers to carry them along. The shockwaves comply without question and pick up the corpses. They follow Waldo out of the town with the corpses in tow. While Waldo and his shockwaves continue to march, Waldo smiles as he begins to come up with a plan. (Perhaps there is a way to trick the child into eating the flesh of her own people. I could use that as leverage in the future so she can no longer defy me. And it¡¯ll be such a delight to watch her reaction!) Mara begins to hear some footsteps in the distance and turns around. She drops her stick that she was using to draw on the dirt. Her eyes widen as she sees Waldo coming out of the shadows along with several blue figures carrying human bodies. She feels something come up her throat and she tries to hold it in. Waldo grins at this, expecting such a reaction. ¡°Well? Delighted to see me?¡± Heated Battle 5 May 6, 2020 It has been a day since Waldo has raided the town of Abilene. The smell of the human corpses in the wagon never left Mara¡¯s nose after they continued to venture further west. She frankly recalls the moment when Waldo returned from his massacre. The scent of the dead flesh and the sight of so much blood made Mara vomit quite a bit. Waldo punished her for this action and then everything went dark. She assumes that Waldo hit her and she got knocked unconscious. Mara follows behind Waldo as she is pulling the wagon with her. She turns around slightly to look at the rotting corpses on the wagon. She quickly turns away in disgust, trying not to nauseate herself. She looks back up at Waldo, who carelessly munches on an arm as they walk. Mara¡¯s face grimaces with slight disgust and discomfort. (He does it so naturally, and it¡¯s not right with me. But he¡¯s a curse, so of course he eats humans, duh. I just wonder if he knows where we¡¯re supposed to go. We¡¯ve been walking a long time.) ¡°Mister¡­?¡± Waldo takes another bite into the arm. He stops walking and glares over at Mara. Mara is still not used to his intense gaze and shivers a bit. ¡°What do you need, child?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ do you know where we¡¯re going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going in this direction. What does it matter if we go this way or another?¡± (So, we¡¯re not going anywhere at all?) Mara can¡¯t seem to understand Waldo¡¯s motive with all of this traveling. It doesn¡¯t seem like he even has a concrete location he wants to visit. They really are just wandering around aimlessly. ¡°Well¡­ what is one place that you would like to go?¡± Waldo chews the human flesh inside of his mouth as her ponders that question. Really, any place that has a lot of humans is an excellent choice. However, a location that has a strong opponent awaiting the challenge also sounds enticing. Now, this was a tough decision to make. ¡°If I were forced to make a decision, I would select a location that has the strongest opponent I could ever hope to encounter. Even if I were to die during the battle, at least I would disappear in a thrill. Hold on¡­ why¡¯re you inquiring such a thing in the first place?¡± ¡°Oh! No reason¡­ I was just wondering.¡± ¡°Behave yourself. Don¡¯t mess with me. Get back to pulling the wagon, child.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± 3 hours soon pass, and Waldo suddenly decides to stop the wagon. He puts his hand out behind him and Mara stops the wagon. ¡°I can sense some curses lurking in the area up ahead. It¡¯s been some time since you¡¯ve fought, and so, you are to immediately exorcise those curses.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ could I finish my piece of steak first please?¡± Waldo¡¯s gaze suddenly intensifies. This made it clear to Mara that Waldo wasn¡¯t requesting, but was ordering Mara to go out there and defeat the curses. Left with no other choice, Mara sighs and reluctantly leaves her slice of steak on a nearby rock. She lets go of the wagon and runs out towards the presence of cursed energy. Once Waldo sees that she has run off far enough, he stares down at the slice of flesh that she cooked. He picks it up from the rock and inspects the slice, dangling it around and touching it. He then proceeds to devour it whole. He¡¯s caught slightly off guard by the taste of cooked meat. ¡°Oh? This is quite a different taste. Although it is lacking in some blood, the overall quality and flavor has changed. If I can get the child to do this cooking on human corpses that I find, they will turn out to be an even more delectable snack. Yes, that I shall do.¡± However, the fact that Waldo ate Mara¡¯s slice of steak still remained. Of course, being who he is, Waldo doesn¡¯t care in the slightest. He walks back to the wagon and proceeds to tear off a leg from one of the human corpses that are laying on top of it in the back. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. (After the child returns from her exorcism, I will put her through some training myself. I can feel her power slowly rising the more she continues to practice her abilities.) There was one problem with Waldo¡¯s expectations, however. Now that Mara has found a rare occasion in which she is away from Waldo, she has the opportunity to do something that would restore her freedom: Escape from the curse. She was certain that she has ran a good amount of distance. If she can continue to move at this rate, Waldo wouldn¡¯t be able to find her. But, when she looks forward and continues to run, the curses that Waldo told her about appear from the shadows. They snarl at the child and inch closer. Mara stands her ground and assumes a stance. ¡°I have to go. I need you all out of my way!¡± . . Waldo finishes eating the rest of the meat that stuck onto the bone of the leg. He then bites into the bone itself and begins to chew. With the power of his jaws, the hard bone was reduced to nothing but small pieces and eventually swallowed. Mara still hasn¡¯t returned and he begins to ask questions. (This child¡­ It''s taking them quite some time to deal with the curses. The curses aren¡¯t strong at all, though. She shouldn¡¯t encounter any difficulties whilst in battle.) ¡°Oh well. I cannot watch over her like some protector if she wishes to grow into a strong sorcerer. She will have to learn to overcome her own walls using her own methods. So is the way of a warrior.¡± Waldo extends his arms outward and several shockwaves come out from his body. Those shockwaves morph themselves into several clones and soldiers that surround him in all directions. Since Mara has taken all of the opponents that have shown up, this simply means Waldo will have to create his own enemies. ¡°I¡¯m not so patient that I¡¯ll sit still and wait for her to stroll on back. After all, I am the War Spirit. It¡¯s time to make some noise!¡± Meanwhile, a curse begins lashing out at Mara, showing its long and sharp teeth as it attempts to grab her with its jaws. However, Mara has more speed than the curse, allowing her to dodge all the attacks and bites with some ease. She reinforces her body with cursed energy and begins to combo the curse with punches and kicks mid air. Then, once that curse is exorcised, another curse comes into the fray and slashes their claws at Mara. Mara manages to narrowly get out of the way, only receiving a small scratch on her face. She jumps back and activates her technique. The curse charges forward towards Mara but quickly becomes engulfed in a flame and gradually burns into nothingness. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to deal with curses. I have to get away! This could be my only chance.¡± After checking her surroundings for any more curses, Mara picks up the pace and starts to sprint. Knowing Waldo, he¡¯s definitely keeping himself occupied doing god knows what while he waits for her. If that¡¯s the case, she can take further advantage of this and get farther away. She continues to run, moving her little legs as fast and hard as she can possibly make them. (If he finds me, I don¡¯t want to know about what he would do to me. That¡¯s why I have to keep going! I¡¯ll find a way to stay alive or find another place of people that can help me. I¡¯m not alone in this world!) Suddenly, Mara seems to run into some sort of wall. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to what was in front of her, but it couldn¡¯t have been a tree. She rubs her forehead from the sudden collision and opens up an eye only to be met face to face with the radiant blue eye of Waldo. The outcome that Mara was wishing to not happen just appeared in front of her very own eyes. She looks up from her spot on the ground, laying witness to the War Spirit¡¯s full wrath. Mara never knew that his eye could become that intense. He must be incredibly pissed off at the moment. (No, I can¡¯t think about that right now. I have to find some way to escape or he¡¯ll kill me!) Mara quickly makes a decision and opens her hands, aiming them at Waldo. Maybe she can distract him in some way. In the blink of an eye, however, small wooden stakes appear from seemingly nowhere and pierce through her hands. Waldo takes these wooden stakes and nails her to a large tree. Mara yells from the pain and looks at her hands. She can¡¯t move them a single inch, and resisting only makes it much worse. She¡¯s put in a position in which she has to watch as Waldo makes his way towards her in such an intimidating and threatening manner. His hair almost appears to stand up from how much rage he feels. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe you were foolish enough to attempt it, but what else could I expect from a *disgusting* human? It runs in your species.¡± Once Waldo is in front of Mara, he throws a punch, the strike landing just beside Mara¡¯s head. It makes a large impact on the tree, leaving behind a great circular dent. Mara looks up at Waldo¡¯s radiant eye with fear and begins to sob. The amount of fear she feels for Waldo right now is completely muffling the pain from her hands. She wails out, trying to apologize to him ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t run away again! I promise! Please, let me go!¡° ¡°Do you think you''re in a position to bargain?¡± Mara¡¯s apology is suddenly cut short as she receives a devastating kick to her ribs. Several of her ribs shatter to pieces and Mara releases a waterfall of blood from her mouth. One or two fractures of her ribs can be seen sticking out from her body. Waldo forcefully puts his hand on Mara¡¯s neck Silence your own filthy mouth, or I¡¯ll silence it for you! If you weren¡¯t a useful tool to me I would have thrown you away the instant I saw you!¡± Waldo then moves his hand to Mara¡¯s face, his thumb resting on her left eye. His grip suddenly begins to tighten and his thumb applies more and more pressure. Mara¡¯s vision begins to blur away and she screams violently. ¡°You¡¯ve acted with quite the amount of audacity today. Perhaps you don¡¯t need all of your body parts. Consider this a symbol of your idiotic rebellion against me.¡± Squelch Waldo¡¯s thumb punctures its journey. Mara¡¯s screams are instantly deafened. The amount of shock that she just experienced was enough to kill her, but Waldo is using some of his cursed energy to keep her just on the brink of living. He removes his thumb from the once healthy eye socket and licks off the blood. The wooden stakes that held up her hands are removed and Mara rag dolls onto the ground. She ever so slowly looks up at Waldo again, not knowing that she can¡¯t really see anymore. Heated Battle 6 May 10, 2020 Mara hasn¡¯t spoken a single word since then. When Waldo¡¯s temper lowered and he calmed down, he reluctantly used his cursed technique on her to put all of the shattered ribs back together. However, he purposely refrained from healing Mara¡¯s eye, allowing her to have a substantial scar stay with her. That is meant to remind her of what would happen if she did such a thing again. (It still hurts so much¡­ This hole in my eye is so painful.) It has been 4 days since Waldo caught up to Mara and punished her for her escape attempt. Any thought of defying Waldo or another escape attempt was no longer plausible to Mara. Being able to think of such scenarios seems foreign to her now. She knew from the beginning that Waldo was something frightening, that going against him would end up bad. But when presented with the best possible opportunity to escape, she had no choice but to seize it. Of course, the outcome was not the best, but at least she is still alive and on her own two feet. She is grateful for that much at least, as well as Waldo treating her internal wounds. The both of them then sense some activity up ahead. Mara lets go of the wagon and takes a couple of steps forward. Waldo crosses his arms and glances at her. ¡°You know what to do. I expect to hear satisfactory results.¡± Mara nods silently and heads out. She activates her technique, causing her hands to glow once again. This time, she heats up the air to slightly propel herself forward as she runs. She can¡¯t run nearly as fast as Waldo could run, but this would have to do for now. Suddenly, Mara¡¯s instincts tell her to move out of the way. Following her instincts, Mara quickly jumps back. A very long and fleshly tongue with a needle at the end hits the ground. Mara looks up and sees someone coming out from nowhere. (That¡¯s camouflage! He blended in with the tree¡¯s color to hide his presence and surprise attack me. His cursed technique could be tricky) ¡°Darn it! You dodged my clever surprise attack! That¡¯s not how it¡¯s supposed to play out you stupid girl!¡± Mara couldn¡¯t help but notice that the person has scales across their body. With their camouflage, scaly body, and that tongue attack, their technique must have to do with chameleons. ¡°Now that I pulled you away from that frightening beast, I¡¯m going to take you hostage and force my way into all of your food. I haven¡¯t eaten in days, you know!?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I must refuse!¡± The person grunts in anger at Mara¡¯s refusal and dashes towards her. He unleashes his claws and throws a flurry of swipes at Mara. Mara dodges all of the attacks, kicks off of a nearby tree, and throws a kick across his chin. The man takes the kick and stumbles back. Their eyes widen at the power Mara wields, as it is more than they anticipated. ¡°So you want to play it rough, eh? I didn¡¯t know you were a violent child. I was going to just take you in silently, but I think I¡¯m going to hurt you now!¡± Mara doesn¡¯t wait for the man to finish his speech and immediately goes in for a punch. The punch was simply a feint and Mara goes down low for a sweep. However, the man smirks, dodges the sweep, and kicks Mara in her chest. Mara quickly gets back up. She sees a rock at her side, picks it up, and hurls it towards the sorcerer. The sorcerer then opens his mouth and his tongue comes out again. The needle pierces through the rock and grazes Mara¡¯s shoulder. Mara ignores the injury and takes a deep breath. She then appears in front of the sorcerer, using the air to propel herself, and lands a clean punch to their face. The sorcerer falls onto the ground a little too easily and looks up at Mara. Mara looks down at the sorcerer with a glare. ¡°Please, let me go! I¡¯ll admit it, I messed with the wrong people! I¡¯ll leave you and your food alone. I¡¯ll just find something else. Please, I beg! You can just leave me here and I¡¯ll go the other way. Promise!¡± Mara¡¯s glare softens a bit and she lowers her guard. At the end of the day, she¡¯s still just a child. Not a seasoned warrior. Unlike Waldo, she lets her human nature show mercy to her enemies. She takes a breather and unclenches her fist. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Ok, just leave this place. You should go before he sees you.¡± Mara¡¯s arm suddenly goes limp and numb. She clutched her arm and sees her veins gradually becoming purple. Some parts of her shoulder also begin to turn purple. In that moment, she realizes something. The needle at the end of the sorcerer¡¯s tongue was laced. It must have a poison that slowly decayed the body of anyone it comes into contact with. Mara falls to her knees and begins to breathe heavily. The poison is taking a heavy effect on her. The sorcerer smirks and starts to laugh out loud. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me! I didn¡¯t actually believe you were this stupid! Did you really think I would just leave like this? Of course I wouldn¡¯t, I¡¯m doing everything I can to survive in this new hellish environment. Even if I have to take the life of a child, it¡¯s all for the good of nature.¡± The sorcerer gets and walks over to Mara. He opens up his mouth and his tongue slithers out. As the sorcerer¡¯s tongue gets even closer to Mara, an unknown pressure is suddenly exerted onto the sorcerer that causes them to immediately withdraw. Their body refuses to move, and they are struck with an intense fear. A booming voice and clamping footsteps can be heard from within the shadows. ¡°And just like the way of nature, it is imminent that you filthy humans are to suffer at my hands.¡± The sorcerer starts to sweat bullets. They grit their teeth, trying to keep themselves standing from the intense pressure. This must be the curse that was with the child. But how can he exert such pressure? There is only one thought racing through his mind: Do not resist. ¡°And just what do you think you¡¯re doing, Mara? I did not expect that you would come out of this so pathetically. You and I will have to discuss some matters when we return, understand?¡± Mara nods and tries to get back up. Waldo suddenly appears next to her and uses his cursed energy to hollow out the poison. He wasn¡¯t aware that he could do that until a couple of days ago. Mara has no clue as to how he could do this. There are still many mysterious things revolving around Waldo. Where did he come from? What is his technique? Who actually is he? Once Waldo finishes things up with Mara, he turns around and throws an intense gaze at the sorcerer. ¡°As for you¡­ you thought you could outmaneuver me and steal my possessions. You even dared to mess with the child. Even for a human, you are one of the most foolhardy creatures I have ever seen. Just like you said, it¡¯s in the good of nature that you suffer by my hands. After all, I am the War Spirit.¡± The sorcerer falls on his back and tries to scurry away. In a desperate attempt to get away, he opens his mouth and shoots out his tongue at Waldo. The needle hits its mark directly into Waldo¡¯s eye. The sorcerer grins, hoping that the poison will now allow him to escape. However, Waldo moves his hand down like a blade and cuts the tongue in half. Waldo then removes the needle that is stuck to him and drops it onto the ground. ¡°A futile attack like that¡­ had no reason to be avoided.¡± The sorcerer retracts their injured tongue and begins to sob. Tears flow down their face as they crawl away, unable to stand back up. Suddenly, Waldo appears in front of the sorcerer. He yelps in fear and looks at the War Spirit. In a flash, his back and spinal cord are crushed by Waldo¡¯s stomp. The sorcerer screams and vomits out blood. He didn¡¯t know that a curse could be so cruel. He thought that they were just like wild, undomesticated animals like the ones he killed before. Before his last moments, he quickly looks at Mara and pleads for help. ¡°Save me! Please, don¡¯t let him kill me! Have some mercy!¡± Mara stands there, unfazed by the sorcerer¡¯s cries for help. When the sorcerer realizes that neither Mara or Waldo will spare him, he angrily shouts out: ¡°Curse you!¡± With a single punch, Waldo turns their head into nothing but a bloody paste. . . ¡°Hm¡­ this is just mediocre at best.¡± Waldo tosses the heart behind him, allowing the wagon to crush it under its wheel. ¡°That human wasn¡¯t very wise nor appetizing. Their flesh was strange. Not to my taste. Perhaps it was because of his strange composition. I¡¯ve never seen a human with scales like that.¡± Waldo and Mara continue on their way after dealing with a straggler jujutsu sorcerer. Mara caresses her cheek, the place Waldo punched her after they got back to the wagon. He was utterly disappointed that Mara fell into a very obvious and naive trap. ¡°In the heat of battle, you must throw away all morality for the sake of winning. Opponents will throw deception at you and if you allow yourself to get raveled in it you will lose your life. Never spare anyone, even another human. Humans are hateful creatures. How do you think you all got yourselves into this mess?¡± Those were Waldo¡¯s exact words to Mara, and they have no trouble getting engraved into her mind. She refrained from really hurting the sorcerer fatally because she wasn¡¯t ready to kill another human just yet. Her father was killed not too long ago, and she would be killing another human. She couldn¡¯t bear having blood be stained on her hands. How could she face her parents like that? She would just have to endure any punishment that Waldo gives her. ¡°Stop the wagon right here.¡± Mara suddenly comes to a stop and lets go of the wagon. Waldo has also come to a stop. His eye intensifies as he walks forward toward a large tree. He senses something, but Mara doesn¡¯t see or hear a thing. ¡°Your hiding skills are pitiful. Show yourself, you slimy coward.¡± From behind that tree, some sort of amalgamation comes out. It¡¯s in a humanoid form, but it certainly isn¡¯t a human. It¡¯s some kind of mutated creature. Waldo wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this toxic environment began to morph humans into other things. However, Mara¡¯s eyes begin to fill with tears upon the sight of the mutant. It looks¡­ oddly familiar. Could it be? ¡°¡­Dad?¡± Heated Battle 7 May 10, 2020 The thoughts lingering inside of Waldo¡¯s mind were confirmed. This mutated figure, or rather this mutated human, indeed looks familiar to him. Although warped, he shares certain distinctions characteristics of that one corpse Mara was with. He steps forward while cracking his neck, until Mara suddenly tugs at his cape. Waldo looks behind him with a glare. He removes Mara¡¯s hand from his cape. ¡°You dare put your hand on me, child? You must be looking for something terrible.¡± ¡°Please¡­ let me fight him. I want to be the one¡­ please let me do it!¡± ¡°Ordering me around, are you? You have quite the daring tongue on you!¡± Waldo grabs Mara by the collar and lifts her up. He stares angrily at her, but Mara looks back at him with resolve in her eyes. An unyielding, unshakable resolve. Waldo sees that burning flame in her eyes, and lowers his grip. He is convinced by her purpose and drops her to the ground. Mara looks up with confusion, not knowing Waldo would let her go just like that. ¡°Although you dare speak to me in such a manner, your words carry meaning and purpose. And purpose is what fuels victory¡­ Very well, I¡¯ll allow you to take the initiative just this once. Be sure to entertain me.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The mutant takes a stomp forward and lets out a low growl. The face of Mara¡¯s father can be seen in a deformed and ugly picture. Their body is burly and large, almost as if something purposely pumped unethical steroids into it. And this cursed energy wasn¡¯t there before. Could it be a side effect of the mutation? Suddenly, the mutant runs forward and attempts to tackle Waldo. Waldo simply stands there and lets Mara come in between them and block the tackle. ¡°You¡¯re dealing with me, Dad! Me, and only me!¡± Waldo grins and disappears. He reappears back on top of a tree, standing there while overseeing the beginning of a battle. He crosses his arms, getting the full extent of the flowing wind. ¡°A father versus daughter fight, eh? This will surely prove to be a splendid spectacle.¡± The mutant roars and pushes Mara to the side. Mara jumps back and sends a blast of air towards the mutant. The mutant gets hit by the air blast on his stomach and stumbles back. He stomps his foot and begins rushing forward. Mara shoots even more blasts of air towards the mutant, but the mutant continues to charge towards Mara without taking damage. Mara sees that the air blasts aren¡¯t doing anything so she steels herself and looks for the right time. Once the mutant gets close enough, Mara gets out of the way and the mutant crashes into a tree, bringing the entire arbor down to the ground. He has a lot of power, but he doesn¡¯t have much of a way to use it. Even so¡­ (I need to be able to use that power from before! I probably won¡¯t be able to beat dad if I don¡¯t use it. But how can I do it? How do I use it?) The mutant spins around in circles, dizzy and hurt from crashing into the tree. The mutant shakes their head to get rid of the dizziness and come back to their senses. They look at Mara and growl. Mara then dashes towards the mutant and lands an uppercut. Following the uppercut, Mara lands a few more punches to the mutant¡¯s chest and core before landing a roundhouse kick on the neck. The mutant falls down to the ground with a thud. Mara takes a breath and jumps back. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Did that do it? It didn¡¯t feel like I did much damage to him.¡± The mutant suddenly looks to its side and sees a sharp piece of wood. It quickly grabs the piece of wood and rolls back up. It attempts to crush Mara under one of its fists. Mara dodges the heavy attack but is suddenly caught off guard and stabbed in the hip by the piece of wood. Mara coughs out some blood but then clutches the wood. The mutant tries to take out the wood but Mara is holding it in place. ¡°I got you now!¡± The wood is suddenly turned up in temperature and ignites. The mutant¡¯s hand catches on fire and the flames begin to spread across their whole body. They yell out in agony from being burned alive. They let go of the wood and flail their arms around, one of them striking Mara in the face and causing her to fall down. Meanwhile, Waldo looks from the top of the tree. She managed to allow herself to get hurt in order to land an unavoidable attack. Although it is quite the risky move depending on who does it, it¡¯s effective no matter what. She¡¯s slowly but surely turning into an ideal sorcerer. ¡°Now the battle is getting more interesting. Way to turn up the heat, Mara.¡± The mutant continues to flail around as Mara¡¯s technique burns them down. Mara looks at her hand, which has suffered a small burn from the power of her attack. She clutches at her hip wound, falling onto one knee. There¡¯s a lot of blood coming out from the stab wound as well as several splinters of wood stuck inside of the flesh. The punch that she sustained from the mutant earlier also did a number on her jaw. She¡¯s hoping for a miracle that the mutant goes down with this one attack. Of course, as Waldo was looking down at the battle, he knew that it would take much more than some fire to defeat a thing like this. Like Waldo predicted, the mutant¡¯s burning flesh begins to regenerate. Any visible black and brown marks of ash are reverting back to normal. Mara sees this and her eyes widen. Now that the mutant is regenerating, his eyes are locked onto Mara and he growls. His fists are then reinforced with cursed energy and he stands stronger than ever. ¡°Kill¡­ I must¡­ kill¡­ I kill you!¡± The mutant suddenly gets on all fours and quickly covers the distance. Mara is struck in the face with a heavy headbutt. She stumbles back, covering her bloody nose, and is then struck with a punch to her ribs. As soon as the mutant punches her, she reinforces her own fist with cursed energy and attacks back, kicking him in the shin. The mutant is staggered for a split second, but that gives Mara enough time to kick them away and charge a blast of air. The blast is released in a compressed size, the mutant being sent several meters away. (She¡¯s learning more about her technique as the fight progresses. She most likely hasn¡¯t realized it yet, but she increased the temperature around her wounds to allow a sort of stabilization. With her body temperature increasing, she¡¯s able to exert more pressure. But the opponent she is facing is a large tank as well as a mutant She¡¯ll be forced into serious mode sooner or later.) Mara continues to stand her ground as she watches the mutant slowly get back up. She quickly picks up a nearby boulder using her cursed energy reinforced body and throws it. The mutant sees the boulder coming towards them, winds up a punch, and shatters the flying boulder. Mara then uses hot air to propel herself forward, attempting to catch the mutant off guard, and lands an upward kick on the mutant¡¯s head. The mutant quickly recovers from the attack and manages to grab Mara¡¯s leg while she is still in mid air. He slams her small body into the ground with much force, causing her to nearly lose consciousness upon impact. However, she wasn¡¯t going to allow herself to go down just like this. She needed to do more. She needed much more in order to let her father finally rest. Mara creates a small blast of air to release herself from the mutant¡¯s grip. She gets a moment to take a breath and rolls out of the way of the mutant¡¯s stomp. She jumps back up but only to see the mutant dash towards her as fast as they can. Mara jumps in surprise and is suddenly thrashed into the air. She collides with a random tree stump and coughs out more blood on her clothes. ¡°I kill¡­ kill anyone who hurts me. You hurt me¡­ I kill you! I kill you for Mara!¡± Mara¡¯s eyes are shot wide open. The mutant, her father, just said her name unexpectedly. But how would he still know? He has to still remember her in some way! (His consciousness must somehow still be alive. Although, he can¡¯t recognize that he¡¯s fighting his own offspring. What a pitiful sight. At the end of the day, this mutated human is nothing more than a mindless brute, destroying anything on instinct.) Mara slowly gets up, the mutant staring at her with angry eyes. Mara eases up, the tension leaving her body. Her dad still knows of her, how could she possibly kill him now? That would just be cruel. She walks towards the mutant, the mutant growing in hostility. When Waldo sees this spectacle of mercy, his hand curls into a fist from irritation. Did what he say earlier do nothing? ¡°You idiotic, naive child! That thing will eat you without a second thought!¡± Heated Battle 8 May 10, 2020 Waldo watches in irritation as Mara drops her guard and walks over to the mutant with such fragile eyes. She completely let go of her hostility and is resorting to tricks like this? What the hell is she thinking? (That is no longer your disgusting father, child. That is a mutated beast that will consume what is in its path. If you believe you can somehow reach your father¡¯s consciousness, you must be more foolish than I initially believed.) The mutant continues to growl at Mara, although they¡¯re not attacking. Mara looks at the mutant with such a sad and pitiful smile. The mutant¡¯s furious expression drops ever so slightly. Mara continues to inch closer. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, dad. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I wasn¡¯t a kid. If I was big and strong like mom was, I could have saved you¡­ and you wouldn¡¯t have to be such a monster.¡± The mutant lowers their scowl and their expression is replaced with a confused and slightly frightened look. Mara continues to walk closer, and the mutant suddenly begins to take small steps back. It growls again, trying to keep Mara away from him. When Mara gets even closer, the mutant slashes at her with his claws, making a clean cut on her stomach. However, Mara doesn¡¯t fall or stand down, she continues to look up at the mutant with a sad smile on her face. Despite the pain she¡¯s feeling and the blood trickling down her stomach, she doesn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ y-you don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore. I¡¯m right here, dad.¡± Mara takes the mutant¡¯s hand in hers. The mutant freezes, their scowl dropping once again. Their body begins to slightly tremble. Their eyes release all tension and seem to gradually calm down. ¡°I¡¯ll keep being with you dad. I know you¡¯re only fighting because you want to protect me because mom isn¡¯t here anymore. But it''s fine. Mara is okay¡­I¡¯m still here.¡± Mara suddenly feels a drop of water touch her nose. She looks up at the mutant¡¯s face¡­ to see it crying. ¡°My¡­ my precious daughter¡­¡± Mara¡¯s eyes glimmer with light as she hears her father¡¯s voice once again. Even if it is slightly distorted, it¡¯s still undeniably her father. Her own tears begin to fall down her face. The sight of seeing her dad once again¡­ there was no way a child wouldn¡¯t cry about it. She thought she had lost him. ¡°Dad! You¡¯re really back¡­ I thought I would never see you again!¡± However, the only one who wasn¡¯t in the moment was Waldo. His fists are being clenched with such a grip that his palm is leaking blood. The light on his eye furiously moves around in response to his anger. Not only was he humiliated that his theory was proven wrong, but that Mara actually succeeded in being so audacious that she would go against Waldo¡¯s order of ending the mutant¡¯s life. The War Spirit descends from their position atop the tree. They land on the ground with a crashing boom, the sound resounding across the area. Mara and her father turn around to see a furious Waldo stomping towards them. His feet leave behind heavy markings on the dirt. Mara already recognizes the look on Waldo¡¯s face. It was the same expression he had when he made Mara lose an eye. A sudden burst of fear and shivers run through Mara¡¯s body. Mara¡¯s dad suddenly ups his guard and stands in front of Mara. ¡°Mara, stay behind me. This thing is a monster! I won¡¯t let him hurt you!¡± ¡°No, dad! I know him! I¡¯ve been traveling with him for a while since I left Fort Worth. But please, don¡¯t attack him!¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Waldo slowly smirks at this conversation. He chuckles and Mara¡¯s dad glares at him. Waldo knuckles begin to contract as his bloodlust begins to seep out from him. ¡°A mere non-sorcerer threatens to attack me. You humans never cease to get in on my nerves. You will meet your devilish end by my own hands!¡± ¡°Waldo, no!¡± Mara¡¯s dad moves Mara out of the way and clenches their fist. He reinforces his body with as much cursed energy as he can. ¡°You stay away from my daughter, you scum!¡± Waldo suddenly disappears from his spot. He appears dashing towards Mara¡¯s dad, stretching out his arm. Mara¡¯s dad¡¯s eyes widen at the sheer speed of the curse. Squelch The shocking tide of the battle suddenly falls silent. All parties are standing with wide eyes, their bodies frozen. Waldo looks at his arm, now pierced through flesh. At the longer half, his arm and hand is drenched in red blood. He stares at his victim with a furious eye. He grabs the shoulder, and pulls out his bloody arm. He watches as the victim falls to the ground¡­ as Mara falls to the ground. ¡°No¡­ my daughter¡­ Why¡­ Why would you do that? Mara, why?!¡± Mara¡¯s father gets down on the ground as well and turns Mara around, inspecting her wound. The wound is a clean and clear puncture, the hole as big as the end of a baseball bat. The wound was this close to puncturing through any vital organs. Since Waldo was not expecting Mara to come between him and her dad, he wasn¡¯t aiming for her vitals and her size threw him off. And so, Waldo is now staring down at Mara¡¯s body with a furious eye. ¡°You¡­ you infuriating brat¡­ you had the guts to interfere with my business and give yourself up. Your audacity knows no limits.¡± Mara¡¯s dad suddenly grows angry and grabs Waldo by his collar. He stares daggers into Waldo, despite knowing how strong he really is now. ¡°You damn monster! You just killed my one and only daughter! My last source of hope and light in this world! I oughta-¡° Mara¡¯s dad is suddenly slammed into the ground by Waldo¡¯s one hand. He coughs out a small amount of blood and looks up at the looming figure that is staring down at him. That blue eye of his seems to peer into his very soul. ¡°You¡¯re quite gutsy to touch me so freely, human. Even if you mutated into a new evolved state, you are still an insignificant flea compared to me. And it¡¯s bold of you to assume that your daughter is dead. Although she is hanging on by the thinnest thread you can imagine, she is still alive. You¡¯d better thank me instead for keeping her alive. I have plans for the future, and Mara is a part of them.¡± Mara¡¯s dad gets silent. Waldo allows him to get back up and return to Mara¡¯s side in a puddle of blood. He grits his teeth, trying to come up with a possible solution as to how Mara can be saved. But what could he do? What kind of technique or miracle can just magically make such a grave wound disappear? Suddenly, when he least expects it, a cold hand touches his shoulder with a firm grip. ¡°I can assist with your troubles, sir.¡± Mara¡¯s dad turns around in response to the cold hand. He sees a tall robed man with several small wrapped clothes around his left eye. The man gives Mara¡¯s dad a soft smile, but it doesn¡¯t really suit his face. Mara¡¯s dad raises an eyebrow. (I didn¡¯t even sense him or hear him coming. Where did he even crawl out of? Talk about being swift¡­ but if he can really help me here, that would be brilliant.) ¡°My daughter was fatally wounded¡­ and I don¡¯t believe I have what it takes to help her. I admit that I am pitiful in this situation. If you could please save her, I¡¯ll forever be indebted to you sir.¡± ¡°Of course, allow me to-¡° The man is suddenly clobbered on the head with a powerful punch. The man is sent flying and crashing into several trees, causing a great smoke cloud to arise. Mara¡¯s dad looks to his side to see Waldo with his bloody arm stretched out in a punch, his eye still furious and burning brightly. Waldo takes a big stomp forward. ¡°You dare show yourself in front of me, you cursed fool! I¡¯ll shred your body and life into nothing!¡± ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! He said he could help Mara and you¡¯re going to kill him too!¡± ¡°That fucker is messing with you! He¡¯s planning on using Mara for one of his endeavors! If you let him touch your daughter then she really will die! Don¡¯t you understand? That person is dangerous for you!¡± Mara¡¯s dad flinches from Waldo¡¯s shouting. He looks at the smoke coming from the crash, wondering if what Waldo said was true. But Waldo is a curse, he can¡¯t trust anything he says. He¡¯s the one who got them into this mess in the first place. This is possibly the only opportunity he can use to save Mara¡¯s life, even if he has to give up his own. ¡°I apologize if I frightened you. I didn¡¯t mean to cause harm to anyone here. I¡¯m only here to help save this child.¡± Mara¡¯s dad sees the man appear to his right from seemingly thin air. On top of that, he isn¡¯t fazed at all from the punch earlier. He¡¯s surely tough and strong. If he¡¯s really as malicious as this curse says, then he¡¯ll have to strike a deal. He could probably kill him and Mara if he wanted to. The man crouches down next to Mara and looks at her wound. He can hardly hear her breathing, but even that is a miracle. He places his hand upon her wound and says the following words with a smile. ¡°Idle Transfiguration¡± Heated Battle 9 May 10, 2020 The man recites the words: ¡°Idle Transfiguration.¡± Mara¡¯s body begins to morph and change. The hole is then repaired with brand new flesh, her shoulder blade still revealed due to her destroyed shirt. Upon seeing Mara¡¯s revival, her father¡¯s eyes light up with hope and he begins to tear up. His hands tremble and he gets back on his knees next to Mara. ¡°Mara! Your wound is healed! Oh, I don¡¯t know what I would have done without you.¡± Mara¡¯s dad looks up at the man. The man has a smile on his face, and a tear flows down Mara¡¯s dad¡¯s cheek. ¡°Thank you so very much¡­ you saved my last glimmer of happiness in this world. How could I ever repay you for this?¡± Waldo stands there, tightly clenching his fist. He¡¯s now at the mercy of his mortal enemy, as well as having received so much personal humiliation in such a short amount of time. His mood for today is now completely irreparable, and the urge to kill something is skyrocketing by the second. But he forces himself to wait, watching what will happen to Mara¡¯s dad. Actually, he already knows what is going to happen. There was no need to predict such actions with a man like him around. ¡°Hm¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ I have an idea of repayment. If you so strongly insist on repayment, that is.¡± ¡°What will it be sir? I¡¯ll do anything.¡± The man¡¯s smile suddenly twists into something sinister. Mara¡¯s dad¡¯s eyes widen a bit, not expecting such an expression. The man then places his hand on the father¡¯s shoulder once again. It¡¯s much colder and hostile than before. ¡°Realize your potential, and become the first cog in my bustling experiment. Do as you please, and spare nothing¡­ Cursed: Manipulation.¡± The father¡¯s eyes instantly lose the light they once regained. They stumble backwards and clutch their head, screaming uncontrollably as their body seems to undergo some kind of change. ¡°Ugh¡­ ah ACK! Urk¡­ uugh¡­ HAAAAAAA!¡± Waldo watches the man turn around and smile back at him. Waldo smiles as well, but it¡¯s an angry and proud smile. ¡°You crazy bastard¡­ what kind of plots are you developing, Osoroi!¡± Mara¡¯s eyes flutter and twitch. The once cold sensation that flooded her body is slowly exiting her body. It¡¯s being replaced with a warm feeling, as if she were being embraced in her mother¡¯s arms once again. Suddenly, a very unpleasant, uncomfortable, and disturbing shout bursts into her ear drums. Mara shoots back up, finding herself sitting up on the ground. She frantically turns her head around to find the source of the screaming. To her right, she sees an unidentified tall man standing in front of her father, smiling sinisterly. To her left, Waldo is standing there and watching the entire thing go down. The man sees that Mara has awakened and shifts his smile towards her. A sudden burst of chills run down her spine, causing her to freeze in place. ¡°Rise and shine, my dear. You just nearly missed the grand opening. But you¡¯re in time for the return of your old man. Or well¡­ I suppose he is no longer your old man at this point. Sorry.¡± Mara looks at her mutated father, seeing him frantically move around and desperately grip his head in pain and agony. Her eyes widen in confusion, wondering what happened while she was down for the count. Her head begins to spiral once again. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. (Did he get affected by that man? No, I let him go away again. I was so weak and that made him go away again. Why can¡¯t I protect my dad? Am I such a weak person I can¡¯t protect anyone a second time?) Mara gets back up and watches her father move around even more. The screaming gets even louder. He falls down on the ground and begins to also clutch his chest. ¡°AAAAAH! Ugh¡­ urk¡­ URG! Haa! Mara! Stay away from me!¡± ¡°Papa! No!¡± Mara¡¯s legs suddenly move on their move and she finds herself running towards her father. Her father sees his daughter running at him and his eyes widen. His face suddenly begins to morph into a monstrous form and he roars. Mara is punched in the face yet again with greater force and is sent back to the ground. She screams from the pain and slowly gets up. She sees the tall man still smiling at her. That smile pierces into her insecurities, and her mind begins to churn and twist. One thing suddenly crosses her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, Osoroi!¡± Mara¡¯s body quickly fills up with an intense heat. A burning anger that starts to boil up within. She¡¯s aware that the tall man is responsible for what is happening to her father. She¡¯s mortified that she¡¯s reliving the exact same scene once again. She¡¯s furious about the fact that there is nothing she can do to reverse the damage that has already been inflicted. Her eyes begin to water up, and a tear falls down from her eye. But in a matter of mere moments, *that tear evaporates into vapor.* Without a second¡¯s hesitation, Mara moves her body towards Osoroi and appears in front of him. With a swift kick, she catches Osoroi by surprise with her sudden spike in speed and lands a clean strike on his face. Waldo¡¯s eye suddenly glows brightly with surprise. Something that he hasn¡¯t been able to do before with their battle was just accomplished by a human child! He quickly forgets about his humiliation and instead focuses on what is happening right in front of him. Osoroi takes a step back, his head still turned from the force of the kick. He looks back at Mara with a deathly glare, not happy that he was just successfully attacked by a random child. ¡°This was unexpected. The child seems to have caught their second wind. This must be why Waldo had chosen you as their tool. Do you really believe you can help him? You¡¯re nothing but dead weight!¡± He lunges forward and quickly attempts to catch Mara with his hand. Mara isn¡¯t able to dodge on time, but Waldo intervenes and knocks Osoroi¡¯s hand away. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a dance with me instead, you damn bastard?!¡± ¡°Never in a million years will I dance with you, War Spirit!¡± The two of them suddenly fight their way to another location. Their speed and power is on a whole other league from what Mara has witnessed. Seeing Waldo move and fight like this was breathtaking for her. However, she cannot stand around and be astonished. She turns back around and faces her father. No¡­ that¡¯s no longer her father. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, dad. You¡¯re going to have to say hi to mom for me.¡± The mutant roars and charges towards Mara. For some reason, even though the mutant is moving at higher speeds than before, Mara can keep track of him better than she was able to before. As the mutant is running towards Mara, he opens his mouth wide and spews out a concentrated blast of acid. Mara stretches her arm and hand outward, and heavily increases the thermal energy in front of her. The acid melts away midair before it is able to touch her. Once the acid melts away, Mara appears in front of the mutant and lands a powerful punch to its gut. The mutant coughs and staggers several times. Although Mara is not aware of her situation, her body has exceeded a body temperature of 41 degrees Celsius and a BPM of 188. If she is not careful with her powerful risk, she will suffer a side effect like never before. Mara quickly follows up the kick with a sweep from below. She manages to knock one of the mutant¡¯s feet off of the ground, causing them to fall on the ground backside. She then lifts up her leg as high as she can and stomps on the mutant square on the breast. The mutant shouts in pain and struggles to get back up. But then, they catch their second wind, grab ahold of Mara¡¯s leg, and throw her high into the air. However, Mara¡¯s expression is unfazed by this action. Using her technique, her hands glow to control the air, allowing her to unlock a form of floatation and catch herself mid air. She lands back on the ground safely and stares at the mutant. The mutant takes a step back, deciding what to do next. However, it quickly abandons rational thinking and starts to charge up like a bull. He then runs full speed towards Mara. Of course, Mara dodges the one tracked attack, causing the mutant to crash head first into several trees. Several logs fall on top of the mutant, causing him to be stuck on the ground. As the mutant attempts to get the logs off of his body, he sees Mara staring down at him with her hand gradually glowing intensely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dad. I couldn¡¯t save you then or now. I¡¯m weak, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re like this. But, I hope you can continue to watch over me as I make you and mom proud. I can¡¯t stand having you like this. I¡¯ll put you out of your misery, and let you see mom again.¡± Mara grows a small smile on her face. The log begins to smoke up and the area starts to increase in heat. ¡°Tell mom I said hi, ok?¡± And so, the wood turns into a raging inferno. The flesh quickly melts down, burning away. A weight seems to fall off of Mara¡¯s shoulders. She looks at the burning mutant to see a smile plastered on its face. Heated Battle 10 May 10, 2020 Mara¡¯s body temperature begins to decrease as the inferno burns away the mutant. She backs away as to not burn herself as well. She breathes heavily and looks at her hands. Her palms have suffered a good amount of damage from burns. Her limbs also begin to feel heavy and sore. Suddenly, a crash can be heard from a distance. It¡¯s in the direction that Waldo and Osoroi went off. ¡°They sure are¡­ having a big fight. pant Waldo¡­ you have to win it, okay?¡± Upon uttering her final words, Mara¡¯s conscience slips away. She slowly falls face first onto the ground. Ashes fall from the sky, lining the ground with their black specks. The entire area around Mara has been scorched into a deep black. A smile can be seen on her face, happy that everything has been resolved. From afar, all the way in the town of Trent, the fight between the two curses is about to get underway. The residents of the refuge that is in Trent are currently evacuating or escaping into their bunkers. One of the town¡¯s buildings suddenly collapse under the power of the two curses. A menacing laughter is heard echoing throughout the entire residence. ¡°Hahahaha! Perhaps I don¡¯t know my own strength, but it seems I¡¯ve caught up to your power at last, damn Osoroi! ¡°Just keep enjoying this fight while it lasts, War Spirit! You¡¯ll eat your words in just a few minutes!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try, you good for nothing waste of space!¡± Waldo and Osoroi crash into another building, toppling down its entire structure. Waldo throws a punch at Osoroi, landing it clean on his chest. Osoroi doesn¡¯t stumble back, however, and kicks Waldo into the air. Waldo does a flip in the air to regain his midair balance and does a spiral drop kick. Osoroi dodges, allowing the kick to hit the ground instead and bring down the entire town square in a single blow. When Waldo lands, he immediately aims his hand towards Osoroi and fires off a shockwave. Osoroi can immediately feel that the power that Waldo currently wields is higher than their last encounter. His past self couldn¡¯t even compare. And so, Osoroi smirks, seeing this development. ¡°Good, good. It¡¯s all going according to my predictions. At this rate, you won¡¯t live so long, Waldo.¡± Suddenly, Osoroi begins to recite some incantations in the sky. Waldo can hardly hear him over the sounds of terror and shouting, but that doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯ll wait and see what kind of trick Osoroi will try to pull. After waiting for a few moments, the area surrounding Waldo and Osoroi is then covered in a black spherical barrier. Waldo looks at his surroundings and smiles. ¡°So¡­ you have enclosed the both of us inside of a barrier. You¡¯re serious about your convictions. I wasn¡¯t expecting such a thing coming from you. This is quite the pleasant surprise!¡± Waldo launches a shockwave below him, sending himself flying towards Osoroi and clenching a fist. Osoroi flies towards Waldo as well and meets his fist with an equal and opposing power. The two curses find themselves in a clash for the advantage. The power of their clash is tearing apart the ground. Suddenly, Osoroi swipes his hand to the left. In a flash, Waldo¡¯s body is suddenly cut and slashed. This feels oddly familiar. Waldo has the feeling he¡¯s witnessed this before. (He¡¯s using a slashing technique to perform that. Although it might seem invisible to the ordinary sorcerer, I am able to track the slashes with my keen sight. He won¡¯t be able to catch me off guard with such tricks.) Osoroi continues to swipe his hands and send several more slashes towards Waldo. Waldo uses a shockwave to propel himself forward, and then proceeds to vault across the slashes. The cursed energy flowing through him suddenly takes the reins and allows Waldo to perform insane acrobatics over, under, and jumping across all of the slashes. Osoroi suddenly appears in front of Waldo as he is vaulting. He extends his hand and points two fingers at Waldo. In the blink of an eye, Waldo sees a red flash from the fingers and is sent flying to the edge of the barrier. He lands on the barrier and keeps himself stuck on the surface using his shockwaves. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Waldo then points his hand towards the barrier and compresses a shockwave. Osoroi senses something coming and sends more slashes towards Waldo. Waldo¡¯s hands are suddenly cut off from his body. But that doesn¡¯t stop him all. The compressed shockwave is transferred into his mouth and is fired, causing the barrier to shatter slightly and allow him to escape. Once outside, he breaks the barrier from there, which proved to be easier. ¡°So that¡¯s how you do it! I¡¯ve always been wondering how it worked! That technique Gensui used, it¡¯s been on my mind ever since I¡¯ve seen it in action. I must say my thanks, Osoroi! Because of you, I have finally grasped the true zenith of jujutsu: The Domain Expansion!¡± Osoroi stands in the destroyed town square with a scowl on his face. Although he was aware that Waldo has been growing a great amount, his expectations could not have predicted that Waldo has apparently figured out Domain Expansion. If that is true, and Waldo can really expand his domain, he cannot let that happen under any circumstances. ¡°You say you figured it out? What good will that do you in this battle? You must be a fool to believe that I will stand by and allow you to expand your domain. You will never be able to do it within this battle.¡± ¡°Blah blah blah! I¡¯m sick and tired of your incessant and nonsensical speeches! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard anyone more annoying in my life than you. All you do is talk, but how about you put some more of that energy towards fighting me instead?¡± Waldo suddenly dashes towards Osoroi, using shockwaves to boost his travel speed. Osoroi scoffs and blocks the incoming punch from Waldo. However, a split second after Waldo lands his punch, Osoroi feels a secondary attack coming from it. It was like being struck by one of his shockwaves, but it felt more internal than towards his outer body. ¡°You continue to constantly evolve every time I see you. That is one of your many aspects that I despise about you, War Spirit. You can¡¯t just sit still and die like a good dog.¡± ¡°The only dog present here is you. Need I remind you that you¡¯ve allowed me to catch up? Also, a human child was able to inflict damage upon you. What kind of excuse will you create to counter against that?¡± ¡°I need no excuses. All I shall have to do is wring every single ounce of life from both of your souls. Only then will I be satisfied.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re on the same page! Y¡¯know, if you weren¡¯t such an up-the-ass bastard, we could have been great comrades. But unfortunately, you are you, and I am me. It never would have worked out, and frankly I¡¯ll vomit from ever imagining such a thing.¡± ¡°We agree once again, War Spirit. How about we end this long charade right here and now?¡± ¡°You read my mind! Let¡¯s take this fight to its last curtain!¡± Waldo suddenly clamps his fists together and smiles. His cackles are heard throughout the entire town and his aura can be felt from even the depths of the bunker. Domain Expansion: Shattering Art of War The reciting of these words trigger a special effect inside of Waldo. Right there and then, he knew that he had succeeded. A barrier is quickly erected, surrounding both Waldo and Osoroi. However, the barrier shatters and is instead replaced with another barrier created by Waldo¡¯s special cursed energy. Osoroi looks around with confusion. (This isn¡¯t a normal barrier. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. Has he realized what his cursed energy is truly capable of?) ¡°So this is how it feels to do a Domain Expansion! Wow, I wasn¡¯t aware that my cursed energy was so special. Who knew that it could think for itself, causing even more destruction in my stead? It¡¯s brilliant! So very astonishing! With this technique, it ends here Osoroi!¡± A small halo starts to form above Waldo¡¯s head. Waldo feels power coursing through his inner being. His soul and mind feel incredibly rejuvenated. He looks back at Osoroi after looking around at his barrier for a moment. Suddenly, Osoroi is struck square in the face with a knee. A shockwave is fired as soon as the knee makes contact, dealing even further damage and sending him flying. Osoroi jumps back up and runs around the colosseum, the environment that has been created inside of the domain. Waldo then appears right in front of him, grabs his face with an insane amount of pressure, spins around several times in mid air for momentum, and slams Osoroi hard into the ground. But that isn¡¯t all, because shockwaves suddenly erupt from the ground and collide with everything. Osoroi stops himself mid air, his calm composure completely replaced with a furious sense of urgency. He lifts his hands up and creates a large blue orb that begins to pull everything towards it. The blue orb begins to suck up all of the rubble and debris. Waldo is still holding onto the ground with a firm grip. Once Waldo sees that the coast is clear, he releases shockwaves from his feet and turns his body into a drop kicking motion. Osoroi sees this and prepares to fire another one of those red flashes in his fingertips. However, Waldo uses more shockwaves to speed his kick and lands it, making Osoroi cough out some blood. ¡°You¡¯re too damn slow, Osoroi! What was that you said about me not living?¡± The red flash from Osoroi¡¯s fingertips is released. However, it misses Waldo and instead goes into the sky. Osoroi shifts the direction of that red orb and it then collides with the blue orb in the sky. Waldo turns back to see a massive purple sphere in the sky. He¡¯s confused as to how that appeared, but then his leg is grabbed and he is thrown towards the purple sphere. In the blink of an eye, the purple sphere detonates, surrounding everything in a violet explosion. Heated Battle 11 May 10, 2020 In the blink of an eye, the blue barrier that surrounded the entire town square collapses and shatters with the purple explosion. Not only that, but the rest of the town falls victim to the radius of the explosion, the buildings falling down and crumbling before the power. Waldo is sent flying into the air and lands face first into the hard concrete. His entire body is damaged by the explosion. Half of his head is even missing, leaving a trail of a bloody mess. Waldo lies on the cracked concrete, his consciousness having slipped from his mind, as the day continues to pass by without a care in the world. A loud explosion suddenly makes Mara jump up in fright. She turns around and sees a giant cloud of smoke coming from the distance. That¡¯s in the same direction that Waldo and Osoroi went to. Mara stands up from the tree stump she was sitting on and stares out towards the smoke. She wasn¡¯t sure if that smoke came from Waldo or from Osoroi, but that attack must have been very hard-hitting to be able to affect all the way out here. Mara knows that she won¡¯t be able to help from here on out. She has no choice but to wait and see who emerges victorious from the smoke. One of them should come towards her, right? At least, that is what she told herself. But now that one entire day has passed and no one has come towards her, she wonders if Waldo has kicked the bucket. She really wouldn¡¯t want that to happen. (He couldn¡¯t have died. He¡¯s the strongest person I know, even if he isn¡¯t a human. Osoroi is strong too, but Waldo has to be stronger. If he dies here, who will I have left to blame for dad¡¯s death? Who will I have left to hate?) Mara then hears something behind her and turns around. A couple of low level curses have sprouted nearby due to the large amount of noise. They come from out of the shadows and spot her. They drool upon sight and inch closer towards the child. Mara really isn¡¯t in a condition to be fighting anymore, but it¡¯s not like she can tell a curse ¡°no¡±. And so, she steels herself again, takes a deep breath, and rushes towards the curses. . . ¡°I cannot say that I expected this to happen so very early on. You¡¯ve destroyed every expectations I¡¯ve had for you thus far. Although, it is still within the scope of your abilities to evolve. You are me¡­ and I am you. The two of us are the War Spirit. War prevails over all, war causes everything to crumble in its path, war makes the happy fools turn into miserable imbeciles. Because we are one with the ways of war, we are fated to be the strongest warriors to live in our eras. You are no exception, Waldo. You may have forgotten while your cycle was once again repeated, but everything that has happened to you has been repeated a numerous amount of times. Every action that has occurred throughout the course of the War Spirit has been engraved into your mind, but it has been locked away by the phenomenon of rebirth. Finding these engraved pieces of your memory inside of your mind will grant you thoughts and prowess that you can¡¯t achieve with just training your techniques. You must understand the marrow of your technique and origin in order to truly inherit the powers of the War Spirit. Without power, without fear, without control, and without knowing what makes war and destruction possible, you may as well not be alive anymore. So find it, Waldo. Find the marrow of your soul and articulate more chaos than all of the others that have come before you. As the original War Spirit, I look forward to hearing all of the cries of terror and despair that you will create within human society. One of these days, you shall pave the way to your throne throughout the bodies of countless lives. It is your destiny and responsibility to kill Osoroi, and make your stand in the world. Only then will you truly achieve the powers of war. I wish you eternal luck on your journey.¡± . . Trent sits in empty silence. Corpses line the streets and stains of blood are splattered across the many piles of debris. Waldo emerges from the ground in his desolated state. His body is in tatters, shattered beyond recognition. He opens his mouth to utter a word, and then his body quickly regenerates itself using cursed energy. ¡°Osoroi¡­ you¡¯ve bested me once again¡­ the humiliation I feel cannot even begin to be described in mere words¡­ you are truly the most insufferable being I have ever known¡­ I will kill you, even if it is the last thing I do.¡± That being said, Waldo¡¯s thoughts begin to drift into a new direction: The voice that he heard the entire time he was out. It was a new voice that seemed familiar, but he could tell in an instant that the voice belonged to someone very important. They also called themselves war, they called themselves the War Spirit. There are memories engraved inside of his soul? If what the voice said is true, and Waldo can really figure out how to gain ever more power, then he must devise every method possible that can help him do that. But first, he has to figure out how long he was out. It only felt like he was out for about an hour or two. Of course, it could have been way more time on the outside. He stands up from his crater and looks at the town of Trent. The entire town has been completely leveled by the purple explosion. That move that Osoroi pulled off must have been what is called a Hollow Purple. Where did he see that before? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Waldo doesn¡¯t sense any humans nearby. They must have already evacuated from the vicinity or were annihilated with the explosion. It¡¯s more likely that the latter occurred. He has no idea how much time has passed since the battle, so it¡¯s more plausible to say that the humans were wiped out with the Hollow Purple. Waldo thinks back to the battle, specifically his domain expansion. That feeling¡­ he must have it once again. It was a new sensation that felt truly unique and special. Mastering the Domain Expansion is something he must learn how to do. He can encounter even more problems and paths, and shred those walls to pieces. Then, something clicks in Waldo¡¯s mind: Mara. The fight with her father must have concluded by now. The situation on her side is completely unknown, and he still has use for her. He can¡¯t let anything happen to her right now. And so, without worrying about where the other humans have run off to, Waldo jumps into the air and uses a barrage of shockwaves to make his way towards Mara. Mara falls to her knees after a long battle against the curses. She huffs and puffs after pushing herself too hard. She looks up after dealing the final blow and sees the curses evaporating back to nothingness. The curses themselves weren¡¯t anything special, the strongest of them being a Grade 3. But Mara was entirely worn out after the fight with her father, and she was also dealing with the aftermath of several life threatening conditions. Curses like these would have been easy to take care of otherwise. But, of course, she wasn¡¯t able to exert herself too much. Just using enough power to defeat these curses felt like she was about to die. Suddenly, Mara senses something behind her and swiftly turns around. In the distance, she sees something, or rather someone, flying towards her location. (That must be one of them! I can¡¯t see from here to tell which one of them it is. Please let it be Waldo.) After watching for another short bit of time, Mara sees that the person flying in the sky was indeed Waldo. He¡¯s launching himself forward at incredible speeds with the support of his shockwaves. After confirming for herself that it was Waldo, Mara is both happy and sad that he has returned. She is happy that she will be able to keep surviving in this world and grow strong. However, she is a little sad and mad about the fact that Waldo will probably put her through even harsher training from here on out. That and the fact that none of this would happened if Waldo hadn¡¯t done what he did yesterday. After reaching Mara, Waldo flies down and lands on the ground. He clears away all of the smoke and dust and walks towards Mara. The two of them stand face to face, staring each other down in pure silence. ¡°It seems that your problem has been taken care of.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I had to do it. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy now.¡± ¡°Nonsense. You cannot feel emotion after you have died. It¡¯s simply wishful thinking on the human¡¯s part.¡± ¡°And how did it go with you?¡± Waldo¡¯s eye gets slightly violent. It seems that Mara pressed a button she shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Tch, we are not going to discuss that. Just know that the bastard won¡¯t be on our tail for a while. That is all that is important at the moment.¡± Waldo looks back at Mara. He can tell that she is incredibly tired and drained. Despite all of that, she continues to stand strong in the face of danger. ¡°Do you seek power? Do you wish to escape this weak shell of yours and transform into something completely different?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°You want to right all of the wrongs of your life and overcome that which you currently fear, is that right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± ¡°Then¡­ I will prepare you to be able to handle all of the encounters you will face in the future. After these events, I have concluded that you were indeed a good choice to pick. You should keep in mind to not disappoint me, Mara.¡± ¡°Of course, Waldo.¡± And so, the two of them simply smile at each other. Mara chuckles a little and Waldo turns around. ¡°Now go look for the wagon. There are plenty of human corpses there I wouldn¡¯t want to waste.¡± . . Osoroi lands on a boulder. That Hollow Purple attack really did a number on him. His arm was blown away, and the rest of his body has suffered damage as well. If even he came out looking like this, Waldo must have certainly sustained even more damage considering how close he was to the core of the explosion. Osoroi looks at his arm and instantly regenerates it. He flexes his arm a bit to make sure it¡¯s working as intended. ¡°I was not expecting to come out of this fight with such injuries. The War Spirit¡¯s current growth is monstrous in its own right. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s even a month old. But, each of them were always exceptionally quick starters. None of them ever managed to fully awaken their true potential, however. Only R¨¡j was able to satisfy my thirst for a brilliant battle of wits.¡± Osoroi strips off the tattered cloak he was wearing and leaves it on the ground. He allows his arms to stretch out and feel the warming sun on his body. He smiles as he looks up at the hideous sky up above. ¡°Mark my words, War Spirit. In every other life, you have fallen by my hands. This time¡­ it will be no different. It may take a year, five years, ten years, perhaps even thirty years or more. I will savor the moment that you die once again.¡± Osoroi turns around, away from the town of Trent, and walks off into the distance. In a flash, his presence disappears. War and Cataclysm 1 May 13, 2020 Waldo and Mara stand about 50 meters away from each other. They both assume a combat stance, standing firm and ready. Mara watches Waldo carefully, looking for any openings she can use. However, just as she expected, Waldo leaves no openings in his stance, guarding himself perfectly against whatever Mara will throw at him. But this doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t continue trying. Mara propels herself forward using the air. She then takes a sudden sharp turn while propelling and throws a punch at Waldo¡¯s hip. Waldo suddenly appears behind her, dodging the attack entirely, and kicks Mara across the face into a tree. ¡°You could see that feint from several miles away. Always trying to constantly one up the enemy will make the effects backfire on you. Sometimes, a direct and immediate approach is the best response.¡± With that being said, Waldo sprints off from his position and very quickly begins to close the distance between him and Mara. Mara manages to get up and react on time, moving out of the way of Waldo¡¯s kick. Waldo¡¯s kick makes contact with the tree log instead and blows the log away into a shower of sawdust. Mara then blocks a right hook from Waldo, but there was a lot of swing to it and so she is still knocked onto the ground. She looks back up and sees Waldo¡¯s foot being lifted. She quickly rolls out of the way, avoiding her face being stomped by Waldo. The stomp leaves a small crater in the ground. ¡°Slippery brat.¡± Mara jumps back to her feet. She takes a small breather, doing better than she was initially expecting. There¡¯s a question lingering in her mind, more of a curiosity than a question really. ¡°Mister¡­ use your technique against me. I want to fight it at least once. Do it, please!¡± Waldo stands there staring at Luna as if he just heard something blasphemous. This child could barely hold her own against him with pure hands. Now, she wants him to fight using techniques? He looks down and then begins to laugh out of nowhere. ¡°You let your mouth run wild! Well, if that¡¯s what you wish then so be it, Mara! Don¡¯t start crying or I¡¯ll put you through even worse pain!¡± Mara wipes a small trickle of blood from her mouth and stands firm. She¡¯s never had the chance to actually witness and stand off against Waldo¡¯s cursed technique. The only thing she knows about his cursed technique is that it has to do with some kind of waves. She remembers seeing him fly through the air using his cursed technique. Mara is curious for even more of it. Perhaps she can even learn a thing or two from witnessing the cursed technique in action. Suddenly, when Mara is about to move from her spot, a loud boom is heard and Waldo instantly appears in front of her. She looks up slowly, flabbergasted at the speed of his travel. Waldo holds out his hand at Mara, a shockwave compressed in his palm. The shockwave is then released straight at her face and Mara is sent flying hard. She travels through the air at an approximate 54 miles per hour. Her body then collides with a random stone hill. She coughs out a portion of blood and falls to her knees. She looks up and sees Waldo looming over her once again. ¡°Are you giving up already? Seeing such an immense power in front of you¡­ your human nature can¡¯t help but submit to it. Well, that isn¡¯t going to fly. You¡¯re a sorcerer now. You cannot have the characteristics of an ordinary and pathetic human being. The instant I see any of that in this training, I will dissect you piece by piece and feed you to a damn curse or curse user. Do I make myself clear?¡± Mara slowly gets back up, using the cracked rocky surface to help support her. She nods as she gets back up, clutching her ribs with one hand. Waldo turns around and begins to walk away. ¡°Let¡¯s not dilly dally any longer. Meet me back at the wagon for further instructions.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. In a flash, Waldo uses his shockwaves and disappears into the distance. Mara takes a deep breath and uses her technique to help soothe her muscles. She takes a couple of steps forward before stopping and turning back. She just realized it, but there¡¯s a small patch of dried blood on the rocky hill. That definitely wasn¡¯t hers. She goes back to the front of the hill and walks around it. There, she unexpectedly finds a human corpse that has been mauled beyond recognition. Its face has been gashed out, several deep cuts line their insides. Their stomach was even torn out. This isn¡¯t something a human has done, but is a curse capable of being so cruel? ¡°I have to tell this to Waldo. There was something very dangerous here. It could still be around.¡± Mara turns away from the mauled corpse with fear and disgust and runs in the direction of the wagon. She pulls her arms behind her and uses the air to move faster. She sees Waldo in the distance moving around some of the corpses on top of the wagon. He eventually hears her running and glances behind him. ¡°That took you long enough. Just what were you doing that kept you so occupied?¡± ¡°I saw something bad back at the hill. It¡¯s not something that happened from a curse or a human. I think you should come and see it.¡± Waldo ponders it over. He¡¯s wondering if Mara is just trying to troll him and waste his time. Well, knowing now that Mara is aware of his behavior and attitude, that most likely isn¡¯t the case. Maybe this could actually be something. ¡°Very well. I shall check your little mystery. If you dare to waste my time I will skewer your arms and turn them into a snack.¡± Mara leads Waldo back to the rocky hill again. Waldo instantly smells the scent of blood and human flesh once they arrive. He goes around the hill. He sees the human corpse that is laid down next to the base of the hill. As Mara told him, this is something unusual that he hasn¡¯t witnessed before. Cursed spirits don¡¯t normally play with their food, eating them right away. Humans are also not like this. Despite some of them being cold hearted, they can never manage to mutilate their own kind like this. Humans are too soft of creatures to be able to do something like this. Of course, there is the absence of any bite marks. This was not the work of a human or a curse. ¡°It seems your mystery paid off. This was indeed not the work of a human or a curse. Although, I would not raise my expectations. It could be a wild animal of some kind, or perhaps another mutant. It shouldn¡¯t be surprising that this new environment gave birth to new species. Your father is a prime example. Let¡¯s hold this off for now and continue on our way.¡± ¡°Yes, mister. But it¡¯s really weird isn¡¯t it? The blood is dry, but it still looks recent. Do you think we just missed it?¡± ¡°Whatever the case, this was the work of a violent creature. However¡­¡± Waldo smirks widely. He turns around, looking behind him as he sees a bundle of cursed energy form together. ¡°There are none in this land that are more violent than the War Spirit.¡± Mara senses a large amount of cursed energy and looks behind her. There¡¯s a presence but no one there. Waldo also stares and smiles. ¡°I was always curious as to what happens when a sorcerer perishes. It turns out¡­ they morph into something even more hideous.¡± Waldo watches as the culmination of cursed energy gives birth to the creation of the reborn sorcerer. It¡¯s been stated before that when jujutsu sorcerers fight to the death, they must always kill using jujutsu. If they fail in doing so, that jujutsu sorcerer is reborn as a cursed spirit. Waldo can faintly feel an instance of this occurring before: Naoya Zen¡¯in. Prior to Waldo¡¯s birth, such an occasion of a reborn jujutsu sorcerer indeed happened a couple of years ago. Their new state granted them a higher plane of power than when they were a human. Now, Waldo gets to fight such a being himself. ¡°I know you were just born and awakened, but how about you die once again, eh?¡± The reborn sorcerer looks at Waldo as his body fully forms into the world. There is a very angry expression on his face. ¡°You damn bastard! Now look at what has happened to me! I don¡¯t remember what happened or who killed me, but I¡¯m pissed off! I¡¯ll release all of this anger on you!¡± Suddenly, the reborn sorcerer¡¯s body begins to shapeshift and weapons sprout from all over their body. Their entire body begins to spin incredibly fast. Unexpectedly, they launch themselves towards Mara. Mara sees the attack coming and jumps out of the way. However, the weapons sprouting from the reborn sorcerer grow larger and cleanly cut off half of Mara¡¯s arm. From her elbow down, her arm has been removed. She clutches at her wound and begins to scream. Waldo sees this happening as he¡¯s in the air, and his eye begins to glow furiously. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have touched her, you grotesque maggot. I was planning on simply being easy with you, but you¡¯ve sealed your own fate.¡± The reborn sorcerer looks up at Waldo and opens their mouth. An entire rocket suddenly spews out of the mouth like a rocket launcher. Waldo launches himself straight towards the rocket. Ignoring what is to come, it explodes on him. However, he comes out of the cloud of smoke uninjured and throws a devastating punch straight at the sorcerer¡¯s head. The sorcerer¡¯s head immediately crumbles and bursts into several fragments of flesh and bone. Waldo isn¡¯t finished yet, however, as he jumps violently on top of the body, slamming it into the ground. He then lifts his arm in the air and the ground below erupts. Multiple shockwaves completely disintegrate the new cursed spirit¡¯s body. Waldo walks out of the dust cloud with a furious look on his face. ¡°Go back to hell, you piece of shit.¡± War and Cataclysm 2 May 14, 2020 Mara¡¯s arm still feels really weird. After the fight with the now cursed spirit jujutsu sorcerer, Waldo tried to use his cursed technique and cursed energy to snap Mara¡¯s arm back into its place. Mara went through a lot of pain during the entire process. She lost a lot of blood as well and that made her feel quite sluggish and weak afterwards. Then, that¡¯s when an idea came into Waldo¡¯s mind. ¡°What if I simply have an animal kill you and you turn into a cursed spirit? All of these hassles would be eliminated if you weren¡¯t a pathetic human being. Your training would be smoother and you could deal with these injuries with no problem.¡± Mara was beyond shocked when she heard Waldo suggest the idea. She frantically put up her arms and shook her head. ¡°No, no, no, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea! I¡¯m fine with staying like this!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you should prove it. That was a very poor performance earlier.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ you¡¯re right¡­¡± And so, they continued to travel west without any more problems. Mara¡¯s arm still feels slightly off and a bit numb, but other than that there haven¡¯t been any sort of motor or pain issues. However, even if she did have some issues, she would still be forced to pull the wagon behind her. She has surprisingly become used to the intense rotting smell of the corpses. It must be due to all of the time they¡¯ve spent on the road. She¡¯s gotten used to all of this way too quickly, she tells herself. She¡¯s been needing less sleep in order to pull the wagon, and she has far more strength compared to before. Waldo also seems a bit different, but she doesn¡¯t have the courage to tell that to his face. Suddenly, one of the wheels snap off of the wagon. It tips over and Mara catches herself before she falls down with it. Waldo looks back and sees the wheel roll away. A couple of the things on the wagon have fallen on the ground. He then glares at Mara, as if he¡¯s accusing her of causing this. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it! It just came off on its own!¡± ¡°Then either grab that wheel and fix it, or make a new one. We¡¯re not stopping for such a trivial mishap. You¡¯d better catch up.¡± Waldo looks forward again and keeps walking. It¡¯s pretty clear that he is not going to stay behind and help Mara with the wagon. Mara stands there looking at Waldo for a few seconds. She goes back to the wagon and crouches next to the empty space of the wheel. She lets out a sigh she didn¡¯t realize she was holding. ¡°I guess I have to fix this.¡± . . After about 40 minutes of going around the forest, taking down some trees, collecting the wood and shaping it together, Mara successfully finishes making a new wheel and putting it on the wagon. At first, she tried to use the old wheel on the wagon but saw that it was no longer able to used anymore. Some kind of change occurred to the material that caused it to decay and rot. As she was looking at the wagon, she noticed that the other wheels also have this type of change, although it isn¡¯t as severe. And so, she decided to leave those wheels alone and focus on the one that needed fixing. Now with the new wheel attached to the wagon, Mara picks the wagon back up and runs in the direction Waldo walked off. She picks up the pace, going from walking to jogging with the wagon. (Who knows how far he walked in this time. If it weren¡¯t for me holding him back, he would walk twice as fast. So I just have to move twice as fast as well!) Mara looks behind her and lifts a finger off of the wagon¡¯s handle bars. Some of the thermal energy around her goes into the air and the air lifts the wagon up and helps with making the wheels spin faster. With this method, she can ignore some of the weight and go faster. Turns out that it¡¯s helping her a lot more than she thought. When she looks forward again, she sees a low hanging tree branch closing in, about to hit her. Mara gasps and moves out of the way of the branch. However, as Mara moves herself and the wagon out of the way, one of Waldo¡¯s corpses fall out of the wagon. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Oh no! But, I can¡¯t stop this thing right now! Actually¡­ how do I stop?!¡± Mara lifts a finger again and releases her technique. The air begins to cool down and return to its normal temperature. The speed of the wagon decreases without the extra support. The wagon touches the ground again and everything comes to a halt. Mara takes a minute to recollect herself and make sure she wasn¡¯t injured. After seeing that she is fine, she contemplates on whether or not she should go back to retrieve the corpse that fell off. She then decides that getting to Waldo comes first. Mara picks the wagon back up and continues to haul it. As she continues to go forward, she begins to feel Waldo¡¯s cursed energy. That means he¡¯s up ahead. But it¡¯s not only Waldo she can sense. Something else¡­ (No¡­ it¡¯s someone else! I¡¯ve never felt anything like this before. They have just as much of a presence as Waldo does! I have to get there quickly!) Meanwhile, in the time that Mara was fixing the wagon, Waldo continued to walk forward without worry. ¡°I don¡¯t have the luxury to wait on a little girl. She¡¯ll have to catch up on her own. Meanwhile, I shall find something to snack on.¡± Waldo says that, but when he takes more steps forward, he comes to a suddenly halt. There¡¯s a sinister feeling in the air around him. He smells blood, but something is off about the scent. It reminds him back to the mauled and unrecognizable corpse that Mara had found during their training session. There was a faint scent like that back there too. He looks around in search of the source of blood. He turns to his left and walks in that direction. He comes to a stop at a tall tree and sees a body hanging from one of the branches. They¡¯re hanging from the branch that has been impaled through their chest. One of the eyes has been gouged out and there¡¯s much blood dripping from their mouth and eye socket. A brutal sight like this would have just frightened Mara, but Waldo smirks and nods his head. ¡°A fitting method of disposal. I approve of this. Whichever person traversed through here has a sense of style.¡± He looks higher into the tree, the scent of blood still heavily present. He gives the base of the tree a light punch and another corpse falls down to the ground. Waldo looks down and inspects it. It¡¯s just like the other corpses, mauled viciously as if an animal were chewing them up. That same feeling is present in these bodies again. This is not the work of a cursed spirit. If it turns out to be a sorcerer, their cursed technique should be mildly interesting. Perhaps they¡¯ve even reached that ¡°special grade¡± level of power. ¡°Well, one can only hope. Human beings are such pitiful creatures. Hardly anyone strong is still alive in this world. The strong human beings are always the one being ripped off first by the slums of the shadows.¡± Waldo gets up from his crouching position. He stands there, his back facing towards the tree. He lets out a sigh and chuckles. He glances behind him, his eye flaring viciously. ¡°And I assume you¡¯re the one behind all of this? Well, I extend to you my greetings.¡± Behind him, Waldo looks in the shadows of the hills and feels a presence inside of them. He fully turns around and smirks. ¡°Chicken? Come on out, I know you¡¯re out there.¡± With the amount of cursed energy this individual is releasing, they¡¯re practically asking to be caught. They¡¯re either extremely bold, stupid, or do not know how to control their jujutsu just yet. It must be either the first or third option. There wasn¡¯t a lot of cursed energy residues with the corpses Waldo found. Suddenly, Waldo sees a man come out of the shadows. He looks like a random straggler. Some of his clothes are shredded and his hair is long and untamed. Something about this man doesn¡¯t strike him as human, but he¡¯s undoubtedly part of the species. This cursed energy¡­ it¡¯s mixed in with something sinister, almost chaotic. ¡°This is a sight for sore eyes. You¡¯re human, but you sure don¡¯t seem like one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. Lots of stuff has happened.¡± ¡°Am I correct in assuming that you killed all of the humans back here as well as the one by a smooth stoned spike?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ they were grave sinners that needed to be cleansed.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re the type of guy roaming around, finding people to redeem for some kind of justice. How very noble of you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not entirely like that.¡± ¡°So? What are you going to be doing with me then? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed it already, but I¡¯m a curse. I¡¯m built off of the many sins of humanity. I leave a trail of destruction and blood in my wake. I¡¯m enticed to eat these corpses you left behind, but currently I¡¯m more interested in you.¡± The man¡¯s expression turns more hostile but in a cautious manner. He can feel Waldo¡¯s sadistic nature oozing from him, and he can tell this curse is pretty messed up. The man also begins to mumble to himself a bit. He¡¯s too far away and is speaking too quietly for Waldo to actually hear him. He notices this small change in demeanor and chuckles. ¡°Talking to yourself now? What¡¯s that justice telling you to do now? Are you going to try to hunt me down? Are you going to try and kill me? You might be different from all of the other humans, but a human is still a human.¡± Waldo crouches down to one of the human corpses at his feet and takes off one of the arms. He bites into the hand, chewing it loudly just to see what the man will do. He¡¯s actively provoking him. ¡°I care not for what you do to their corpses, but at least have a bit of respect for them.¡± The man flicks his finger up by a slight bit and a spike pops out of the ground, aimed at Waldo. Waldo looks at the spike with no surprise and looks back at the man. He drops the arm and smirks with a smile of blood. ¡°It seems you have a bit of a spine after all. So, what will it be? Which of our ideals will come out on top?¡± War and Cataclysm 3 May 14, 2020 Waldo is about to take a step forward, but he begins to notice another presence getting closer. He stops in his tracks, focuses, and realizes it¡¯s just Mara. He sighs, a bit disappointed with her timing and how long it took for her to arrive. Waldo turns around, and sure enough, he sees Mara in the distance with the repaired wagon in tow. She seems to be using her cursed technique to help herself tow the wagon faster. At least that is a plus side. The man also seems to notice Mara coming in. He squints his eyes a bit, not entirely sure why there is a child heading this way. ¡°Do you know that child coming this way?¡± ¡°Of course I do. She travels with me, and I hone her skills, so she gets strong due to the fact that we have a similar goal in mind. She¡¯s the only human that I haven¡¯t eaten.¡± ¡°So, the child is your student.¡± ¡°Tch, I suppose you can call her that. I wouldn¡¯t go that far, though.¡± ¡°A curse taking care of a human. That¡¯s something you wouldn¡¯t see every day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a giant hassle. Dealing with her shenanigans can be irritating but I make sure to discipline accordingly.¡± ¡°Discipline¡­?¡± When Mara gets closer into view, the man sees something peculiar about the girl¡¯s face. She only has one eye, and the eye that was lost looked like it was forcibly removed or destroyed. She has a few bruises around her body as well. The most notable part about all this, however, is that she is very young. All of this has happened to her while she looks like she¡¯s only 6 years old. As he¡¯s looking at all of these details, very uncomfortable thoughts spiral through his head for a short while. This curse in front of him must have been the cause of it. The man looks back at Waldo with a slightly harsher glare. ¡°You¡­ you did that to the child?¡± ¡°Do what? Gouge out her eye? Of course I did. She tried to escape from me one day and I had to put her in her place. What¡¯s so wrong with reminding a human that they cannot defy me?¡± Waldo chuckles as he recollects the memory. It was quite brilliant, and Mara never dared to defy him ever again. Mara didn¡¯t even think about escaping again after that incident. He laughs a little bit more, remembering the harsh screams of Mara. Suddenly, his laughter is cut short as he feels something emanating from the man. He stands there in a bit of a menacing manner. Waldo smiles, realizing that he probably just ticked the man off. ¡°You¡¯re sicker than I first thought¡­ it would be wrong to let you leave here.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re finally coming out of your shell! Did I strike a nerve? Frankly, I don¡¯t apologize for my actions. It¡¯s simply who I am.¡± Waldo takes a step forward with a grin on his face. Suddenly, he lunges forward and throws a punch. The man sees this punch coming and blocks it with his forearms. Waldo¡¯s eye widen at the man¡¯s sturdiness. (He¡¯s tough¡­ very tough. Much tougher than any of those pathetic humans I¡¯ve encountered before. This is like hitting a wall. I can tell he has a lot of experience in combat. I didn¡¯t even hold back as much either, and he still took that well.) Waldo¡¯s smile grows even larger as he begins to exert more power. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you, human! You¡¯re not so run down that you can¡¯t keep up with me. Excellent indeed, but can you continue to match this?¡± Waldo decides to hold back no longer, cranking up his speed to as much as he can muster. His next attack lands on the man cleanly on his chest. Waldo doesn¡¯t allow him any room for recovery and throws another punch at the man¡¯s face. The man sees the attack coming, but his body isn¡¯t fast enough to counter. Because of this, Waldo¡¯s attacks continue to hit their mark. Waldo jumps up into the air and drops down in a drop-kicking stance. This time, the man gets out of the way just in time. Waldo¡¯s foot makes contact with the ground, and it causes a crater to form and chunks of earth to fly out. He quickly turns to the man again and speeds over towards him. Meanwhile, Mara arrives at the scene to see Waldo and the man fighting. She only felt their presence, but she can clearly see the effects of them fighting. She takes several deep breaths, soothing her muscles to help recover from her intense running. She watches as Waldo and the man go head-to-head with each other. Waldo is putting on a lot of the pressure, overwhelming the man with several attacks. He seems to be even faster and stronger than when her father came and crashed down. How is that even possible? And this person that Waldo is fighting¡­ is very different. They don¡¯t have the same intensity or aura as a regular jujutsu sorcerer, and they¡¯re definitely not a cursed spirit like Waldo. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. (This must be who killed all of those people back there! Waldo found him! But why are they fighting?) Mara shakes her head, realizing it¡¯s not really smart to question why Waldo is fighting. He fights all of the time for seemingly no reason after all. Suddenly, Waldo lands a spinning midair kick and jumps back several meters. ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you¡¯ve held on for this long! If you were only just a bit stronger, this could have been a lot more fun! But your life¡­ ends here!¡± Waldo then proceeds to dash forward, kicking up a storm of dust and dirt. He appears by the man¡¯s side, the both of them staring each other down. Then, the man¡¯s head is sliced clean off his shoulders. Mara gasps, watching the brutal finish in front of her eyes. The man¡¯s head rolls away, and Waldo smirks. For some reason, however, there¡¯s something not quite right about all of this. (But wait¡­ his body is still standing on its feet?) Waldo looks at the still standing body with mild confusion in his expression. He jumps back, questioning if the battle is over or not. The body twitches, and Waldo hears a voice coming from the severed head. ¡°I see. So, this is how it is then. I¡¯ll have to really pay attention.¡± Waldo continues to stare at the man¡¯s standing body. Mara¡¯s eyes widen seeing the man¡¯s body still standing on its legs. If he isn¡¯t a cursed spirit, then how is he capable of that? Waldo¡¯s flaring eye suddenly turns into a violent glare at the sight of such a spectacle. Never before has Waldo thought that he would ever witness a human stay alive after decapitation. Uncontrollably, his face begins to morph, and he clutches his eye with one hand. His mouth begins to crawl towards the ends of his face, transforming into an ecstatic and overly emotional broad grin. Waldo can feel his hand tremble from the intense stimulation as he watches the man¡¯s body walk over to the head and put it back on. The connection between the head and the shoulders is healed, and the man stares back at Waldo. ¡°You¡­ ha¡­ HAHA! Heh¡­ you¡¯re not a human¡­ there¡¯s no way in hell! You must be some kind of mutant¡­ some kind of super soldier! TELL ME¡­! What are you? What kind of a powerful being was brought into my presence?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not even sure. I¡¯ve evolved into something beyond myself.¡± The man mutters something that Waldo can¡¯t hear. But Waldo was too focused on everything else that was happening. Before the man finishes speaking, Waldo lunges into the air. He clenches his fist while maniacally cackling. He comes down and throws his punch. A cloud of dust and dirt envelopes and Mara covers her eyes. When the dust clears away, Mara opens her eyes again and looks back up. Instead of seeing what she expected, she sees the man grabbing Waldo¡¯s fist right before it hits him. Waldo is surprised. (He was getting relentlessly beat down just a moment ago and yet¡­ he caught my fist! How is th-) Waldo¡¯s thoughts are suddenly interrupted as the man throws a counterattack. Waldo barely manages to react in time to block the counterattack. The man¡¯s power has suddenly increased and it¡¯s a very large change. He was not able to move like that before. Waldo quickly reacts and throws another attack, launching a kick this time. The man isn¡¯t able to dodge this attack, but they are much more resilient to the attack than before. Waldo continues to throw attack after attack, not letting down for a single second. While he¡¯s doing this, his monstrous smile continues to shine and grow the more he¡¯s getting pumped up. Only after a few attacks, however, does the man fully adapt to Waldo¡¯s attack pattern and land a clean, devastating punch on his chest. Waldo reels back and then is suddenly crushed into the ground. Waldo¡¯s eye flares as he sees the man looking down at him. ¡°You say that you are war? Then you¡¯ve met your match, for I am chaos, the fuel of conflicts.¡± The man also begins to smile. He chuckles to himself as Waldo jumps out of the crater. ¡°I am not justice. I have no clue as to how that idea came into your head, but I¡¯ll make you realize I am not that. I am the darkness that lies in the light. I am the inevitable fate of all evil. I am the fuel for chaos! I¡­ am¡­ Iravin!¡± The two beings come to a stare down. Waldo¡¯s head begins to regenerate, fixing the wound very quickly. Waldo¡¯s eye continues to flare violently, as this new stimulus is causing his senses to go into overdrive. His grin reaches every corner of his face. ¡°Iravin¡­ So that''s your name. A fitting name for a warrior like yourself! You say you¡¯re chaos? Then, what a pleasure it is to meet you! This is such a brilliant coincidence!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t lie; I sort of agree with you. Other people who I attacked fell quickly. You¡¯re the only one still standing.¡± ¡°Why, of course I am! After all, I¡¯m the War Spirit!¡± Waldo suddenly launches into the air using a shockwave. This boost gives him a sudden surge of speed and power that allows him to strike Iravin once again. Iravin only staggers slightly, not letting his guard down. He continues to watch as Waldo throws more and more attacks with the support of his shockwaves. Waldo suddenly jumps into the air, compresses several shockwaves in his hands, and fires them back down. The shockwaves split into several different ones, increasing in number and crashing down. Iravin''s forearms turn into massive shields, and he blocks all of the shockwaves. He looks back up at Waldo. (That cursed technique must have to deal with shockwaves. It looks like he can fire them almost endlessly and move them around as he wants.) Waldo flips his body in the air, aiming towards Iravin, and launches himself in that direction using shockwaves. One of Iravin¡¯s shields turns into a whip and he swiftly lashes it at Waldo. Waldo narrowly dodges the whip, getting a small cut on his cheek. Iravin swings his arm around again, and Waldo is suddenly caught by the whip that¡¯s now a rope. Waldo is instantly reeled in by Iravin. Iravin¡¯s other fist begins to form a bunch of biomass, turning into a large hammer fist. As Waldo gets within range, Iravin throws the hammer fist and lands it straight on Waldo¡¯s face. However, Waldo manages to blunt a bit of the force by using a shockwave as an oppressive force. The shockwave and the hammer fist are now in a tight clash. Waldo grits his teeth and grabs onto the rope that holds him. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet! No matter what kind of challenge I¡¯m faced with, I will never back down! Be it a god, a super soldier, or the strongest sorcerer in the world, I will never cower before a fight! Doing so will be abandoning all I am meant for! Being the War Spirit is not just about seeking out a battle! It¡¯s about overcoming anything in your path and destroying it with all of your might!¡± The shockwave then redirects Iravin¡¯s hammer fist away. Waldo frees himself from the binds of the rope and kicks Iravin away. All of this pride, all of this desire for a battle, this burning flame inside of Waldo is causing his attacks to become more refined and release even more output than before. ¡°Well then, chaos, I accept your challenge! Face me, Iravin! I am Waldo, the one and only War Spirit! We will settle things here and now!¡± ¡°Fine by me, Waldo! We¡¯ll both continue to reach new heights!¡± War and Cataclysm 4 May 14, 2020 Waldo and Iravin stand against each other, both assuming their fighting stances. Waldo¡¯s stance is different this time. Because of Iravin¡¯s strange adaptation and Waldo¡¯s cursed energy starting to become denser and more refined, his stance is accommodating for these changes. Both warriors stare each other down intensely, seeing who will be the first to move. Mara continues to look at the fight from afar so as to not get caught in the crossfire. She¡¯s speechless from the dazzling performance of power from Waldo and Iravin. Never in her life did she assume that people could move around and fight like that. She¡¯s never seen anything like Iravin¡¯s abilities either. (That man is really strong¡­ he came back stronger than before! His abilities are super weird too. But¡­ Waldo is going to win. He always has¡­) In a flash, the two of them disappear from their spots. They each throw a punch at each other, and they collide, causing a clash of power and the ground below them to crumble. Waldo begins to holler a battle cry, which causes his call for battle to increase and apply more pressure. Iravin quickly adjusts and goes on equal ground again. Suddenly, the two of them throw their second fist and they jump back. Waldo blasts himself forward with a shockwave and turns his body around. He extends his leg midair for a kick and continues to fly towards Iravin. Iravin prepares to take the attack, standing his ground and putting his arms up. Suddenly, Waldo spins his body and releases shockwaves in all directions. This throws off his trajectory and has him move in many different angles. Waldo then appears to the side of Iravin and attempts to grab him. However, Iravin sees through the entire attack, dodges the grab, grabs Waldo by the arm instead, and then proceeds to throw him onto the ground. Waldo coughs out a small amount of blood before getting thrown onto the ground again. On the third throw, he manages to catch himself in a handstand position, condense a shockwave from his back, and fire it at Iravin. Iravin defends his body but lets go of Waldo in the process. Waldo uses this split-second opening to sweep Iravin¡¯s feet off the ground. ¡°Now I have ya! Have a taste of this!¡± As soon as Iravin¡¯s feet come off of the ground, the ground erupts with a large burst. Shockwaves come out of the earth and rain down on Iravin. Waldo doesn¡¯t stop there, however, as he continues to place his palms on the ground and make shockwaves erupt from the ground. Waldo looks back up but then sees a phenomenon. He stares upon this with a wide grin and laughs. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me! You¡¯re something special, Iravin!¡± Iravin begins to walk through the storm of shockwaves. His body gradually takes less damage, and any damage is being neutralized through regeneration. Waldo continues to grin and his eye flares even more. He begins to laugh out loud. ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re a damn beast! Fine, hard way it is! The bigger they are, the harder the fall!¡± The shockwaves persistently continue to storm down on Iravin, but Iravin continues to walk through the storm like a tall and unyielding force that will not fall down. Waldo has never before seen such a grand display of strength and dexterity. It¡¯s dazzling. It¡¯s brilliant. Waldo begins to recall all of the shockwaves and stands back up. Iravin then lunges towards Waldo. Waldo lets out a small laugh and begins to charge towards Iravin. Suddenly, Iravin stops midway through his lunge, changes both of hands into whip fists, and spins around. Waldo gets caught off guard by the whip fists and attempts to block them while charging. However, as soon as the whip fists make contact with Waldo, his arms suddenly get blown off by the sheer amount of force on the attack. Iravin quickly switches one of whip fists into a blade and swings at Waldo. Waldo slams his hand into the ground, grabs out a big chunk of rock, and attempts to slam it across Iravin. The blade arm cuts through the rock like tofu but that allows Waldo to escape from Iravin¡¯s range. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Waldo jumps back into the air, regenerating his arms. He scoffs and lands on the ground and contemplates what to do next. Mara continues to watch from a safe distance on top of the wagon. She suddenly sees Iravin turn towards her and give her a stare. Mara shivers and takes cover behind the wagon. She¡¯s not sure why Iravin is looking at her now, but she doesn¡¯t want to stay around and find out. Iravin gives another glance at Waldo and then back at Mara. The gears in his mind click and an idea appears in his mind. He suddenly disappears from his spot and runs over to Mara. Waldo becomes confused for a moment, before realizing what¡¯s about to happen. ¡°Huh? Hey! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± Waldo sees Iravin running straight towards Mara and chases after him. Mara¡¯s eyes widen in shock, and she extends her hands. Before she can run or use her cursed technique, Iravin grabs her by the wrist. Iravin looks at Mara with a certain glare as if he¡¯s planning on something. On instinct, Mara grabs onto Iravin¡¯s wrist and tries to use her cursed technique against him. He can feel the heat starting to build up from her hands and smiles. ¡°Allow me¡­ to further awaken that technique of yours.¡± Iravin suddenly turns one of his arms into a rope. The rope wraps around Mara and binds her. Mara begins to scream at this capture and tries to resist. No matter what she does though, she cannot free herself from this strong extension of biomass. She looks up with a pleading expression. ¡°Waldo! Help me, please!¡± When Waldo sees this, his body comes to a halt. Mara is being held by his enemy. Why is he doing this? Many thoughts begin to spiral through his mind, but all of those begin to become blocked out by pure rage. His eye suddenly grows increasingly in violence and harshness. His rage swells up so much that a secondary purple hue can be seen at the center of his eye. He grits his teeth and clenches his fists. Visible veins can be seen across his forehead. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Leave her out of this! This is between you and me! Let go of Mara¡­You damn creature!¡± Waldo¡¯s speed suddenly spikes up, moving at an incredible speed of Mach 6. He roars as he closes the distance between him and Iravin. In a flash, however, a wave of electricity shoots out at Waldo. Waldo stops in his tracks and is hit with the sudden jolt. He looks up and sees Iravin holding onto Mara, using her. Mara seems completely out cold or very zoned out. Her body is limp, and her eyes are unreadable. Her hands, however, are still glowing, meaning that her cursed technique is currently in use. Before Waldo can question what is happening, a huge blast of fire is shot towards him. Waldo puts his arms up to defend against it, but the flames are incomparable to before. Mara¡¯s technique doesn¡¯t produce flames of this scale. Could it be? (Is Iravin forcing her cursed technique to reach its full potential? This is much stronger than anything she was able to produce!) Waldo begins to gradually march forward. He forces himself to tough it out through the flames and keep pushing. He starts off with a march, it turns to a sprint, and then he uses his shockwaves to fly forward. He also sends some shockwaves down into the ground and in the direction of Mara. The shockwaves come out of the ground and strike Iravin¡¯s hands, releasing his hold on Mara. Waldo quickly catches her then appears in front of Iravin with Mara in his arm. Iravin can see his eye glaring violently at him. He¡¯s pissed off. A punch is thrown with as much cursed energy as Waldo can muster. However, something felt off about this. It felt different. Space was distorting and a lot more power was surging. Both Iravin and Waldo begin to see it. (Blue and white sparks!) (Blue and white sparks!) Waldo begins to holler as he throws the punch. Upon seeing the several sparks, a new feeling overcomes him. Some sort of urge causes him to shout from the top of his lungs. God Flash! Waldo¡¯s blow of cursed energy sparks blue and white, transforming into a God Flash. The God Flash is similar to a Black Flash, but it is a version that is taken to the next level. In that very moment of landing a God Flash, Waldo feels like his eye was opened. The mist that shrouded his mind has disappeared, and he now sees everything in a new light. This is the so-called ¡°flow state¡± that comes with landing a Black Flash attack. Everything has become clear. The War Spirit has now become one with his power. War and Cataclysm 5 May 14, 2020 The God Flash lands on Iravin¡¯s face and Waldo lets out a ferocious battle cry. In the moment of impact, Waldo reinforces his fist with even more shockwaves and cursed energy to increase the impact even further. He begins to redirect his fist downward, hoping to slam Iravin into the ground. Both Iravin and Waldo hit the ground. Instantly, a crater is formed in the earth by the sheer force and impact of the God Flash. The energy created by the God Flash spreads across a diameter of 1.8 kilometers and blows away any buildings or trees that it comes across. The air scatters in all directions and debris flies into the sky and lands in several spots like they played a game of twister. Soon, everything comes to a stop and Waldo stands there with his fist still pointing at the ground. Mara is still laying down in his arm. If she wasn¡¯t unconscious already, she is definitely unconscious now due to the amount of grip strength Waldo is using. Waldo readjusts his posture and looks down at Iravin in the crater. He¡¯s well aware that not even that was enough to take him out. Iravin is just taking a small moment to process what just happened. Sure enough, Iravin is quick to get back on his feet. His eyes pop wide open and he slowly sits up. Waldo sees the damage he dealt being regenerated by Iravin¡¯s healing factor. Iravin¡¯s face looks unreadable and a lot more hostile now. But there¡¯s a smirk gradually growing onto his face. He¡¯s enjoying this just as much as Waldo, and Waldo also begins to smile again. ¡°You¡¯re resilient. I would bet everything I have to say that my previous opponents wouldn¡¯t have come out of the attack like you have. You¡¯re an exemplary case.¡± Iravin doesn¡¯t respond, but rather begins to mumble to himself again. He looks up at Waldo again and stands up from his spot in the crater. It was then when Waldo reminds himself that Iravin isn¡¯t a human, but a damn monster. ¡°You¡¯re strong. I think I took you too lightly at the start¡­ I¡¯m not too used it right now¡­ but I¡¯ll use my cursed technique or whatever you call it.¡± Waldo¡¯s eye widens again, confused and surprised at the prospect of Iravin not having used his cursed technique during this battle. (Was the cursed energy that was leaking from him not used for his cursed technique? All of that biomass wasn¡¯t part of jujutsu? It all must be natural for him. I should tread lightly or quickly end this. Someone like him could make a cursed technique incredibly powerful. But first¡­) Waldo looks around, frantically moving his head left and right. Iravin stands there, trying to figure out what Waldo is thinking. Then, Waldo sees a small little barrier made up of fallen tree logs about 500 meters away. He moves his body in that direction and then suddenly throws Mara into the air. Iravin looks up as well as Mara gets thrown into the air. He figures out what Waldo is trying to do, and that is to get Mara away from this conflict. He doesn¡¯t particularly mind it, since it sure doesn¡¯t look like Mara can be used anymore. Awakening her cursed technique must have put a lot of strain towards her. When Mara comes into Waldo¡¯s line of sight, a shockwave is fired from his face and it launches Mara away. She¡¯s hit with the shockwave and lands right next to the fallen logs. Upon collision with the tree logs, Mara¡¯s dead and zoned out eyes snap back to reality from the shock. She suddenly gasps, groans from the pain, and tries to get up. Her body and the pain stop her from getting up, however, and she is forced to rest her back on the logs and watch the fight from afar. ¡°You. Stay there. You¡¯ve caused enough trouble as it is. Do not get in the way of this battle again, or I¡¯ll use those logs to beat some sense into you. Understood?¡± Mara has no choice but to nod. She¡¯s useless right now. Nothing she can do will help Waldo in any way. She¡¯s better off just watching again. Waldo, upon seeing Mara¡¯s agreement, turns back to face Iravin. ¡°Do not think I¡¯ll forgive you for this. Harming the one which I am overseeing is punishable by death. You will pay for your mistake.¡± ¡°That sounds like I offended you by hurting a companion. Are you somehow caring about a human like that? Don¡¯t you hate them?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. That was something that Waldo definitely did not want to hear. Especially not from someone like Iravin. Hearing that from hik suddenly ticks him off and he covers his fists in shockwaves. ¡°Silence you insolent creature! You are discussing something that will never become true! Enough!¡± Waldo comes forward and throws his punch, enraged by Iravin¡¯s comment. Because of how linear this attack is, Iravin has no problem catching Waldo¡¯s fist. Iravin¡¯s hand suddenly grips the fist with much power. Waldo begins to feel the cursed energy flow through him. Before Waldo can throw another attack, Iravin says his line: ¡°Fracture Pulse.¡± Upon reciting his chant for his cursed technique, Iravin sends several pulses through Waldo¡¯s shockwaves. Now that the pulses have traveled through and across a medium, they shoot out throughout Waldo¡¯s body and inflict substantial damage and pain. The instant the pulses enter Waldo¡¯s body, he feels as if he¡¯s getting ripped apart from the inside out. Waldo tries to get away, but Iravin holds onto him with a vise-like grip, not letting him take one step back. Waldo grits his teeth, attempting to endure the pain and pressure from the pulses. His defenses gradually lower and his limbs become more limp. Iravin sees an opportunity and mounds some biomass onto his fist and makes another hammer fist. Once the hammer fist is made, he throws the heavy attack and sends Waldo flying. Waldo gets launched into the air at fast speeds. Before he crashes into the ground, he manages to snap back to reality and make a safe landing. He lands on feet again and balances himself. He coughs out another small patch of blood and cleans his jaw. Despite all of the pain he just suffered through, he proceeds to laugh out loud. After a couple of moments, he regenerates the wounds that were dealt to his body. ¡°Your cursed technique¡­ what a strange way to apply it. I¡¯m assuming you need some sort of medium or way of transport in order to send those pulses across. A substantial limit, if I do say so myself. That¡¯s why you weren¡¯t using it before. You had no medium.¡± Iravin doesn¡¯t say anything, instead just muttering to himself again. He¡¯s been doing that a lot lately. Waldo gives a frenzied and somewhat hostile smile as a response. ¡°Strange technique, but it packs such a hard punch. Those pulses did a number on me. That wasn¡¯t ordinary cursed energy¡­ just what kind of trickery did you pull there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot you still don¡¯t know. Unless you focus, you¡¯re never going to figure it out.¡± ¡°Oh, so now you want to play mind games with me? I dislike that. I dislike that very much.¡± Waldo covers his legs in shockwaves and blasts off towards Iravin. The compressed shockwaves boosts his speed further. Waldo suddenly turns several corners and spins around Iravin in an unpredictable pattern. However, Iravin has his eyes on Waldo at all times, not losing him for even a moment¡¯s worth of time. Waldo then comes out of the ground and lands a punch on Iravin. Out of nowhere, Waldo is suddenly struck in his stomach with a punch from Iravin. Again, pulses sprout from Iravin¡¯s fists and detonate upon impact with Waldo. That¡¯s not all, as Iravin grabs Waldo in the air and slams him down into the ground. He lifts up his leg and then brings it down for a nasty kick. Then¡­ suddenly in the middle of the kick. Black Flash! Iravin¡¯s cursed energy infused kick suddenly sparks black and red in the middle of the fight. The black flash lands directly on Waldo and a great crater is formed in the ground from the impact. Iravin begins to smirk from this sudden burst of luck and energy. Waldo¡¯s body becomes destroyed and blood splatters everywhere. In the far distance, Mara puts her arms up to shield herself from the wind and debris that comes her way. She looks at the fight with a worried and terrified look as she witnesses Waldo getting slammed into the ground by a black flash. (I can¡¯t sit here and watch him get beat like this! I know he wanted me to sit and not butt in, but he¡¯s going to die like this! I have to¡­ I have to move!) Mara still feels the intense repercussions of having her cursed technique awakened by Iravin. Her mind feels insanely heavy, as if a giant weight were placed inside. Her limbs hardly have any power, but that won¡¯t stop her resolve at all. She attempts to move her legs and stand up, but she falls head first into the ground. However, she doesn¡¯t stop just like that. She tries to move and crawl around as if she were a worm. Her arms hardly have the energy to help her crawl, so her speed is definitely not great at all. Eventually, she expends all of her energy again. She takes a few moments to relax and catch a breather. She looks back up and sees Waldo lying in the crater. ¡°No¡­ y-you¡­ you have to live! Waldo¡­ you¡­ ugh¡­¡± Mara¡¯s eyes get heavier and heavier with each passing second. Iravin glances at her for a few moments. Eventually, the girl passes out on the ground without having even moved a significant distance from her original spot. Iravin sighs as he watches Mara faint on the ground. (What kind of relationship do these two actually have? It¡¯s not normal. They¡¯re a curse and human.) Iravin looks back at Waldo, who hasn¡¯t moved a single inch from his spot. Waldo¡¯s body lies in the crater all battered and shattered. The energy that fuels his singular eye has dissipated entirely. Iravin gives a small, sad smile. ¡°It was fun, War Spirit. I learned a lot from this fight. You were strong indeed. As much as I would like to continue this, I don¡¯t think either of us will keep going. It¡¯s time I end this for the both of us.¡± Iravin puts his fists together. Biomass begins to collect and form dual hammer fists. He takes a step forward at Waldo and lifts his fists up high. ¡°Farewell¡­¡± War and Cataclysm 6 An unidentified point in time A distilled void¡­ a pitch black space of pure emptiness¡­ floating around seemingly for eternity. This must be what hell feels like¡­ right? ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not correct, Waldo. This place is not hell.¡± Waldo¡¯s vision suddenly becomes clear. He sees that his surroundings are like that of a not so ordinary space and void. But this void is of a crystal white color and quite beautiful as well. There are a few patches of cerulean veins across the sky and body of the void. They look out of place and chaotic but also majestic and unique in their own way. Just like a winding river. But then there¡¯s that voice. Waldo swears that he has heard that voice before. Somewhere, sometime, somehow, Waldo has heard this voice. However, he isn¡¯t able to quite put his finger on it. ¡°You¡¯re confused¡­ are you suggesting that you don¡¯t even recognize me? I must say, I didn¡¯t expect you to forget about me, Waldo.¡± Waldo hears the voice echo throughout the entire void. He frantically looks around in search of a source for the voice. He opens his mouth to speak, but no sound is coming out. He tries to speak once more, shouting louder than before. No sound is produced from his mouth. (What the hell? I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t hear my voice! Is it an effect of this place? Or is it some kind of trick?) ¡°Sorry, dear, but I won¡¯t allow you to do that just yet. You haven¡¯t earned my respect, and you won¡¯t be able to do anything until you earn it with your own two hands.¡± (You won¡¯t allow me? What a prick. I have to do something to be able to speak again?) Suddenly, Waldo gets the urge to look behind him. He complies with his instinct and turns around. He then comes face to face with a figure, a woman. The woman is dressed in a long and elegant black and blue kimono. Her long jet black hair nearly reaches her hips. And she gives Waldo a small, sinister smile. ¡°We have finally come face to face with other, Waldo. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for quite a bit of time. Ever since you have been conceived into this world, you¡¯ve been nothing short of interesting. But it seems your road has a chance to end right here.¡± Waldo stares at this woman speaking to him. She speaks to him as if they¡¯re familiar with each other. He doesn¡¯t have a single clue as to who she is, yet she¡¯s acting all buddy buddy in an instant. (I don¡¯t have time to play these games. If I am to return to where I am meant to be, I¡¯ll just have to go through you!) Waldo¡¯s eye instantly gets more intense and he steels his leg into position. His hands tighten up and he curls them into fists. The woman sees this and raises an eyebrow at this behavior. She can¡¯t help but laugh at this situation. ¡°You suddenly turned hostile. Are you planning on fighting me, Waldo? The gloves are off rather quickly, don¡¯t you think? That makes things even easier for me.¡± The woman licks her lips and fully faces Waldo, readjusting her hair. A small shiver runs down Waldo¡¯s spine as he watches the woman. Now that he¡¯s taking a further look at her, not only is she a little unsettling, but she¡¯s starting to look a bit familiar now. Could he have actually known her? But how is that possible? He¡¯s only been alive for about a month or so. (Enough about that! If defeating this woman is my ticket out of this void, then I¡¯m going to show no mercy! Here I come!) Waldo launches himself forward by shooting shockwaves from the soles of his feet and taking a giant leap across. He continues to move forward at maximum speed and build up his momentum using his shockwaves. He comes around in an unexpected manner and lands a kick on the woman¡¯s head. The woman, however, didn¡¯t budge a single inch from the kick. Waldo¡¯s eye widens at this and proceeds to put more power into his kick using shockwaves to further increase the force. The woman still stays the same and then glances at Waldo. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°An attack such as this wouldn¡¯t need to be dodged. You are severely lacking in willingness and understanding of your ability.¡± Waldo attempts to move himself away from the woman in order to plan out a counterattack, but he¡¯s suddenly bound by some kind of power. It has a terrifyingly strong grip and Waldo can¡¯t even move a centimeter from his position. He looks at his bound arms and legs and his eyes widen. He comes a conclusion that doesn¡¯t seem to make sense, but he¡¯s facing the reality. (These are my shockwaves! They¡¯re just like them, but even more powerful! Who the hell is this devilish woman, and why can she use my technique? Agh¡­ If only I could speak my mind at her! This no speaking thing is annoying!) The woman takes her steps towards Waldo, her stride full of authority and pride. She gets close to him and puts a hand on his chin, making him stare her in the eye. She still has that sinister smile on her face. This time, however, it seems to be more sadistic than before. ¡°You cannot hope to best me in combat with your mimicry. Your technique is only a mere shadow, only a fragment, of what it is capable of. And let me take a small guess¡­ you still don¡¯t recognize me do you?¡± Waldo continues to struggle in his binds. When he sees that it¡¯s all pointless he resorts to trying to bite the woman. The woman grabs Waldo¡¯s jaw before it closes down on her hand and she rips it right off his skull. Blood falls from his head and he tries to hold in his pain. ¡°What a naughty child you are, acting like that in front of yourself. I am R¨¡j, the War Spirit. Just like you, Waldo, I am a being that craves for the best power in the world and to pursue a life full of invigorating experiences. You are me¡­ and I am you. It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s not everyday that a curse manages to meet their former self. You should have chosen your actions more carefully instead of charging at me, you know.¡± Waldo¡¯s eye shifts and churns at this sudden revelation. This woman right in front of him is him from the past? A past incarnation of the War Spirit? Then, how the hell is she here? How are any of the two of them in this place? Is this some kind of afterlife? Is this the other side of the beyond? Has he been exorcised and is seeing hallucinations? All of these questions and more start to spiral throughout Waldo¡¯s mind. He can¡¯t seem to come to a clear consensus with himself on which situation is true. R¨¡j notices this confused demeanor and begins to chuckle to herself. ¡°You must be quite dumbfounded. You¡¯re asking yourself so many questions aren¡¯t you¡­? Well, I believe all of them are wrong as can be. You are not dead¡­ this is not the afterlife¡­ and you have not been exorcised by your abnormal little enemy. You are simply stuck inside of your soul, the subconscious within your very core. It¡¯s all due to my abilities, so don¡¯t twist yourself in a knot over it, alright boy?¡± Waldo continues to stare into R¨¡j¡¯s eyes. Her sadistic smile and prideful behavior isn¡¯t making Waldo feel any better about his situation. If he really is alive, and this woman is the reason why he is still here, he has to beat her up quickly and get back into the real world. He tries to convey his message through body language and gestures, but the shockwave binds restrict him from moving freely. So instead of conveying a message through gestures, Waldo tries to mouth out the words and hope that R¨¡j knows how to read lips. And so, he glared at R¨¡j and mouths out the following words: ¡°If you¡¯re the one keeping me here, and if it¡¯s true that I am alive, then I¡¯m going to make you wake me up. I do not have the leisure of sitting here and listening to your ramblings. Either you get me out of here, or I¡¯ll kill you and force my way out.¡± R¨¡j watches as Waldo mouths out his little remark towards her. Halfway through, R¨¡j smiles again and then proceeds to puncture Waldo¡¯s chest with her arm. Waldo gasps and coughs out blood onto her arm. He quickly looks up at R¨¡j, wondering what the hell she could be thinking. ¡°You¡¯re barking orders at me despite being put in this position? I¡¯m wondering whether you are prideful or just plain foolish. I¡¯m beginning to think it¡¯s the latter. Your pathetic strength doesn¡¯t give you the right to give anyone orders.¡± Now, R¨¡j¡¯s smile becomes even more hostile and condescending. She looks as if she truly enjoyed putting Waldo under her foot like this. ¡°Only those who are strong can sit on the throne built from the weak. If you¡¯re part of the weak, you¡¯ll only serve as a stepping stone for those that will stand above you. As I see you now, you¡¯re not strong at all. You¡¯re pitiful, weak, pathetic, and downright embarrassing. You¡­ have no right to call yourself the War Spirit. I¡¯ll be nice, and let you have a chance to speak. Just for a few seconds. If you admit that you are pathetic, weak, and not worthy of the title of War Spirit, I might just consider letting this fragile child in front of me leave. If you refuse to comply with my demands, I¡¯ll put you back in hell, understood?¡± In that moment, Waldo suddenly feels his ability to speak returning to him. R¨¡j releases her binds on Waldo and allows him to move again. After listening to R¨¡j¡®s speech, he recollects his thoughts again. (She¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯ve known since that day that my power is laughable. I pride myself, calling myself the War Spirit and acting arrogant in front of my opponents. Really, I was only doing that to distract myself from my own personal struggle. If I acted as if I were strong, then I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with my own thoughts and fight a two sided battle. But¡­ it¡¯s time to end it all. If I am to come out on top and keep my own promise, I cannot be sulking like this!) ¡°I¡¯ll admit it, woman. I¡¯m pathetic. I can¡¯t call myself the War Spirit.¡± ¡°Is that so? Very well the-¡° ¡°But so what? That just means I¡¯ll have to prove it. Prove to you that I am not someone that will be ridiculed anymore. I¡¯m staying here, and I¡¯m going to make you acknowledge me, War Spirit.¡± Waldo clenches his fist and his eye begins to turn and shift from its regular blue color to a fiery purple. ¡°I, Waldo, hereby challenge you, R¨¡j, to a duel! The winner gets to keep their title as the War Spirit!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ fine. I like the way you think, Waldo.¡± War and Cataclysm 7 An unidentified point in time Having their duel declarations settle in, Waldo and R¨¡j both assume their combat stances. Waldo¡¯s eye continues to flare a new vibrant color of purple instead of the ordinary blue. He accustoms himself into his position, looking for any openings that R¨¡j leaves or any opportunities that he could exploit. R¨¡j has quite the imposing stance, however, leaving Waldo no room to find an opening. ¡°You have the courage to challenge me to a duel head on like this. As the one who should inherit my title, I commend you. I will give you the honor of facing against a prelude to my true strength. Feel proud, child.¡± In the blink of an eye, R¨¡j¡¯s eyes blow up in a frenzied blue light, just like how Waldo¡¯s eye worked. In the instant this happens, it takes every single ounce of willpower that Waldo has to not shrink back and shrivel up. This power he¡¯s feeling is¡­ just incomparable. How could a single curse exert such pressure? (Unreal¡­ this was me? This is me? This is the power of the War Spirit? Compared to myself¡­ this is like facing a god as an insignificant little insect. How can I stand¡­ NO! Remove these thoughts, Waldo! Are you forgetting what you told yourself?) ¡°No matter what kind of challenge I¡¯m faced with, I will never back down! Be it a god, a super soldier, or the strongest sorcerer in the world, I will never cower before a fight! Doing so will be abandoning all I am meant for! Being the War Spirit is not just about seeking out a battle! It¡¯s about overcoming anything in your path and destroying it with all of your might! This is my declaration, War Spirit! I will take your title and grow out of this pathetic shell!¡± ¡°Is that so? You have guts, child. No, I suppose I should call you Waldo. You¡¯d better not disappointment me, understood?¡± R¨¡j begins to laugh out loud and her fearsome aura continues to expand. Despite this, Waldo stands strong and relentlessly stares at her. Even if this is the kind of power that he has to fight against, he will never back down. How will he able to confront Osoroi and his future enemies as a good for nothing coward? How will he be able to continue teaching Mara and show her the ways of Jujutsu? There is no other option here besides winning. And it¡¯s his time to seize it! Once R¨¡j¡¯s laughter ceases, she looks straight at Waldo and snaps her fingers. Suddenly, the void begins to tremble and spin around. The space inside warps and is bent to her own will. Waldo watches the empty white void fill up with material and a sudden world leaking into reality. A sky is created, the bottom of the void turns into earth, and structures are being formed. Then, once the void stops trembling, Waldo sees that an entire colosseum was created inside of the void. The void is no longer empty and it feels as if he¡¯s awake again. But he knows that isn¡¯t true. He¡¯s still inside of this space. He¡¯s still in the clutches of the War Spirit. In order to return to his battle, save Mara, and defeat Iravin, he must get past R¨¡j. There is no more turning back from this point forward. ¡°That feels much better. Setting the stage for a grand duel is a necessity, after all. Especially given who I am dueling against. Well then, Waldo, are you ready to throw your life away in order to impress me? Will you submit to me and fall under my control? That is up to you and whether you can really draw out your power.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t any more that needs to be said. I may have stepped on the tiger¡¯s tail, but I will not cower! Even an insignificant ant can lift several times its weight!¡± Waldo takes the initiative and shoots himself forward with a shockwave. He takes several irregular turns as he flies around R¨¡j. R¨¡j easily keeps track of him with a disappointed expression. ¡°This again? Your attack pattern is rather linear and repetitive.¡± Suddenly, Waldo ends up going straight for R¨¡j and escaping his previous pattern. Waldo spins and throws a kick at R¨¡j¡¯s head, but she still blocks it without any effort. Waldo scoffs and then throws a punch next. R¨¡j dodges it as well as the upcoming barrage that follows. Shockwaves burst from the ground behind R¨¡j and attempt to stagger her by knocking out her legs. R¨¡j simply chuckles to herself and avoids the shockwaves. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Is this the best that you can do? Where is all of that bravado? I know you have more power than this!¡± ¡°Tsk, you damn woman!¡± Waldo spreads his shockwaves across the colosseum and they condense into several clones. The clones charge at R¨¡j alongside Waldo, ambushing her from many directions. It takes only a fraction of a moment for R¨¡j to calculate all of the clones coming at her. She smiles to herself and swiftly destroys them with no difficulty in just one shockwave. Suddenly, as R¨¡j is occupied with the clones, Waldo comes out from under the ground and attempts to slam her head into the ground. R¨¡j sees this coming, however, and Waldo is kicked in the stomach by a heavy amount of force. Instead of Waldo coughing out blood, he instead lets out a devious smirk. ¡°Ruin Counter!¡± Ruin counter is activated at the perfect time. In the instant that R¨¡j kicked Waldo, he concentrated all of his energy and learns of the power. His cursed energy, with this information, then urges his body to replicate that exact same action with twice the amount of power. And so, upon using Ruin Counter on R¨¡j¡¯s kick, Waldo¡¯s cursed energy level spikes. His eye sparks even more and he takes in one large breath. In the blink of an eye, he throws a devastating kick at R¨¡j that has twice the amount of power. R¨¡j thinks that this is just another one of Waldo¡¯s tricks and puts her arms up to block against the kick. However, once she actually feels the power behind the kick, her eyes widen and she puts more grip on her feet to stay balanced. Waldo doesn¡¯t let her counterattack and fires shockwaves from the edge of his ankles. R¨¡j manages to avoid taking damage from this as well. ¡°What kind of trick was that? I don¡¯t recall ever being able to perform something like that.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re saying the great War Spirit can¡¯t even do that? That means I¡¯m even greater than you, you hag!¡± R¨¡j chuckles to herself after hearing Waldo¡¯s little insults. She readjusts her hair and looks at her left forearm, which has a small scratch from blocking Waldo¡¯s kick. She¡¯s surprised that he could strike her like that in his current state. Perhaps she underestimated him a bit too much. No matter, she¡¯s not even using any of her real power in this battle. She¡¯s only trying to rile him up so he can escape his shell and remember himself. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting one. Out of the many cycles for the War Spirit, you¡¯re one of the few who have piqued my interest. You should feel proud, child.¡± ¡°Hmph, like that means anything. I don¡¯t need to feel proud. I¡¯ll just reclaim my title and be on my way.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll soon see that reclaiming your title will be a challenge you cannot achieve in your current state. You¡¯ll never accomplish it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done letting others tell me what I can¡¯t or can do. If you¡¯re so convinced I can¡¯t do it, then show me something that¡¯ll crush me! Come on, let¡¯s shift this into high gear!¡± Waldo begins to roar out loud and fire a multitude of shockwaves into the air. The shockwaves fly and weave in every direction. They begin to collect together and form several clones around the grounds of the coliseum. This time, however, there are many more clones than before. Waldo uses multiply to recover the cursed energy and then he looks back up at R¨¡j, ¡°If I can¡¯t beat you by myself, then I¡¯ll just create an entire army of myself. Now, here it comes! Advance! Don¡¯t let her get a single second of advantage!¡± The army of shockwave clones all lock onto R¨¡j and they hop down into the battlegrounds. R¨¡j takes a moment to scan her surroundings and count the amount of clones. Before she can finish doing the mental math, the army all charges at her as one. Some of them sprout from the ground and some of them take to the sky. They all begin to come within close proximity of her. Once they reach that line, R¨¡j swings both of her arms and does a 360 degrees spin. With that spin, a large omnidirectional shockwave is released from her body. The large shockwave collides with the shockwave army and crumbles away at half of the total forces. The other half stop in their tracks to avoid suffering the same fate. Waldo himself is speechless at this. After all, she swept away half of his large army in a single attack. Which of his previous opponents can do that? ¡°You¡¯re merely sending empty puppets towards me. They¡¯re nothing but hollow husks of the soldiers they could become. I¡¯ll be kind and let you witness the true process!¡± With that being said, R¨¡j holds her arms up at the sky and fires her own shockwaves. She follows the shockwaves, jumping up into the air and catching them back into her hands. There is this feeling running through Waldo¡¯s mind. He can sense the raw amount of power and cursed energy being put into those shockwaves. His method seems third-rate at best in front of her. No wonder she said that everything was lifeless, hollow as a husk. After a few seconds, R¨¡j takes in the shockwaves and her eyes flash violently. The condensed point of shockwaves is suddenly released in a wave. The wave comes into contact with the ground and 4 shockwaves clones emerge. They are truly the soldiers of the War Spirit. They¡¯re highly developed, fully clad with power, and are the personification of capable. Even a single soldier could probably take care of Waldo. He¡¯s no match for R¨¡j¡¯s power. ¡°That is how it is done, child. Your crude methods could never compare to mine. Now, seize him!¡± The four soldiers of R¨¡j immediately take off and begin charges towards Waldo. The rest of Waldo¡¯s army responds by sprinting towards R¨¡j¡¯s soldiers. The armies are just seconds away from clashing against each other. War and Cataclysm 8 An unidentified point in time Soon, Waldo¡¯s army and the four soldiers of R¨¡j collide with their weapons. The 654 soldiers of Waldo versus the 4 super soldiers of Raj. Ordinary, in a battle of numbers, Waldo would undoubtedly win this battle. But, his opponent is not so simple. His opponent is none other than the first War Spirit, the Queen of Destruction. Even these four soldiers of hers are a force to be reckoned with. That is made evident as the super soldiers begin to easily tear through the infantry. As many as 100 or 200 of Waldo¡¯s soldiers charge towards just one of R¨¡j¡¯s soldiers. Despite this massive difference in number, the super soldier would obliterate all of the soldiers that stood in their way. The way they fight using their bodies, their weapon, and their usage of shockwaves, it¡¯s something that Waldo hasn¡¯t even thought of before. How are mere soldiers more capable than him? This has to change. No, it¡¯s going to change very soon. Waldo¡¯s thoughts are suddenly cut short. In just the span of 2 minutes and 7 seconds, his entire army was wiped out by R¨¡j¡¯s super soldiers. ¡°Damn it all! I¡¯ll face you myself! Have at thee!¡± Waldo abandons all hope of beating these soldiers with numbers. If numbers won¡¯t work, he¡¯ll just have to win it with his raw power. R¨¡j smiles as she watches Waldo sprint from his spot and towards her soldiers. This is the equivalent of Waldo running towards his death. What is going on through his head that would make him do such a foolish action? As Waldo gets closer to the super soldiers, only one of them faces him. The soldier gets into a stance and quickly moves towards Waldo. The distance between the two is swiftly covered. The super soldier wastes no time and immediately tries to take out Waldo¡¯s eye. However, to both of their surprises, Waldo dodges the soldiers hand. He then grabs the soldier¡¯s arm and throws him over his shoulder and onto the ground. The soldier lands on his feet before crashing down. It then grabs Waldo¡¯s arm and easily tears it right off. Waldo grunts in pain and is then kicked in the face. The soldier¡¯s kick sends him flying into one of the colosseum¡¯s pillars. He coughs out a substantial amount of blood. The super soldier then appears in front of Waldo. Waldo jumps in a bit of a fright and begins to charge a shockwave in his mouth. However, the super soldier grips Waldo¡¯s jaw and rips it off of its hinges. Waldo doesn¡¯t even get the chance to scream from the pain. He¡¯s immediately grabbed and gets fired at with a shockwave right at his chest. The shockwave launches him towards the other super soldiers. One of them catch Waldo in mid air and then stomp him into the ground. The four super soldiers are now facing down at Waldo. His pitiful state on the ground causes R¨¡j to walk over and look at him as well. She can¡¯t help but let out a small laugh. ¡°Beaten by just one of my soldiers. If your little army of puppets couldn¡¯t do it, how could you ever achieve it? You¡¯re just not thinking far ahead into the fight. Mindlessly charging in like a brute will simply get you killed.¡± Waldo begins to grit his teeth in frustration. He quickly regenerates his arm and jaw and gets up in a flash. He yells out loud and tries to punch R¨¡j in the face. Before he can even move his punch towards her, she moves her own arm and pierces right through his face. Waldo¡¯s body comes to a complete stop. Blood covers the colosseum and changes the color. Not only did R¨¡j just pierce through his entire head, but she also has her hand touching a very important part of Waldo¡¯s body: his core. She punctured her fingers through his flesh and is now clutching his core. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not quite sure what this is that you have. I don¡¯t have such a thing inside of me. How interesting that you¡¯ve evolved into something else.¡± R¨¡j¡¯s super soldiers are standing by, waiting for more of her orders. R¨¡j removes her grasp of Waldo¡¯s core. She looks back up at him. He¡¯s still frozen exactly in place. His body still, but his mind moving sporadically in all directions. (Why? Why has it come to this? Am I¡­ really this weak? I¡¯ve been so arrogantly calling out to everything. How can I even do that? I¡¯m not match in the face of real power. Osoroi was right. I¡¯m just a sad excuse of a curse. I¡¯m not the War Spirit at all. If I don¡¯t come to my senses, I might as well just end my existence right here. If I can¡¯t have it all, there¡¯s no point to me existing. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change.) That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. That has to change. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Suddenly, everything goes dark around Waldo. The white void that holds the colosseum disappears from his sight. R¨¡j and her soldiers seem to fade away. He¡¯s now standing in a pitch black void. The bottom of the void, however, looks like a clean blue ocean. He crouches down and even sees silhouettes of fish down in there. In just a moment, the right side of the void begins to crack open. He quickly looks up and stares at the crack in the void. His body is urging him. He runs towards the crack as fast as he can. When he gets there, he puts both of his hands on it and begins to pull. In a desperate attempt, he tries to increase the space even further. He starts to scream from the top of his lungs as he musters all of the strength he can. Until eventually, the crack in the void completely opens. And then the void is no longer black. . . Before Iravin can bring his hammer fists down on Waldo, he stops half way. Something is amiss. The air and vibe just completely changed in an instant. What could have caused it? There¡¯s no other presence closing in on the area. It¡¯s only Iravin, Waldo, and Mara. Hold on, Waldo¡¯s presence is still so large? Why isn¡¯t it faint like a dying man? Wait, it¡¯s getting even stronger by the second. The cursed energy is reaching incredible heights. Iravin feels as if he should put Waldo out, but a part of him is excited by this sudden change. And so, he simply steps out of the crater and waits to see what happens. In the blink of an eye, Waldo¡¯s shattered body disappears from the crater. Iravin has to muster a lot more strength in order to follow his speed this time. Waldo stands in front of Mara¡¯s unconscious body. His body has been completely repaired along with his garments. He crouches down for a further inspection. She¡¯s in such a rough shape. Her hands are burned and are shedding quite a lot of skin. She¡¯s sound asleep, probably dreaming about something. Waldo gets back up and turns around to face Iravin. His eye feels different, a more dignified stance. And that pendant¡­ Waldo definitely did not have that on him before. Did he materialize it out of thin air? How else would he have gotten it? Waldo begins walking back to Iravin. The cursed energy levels around him are incomparable to before. His demeanor has changed as well. The way he walks and carries himself isn¡¯t the way as before. ¡°I apologize, Iravin. I have returned. I¡¯ve made some realizations and my sight is finally clear. I will be able to fight you with all I have now.¡± In a flash, now traveling at Mach 10, Waldo appears in Iravin¡¯s face and throws a full power punch. Although Iravin can still perceive and sense this attack, his body has not adapted to Waldo¡¯s new sudden increase in power. Because of this, Waldo¡¯s punch lands directly on his chest. This punch¡¯s power is in a whole other league. Waldo drives his punch downward and slams Iravin into the ground. A massive crater is formed from the force of the punch, as wide as 7 kilometers in radius. Waldo had made sure that Mara wouldn¡¯t be affected by the power. He has several of his shockwave soldiers shielding her from the impact. His eye turns blue once again but with a much more dignified light. ¡°It¡¯s time we both go all out. Get ready for Act 2, Iravin.¡± Waldo definitely felt his punch do a lot of damage. It did several times more damage than his God Flash earlier. He quickly glances over at Mara. The shockwave soldiers did a good job making sure that she wasn¡¯t harmed from his power. Waldo looks back at Iravin and jumps away from the crater¡¯s center. (That isn¡¯t enough to end him. His previous displays of power tell me so. He¡¯s not out yet. He¡¯ll just continue to evolve during this battle.) Sure enough, Iravin slowly rises from the center of the crater. His head is bleeding and there¡¯s a large bruise on his chest. However, those wounds begin to regenerate shortly after appearing. It takes Iravin a few moments to process the new power behind Waldo¡¯s strikes. An ecstatic smile is plastered on his face. He knew that Waldo would come back stronger, but not THIS strong! It¡¯s too good to be true, yet it¡¯s the reality! Iravin begins to mutter to himself once again. Waldo stands by in his stance, prepared to deal with any attacks Iravin will dish out. He smiles as well, satisfied with this new power. Recollecting all of his memories and remembering what his technique can do really helped him out. Now, he just has to continue applying that to this battle in order to win. Actually¡­ he decides to do that. Waldo relaxes his body and lifts his hand in the air. Iravin watches intently. Waldo begins to focus on all of the cursed energy residing in him. He speaks to it, he commands it, he becomes one with it. Then, he starts to rapidly use multiply and create mass amounts of cursed energy. Iravin can feel Waldo¡¯s cursed energy levels spike up continuously even within a second. With such continuous multiplying, Waldo begins to feel some backlash and grunts in pain from this. However, he endures this and finishes multiplying his cursed energy by several times. The cursed energy that was created is then being transferred to the end of his palm. It starts extending and materializing. Waldo begins shouting as the cursed energy starts coming into the world. ¡°I summon¡­!¡± Soon, the cursed energy begins to condense and shape itself. Waldo is soon able to grab it with his own hand and take in its power. His eye suddenly flares violently and tightly clutches the cursed energy. ¡°I summon¡­ Hades!¡± War and Cataclysm 9 May 14, 2020 The cursed energy coming out of Waldo¡¯s palm fully materializes. It turns into a crude rectangle. Then, the rectangle begins to morph around and form jagged edges on one of the ends. Finally, once Waldo fully grasps the cursed energy, it materializes into a large corseque. The corseque illuminates a faint blue light due to Waldo¡¯s cursed energy. The corseque is almost as tall as Waldo, being 6 feet long. Waldo seems to have called this weapon ¡°Hades.¡± Waldo stares at Hades after he has materialized it. (It¡¯s beautiful. This is the weapon of Sophisticated Ruin: Hades. I can feel the power radiating from it. I feel invigorated just by grasping the weapon. This is one of the many gifts that R¨¡j has left me. Hm, I can feel the loyalty. Hades speaks to me.) Waldo begins to spin Hades around in the air. He twirls the base in his fingers, getting a feel for it. Iravin watches with an intense excitement in his eyes. Not only has Waldo come back with more power, but he even materialized a weapon using his cursed energy. How many people can do that? Not only that, but Waldo feels at least three times more imposing than before. Is Hades just that powerful? What is it capable of doing? Right after Iravin asks this question, Waldo stops spinning Hades around and now focuses his eye on Iravin. He bends his knees as he gets into a sort of stance. He charges up Hades and holds him back in a wind-up motion. Waldo¡¯s cursed energy suddenly spikes for a brief moment. Hades begin to crackle and spark. Then, in a flash, Waldo swings Hades across the air. When he does, a gargantuan, highly compressed shockwave with 25 times the normal impact is fired. The shockwave races towards Iravin at incredibly high speeds, at least Mach 16. Although Iravin is still barely able to see the attack coming, he is not able to dodge or block it normally. Then, the shockwaves crash down on the crater. A secondary crater is formed on top of the first one much deeper than the one before. There is a lot more energy from the shockwave. It scatters across the battlefield, and everything crumbles before the tremor. A giant dust cloud and chunks of dirt and earth scatter in the air. The ground even rumbles a decent amount. It¡¯s possible that the shockwave fired by Hades caused an earthquake. Waldo stares at Hades again after he just released that storm on Iravin. ¡°You¡¯re powerful. No wonder you¡¯ve always served at the War Spirit¡¯s side. Now, it¡¯s your turn to stand at mine. I thank you for your loyalty, Hades.¡± Suddenly, Waldo turns back to the craters and peers further. He hears footsteps coming from it. Could Iravin have survived that? Waldo plants Hades in the ground and looks for Iravin in the cloud of smoke. The footsteps are undeniably there. At least Waldo was reassured that he hasn¡¯t gone crazy. After a couple of seconds waiting, Waldo does end up seeing a figure arising from within the cloud of smoke and dust. When they eventually emerge from the cloud, they are covered from head to toe in some kind of armor. It reminds Waldo of an exoskeleton but even more advanced and durable. Could that be Iravin inside of that armor? The armor is hardly damaged, only having minor scratches and bruises. Even with Waldo¡¯s new powers and even with the storm of Hades, this armored form of Iravin withstood it all. How did he acquire such power in his lifetime? Where did his manipulation of biomass come from? Waldo grabs Hades again and stands firm as he watches Iravin come out of the crater. The armor covering Iravin begins to withdraw and go away. A wide smile is plastered on his face. The two of them begin to walk closer to each other. They don¡¯t have the intention of interrupting either party at the moment. When they¡¯re finally a few feet away from each other, they end up in a stare down. Iravin is the first one to speak. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. How did you suddenly get all of this power?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story, but it wasn¡¯t that long for you, I assume. During my current life, I was blind. I was in a dark ocean with no air to breath. I was arrogant, I was obnoxious, and I didn¡¯t even realize what I could do with my power. That was until you appeared. You forced me to open my eyes. You forced me to breathe once again. And now, I have returned better than before. I have recollected everything that has happened to me before. All of the memories, all of the pictures, every piece of information, all of it has now come back to me. I appreciate this, Iravin. As much as I hate to admit it to a human, you have helped me go back to my right path.¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely different¡­ I was thinking at first that you were lying. But after this, you might just be telling the truth.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Waldo and Iravin continue to stare at each other for another minute or two. Eventually, Waldo withdraws Hades and takes the cursed energy back into his body. ¡°If we are to end things, we¡¯ll end things the right way. One of us loses and one of us wins. If you are not going to draw a weapon, then I will not fight you like a coward and withdraw my weapon. You have resolve, and I commend that. This is the least I can do out of respect for your power.¡± And then, as if the two of them seemed to telepathically agree on something, they shift their bodies around and get back into their combat stances. The calm winds caress the ground. Loose sediment falls across the slopes of the craters. It¡¯s silent enough you could feel a pin drop. Suddenly, the two of them disappear from their spots and face each other head on. Both Iravin and Waldo throw their fists at each other at the same time. Their fists collide in perfect form and cause ripples in the air. It¡¯s clear that Waldo has more power in this clash of fists. Although Iravin is able to quickly adapt and evolve his body to suit the battle, it would take a while for him to suddenly gain 10 times his strength. And so, Waldo ends up winning the clash and punches Iravin back into the crater. Iravin instantly creates shields around his body using biomass, trying to predict Waldo¡¯s next move. Sure enough, Waldo throws another punch at Iravin while he¡¯s on the ground. The shields negate most of the impact and allow for Iravin to slip away from another attack. Iravin spins around on the palm of his hand. He turns his other arm into a biomass whip and lashes out at Waldo. However, Waldo grabs the end of the biomass whip and tugs at it with much force. At first, Iravin is pulled easily towards him. But then, he begins to react to the situation and stands his ground, stopping himself by stabbing the ground with spikes on his feet. Waldo then lets go of the whip and rushes towards Iravin. His speed is still far ahead of Iravin, allowing him to appear at his side and punch him in the liver. Iravin takes the punch well and tries to counterattack with a strike of his own. Instead, Waldo swiftly does a front kick and knocks Iravin away. Iravin catches his balance again and coughs out just a drop of blood. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to see it. You won¡¯t be able to do the same thing twice.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see it then.¡± Waldo charges forward towards Iravin. He takes many different sharp turns and twists. In the middle of his little movements, shockwave clones come out from Waldo and also begin to run around sporadically. It¡¯s almost as if several afterimages are appearing around the craters. Iravin tries to keep up with everything that¡¯s happening in front of his eyes. As he watches the clones and Waldo, his reaction timing and speed begin to increase. To compensate for the number of things running around, Iravin begins to grow more pairs of eyes on his body. This is so he can keep track of several different directions and angles at once. Once Waldo comes out from his clones, he takes a small jump, spins around, and attempts to kick Iravin across his face. Iravin sees it coming and turns around. He has now become accustomed to Waldo¡¯s speed. Iravin lets himself get kicked and then grabs Waldo¡¯s leg. He then proceeds to absolutely slam him onto the ground. A smile grows on his face, finally catching up to the War Spirit. Waldo lands on the ground with a loud thud. Waldo did not take as much damage as he thought he would, to his surprise. He is certain now that Iravin has started to catch on to his power. But it¡¯s still not enough to deal a decisive blow. Waldo kicks himself out of Iravin¡¯s grasp and takes a couple of jumps back. It would be problematic if he allowed him to fully adapt to his power. It would be even worse if Iravin evolved beyond his power. Waldo has to end this quickly if he wants to win. But would he really do that? If he wins without seeing what Iravin is really capable of doing, would that really be a fulfilling win? He thinks to himself that he would rather have an honorable loss than an empty victory. And so, Waldo comes up with a strategy to bring out everything that Iravin has. He thinks back to his battle with R¨¡j. Waldo puts his hands together and begins to generate shockwaves in his hands. He continues to pour cursed energy into them, compressing the shockwaves and charging them. Iravin stands there silently, wondering what Waldo will do now. Waldo visualizes in his mind the way R¨¡j would do it. He looks up at the air and suddenly shoots the shockwaves into the air. He quickly flies up and attempts to catch them. Miraculously, he moves fast enough to catch the shockwaves and begins to take them in. He charges up his cursed energy and allows it to boil up. Then, he releases a large blue wave outward at the battlefield. The wave makes contact with the ground and several shockwaves begin to sprout from the ground. 7 shockwave soldiers dig their way up to the surface and stand up, standing strong next to their leader. Waldo smiles in disbelief that he actually managed to do the complete version. He points at Iravin, his shockwave soldiers now focused on him. ¡°That¡¯s your target. Now go, seize him.¡± The shockwave soldiers immediately charge towards Iravin without hesitation. Iravin sees the soldiers coming at him and gets ready. Waldo stands in the back and takes this opportunity to watch Iravin¡¯s power. ¡°Once you evolve, the tides of this battle will fluctuate. It¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m looking for. Then, I¡¯ll hit you with everything I have.¡± War and Cataclysm 10 May 14, 2020 The seven soldiers charge towards Iravin. Iravin runs towards them, using biomass to change his arms into blades. The soldiers spread out across the battlefield, taking positions in different locations around Iravin. The three soldiers at two, five, and six o¡¯clock sprint towards him. The three soldiers at nine, seven, and eleven o¡¯clock go under the ground. The last remaining soldier at three o¡¯clock jumps up in the air. Iravin turns to the three soldiers sprinting at him and prepares himself. The cursed energy in these soldiers are only about 70% of what Waldo has. With only three of them here, he could take them on. If it were more at once, he might have had a bit more trouble with that. The soldier at front takes the first attack and throws a kick at Iravin. Iravin dodges the kick and swings his blade arm. Another soldier comes in and deflects the blade arm by compressing their body into a shockwave and blasting it away. Iravin brings down his other blade arm and cuts through one of the soldiers. The other two soldiers run at him and then split off in different sides. Iravin watches the two of them carefully and then decides to go for the soldier on the right. He dashes towards it and swings both of his blade arms. The soldier isn¡¯t able to block the full extent of the blades and its arm dissipates. As Iravin is about to swing his blades and decapitate the soldier, the other three soldiers that went underground sprout back up by erupting the ground under Iravin. While they hold off Iravin, the soldier in the air comes down and creates more shockwaves to replace the arm of the wounded soldier. The three underground soldiers come back up and the now six soldiers await Iravin¡¯s next charge. Coming out of the cloud of smoke, whip fists are suddenly swung. One of the soldiers fall victim to the whip fist and disappear. Now there are only 5 soldiers remaining. The remaining soldiers take in the shockwaves of the fallen soldier and empower themselves with the cursed energy. Iravin then comes running out of the smoke cloud and turns his arms into blades again. The soldiers turn their own arms into blades and charge at Iravin. Meanwhile, Waldo is still in the back line and watching the fight unfold. Iravin is becoming accustomed to the multiple opponents and their power. He¡¯s beginning to fight very well against them. It¡¯s almost time for Waldo¡¯s plan to come to its final step. The soldiers and Iravin continue their relentless exchange of strikes. Iravin eventually brings down two more of Waldo¡¯s shockwave soldiers. The remaining 3 soldiers take in that cursed energy and empower themselves. They¡¯ve become even stronger than before and run towards Iravin without hesitation. Iravin also charges at them. The three soldiers swing their blade arms at Iravin and Iravin swings both of his. The soldiers and Iravin are then forced into a sudden clash. It doesn¡¯t take long for Iravin to overwhelm them with his strength and get rid of the remaining three soldiers. Then, the cursed energy withdraws back to Waldo. Iravin turns his head and stares at Waldo. He¡¯s taken care of his annoying little troops and now it¡¯s time for the main course. Waldo flexes his arms a little bit and steps forward. ¡°That was quicker than I anticipated. Your evolution and adaptation skills are certainly no joke.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t seen everything that I can do.¡± ¡°Neither have you. In fact, I don¡¯t even know of what I¡¯m capable of anymore. I¡¯ve been enlightened, sure. But the scope of my horizons has been increased.¡± Waldo stomps the ground and the ground begins to glow blue. Iravin sprouts shields on his body the instant he senses shockwaves coming up from the ground. The shockwaves are relentless and continue to spew out from the ground. It¡¯s like an endless hailstorm of attacks. Once Waldo stops firing shockwaves at him, he takes off from his spot and kicks Iravin in the face. Iravin doesn¡¯t move from his spot and swings his blade arm at Waldo. Waldo narrowly slips away from the blade and fires a point blank shockwave at him. Iravin manages to just barely block in time but is still knocked away from the shockwave. Unexpectedly, his back collides with a random stone wall. This wall wasn¡¯t here before. In fact, there are a ton of stone walls around Waldo and him. Where did all of these walls come from? ¡°I did it. While you were busy defending yourself from my shockwaves, I was using a small fraction of them to move up the ground into several walls. And now, the rat has been cornered into a wall.¡± ¡°Even a rat backed into a corner will still bite the cat.¡± Waldo begins to smile. His hands curl into fists and he lifts up his arms. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡± Waldo clamps his fists together. The sound of his fists hitting each other resounds across the walls and the battlefield. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Domain Expansion: Shattering Art of War!¡± The Domain Expansion calls upon a black barrier to surround the area, but is swiftly destroyed and replaced with a blue barrier. A grand colosseum is erected in the center of the Domain Expansion. Iravin checks his new surroundings in confusion. (A colosseum came out from nowhere! This isn¡¯t the same place. The atmosphere feels different and we¡¯re in a damn colosseum! And this guy¡­) Iravin looks at Waldo and sees that he¡¯s going through a change. There¡¯s a faint silhouette of a halo above his head. That glowing blue eye of his looks even fiercer than before. And that devilish smile of his has returned. It¡¯s definitely less crazy and tweaked out than before, but that smile is still hungry for an entertaining battle. Iravin decides that it¡¯s no use questioning what¡¯s happening or where he was sent. He puts a hand upon his forehead and begins to laugh. In a matter of seconds, all reason seems to leave Iravin¡¯s eyes. His body twitches in excitement and his face morphs into a crazed expression. ¡°Oh, to hell with it! Who cares about any of that?!¡± ¡°It seems your screws have become to loosen up. What a pleasant sight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always had a screw loose.¡± ¡°What a coincidence. I think the same goes for me.¡± Iravin charges forward and yells. Waldo, however, appears right before him and slams him into the ground. Thanks to retrieving his lost memories, he can fully utilize the power that his Domain Expansion grants him. The buffs are no longer being wasted. Waldo then grabs Iravin¡¯s face again and drags him across the ground. Iravin puts his hands on Waldo¡¯s wrist and tries to pry him off. Waldo suddenly launches him into the air. The blue barrier fluctuates and shockwaves collide with Iravin from all angles. Iravin is sent towards the ground but he lands last second. Waldo comes from above and starts flying towards him. Iravin narrowly dodges a downward kick from Waldo. Shockwaves suddenly erupt from the ground and fire into Iravin¡¯s back. Iravin is staggered towards Waldo and Waldo grabs him by the torn collar of his shirt. He delivers a devastating punch to Iravin¡¯s ribs and then finishes it off with an uppercut. The Domain Expansion has increased Waldo¡¯s power by a lot and has succeeded in bypassing Iravin¡¯s adaptability even for just a second. Then, Waldo creates shockwaves all around Iravin and fires them all towards him. The shockwaves are just a second away from crashing into him. Iravin suddenly grabs onto something on his chest right before the shockwaves rain down on him. His screams and roar can be heard in the distance. ¡°It seems I got him. Yeah, right¡­ he¡¯s possibly about to pull off something miraculous.¡± A cloud of smoke arises from all of the shockwaves raining hell on Iravin. Waldo stands there as he assesses the situation. The halo silhouette above him is becoming more clear and refined. He stands there, ready to see what Iravin will do now. Will he finish his adaptation? Will he bring out that armored form again? What if he brings out the full extent of his cursed technique? There are many things that Waldo is anticipating for. However, he soon figures out that it was neither of these things. Iravin screams once more from within the cloud of smoke. Some sort of energy clears away the smoke and makes him visible again. Waldo puts his arms up to avoid the full force of the wind. He looks back up. He sees Iravin holding a long set of chains in his hands. There¡¯s a certain aura to the chains that makes even the current Waldo chill up from it. He can feel something coming it from. It feels like a pure cataclysm. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would have to do this. You¡¯re stronger than anything I¡¯ve had to face since waking up.¡± ¡°I should be saying that. Out of any of my opponents, I believe you stand at the top so far. It should be an honor. Now then, it seems this battle has escalated. In that case¡­¡± Waldo stretches out his arm and lifts it up. Cursed energy begins to flow towards his palm. As this happens, the colosseum begins to rumble and shift. The buff from the Domain Expansion is causing this fluctuation of power to affect the entire space inside. Waldo¡¯s cursed energy begins to materialize from his palm. ¡°I summon¡­ Hades!¡± The cursed energy fully forms into the corseque once again. Waldo holds Hades in his hand and smiles at Iravin. Iravin smiles back. The chains are starting to wrap around his fists and fill with an ominous energy. The auras of the two warriors begins to flood the colosseum grounds. ¡°This is it, Iravin. It¡¯s the final curtain. We¡¯ve both come quite far from where we started. Let¡¯s put our new powers to the test.¡± ¡°Right you are. I didn¡¯t think that today would wind up as interesting as it did. I have to thank you.¡± ¡°Let your actions speak louder than your words.¡± The two of them disappear from their spots. Iravin¡¯s power has increased due to the presence of his chains. Waldo¡¯s power has increased due to having summoned Hades. Right now, they¡¯re both standing on equal footing. No one is overly more powerful than the other. It all comes down to how much pressure they exert. It all comes down to who is more hungry for battle. Waldo swings Hades. Iravin throws a devastating punch wrapped in his chains. The two weapons collide with either. The two powers are incredible forces. In a matter of seconds, both warriors cause the entire colosseum to crumble from the sheer volume of their clash. It¡¯s truly War versus Cataclysm. War and Cataclysm 11 May 14, 2020 In the midst of the debris, Waldo and Iravin both jump out from the piles of stone. They land on their feet and stand strong. Waldo and Iravin stare at each other, smiling from ear to ear at how this battle has turned out. Neither of them would have thought that they would be forced to grow and fight as much as they have now. It¡¯s a very welcome surprise to both sides. ¡°Those chains are quite peculiar. Just where exactly did you pull them out from?¡± ¡°I always have them on me, weighing me down.¡± ¡°I see. Not one to spill the secret?¡± ¡°I just told it to you.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Waldo grips Hades with power and charges towards Iravin. Iravin unwraps some of the chain around his arm and swings it around at Waldo. The swing is faster than a whip and exerts a powerful aura. Waldo dodges the chains and watches as the ground gets split in two. Those chains carry immense weight. Has Iravin been fighting with those chains on his body this entire time? Is that what he meant when he said they weigh him down? That would explain his drastic change in movement. With those things weighing him down, of course he couldn¡¯t fight to his full capabilities. Waldo lands on the ground and swings Hades, sending an immensely powerful shockwave at Iravin. Iravin¡¯s chain wraps around his arms again and he extends his hands towards the shockwave. The shockwave makes contact with Iravin, hitting him incredibly hard. However, he endures the pain and catches the shockwave in his hands. With this, he sends several pulses through the shockwave and towards Waldo. The pulses collide with Waldo and inflict mass torture on him again. But instead of screaming out loud like before, he smiles through it. Iravin hears him laughing out loud, a behavior so different from his previous one. Eventually, in a matter of seconds, the pulses and energy torturing Waldo dye down and go away. His cursed energy levels even spike up after this. Iravin raises his eyebrow in slight confusion. Waldo lets out a large breath. ¡°One thing that I learned about my cursed energy is that it¡¯s not so normal. I figured out previously it has a mind of its own, but it can even hollow out other energies and make them null. It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That right? It seems my pulses might no longer work anymore. In that case¡­¡± Iravin charges forward, transforming his legs with biomass into a much suitable shape that allows him to move even faster than before. He throws an attack that Waldo is just barely able to evade. Waldo scoffs and swings Hades again at Iravin. Iravin purposely takes the hit and grabs onto Hades. He pulls on Hades with a lot of force but Waldo intentionally lets go and lands a revolving kick at Iravin¡¯s face, knocking him away. Waldo feels that it¡¯s getting closer. The moment of conclusion is starting to become clear to him. But he cannot act arrogantly just yet. He cannot make the same mistake he did before. Iravin is tough after all. He¡¯s a walking behemoth compared to his previous opponents. Only Osoroi would be able to be on par with him. Waldo flies towards Iravin and fires multiple shockwaves in his path. Iravin deflects the shockwaves with the chains wrapped around his arm and launches a whip of biomass at Waldo. Waldo avoids a direct hit from the whip and continues to move forward. Iravin can sense Waldo building up a lot of power again. It has to be that one monstrous shockwave he first launched with Hades. Is he planning to fire it at point blank range? He might be able to bring out his armored form in that instant, but he doesn¡¯t want to take such a big risk. Instead of gambling his chances, Iravin¡¯s body suddenly exhausts a giant cloud of red mist. Iravin quickly disappears from Waldo¡¯s vision and Waldo stops in his tracks. Iravin¡¯s cursed energy presence is gone. There¡¯s no sound at all either. There¡¯s no way of telling where he could be. (He had an ace like this hiding in his sleeve! It completely messes with my senses. I can¡¯t track him anymore. This will be difficult.) Waldo is suddenly struck in the back. He quickly avoids a stagger and jumps back. He swings Hades in that direction and a shockwave is fired. A crash can be heard but it was definitely not Iravin. Waldo decides it¡¯s best to not stand around any longer. He picks up his feet and dashes in a straight line. If he can get out of the mist, he¡¯ll be able to see much clearer. Before he can get out of the mist, however, he¡¯s suddenly roped in by the chains. Iravin appears from within the mist and lands a clean hammer fist to Waldo¡¯s jaw. Waldo is knocked away into the air. He stops himself midair with the help of his shockwaves and lands back on the ground. He¡¯s been knocked all the way out of the mist cloud. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°What other tricks do you have up your sleeve, Iravin?¡± Waldo stabs the ground with Hades. He sends a culmination of shockwaves into the ground and towards the cloud of mist. In just a few moments, the ground under that cloud erupts and shockwaves fly. However, Iravin walks out of that disaster just fine. Any wounds he sustained from that are instantly regenerated. That¡¯s when it comes to Waldo¡¯s head. The halo above his head completely forms. The entire Domain Expansion begins to glow. Iravin looks around and questions what is happening. Meanwhile, Waldo stands there with a growing smile on his face. It¡¯s time. ¡°Behold, Iravin! What you¡¯re about to witness is the full extent of my power! This is my true domain expansion! The power of a god!¡± As everything is devoured by a bright white light, the blue barrier surrounding the two warriors begins to fade away. They appear right back in the disastrous and ruined rocky plains. Iravin looks around again and sees that they¡¯ve returned to their original location. He turns back around to Waldo. Waldo¡¯s body is completely encased in some kind of blue light. The halo is still above his head. His pressure is beginning to increase and rise. (Power of a god? What could he mean by that? Is he not a cursed spirit but another thing entirely? No, that couldn¡¯t be. Has to do with that halo. But this power is nothing to scoff at.) Waldo¡¯s body and clothes suddenly begin to shift. His skin gradually turns into a pure, clear white as shiny as a pearl. Not only his skin, but his clothes change their color into that same pearly white, only with some slight variations and shades. His cape becomes shorter and fully wraps around his shoulders and neck, almost acting like a secondary jacket. His face is covered with an armored-like mask. His blue eye becomes more condensed and hidden inside of that mask. But along with this transformation, Waldo now has a second blue eye. Hades is also transforming its shape. It¡¯s becoming more majestic, sharp, and larger. Eventually, the blue light around Waldo scatters and covers everything in the area. Iravin blocks his eyes to avoid suffering any damage to them. When the light dissipates and Iravin looks up, he sees that Waldo is no longer in his normal form. His halo has grown larger. His body is fully covered in shining white body armor. A royal cape drapes down his shoulders and back. And a cerulean glare that is as imposing as a great war. He¡¯s gotten taller too, about an entire foot. (This is unexpected. What a flashy little form.) Waldo, in his newly discovered form, looks down at himself. He lifts up his arm and stares at his hand. This power he feels¡­ He¡¯s eternally grateful that R¨¡j had put him back on the right path. If not for his determination or her interfering, something as brilliant as this would never have happened. ¡°Iravin.¡± Iravin perks up. Even Waldo¡¯s voice has a small bit of distortion to it. ¡°To extend my appreciation towards you, I will crush you with this new power. I apologize if I do not wield it right. This is the beginning.¡± Waldo begins to stride forward. Iravin can feel the sheer intensity that is left in his footsteps. As he is about to move from his spot and deliver an attack at Waldo, he instantly finds himself struck by Waldo in the chest. He coughs out a small amount of blood. In another flash, he¡¯s struck several times in just one second. Iravin is sent flying by the tremendous increase of power. His body has been wounded far more than Waldo has been able to do with just regular punches. He regains his senses midair and sprouts biomass from his back. The biomass morphs into wings. With the help of the wings, Iravin stops in the air and looks down at the ground and at Waldo. His face is scrunched up and surprised. (What the fuck?! This is more power than I thought! His speed is on a whole other scale! It¡¯s even faster than what I can react to!) ¡°Having fun looking down from the sky?¡± Iravin turns around as fast as he can only to get blasted by a shockwave. Waldo appeared right behind him and sent him back crashing into the ground. Iravin lands on the ground with a large crash and coughs out more blood. He regenerates his wounds and quickly gets back up. He looks back up at the sky. However, Waldo is not up there. Instead, he looks back down and sees that his arm has been severed. Waldo is standing behind him with Hades in his hand. Iravin¡¯s left arm is resting on the cracked earth. Iravin¡¯s eyes stare back at Waldo. He couldn¡¯t care less about his arm or the pain he feels. Compared to his feelings of surprise and ecstasy, pain is easily drowned out by those two. Iravin eventually regrows another arm in the place of the severed one. Waldo looks back and stares into Iravin¡¯s eyes. ¡°You must be surprised. I¡¯m more shocked at my power than you are.¡± Iravin stares at Waldo silently. His face seems to relax. His eyes are unreadable. Waldo turns around fully and aims Hades at Iravin. ¡°The only way that you will win against me in this form is if you surround yourself in that armor once more. You might be able to grow stronger, but my progression has also accelerated.¡± Iravin glares at Waldo when he says this. He might have a point. This level of power that Waldo is showing is beyond what he has previously shown. It¡¯s above Iravin¡¯s expectations. He could even be holding back some more power. It¡¯s about time to go all in. Iravin¡¯s hands curl into fists and his body begins to change. Once again, his body is suddenly covered in that tough armor that he used before. It shines in the light of the moon, glistening like a rough exoskeleton. Waldo and Iravin stare at each other in their new states. They each stride towards each other. Their auras collide. Their stares are powerful enough to bore holes into the ground. Another stare down¡­ but this time it¡¯s completely different. And it¡¯ll be the last one. War and Cataclysm 12 May 14, 2020 Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Mara begins to wake up. The logs that she was resting on have either been completely torn apart or have flown away. Her body still aches but it¡¯s manageable for her at least. She fully opens her eyes and sees several blue figures surrounding her. She gasps and flinches back. She then realizes that these are just some of Waldo¡¯s soldiers that he had created. If his soldiers are here, where could Waldo himself be? That¡¯s when she focuses and her entire mind shudders in disbelief. Several meters away from her are two enormous presences of cursed energy. Could they be Waldo and Iravin? But if it¡¯s actually them, how did their power increase by so much in such little time? (How? It¡¯s not making any sense. I don¡¯t think I was out for a long time. What happened while I was asleep? How is Waldo doing?) She musters up some strength and sits up. All of the soldiers present are staring in one direction. Mara turns her head and looks in that direction as well. What she¡¯s about to see astonishes her. Very far away, she can see two figures in the distance having a stare down. One of them is clad in white while the other is a mix of red and black. Even if she is several meters away from the two of them, their pressure and aura can still be felt. (Is that Waldo and Iravin? Why do they look so different? I don¡¯t remember either of them looking like that.) Mara musters more strength and tries to stand back up. Her legs shake and she ends up wobbling when she gets up, but she stood up regardless. When she starts taking her first steps towards the two warriors, one of the soldiers places a firm hand on the child¡¯s shoulder. Mara¡¯s jumps in a sudden fright and turns around. The soldier is looking directly at her. It¡¯s not saying or doing anything besides staring into her eyes. It¡¯s like it¡¯s giving a silent warning: Do not approach them. Mara reluctantly takes a couple of steps back and the soldier removes his hand from her shoulder. He returns to staring at the two warriors stand against each other. Mara frowns and looks as well. She assumes that Waldo is the one in white and that Iravin is the other one. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened but¡­ you have to win, Waldo.¡± And so, Mara is now on the sidelines, waiting for the last act of the battle to begin. Suddenly, she and the soldiers turn around. As they turn around, they see humans coming out from the shadows and trees. The humans must have come out to see what was causing all of the destruction and tremors. They¡¯re a fairly large group as well. They first see Mara and the odd blue figures next to her. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s a girl over there!¡± ¡°What is she doing by herself?¡± ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s some people right next to her. They¡¯re so blue though. Could it be some kind of armor?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone.¡± The regular humans could not detect the presence of the shockwave soldiers. However, the sorcerer that were part of the group were able to see them just fine. That¡¯s when they look even further and see Waldo and Iravin standing there. The two of them notice the presence of the humans and face them. The sorcerers gasp and stare at the two monsters. ¡°What the hell are those things over there?!¡± ¡°They can¡¯t be ordinary sorcerers! Are they curses?¡± ¡°But cursed spirits don¡¯t look like humanoids!¡± Waldo and Iravin glance at each other. This unwelcome group of humans are certainly causing a ruckus. They¡¯ve interrupted their duel. ¡°Are you assuming the exact same course of action, Iravin?¡± ¡°I could be. Perhaps you are too.¡± The group of humans suddenly see Waldo and Iravin walking over in their direction. They begin to panic and the sorcerers urge each other to run away. Meanwhile, Mara looks at Waldo and Iravin with a mix of awe and terror. They have such terrifyingly awesome power. She may just be a new sorcerer, but power like this is incredible to behold. In a flash, Waldo and Iravin seem to do something that Mara is not able to keep track of. That¡¯s when the entire area behind her crumbles. She quickly turns around and sees that the entire group of humans have been decimated. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Now that the pests are out of the way, we shall continue.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Waldo and Iravin look at each other again. Instead of standing there, however, they suddenly take to the air. Waldo exhausts some small shockwaves that elevate him. Iravin sprouts wings from his back again. They continue to ascend in the air until they reach a suitable height. Once they do, their energy suddenly spew out. Waldo takes Hades and swings at Iravin. Iravin takes the chains and throws an attack with them. The two weapons collide and cause a ripple of energy to spread out. A large gust of wind is created that blows away anything that isn¡¯t nailed to the ground. Waldo smiles. ¡°This is what I¡¯m working with? I couldn¡¯t be more pleased. After all, I am the War Spirit.¡± The battle between War and Cataclysm continues to intensify. It has finally reached the climax. Both Waldo and Iravin are back to fighting on equal ground. They¡¯re like dashing blurs in the sky. They¡¯re moving as fast as lasers and creating devastating ripples in the night sky. Mara can¡¯t keep track of the fighting at all. The two of them are moving too fast for her to watch with her eyes. One second they¡¯re in one place and then they¡¯re in another the next second. Their clashes are also affecting the ground below them as well. If it weren¡¯t for the shockwave soldiers protecting Mara from any collateral damage, she could have gotten very hurt. (They¡¯re too strong! If they keep fighting this entire place might become destroyed! I¡¯m glad Waldo is protecting me with his soldiers.) Waldo lashes out at Iravin by swinging Hades around. Iravin deflects most of the strikes and lands a clean uppercut on Waldo¡¯s chin. Waldo resists Iravin¡¯s fist and kicks him away, using a shockwave last second to blast him farther away. Iravin grabs the shockwave and sends pulses through it and towards Waldo. Waldo puts Hades in front of him. The pulses are then swiftly absorbed into Hades. Waldo then swings Hades and the pulses are fired right back at Iravin. Iravin puts his arms up and tanks the pulses. His chains and unique energy help in dispelling the pulses¡¯ effects quickly. He whips out his chain and attempts to rope Waldo in. Waldo charges forward and evades the chain. He thrusts Hades and a shockwave is fired. Iravin flies forward, flies under the shockwave, and then reels his fist in. A strange energy surroundings his fist that is different from his cursed energy. Waldo doesn¡¯t think much of it and puts his arms up to block it. He learns that that was a mistake. When Waldo gets hit by this mysterious energized punch, his core suddenly rattles. His soul is shifted outside of his body. His eyes widen as he sees his own body floating there in the air. (What the hell? Did he just force my soul out of my body? How is that-) Then, in the blink of an eye, his soul returns to his body. Waldo gasps and backs away from Iravin. ¡°What did you just commit? How are you able to do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my Soul Punch. Blocking it won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Waldo¡¯s senses feel heavily disoriented. Having his soul forcefully edit his body and then suddenly come back has some serious consequences. He punches himself in the head in an attempt to regain his senses. ¡°So you can manipulate my soul with that Soul Punch, right? Then I¡¯ll just make sure I don¡¯t get hit by it again.¡± ¡°Easier said than done, Waldo.¡± Iravin flies fast towards Waldo. His speed has steadily been increasing since they first started fighting in their new forms. But Waldo¡¯s power has also been going up. The more and more he fights and the more he gets excited, his cursed energy expands increases in power. That is especially true in this ¡°god¡± form of his. And so, Waldo flies towards Iravin as well. The two of them throw their fist and create a powerful clash. Iravin immediately begins to pile biomass onto his fist for more weight and power. Waldo begins to get pushed back because of this. However, he uses Mulitply right before he¡¯s overwhelmed and turns the tables on Iravin. His punch lands on his face with a massive amount of pressure. Iravin is sent back from the power but quickly stops himself. The armor on his face has only received some scratches and a minor crack. (Even after this new level of power, it takes everything I have to even see some damage on his armor. His defense and dexterity is second to none. It might even surpass my own, nay, it is higher than mine. However, I still outclass him in speed and striking strength. I can still come out on top!) Waldo aims Hades at Iravin. The weapon begins to glow and morph. All of a sudden, it expands and multiplies into several other copies. The copies of Hades scatter around Iravin or straight up launch themselves towards him. Iravin dodges some of the copies and deflects the others. But in the instant he makes contact with the copies, they detonate and scatter highly compressed shockwaves in all directions. Iravin blocks the shockwaves but I then comes into contact with another copy, which also detonates and scatters. This continues on for several seconds. It looks like something straight out of a pinball machine. Of course, Iravin grows tired of this and adapts to his new situation. He avoids one of the copies and, with the power of his chain, catches it and sends it back at Waldo. Waldo evades the copy of Hades and charges towards Iravin. All of the copies of Hades disperse. Iravin legs suddenly build up biomass and he throws an incredibly deadly kick at Waldo. The kick lands right in the middle of Waldo¡¯s chest. However, Waldo grabs Iravin¡¯s leg and his own leg begins to light up. In an instant, Waldo lands an equally devastating kick on Iravin¡¯s stomach. Ruin Counter! To Waldo¡¯s surprise, his kick actually causes Iravin¡¯s armor to crack. But to his surprise again, Iravin is staring right at him undeterred. His fist is already clenched and covered in that mysterious energy once again. He throws the punch at Waldo again. However, right before it lands, the energy fluctuates and gets crazy. Something happens the moment it lands. The Spirit Crash! War and Cataclysm 13 May 14, 2020 In the blink of an eye, Iravin¡¯s soul punch evolves into the Spirit Crash. The Spirit Crash is capable of entirely erasing the soul and every trace of someone¡¯s existence. Luckily, this Spirit Crash did not land on Waldo with its maximum force. Iravin was not going to have Waldo die like this. It would be a bummer for the both of them. Even so, Waldo¡¯s core rattles around and part of it even shatters. He feels his essence and source being damaged extensively. There¡¯s more pain on the inside than on the outside. Right as Waldo gets hit with the Spirit Crash, his body rag dolls and is sent crashing down hard into the ground. The amount of impact creates a gigantic gust of wind. The shockwave soldiers around Mara surround her and attempt to shield her from all of the wind. However, she peeks out from the encirclement of soldiers and looks towards the crater that Waldo lies in. ¡°Waldo!¡± Mara screams in horror and desperation. The vivid flash of seeing Waldo die continues to repeat inside of her head. His presence feels so faint. It¡¯s almost as if it¡¯s just a singular speck of sand in the middle of a tsunami. It has to be because of her. (If it weren¡¯t for me¡­ Waldo could fight with all of his power. But it¡¯s because I¡¯m here and it¡¯s because I¡¯m weak. It¡¯s because of that that he¡¯s holding back.) However, Mara was misunderstanding the entire situation. Waldo was not holding back for her sake. He was not doing this for her. He couldn¡¯t care less about Mara in this situation. The reason he was holding back was because he was afraid that this battle¡¯s outcome would be different if he didn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t even aware that he was holding back. He may have recovered all of his memories and experiences from his past lives, but the fact remains that Waldo is still his own person. All of his previous battles have been nothing but short and done. Only Osoroi would have been able to fulfill his hunger, but is he here? Of course he isn¡¯t. He had doubts about Iravin at first, but he regrets doubting this warrior. But there¡¯s no point in lamenting right now. He swore to himself that he wouldn¡¯t do that again. He has to find a way to get back up. In that moment, he recalls his first encounter with Osoroi. He was able to repair his core then, but how? In that moment, sure he figured out he could do it, but he didn¡¯t know the actual method. It wasn¡¯t until his memories came back and his cursed energy awakened that he knows now. Mara¡¯s eyes tear up just slightly. Iravin begins to float down to the ground. Suddenly, Waldo¡¯s presence begins to return. Mara and Iravin feel Waldo¡¯s cursed energy resurfacing again. He¡¯s not down for the count just yet. (Waldo! He¡¯s not done yet!) Mara¡¯s expression turns into one of glee. She realizes this and forcibly tries to become nonchalant again. Iravin faces Waldo¡¯s crater with an intrigued expression. Coming out from within the armored face, a sharp smile begins crawling out to the ends of his face. The truth behind Waldo¡¯s core being able to repair itself lies within his special cursed energy trait. Waldo¡¯s cursed energy has been dubbed as Destructive Cursed Energy by R¨¡j and his previous incarnations. As the name suggests, any attack that Waldo is able to dish out has much more impact and force than if it were using regular cursed energy. But that is not the only peculiar thing about Destructive Cursed Energy. As previously mentioned by Waldo, Destructive Cursed Energy has a mind of its own. It¡¯s able to think for itself due to it possessing its own will. Because of this, it can perform many miraculous tasks that normal cursed spirits and sorcerers are not able to perform. One of these things are being able to repair and change the soul, although only limited to the user. Using the power of Destructive Cursed Energy, Waldo begins to apply it to his damaged core and gradually repair it. The flare in his blue eyes return. Waldo grabs the ground and stands back up from his crater. Iravin and Mara both stare at him with widened eyes. Waldo stumbles out of the crater, clutching his right breast as he gets out. ¡°That did quite a number on me. If you weren¡¯t focused on keeping me alive, I would have been a goner for sure.¡± ¡°Still¡­ how are you able to get back up that quickly?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a thing about my cursed energy. I¡¯m able to use it to repair my damaged soul. I don¡¯t understand all of the specific details yet, but I wouldn¡¯t sweat over it.¡± ¡°What a trump card¡­¡± Waldo¡¯s core continues to repair itself. Waldo looks at Iravin and then back up at his hall. His halo is starting to chip away. It¡¯s returning back to its original faint state. That means the time he has in this form is reaching its end. There¡¯s only one thing left to do. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I apologize for having doubted you Iravin. I didn¡¯t even realize it at first, but I thought if I went all out, this battle would have ended. I¡¯m ashamed for thinking I should hold back against a warrior like yourself. But now isn¡¯t the time for such thoughts.¡± ¡°I should commend you as well. I haven¡¯t had to fight this long in my armored form before. We may have had our differences today, but you are legit when it comes down to battle.¡± ¡°Then I suggest we end this in one go. My time in this form is about to run out. It would be better to go out with a bang, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I have to agree with you. But aren¡¯t you worried about the girl?¡± Waldo glances behind him. He sees the encirclement of soldiers and Mara inside of it. It¡¯s very likely that Waldo¡¯s next attack will reach all the way to her. If his human is damaged, how can she train? She still has a lot of untapped potential, and it¡¯s barely been a couple of weeks. He has to see her progress to its fullest. If he cultivates a warrior of the lowest caliber, how can he live with that fact on his back? ¡°Mara¡­ move. Get as far away as you can. If you still get hurt, it¡¯s on you.¡± ¡°O-ok¡­¡± The soldiers beside Mara begin to escort her away. She looks back for a second one last time and then runs off. Waldo turns back to Iravin and clenches Hades. His core has just been repaired and his power has returned. A laugh manages to escape his mouth. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s been quite the ride.¡± . . A soldier begins to run back to their base. The uniform and emblem of the U.S. army is brightened by the moonlight. They pant frantically, running as fast as they can despite being completely out of breath. They suddenly stumble on a loose tree branch and fall on their face. The cold hard ground is not the most ideal material to fall on. The U.S soldier looks up with a groan. They see another soldier crouched in front of them, offering a hand to them. The fallen soldier takes the hand and gets back up. ¡°Thanks, Harper. pant Sorry you had to see that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, David. Just tell me what you¡¯re doing here and not out there.¡± ¡°Well, there was something sudden that happened. The group of people that we were looking after in the refuge just disappeared.¡± ¡°You mean the stragglers and the jujutsu sorcerers? Why the hell did they leave the refuge?¡± Harper¡¯s expression twists in annoyance. Her foot begins to tap the ground impatiently. Meanwhile, David wipes off the dirt and grime on his face. ¡°I wish I knew why, but I don¡¯t have a clue. The guy that was posted there to help them wasn¡¯t there when I arrived to check on them. He must have went somewhere for a little and the group saw it as an opportunity to run? I don¡¯t really get it. Why would they venture out into the dangerous plains?¡± ¡°Desperate times make desperate people. They probably don¡¯t even trust anyone no more. I wouldn¡¯t blame them. Suddenly the world gets along and then the ropes of friendship are severed in the blink of an eye.¡± In that instant, before the two of them could even move or speak again, a gigantic explosion is heard in the distance. The ground rumbles from the sheer energy and gusts of wind reach all the way to them. David and Harper are knocked off their feet by the tremor and winds and fall on their back. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± ¡°Is it another nuke?¡± The two of them could barely hear each other over the intense noise and strong winds. After a minute or two, everything begins to calm down. David gets up and helps Harper stand back up. The two of them look to the west, the direction of the large explosion. A giant cloud of smoke rises to the sky. ¡°Harper, that couldn¡¯t be another nuke right?¡± ¡°No, it shouldn¡¯t be. Sure, lots of energy, but it didn¡¯t topple down the entire forest. It must have been tightly controlled.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not a nuke, what kind of bomb can pull off that kind of power?¡± ¡°It might not be a bomb, David. Worst case scenario, some idiot sorcerers or curses are fighting out there. Regardless, we should let the Sergeant Major know about this.¡± ¡°Sergeant Major Anselm¡­ if anyone knows what to say about this, it has to be him.¡± The two U.S. soldiers turn back and quickly make their way to their base. They try to come up with ideas to explain the explosion, but nothing comes to mind. Little do they know that the explosion was created from the clash of two powerful beings. An explosion like that would only be able to be produced by another military. But that¡¯s not the case here. It was the product of War and Cataclysm. War and Cataclysm 13.5 May 14, 2020 The entire battlefield has been eradicated. A deep, wide crater has replaced the once flat plains. Mara, although a few kilometers away from the explosion, still felt the full brunt of the energy. The shockwave soldiers shielded her but they were destroyed in the process. At the very least, they prevented Mara from suffering more damage than she could possibly handle. Mara recalls the entire thing inside of her head. Waldo somehow created a gigantic blue avatar behind him using his powers. The sight of it was incredible. It stood at least 10 times Waldo¡¯s height. Iravin also had something special coming up. His fist was coated with a culmination of energies. Just the amount of energy alone in his hand was enough to cause the air to vibrate. With their two attacks on standby, Waldo and Iravin rushed towards and each other and threw their punch. The instant their fists clashed, there was a devastating explosion that changed the landscape of the plains they were fighting on. The energy could be felt from several kilometers away from the site of the explosion. Once the wind and shockwave aftermath subsided, Mara begins to fear that something has happened. Even though her body is exhausted and damaged, she pushes and tries to make her way towards the explosion site. She activates her cursed technique and uses small blasts of air to help her move forward. She¡¯s not moving at a good pace, but it was better than crawling on the ground. Meanwhile, at the site of the explosion, both warriors lay on the ground. Waldo has reverted back into his normal base form. Iravin¡¯s armor is heavily cracked and chunks of it have even come off his body. Silence soon befalls the entire area. Waldo¡¯s hand twitches and his body begins to wiggle around. His upper body slowly begins to rise from its position in the ground. Iravin also starts to get up from his spot. The two warriors soon get back on their feet and face each other from a large distance. Perhaps the battle has concluded with a tie. ¡°I¡­ I no longer have any more power to spare, Iravin. I exhausted everything with that final attack.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done the same. I have not grown tired, but my energy has gotten to low levels. Besides¡­ I think fighting even more than this would be pointless. I do not want to kill such a rare being like yourself.¡± ¡°Likewise. It would be a downer to the world if you were to leave it. It¡¯s better that we end things here.¡± Iravin suddenly gets an idea. The two of them simply parting ways would be too uneventful. There is a lot that could happen here. And so, he proposes something incredulous to Waldo. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°How would you like it if we exchanged our powers?¡± Waldo¡¯s eye suddenly stops. He must have heard Iravin wrong, but his senses have never failed him in the past. What he is hearing is real. ¡°You want to exchange powers? I apologize, but I am fond of my power and would like to keep it. Your manipulation of biomass is interesting, but it¡¯s not for me.¡± ¡°Oh, let me rephrase my statement. I didn¡¯t mean to say that we¡¯re switching powers with each other. I was thinking we could share some of our abilities. I can give you access to some of my arsenal and you can give me access to your cursed technique in exchange.¡± Waldo takes in what Iravin is saying. What is the purpose for him saying this? Waldo agrees that it would rather plain for them to simply leave after all of this. There¡¯s a good chance that they will meet again in the future. He¡¯s witnessed Iravin¡¯s power first hand and knows what it is capable of. That power would be useful in his hands. It could lead to even more development that would have otherwise been impossible. It could also strengthen a partnership with Iravin. When faced with everything in front of him, how could Waldo possibly refuse such an offer? ¡°How do you plan to do it?¡± ¡°For most of it, we can exchange fragments of our souls with each other. The energy that flows naturally inside will be transferred and we¡¯ll soon be able to use it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that an extremely dangerous process? There¡¯s a chance that neither of us will survive this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the type of person to be afraid of a few risks.¡± ¡°Well, you got me there.¡± Waldo and Iravin nod their heads. Waldo takes his hand and stabs his own body with it. With as much precision as possible, he takes out a small piece of his core from within his body. As soon as this happens, he can feel a tremendous amount of strength leave his body. His senses have suddenly dulled. When he snaps back to reality, he sees that Iravin also has a fragment of his soul in his hand. The two of them switch fragments with each other and place them on their souls. . . Mara has traveled a great distance from where she started. Waldo and Iravin are in her view now. They¡¯re no longer fighting each other but are instead standing and conversing. They also have small bits of something in the palm of their hands. Before she can question what they are doing, Waldo erects a veil around the two of them. Mara raises her eyebrows and stops moving. Something is happening that they don¡¯t want her to know about. Mara sighs and allows herself to sit on the ground. (You know¡­ I¡¯m pretty hungry.)