CHAPTER 69: CLASH OF PRIDE

"Even better for me, Aaron!" Michael grinned, his eyes blazing with anticipation.

Aaron tilted his head, his tone calm but cutting. "No, you don’t understand. From now on... you’ll be in a world of hurt."

Michael blinked. "Aaron... how...?" His voice cracked with disbelief. Just a heartbeat ago, Aaron had been right in front of him. Now, somehow, Aaron’s whisper brushed against his ear from behind.

What was worse—the transition had been invisible. Even with Michael’s sharpened senses, heightened reflexes, and speed amplified to their limits, he hadn’t caught so much as a blur. That realization made his stomach sink. If he couldn’t track Aaron’s movement, it meant only one thing—Aaron wasn’t just faster. He was on an entirely different level.

Instinct took over. Michael swung his spear backward, desperate to land even a blind hit. The weapon cut through air—nothing. Aaron was already gone. A harmless smile bloomed on Aaron’s face as he appeared in front of him once again, as though he had never left.

Before Michael could react, Aaron hefted Excalibur like a baseball bat. With a casual swing, the sword connected.

Boom!

Michael was launched like a cannonball, crashing hard against the protective wall that separated the training arena from the spectators. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across its surface, dust and debris raining down.

"Cough... cough..." Michael forced himself back to his feet, blood on his lips, confusion written all over his face. This didn’t make sense. Just moments ago, he had been dominating. He was certain his speed was greater. Yet now, Aaron moved several times faster than him, utterly untouchable.

It was maddening.

Aaron stepped leisurely beside him, his voice smooth. "Relax, Michael. We were never equals. I only lowered myself to your level to enjoy the thrill of battle. But I’ve realized—that’s not how I find joy." His smile widened. "Crushing my enemies one-sidedly... now that’s my game."

Michael stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha!" His shoulders shook as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

He had always thought of himself as the most arrogant man alive, but in front of Aaron, his pride seemed laughably small. If he was a ball of pride, then Aaron was an entire planet.

"I see now... even I underestimated you." Michael’s grin returned, sharper this time. "You should give yourself credit, Aaron. I’ve never shown this form in front of anyone else. Too dangerous. I feared I’d kill my peers." His crimson gaze locked onto Aaron. "But you... you can handle it."

"Oh?" Aaron raised a brow, intrigued. He stepped back, allowing the stage to be set.

Then it began.

Michael’s skin started peeling away in flakes of glowing energy, only to reveal another form beneath—his true form. His body shimmered, forged of lightning and flames perfectly intertwined. His blue hair bled back into crimson, growing longer and wilder until it brushed his shoulders.

The crown of blue lightning that once adorned him shattered apart, replaced by something far more terrifying. A luminous golden ring hovered above his head—an illusory halo, the Ring of Godhood. Even as a replica, the significance of that sight made the entire audience stiffen in disbelief. Gasps filled the arena.

Professor Elias himself froze, eyes wide. The other professors exchanged nervous glances, the atmosphere heavy with shock.

Michael’s eyes flared. No iris, no whites—only endless crimson, lightning-flames sparking from within. His uniform burned away, replaced by a regal attire woven from fire and thunder. Behind him sprouted two wings: one a blazing construct of scarlet lightning, the other a raging wing of red flames.

The air vibrated violently with every surge of voltage. The temperature spiked, suffocatingly hot.

Above the training building, storm clouds formed unnaturally fast, swirling into a colossal mass. Dark, oppressive, crackling with red lightning—an apocalypse waiting to fall.

Aaron chuckled under his breath, watching the transformation. "Would you look at that... he makes Alice look like a child."

[It’s to be expected. He’s a dual awakened with a blessing.] the system’s voice murmured.

Aaron smirked. "You’re right. He’s the perfect MC template. Blessed power, a chosen one, the guy destined to win the female lead. Such a well-written story." His grin widened into something darker. "If only I wasn’t here to ruin it."

His eyes gleamed mischievously. "Hey, system... what do you think would happen if I turned him into a vampire?" He tilted his head, imagining the power Michael would gain. "Or maybe a werewolf? Hm... no. My vampires are stronger. With my infinite blood pool, their potential is limitless..."

Michael’s voice boomed like thunder, interrupting his thoughts. "Are you ready, Aaron? Because here I come!"

Aaron gave him a playful smile. "Before that, let me show you who the real boss is."

"Oi, system," he whispered, still grinning. "What’s more dramatic—one-hit KO, or a flawless fight without taking damage?"

Silence.

Aaron chuckled. "I know. Both."

In an instant, Michael vanished. The next heartbeat, he reappeared before Aaron, his palm pressed to Aaron’s temple. A devastating orb of compressed lightning-flame erupted point-blank.

"Too slow," Aaron said softly, his body slipping aside like water. His movements were casual, yet untouchable. Even with his strength suppressed to S-grade, Michael still looked like nothing more than a child swinging wildly.

The difference between them was like a sports car racing a bicycle.

Michael growled in frustration but didn’t falter. His right hand ignited into a blade of crackling lightning, his left into a sword of roaring flame.

"You’ll be spending at least a week in the hospital," Michael snarled. "If I don’t overdo it and make it a month!"

He lunged, swinging the flame blade down at Aaron with earth-splitting force.

But Aaron was already gone, appearing behind him with the ease of a father teasing his son.

Boom!

The flame blade missed, slamming into the ground. The arena split apart, a river of fire bursting outward as the destruction raced toward the walls. The protective barrier shuddered violently, barely holding together.

Professor Elias’s brows furrowed. One more strike of that magnitude, and the training hall’s defenses would collapse—putting every student present at risk.

Yet Aaron and Michael were lost in their own world. Neither spared the surroundings a thought. For them, only the clash mattered.

Michael roared, swinging both elemental blades in a deadly cross.

For the first time since Michael revealed his true form, Aaron chose to meet him head-on. He raised Excalibur and brought it down.

BOOOOM!

Steel and flame and lightning collided. The shockwave detonated outward, a tidal wave of raw energy hammering the entire arena. Walls shook. Foundations groaned. Students screamed as the barrier strained under the impact.

Aaron slid back two steps, his feet digging into the ground. Michael, despite his newfound godly form, was pushed back more than a meter.

"Tsk." Michael clicked his tongue, his face twisting in dissatisfaction. He had lost the clash of raw strength—and he knew it. Still, his eyes burned with determination as he lifted his blades again.

Aaron leveled Excalibur, his expression relaxed, almost mocking, as though waiting for Michael to try again so he could swat him down like a fly.

But before either could move—

Two powerful hands appeared, catching both Excalibur and Michael’s twin blades mid-swing. The clash was stopped cold, the force dispersed in an instant.

"That is enough," a voice rang out, cutting through the storm.

The arena fell into sudden silence.