CHAPTER 41: THE MONSTEROUS SETH 2

Raiden’s feet were glued to the floor as he watched Freya slowly get to her feet, her body covered in flames, yet not a single burn marked her black suit. Leo dragged himself across the floor toward Free, his severed body robbing him of any chance for a final breath. Still, Leo managed to pull him out of the way.

Seth’s brief stuttering expression suddenly vanished, his calm yet cold demeanor returning as if he wasn’t the same person who’d been threatened by Freya’s unique usage of mana moments ago.

A brief scare shot through Raiden as he swallowed nervously, while Seth just stared at the floor, not sparing Freya a glance.

However, Freya didn’t seem to care much about Seth’s reaction. She took a bold step forward and hesitated. The confusion on Leo’s face said it all—they were both expecting something. Raiden remained curious, his heart racing as he waited for her to do something.

Just as Raiden’s mind wandered, before he could even link a thought together, Seth appeared before Freya. He didn’t last a second—Freya struck him, sending him crashing through the fountain behind him and collapsing it entirely as water erupted across the distance.

Still, she didn’t give him a chance to get back up. The moment he landed with his clothes drenched, Freya dashed after him and struck his torso, her fire beginning to burn his shirt from within.

Raiden’s eyes lit up with relief and hope, but he knew better than to let this brief victory fool him. Despite Freya’s devastating strikes, all she had to show for it was Seth’s burnt shirt—clearly, he had yet to fight back. His eyes darted around in confusion. What could he do?

He remained still, hands trembling as Freya delivered strike after strike at Seth. Then it hit him—while Freya held Seth off, he could use this moment to refine his mana. Maybe he could do it after all.

He didn’t think it through; it was the only thing that sounded logical in the heat of the moment. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, despite the life-or-death battle raging around him, he turned his focus inward to his mana core. It was only the size of an apple—despite growing denser, it had barely increased in size.

Raiden didn’t have the luxury to think about the specifics—he simply assumed the mana grew inward and that refining it meant tapping into it. He visualized his entire body before the core, knowing he had to get closer and enter it. But as he approached, the core seemed to expand, and before long he was sweating.

His heart pounded faster than before, his temperature spiking from the fear of failure. For the first time, he couldn’t fully focus on his meditation. He could feel the heat from Freya’s flames brushing against his skin.

He knew he needed to be calm to do this properly. After several moments of trying unsuccessfully to tap into his core, he forced his eyes open and began panting heavily. Sweat had completely soaked through his shirt, and he ripped it off his torso.

At that moment he looked over to see Freya caught in Seth’s grip, being choked aggressively. She flailed her hands in the air, trying desperately to loosen his hold, while Seth kept his calm demeanor, eyes still focused on the floor.

He slammed her into the ground as she bounced, but she couldn’t get far before she was in Seth’s hand once more. He crashed her into the floor again, and on her third bounce, Seth was already positioned there, delivering a devastating punch to her gut that sent her crashing down.

Raiden’s heart skipped a beat, and he nearly leaped up. He couldn’t comprehend how Seth was doing this. It wasn’t speed—Seth could pull others to him from any distance and close gaps instantly with the same power. It was as if he erased the very space between himself and his opponents.

The strikes Freya received should have been an end game for her, but she coughed up blood, the bandage on her head was drenched in blood, and still she rose to her feet.

She turned to Raiden and smiled at him before turning to face Seth. It was just a smile, but smiling through that kind of pain wasn’t normal unless the person was as stubborn as Raiden was—that’s what made him understand her. It was her way of telling him she appreciated being saved. She was willing to die fighting.

Raiden’s mouth hung slightly open as he watched Freya summon every ounce of strength within her. The grass around them burned, thick smoke choking the air since it couldn’t escape the barrier enclosing them—making everything even hotter.

Raiden shook his head, took a deep breath, and began calming his nerves, forcing himself to ignore his surroundings completely this time. He had to succeed—or this might be their final moment.

Jack’s voice began to ring in his head, cold but precise. "Kill the old self’s fear. Break the chains. Kill the weakness."

It repeated itself over and over until finally, the outside world was nothing but a distant memory. He was calm and collected, allowing only the quiet stillness within to fill his mind. The moment he decided to approach his mana core, it came naturally.

However, the moment he approached, he realized just how enormous the core actually was. He saw himself as nothing but an ant before a tennis ball.

He outstretched his hand to touch it, and the moment he made contact, he was pulled inside like he was drowning in an ocean. He began gasping for air even outside, prompting Leo—who had returned from moving Free’s body into the house—to take cover from Seth and Freya’s intense fight.

They were going at each other relentlessly, strikes meeting fire and fire meeting strikes, with neither backing down.

Meanwhile, Raiden fought his own battle. He felt strangled inside his core, his body trembling uncontrollably until he held his breath and forced himself to think logically. This was his core, part of him, so he should be able to control it.

He continued holding his breath, his face flushing crimson, as he gradually released control until at last he could breathe freely, sending blessed relief coursing through his body.

Inside the core, everything was bathed in blue light, like being engulfed in azure flames. He needed to refine it—purify and filter the energy. This normally required hands-on practice, but this was his only chance, and he had to succeed.

He began breathing steadily, his nerves graciously accepting each particle of mana. The calmer he became, the more mana his body naturally absorbed, leaving the impure ones behind like mist.

Just as he remained there, the ground where Freya stood began to scorch down to its core. Blood poured from her nose, her movements sluggish as she gathered all her strength for a single strike. Seth stood before her, completely unbothered, staring at the ground without flinching or showing any emotion.

At that very instant, Soul came out of the house and stood beside Raiden and Leo. The moment her eyes found Seth, she froze completely, her eyes flickering with panic as she instinctively grabbed Raiden’s necklace, trying to wake him. But Raiden was far too deep to be awakened. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable—this was the man who had probably tortured her all her life.

Seth remained unaware of Soul’s presence as Freya launched herself at him. He displayed no hint of worry, yet the next moment his fist was driving into Freya’s stomach, denying her the chance to land her desperate strike as she collapsed. She attempted to stand but lacked the strength to even twitch.

Both Leo and Soul dropped to their knees as terror overwhelmed them, while Seth simply brushed off his clothes.

At that very moment, Raiden successfully refined his mana as the system’s unnatural voice rang in his head.

[ALERT]

[MANA REFINEMENT COMPLETED]

[+10XP]

[DRAGON MANA POOL: 700/5000]

[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 8: LEVEL-90/100XP]

Raiden’s heart sank within him as tears immediately filled his eyes. His mind began spiraling from one thought to another.

If mana refinement wasn’t enough, then what could possibly be?—he wondered as despair consumed him, hopelessness setting his body trembling.