CHAPTER 43: THE MONSTROUS SETH 4

Ashes of grass drifted through the air as the scorching sun blazed overhead, slowly descending toward the western horizon.

Raiden and Seth stood facing each other—Raiden’s blue aura flickering with irritation and rage as he clenched his fists, while Seth’s golden aura remained steady and serene, his calm gaze fixed upon his opponent.

Raiden stared back, his blood slowly boiling, but he knew he had to remain calm and calculated. He feinted forward, testing Seth with a deliberate step. Before his foot could touch the ground, Seth was already there.

Raiden’s expression darkened, mouth slightly parted in shock as he raised his guard against Seth’s incoming strike. At the last second, Seth redirected the blow upward, catching Raiden’s jaw and dropping him hard to the ground.

The speed and chaos left Raiden dazed, unable to properly register Seth’s incoming strike. Before he’d even finished his second bounce off the ground, Seth was there again, driving another blow toward his chest. Raiden managed to block it despite his disadvantage, but the sheer force still sent him skidding across the floor.

Raiden’s mind raced, desperately searching for a way to turn the tables. The disadvantage was overwhelming. In the heat of the moment, he activated his invisibility, vanishing in an attempt to escape Seth’s relentless assault.

But Seth was already anticipating him, landing a blind strike square in his chest before Raiden could react. The impact sent burning pain through his torso as he gripped his chest with one hand, the other frantically working to stabilize himself and avoid another punishing bounce.

Raiden flickered back into visibility, teeth clenched in pain as he gripped his chest. Now he understood why Levi’s invisibility had failed against Seth. It was useless. Seth could feel the space between them, he could read distance itself and bend it to his will.

Seth stood there, stretching his muscles with that same calm expression. He leaned slightly toward Raiden. "Just so you know, my ability is Fold Distance." He motioned for Raiden to attack. "That’s what makes me the strongest."

Raiden didn’t move, just stared at Seth as his mind jumped from thought to thought. They shared the same rank, but Seth’s physical dominance was undeniable. There had to be more layers to his ability. He inhaled deeply, steadying his fraying nerves.

If he folds distance, I need to stay close, give him nothing to work with,—he reasoned, then dashed forward.

In an instant, Seth was before him, fist driving toward Raiden’s gut. The strike came faster than anticipated, but Raiden reacted just in time. He let the blow connect, his eyes bulging from the searing pain that spread across his skin, but he didn’t flinch.

He clamped down on Seth’s hand and drove the back of his right fist into his jaw, then followed with a crushing strike to his throat. The attacks came relentlessly, one flowing into the next. Blood sprayed from Seth’s mouth as he fought desperately to escape Raiden’s iron grip.

But each of Raiden’s strikes seemed to drain Seth’s very soul, leaving him too weak to break free. Even with Raiden’s regeneration working, the relentless assault was overwhelming him—fatigue setting in faster than he could recover, his hands growing numb. Summoning every last ounce of strength, he drove one final, devastating punch into Seth’s gut.

With Raiden’s grip locking him in place, Seth had no choice but to take the devastating blow. A sharp, bone-deep crack split the air, and Raiden felt the unmistakable sensation of Seth’s ribs crumbling under his fist.

Seth crumpled to his knees before collapsing face-first onto the ground, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. His eyes held a look of stunned disbelief, the pain beyond anything he could process.

Raiden released his grip and began stretching, gathering energy for the final blow. "I told you I’d kill you... in your next life, never disrespect my comrades."

His voice carried ice-cold finality as he crouched down and seized Seth by the hair. "And remember—I am the bookkeeper."

Raiden hauled him over the scorched grass to the pavement and drove Seth’s skull into the concrete with devastating force. Bone cracked and blood sprayed across the ground, yet he could still sense Seth’s heartbeat pulsing faintly in his mind.

Raiden clenched his teeth and was about to deliver the final strike, but Seth’s aura suddenly turned silver. Raiden instinctively let go of him and put distance between them.

Confusion flashed across Raiden’s eyes as Seth slowly stood, a silver aura radiating from his battered form. There had been no devil milk—Raiden was certain of that. And any potion Seth might have carried should have been crushed in their brutal exchange. What the hell was happening?

Seth rose to his feet, his eyes rolled back to show only blank white orbs, and he moved with the jerky motions of a corpse. "I... am the... strongest," he rasped, each word dragged out like the groaning of the undead.

Raiden didn’t understand what was happening, but it didn’t matter. Seth would still die. As the bookkeeper, he couldn’t let the disrespect and torment of his comrades go unpunished.

"I don’t care," Raiden muttered coldly. "You can turn into a god, but I will still kill you." He dashed forward without hesitation.

Seth was on him in a flash, his strike cutting through the air. Raiden blocked it, but the impact sent him skidding backward anyway, searing pain exploding through his left hand and tearing a scream from his throat.

As soon as Raiden came to a halt, he stared down at his left hand in disbelief. It was mangled beyond recognition, completely broken.

"What?" The word escaped as barely a breath, his eyes wide with horror.

His regeneration wasn’t kicking in—the damage was too extensive, overwhelming his body’s ability to heal. He looked back at Seth, who stood motionless like a statue. Mindless though he seemed, his power had increased exponentially.

Raiden inhaled deeply, centering himself. This had to end now, and he could make it happen. It was all about perfect timing and execution. He moved his broken hand out of the way, positioning himself carefully. One hand, that’s all he needed.

He approached Seth with measured, careful steps until suddenly they were face-to-face. Their strikes came at the same moment—Seth’s punch tore through Raiden’s gut, obliterating his internal organs while searing heat flooded his abdomen. But Raiden endured the agony and drove his fist into Seth’s jaw, shattering bone and dropping him hard to the ground.

Raiden stood frozen, jaw locked tight against the agony, hoping for even a moment’s relief. But when Seth started pushing himself up, Raiden realized he couldn’t afford to wait—he had to capitalize now.

He stepped forward, and the gut pain flared worse, but there was no choice—he had to endure it. Fighting through the agony, he broke into a run just as Seth got back up, jaw hanging at a broken angle, those hollow white eyes tracking Raiden’s approach. Too late—Raiden was already on him.

Seth had no time to defend—Raiden’s fist slammed into his chest with brutal force, launching him backward into the ground. Raiden pursued instantly, following Seth’s trajectory until his body struck the magical barrier that had been cast around the house to contain Raiden.

By the time Seth came to a halt, Raiden was already there. He seized Seth’s head and drove it against the barrier with crushing force, fracturing his skull yet again. But no blood flowed from the wounds—not a single drop—and the unnatural sight filled Raiden with urgent dread.

He crushed Seth’s head against the barrier again, dropped him like a rag doll, and planted his foot across his throat. With all his remaining power, he punched through Seth’s ribcage and tore the pulsing heart from his chest.

The silver aura faded to gold as Seth coughed up a final stream of blood, his frantic eyes growing vacant as death claimed him. Overwhelming relief washed over Raiden. He threw the heart away and slumped to the ground, his back pressed against the barrier.

Seth’s aura flickered and faded, his desperate eyes searching as though he had final words to share. Raiden looked at him with a cruel smile, euphoria flooding through him at last, claiming its warmth.

But he had no intention of giving Seth that satisfaction—he would wait in silence until death finished the job.

"You are the strongest fighter I’ve ever faced," Seth murmured as his eyes started to close. "You should take pride in that... I consider you stronger than even my father."

Raiden looked away from Seth and faced the mansion, letting his eyes rest on the sunset. After a moment, he noticed Leo sprinting toward them.

"I’m sorry your brother died at Levi’s hands... I know all you wanted was revenge." He glanced at Seth’s lifeless form. "But I am the bookkeeper, and I must protect my comrades."

[ALERT]

[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 7: LEVEL- 5/100 XP.

MANA CONTROL: 55

DRAGON MANA POOL: 915/ 5000

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 245

STAMINA: 230

DRAGON AURA: 100

SKILL PROFICIENCY: ACTIVE 2

—Swordsmanship: 85%

—Euphoria: 40%

FAMILIAR TRUST: 102%

—Linked Familiar: WHITE DRAGON

CONTRACTS: ACTIVE 5.

—Name: [ASH]

—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.

—Name: [LEVI]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [FREYA]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SPEED]

—Bond Type: Binding Oath.

—Name: [SOUL]

—Bond Type: Devotion Pact.

NEW ABILITIES:

—Soul of Dragon: 13%

—Heart of Dragon: 10%

—Invisibility

—Gaze Beyond

—Soul Condemn

—Others Locked.]