x
Suddenly, there was an impressive spike of energy that flared in the direction Damien and the eldest brother fought. Then, not long after, it faded altogether.
"Hm, from what I've heard, I can understand why it was impossible to subdue that one without killing him," Arne stated as they and Trevor focused on sensing the commotion. "He must have been a fierce opponent.'
There was a long silence as Arne sensed Trevor's loss for words. But that wasn't all they sensed. His energy steadily rose with each passing second as well.
"No way. He couldn't have lost. Not J...he couldn't have, pops wouldn't have let..." Trevor stopped as Arne figured he could sense Tymon successfully holding off Avarice. Then, just as Avarice's power erupted dramatically, so did Trevor's.
Enraged, Trevor rose higher. Arne felt him put most of his power into a massive orb that had to be at least twice the size he used earlier. He compressed it further and further until it felt like all that power was impossibly trapped in a pea. Then he fed more power into it until it grew in size again, not to the same size as before, but still large enough to fit inside a coliseum, yet it gave off much more energy now.
"This is everything I have. It'll cause an explosion even greater than the Tsar Bomba II," Trevor claimed angrily. "You want to test yourself against my best? I'm confident this'll be enough to eviscerate you."
"Oh yeah?" Arne was excited as they felt their hardened skin begin to tinge and heat up from the explosive atmosphere as the temperatures rose.
"If this is your best, I must say, I'm impressed," Arne called out in the dry furnace. "I commend you for producing heat almost as hot as Za'Fia's before she reached her full potential."
Arne could feel the presence of the orb like a sun baring over them and smiled appreciatively. Taking his previous claim as a challenge, they said, "If I withstand this, it'll prove that not even the world's greatest nuke can fell me..."
Arne placed their pride in their Hardshatter and spirit enhancement and braced for impact, "That's not a challenge I'd run from."
Judging from the panting above and the wavering in his remaining internal energy, Arne knew that Trevor had put a great deal of effort into preparing this attack. He'd finally delivered them something worthy of his title, and they would meet his efforts with conviction.
With a valiant yell, Trevor threw the blast at Arne.
To test their own growth, Arne tried to prevent the colossal mass of volatile energy from touching the ground by catching it. Arne's Hardshatter instantly broke, causing them to get burned before having to keep reactivating it to stave off lethal burns. By far, that dense energy was the heaviest thing Arne had ever lifted. The ground beneath their feet began to give way which forced Arne to use their neta abilities to keep the ground stable enough for a foothold.
Once Arne felt they had a strong enough grip on the orb, they started to apply their spirit energy around it just in time to catch and contain the explosion that would've devastated at least a dozen miles in every direction with just its fireball alone. Who knew how far the aftereffects of the explosion would have reached?
The effort to contain the explosion drained Arne's energy reserves considerably. Coupled with the burns and physical fatigue Arne's muscles were suffering through, this was the first time Arne could remember feeling so exhausted. But, with grit, as soon as the explosion collapsed, Arne used the remainder of their speed and power to rush skyward through the smoke straight toward Trevor while he caught his breath.
They grabbed Trevor by the ankles as he was audibly surprised, but before he could say a word, Arne swung their arms downward while not letting go of Trevor. This forced them to spin forward like a wheel that built more and more momentum. Then, using all their strength along with that momentum, Arne hurled Trevor far below into the ground, where his body went so deep it probably couldn't be seen anymore. But it was time Arne finished things. Arne bent their knees back and grabbed their ankles to point their knees groundward. While still with Hardshatter activated, they dropped (really flew) down and drove their indestructible knees directly into Trevor's stomach.
Upon impact, Arne heard a distinct "Ack!" as the drop created an even more enormous, 30-foot deep, bowl-shaped crater that spread outward and destroyed the smoldering desert area around them.
When the dust settled, grinning proudly and exhausted, Arne rolled over to lay beside Trevor's still body, unable to move. Arne confirmed he was still alive but unconscious by sensing his heartbeat through the ground. Admittedly, they didn't really want to kill him, considering his potential and Alissia's wish to refrain from unnecessary killing.
Arne exhaled heavily and let out a pained laugh.
"That was the most fun I've had in a while."
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Fun fact: Hardshatter - a temp cintracy that allows Arne to give their skin an organic, metallic coating, making their skin many times harder than normal, giving them incredible durability and defensive capabilities. Hardshatter adapts when its durability is pushed beyond its limits, slowly becoming harder with each activation after being shattered.
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