’Don’t tell ...’
Suddenly, doubt crept into his mind.
Why was the golden mana behaving so differently? It should have sent waves of pain coursing through his body the mont he exceeded his limit. Yet, he felt nothing.
Why?
’Is there so mystery hidden within the coin?’
’Most likely. Other than what Root told , I know nothing about it. Maybe even Root wasn’t aware of all its secrets. After all, the coin was silver before it turned golden when I regressed. How could he have known what would happen when the coin is overloaded without actually doing so?’
"Ah!"
’Anyway, this thing is finally resonating with my intention. For so reason, I feel a closeness to it, as if it agreed with all my actions.’
Oliver focused his senses on the golden armor covering his body, pressing against his skin, protecting him. Finally, he asked the question that had been plaguing his mind.
’Does this thing have consciousness?’
How else could it respond to his feelings without one?
’It’s technically possible if its creator programd it to do so.’
Even then, it suggested a deeper purpose to the coin, one Oliver was unaware of.
Sigh
Oliver breathed out, relaxing his tensed muscles.
It didn’t matter anyway. The coin was protecting him and providing him with enough mana. Other than amplifying his emotions a little, driving him to act on instinct, it hadn’t done anything detrintal. Although initially taken aback, he could avoid the side effects by being a little more careful. Thus, he decided to postpone the search for answers and continue what he was doing.
After taking a mont to regain his composure, he turned to look at the dozens of rodents charging towards him. Their crooked red eyes glinted with madness, their mouths open wide showing their sharp pointy teeth.
For so reason, even after Oliver had killed a couple of dozen of their kind, they still felt confident enough to attack. Perhaps driven by madness, or maybe a false sense of strength in their numbers, either way, they attacked furiously.
The thick brown fur on the calf-sized rodents’ bodies stood on end as mana coursed through and strengthened them. Their claws extended, revealing almost tallic nails. Even their teeth shone as they launched themselves at Oliver.
anwhile, Oliver felt the golden armor covering his body tighten. As if responding to his command, the mana focused near his right fist and hardened, anticipating him smashing the mana beast’s head in with it.
For the past few minutes, he had been acting instinctively. But at that ti, he hadn’t felt the armor responding to him. Now, having regained his senses, he could fully perceive all the micro-adjustnts the armor was automatically making as he considered different ways to kill the damned rats. This further solidified his idea that there was sothing akin to a conscious entity within the coin.
Nonetheless, he tightened his fist and slamd it directly onto the head of the rodent leaping towards him. Like a truck smashing into an egg, his fist pulverized the rodent’s skull as it moved to grab the brain.
Pluch
He grabbed the brain and pulled it out, killing the mana beast within a second.
Oliver was amazed by what he had done. He looked at his fist, astonished by the amplified strength.
In his past life, he could never have done the sa with just his body. After all, he had been unable to use mana. But there were ways he could emulate it using his ability. Still, it wasn’t as satisfying as using his own fist.
After effortlessly smashing the skull and pulling out the tiny brain, he turned to look at the next one.
Sneer
The contemptuous, rage-filled smile returned to his face as he watched another rodent leap towards him.
He hadn’t forgotten what he had seen just monts ago. The rats killing and chewing on human flesh, drinking blood without any regard, was still vivid in his mind.
Oliver suppressed his anger but succumbed to the instinctual urge to eliminate all the damned rodents. This ti, he was fully conscious as he unleashed his fury on the vile vermin.
Thump
Thump
Crack
Kicks and punches flew, killing any rat that dared to co close. Within the next few minutes, he decimated their numbers from a couple of dozen to just three.
The final three huddled together, scared of the golden fiend inching closer. Still, before they could tuck their tails in and scurry away, two golden tentacles erged from the man, blocking their escape route.
The next second, his fist enlarged in their vision until it smashed their heads into smithereens.
Those who witnessed the fight felt their bodies relax after the last rodent was slain. So of them who had been chanting "golden fiend" suddenly collapsed as if their legs had turned to jelly. The relief that washed over them after surviving the danger made them sit on the ground, staring blankly at the golden figure.
Oliver, on the other hand, used his ability to gather blood and replenish his blood sac quickly. The golden armor slowly dimd as it disappeared, revealing his vulnerable body.
’It is ti to end it,’ he thought, and turned around.
Oliver could hear through the Hero Union radio broadcast that the Thunder Emperor had reached the gate.
After a slight delay, he dragged his exhausted body and began to walk towards the gate once again, limping slightly. His forlorn figure disappeared from the audience’s view without a word.
Oliver ca.
Did what he had to do.
And returned.
Initially, he jumped into the battle to garner fa and admiration, to create a heroic image. But now, he doesn’t really have a reason to act cool. As far as he knew, there were drones around watching his every move. The drones of Hero Union were busy capturing the battle near the gate. Even the radio was not talking about him. So, why should he do the extra work of acting nice?
Besides that, many people had died in front of him. He felt that it was not a ti or place to act cool. Unless he was the one who was actually doing the murder, for so reason, Oliver didn’t like the sight of dead humans.
Hence, he didn’t bother to show his face to the people. He just limped away, wearing his usual blank expression.
In that mont, his presence transford from the battle-crazed, murderous golden fiend to that of a normal person. His youthful body covered in bruises erged once the armour disappeared, showing that it was not an easy battle as everyone thought to be. Even then, none of the nearby people dared to look down on him. The unbending figure walking away induced another wave of awe and admiration in them.
A short while later, the limping body straightened as he walked further and further away, finally disappearing from their view. Unknown to the rest, he was healing all his injuries as he absorbed the blood from the battlefield.
anwhile, without Oliver’s knowledge, the Hero Union Drones had captured the entire battle on cara. The censored sections of the videos were being broadcast across TV, all over the nation. It also showed the reality of how the mana beasts killed humans and how a hero had to co and save the day. Half of everything that was said was propaganda, while the other half was the reality. Like that, Oliver’s fa grew quicker than he could imagine.
And the question is, why didn’t they ntion him on the radio?
It was because of the unexpected appearance of the Thunder Emperor. The news about him was taking precedence over Oliver on the radio.
—
Nearby the gate, the air crackled with thunderous explosions as electric currents snaked left and right. Thick lightning bolts, like falling trees of light, rained down from the sky, striking the crater and everything within. Everyone swiftly retreated to avoid the lethal display of power.
anwhile, atop the gate, only one figure stood, a cold gaze fixed upon the thousands of mana beasts surging below. He closed his eyes briefly before unleashing an even greater torrent of lightning from his body.
Instantly, the mana beasts below writhed in agony. Those directly struck by the amplified lightning erupted into clouds of vaporous ash, vanishing without a trace. Nearby creatures were instantly incinerated by the searing plasma.
For the next few minutes, the lightning bolts continued to rain down destruction. The cold clouds above seed to have been excited by the thunderous display, joining in by spewing chilling water.
However, Thunder Emperor, the one who spewed lightning bolts from his body, floated in the air, unbothered by the chilly rain.
The air around the old man curved, creating a thin layer that separates him from the rain. His white hair and beard danced as he threw more and more lightning bolts at the ground.
It didn’t even take him more than few minutes to strike down all the mana beasts that intruded on Earth. The power of an S rank with the destructive ability to control lightning was on a whole different league from the Fist King, who specializes in hand-to-hand combat.
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