Chapter 129 - Vanquish, Manjushri

Sparks danced in the air as steel embraced each other, swing after swing, the collected minotaur managed to match each strike brought down towards him. It brought no frustration upon Ren, who felt nothing resembling negative emotion--in fact, he felt elated, as if floating about those gilded clouds. He moved so fluidly with a natural elegance as if dancing, using the beast's size as part of his own arsenal, stepping up his massive arms before swinging down upon him with his shining steel.

The impact collided against the hammer, a chunk of steel that acted as an impenetrable steel.

As the exchange persisted, Asterius' assault grew more aggressive, using his overwhelming brute strength to whip the colossal steel he wielded through the air with such ease. However, simply increasing one's dexterity wasn't enough to land a blow upon Ren in this state, maneuvering in such ways that looked as if he were performing acrobatic feats instead of dodging.

It was the true display of divine footwork, a simple, feathered step was enough to flip his entire body around, spinning and twisting around with finesse. Gravity itself seemed to cave under his presence, as he used the vacant air as a foothold to maneuver his body. In essence, connecting an attack was simply impossible when considering two factors: Ren's supernatural instinct and the speed he exhibited. Unless one had a way to counteract either of these aspects, he was practically untouchable.

There wasn't any rhyme or reason to these formless movements, which was the very strength of this type of style. To move like a cloud through the skies, completely unpredictable, fluid, and ever-moving.

Every minuscule movements were diligently recognized by his watchful gaze, predicting each attack that came his way with such accuracy it seemed he was reading the future to come. Charging forward, Asterius slammed his hammer down upon the world, conjuring a wave of dust that emitted from the shattered stone.

That is when a pathway was found to harm the elusive fighter.

Even if he dodged the brutal attack, the shockwave still reached him, sending through his bones a chilling echo. The guardian didn't let up, continuing with a relentless offense as he seemed intent on dislocating his shoulder with how he wielded the mass of steel, striking the ground repeatedly in quick succession.

In his path, he left behind small craters as he chased after Ren, who backpedaled with a subtle smile guiding his feet. Properly motivated by a strong opponent, Asterius displayed strength and tenacity beyond what Ren had previously witnessed. His movements became more animalistic, propelling his colossal body forward as he used his horns as dual javelins, no longer limiting himself to orthodox bipedal movements.

Attempting to trick the minotaur into lodging himself into the wall, Ren sidestepped the rush at the last second, only to watch Asterius slam his hoof down, burying it into the relenting stone to halt his rapid speed. For a moment, it seemed as if his body was going to be flung forward from the sudden stop, or at the very least, his leg would snap--but the bull succeeded in halting himself.

The roar Asterius unleashed to the closed-off heavens wasn't one of intimidation or agitation. He could feel it, the joy from Asterius himself, engaging in a battle of skill, each swing felt perfectly crafted to win the battle.

However, only one could be the victor. A fledgling flame slid across the blade slick with blood.

"Manjushri."

A blaze that embodied perfection, so beautiful that even the beast that could not appreciate art fell in awe of it for a moment. Blazing with its divine, radiant flames that coiled around the length of the blade, it was the manifestation of justice itself. Air found itself sparse in the presence of the roaring element of heat.

The translucent-haired man stood at a distance that no blade could reach, yet when he swung his blade once more, an impact had fallen upon his opponent. Within those flames, truth spoke, virtue made itself known--and repentance was manifested.

Asterius was brought down to one knee, his chest having been caved in slightly from the impact of the unseen strike, forcing the air within the beast's lungs to evacuate.

Now that the monstrous guardian that once was seen by him as the paramount of horror was brought to such a vulnerable image, Ren felt a slight empathy for the creature.

"I should've seen it earlier, but I was blinded by my own depravity. You were left here, all alone for so many centuries. I see it in those eyes of yours, you envy those who are free, unshackled from a fate so cruelly bestowed upon them. I condemn your actions, yet I understand them. Most would fall to such impurities when left in such solitude...Worry not, I will set you free."

As Ren raised Belus, surrounded with heavenly flames, the downtrodden beast could do nothing but look upon the sight of the one who held his fate in his hands. Etched into the numbed mind of his, Asterius remembered the mystical symbols painted onto the human's skin, the varying wheels which held enigmatic gemstones.

It would be the last sight to meet his eyes as a blinding light consumed his vision. A blast from the flames of ascendance embraced their target, shifting him from life and into death, allowing no pain to meet him in his approaching end. Bathing in the flames of repent, Asterius kept still, kneeled down without a shift in expression from the beast as his fate had been accepted. Even if the pain of being burnt alive was spared upon the minotaur, the smell of it wasn't.

Wrapping around one another, the spiraling flames coiled, rising into a pillar that resembled the bulwark pillars of nature, illuminating the dungeon with its vast array of light.

Ren covered his nose as he watched with his wheel-shaped irises before the man-beast finally fell face-down with a resounding thud, lifeless as the flames ceased their rampant offense on his ashen body.

The ability began to release itself from the battle's end, the tattoos etched onto his body fading as did his gilded eyes. Returning to his normal state, Ren found himself devoid of air, nearly brought to hyperventilation as he regained his breath. All at once, he felt all of that knowledge vanish from his brain, almost taking a physical sensation as a veil peeled from his mind. Through instinct, his hands instantly rose to shield his eyes as a burning sensation crawled over his sclera, honing in on his iris as the heat amplified itself.

It was purely pain from what he could tell, but his brain couldn't tell the difference as his body panicked, releasing a cold sweat as his eyes felt as if they were melting away from the scorching, phantom heat.

Gritting his teeth wasn't enough to cope with the pain, salivating as the intensity only seemed to spike higher and higher. Tensing up from the unbearable agony inflicted to his eyes caused his muscles to cramp in response, the pain that came with these cramps actually worked to distract him from the main source of the hellish sensation.

The option crossed his mind to yank the orbs straight from his head, anything would be better than the current pain, he thought. It was impossible to think straight and even more unlikely to garner the strength for such a feat as he allowed himself to sink into the agony.

Something he wasn't prepared for; the drawbacks of an innate ability--his body felt as if it were set ablaze, his blood boiling up from within his own veins.

Minutes passed of this agony as he fell to a fetal position, finally feeling it alleviate as a pool of water expelled from his now bloodshot eyes, slowly lifting himself from the vile floor.

--This power is anything but enlightenment. Invoking it...It feels as if a part of me is lost in exchange for its power. All of the wisdom it grants me only obscures who I am, hiding "Nakamura Ren" behind a veil as if trying to hide the weakness that is myself. It's all so foggy as if the person in control wasn't even truly me. That sadistic nature...Is that truly what lies deep within me? I don't know what I want to believe.

As soon as it leaves...I'm filled with this emptiness, a void is left inside of me--all of the joy granted to me by "enlightenment", it's as if I've come down from the highest high.

What I obtained was "loss"--an abandonment of myself led to that temporary growth. Is a price like that even worth it? I don't know the answer to that right now...

As he looked upon his own dirtied hands, a torrent of dust blew against him as the colossal gates of stone began to part. The entire labyrinth itself seemed to rumble under the parting of these gates, ushering Ren forward as both curiosity drove him.