Reawakening: I Can Absorb Infinite Skills

The world shook when their strike landed. Steel essence, lightning storms, wind arrows and shadow blades had converged in one crushing wave.

The Crimson Fang thought it was over, thought that at the very least Arden's group would crawl from the dust half-broken.

But when the light cleared, what they saw instead made their guts sink.

Rael was yawning, tapping dust from his shoulders like a man shaking off morning rain. Nyra smoothed the edge of her robe with a flick, as if worried more about a scuff than the deadly storm that had just struck.

Zephyra's growl rolled low, calm and steady, her clawed feet digging into the earth as smoke curled harmlessly from her scales.

And at the center, Arden stood with one hand lowered, fingers closing as if he had just finished plucking a note from the air.

Kaelen froze mid-step. "What…?"

A second ago, before impact, Arden had called forth the Lotusfang Aegis, life energy blooming around him like translucent petals.

The strike hit, but instead of breaking through, the petals shifted, thickening where the storm pressed hardest, bending and folding until the onslaught passed. The shield drank their fury like dry earth drinking rain, then healed itself with a faint glow.

They hadn't even noticed.

Arden's fingers snapped. A tremor surged outward—thumm!—the Aegis pulsed, reflecting back fragments of the very force they had poured in.

Shockwaves rippled across the field, not as strong as their original attack but sudden enough to blast them backward. Selira stumbled hard, her potion flask nearly slipping. Lysandra dropped to one knee, her bow arm shaking. Doran vanished into shadow only to be spat out again, rolling to soften the blow. Even Kaelen skidded several feet, his boots carving trenches into the dirt.

Arden's voice cut the air, smooth and disgusted all at once.

"Pathetic. I've seen stray beasts bite harder. You call that an attack?"

Rael chuckled, leaning forward. "You're being kind. I've stubbed my toe harder."

"Mm," Nyra added, frost curling off her staff as she tilted her head. "They did put in effort. Maybe we should clap?"

The Crimson Fang scrambled, pulling out potions, and steadying themselves.

Kaelen's face twisted, half shame and half rage. "Don't you dare mock us."

Arden raised a brow. "Don't dare? Then stop giving me reasons."

He didn't even draw his weapon. He only stepped forward, his calm presence pressing harder than the weight of their combined essences. "Since you insist, let's see if you're worth even one hand."

Rael cracked his gauntlets, eager. "Finally."

Nyra exhaled, breath frosting. "Try not to break too quickly. I was just getting comfortable."

Zephyra pawed the ground, flames flickering between her fangs.

The Crimson Fang regrouped, drawing deeper on their affinities. Kaelen's blade gleamed like molten steel, Selira's body sparked with lightning, Lysandra's bow glowed with wind, and Doran blurred into darkness again.

But Arden raised his hand first. Life energy spread from him in a faint ripple— Umbral Pulse Convergence.

The field of his life force pulsed outward, wrapping his party in a steady rhythm.

Their breaths fell in sync, their movements sharper. Even before the first clash, the Crimson Fang could feel it, their coordination rising, their steps guided by an invisible beat.

Kaelen lunged, blade roaring with steel essence. Rael stepped forward to meet him, gauntlets flashing with ice and lightning. Their clash rang like a gong, sparks flying, Rael's laugh booming as he held his ground.

Selira unleashed a storm, arcs darting across the field. Nyra swept her staff in a circle, calling frost and wind to weave a shimmering barrier. The lightning struck, but the cold bent it, scattering it harmlessly into mist. "Child's play," she muttered.

Doran emerged behind her, blade poised for her neck. Arden's veil whispered— there.

He turned without looking, hurling a construct of his life energy that flared at Doran's feet.

The assassin stumbled into sight, cursing as Nyra's frost lashed his arm.

Lysandra drew three arrows at once, loosing with deadly precision. Zephyra surged forward, claws glowing, her swipe carving the air itself.

The arrows split, two shattering mid-flight, the third biting her shoulder but failing to pierce past the armored fur. She roared, flames gouting from her jaws, chasing Lysandra back.

The ground shook, wind and steel clashing, fire and lightning sparking.

Every blow the Crimson Fang unleashed met not just resistance but ridicule.

Rael laughed louder with every strike he blocked, Nyra's tone grew sharper with each spell countered, and Zephyra's growls rolled with savage joy.

Arden stood at the center, veil open wide, sensing every shift, every twitch.

Each flicker of shadow, each tremor of wind, each pulse of killing intent. His voice cut through the chaos.

"Rael, left!"

The gauntleted warrior ducked, fist driving upward, catching Kaelen in the ribs with a crack.

"Nyra, two steps back."

She slid, her frost wall rising just as Selira's bolt slammed, ricocheting into Doran's side.

"Zephyra, tear the archer down."

The beast leapt, claws glowing with wind and flame, forcing Lysandra to dive, her pride cracking as her bow fell out of her hand under the pressure.

Every move flowed as if Arden had scripted the fight before it began. The Umbral Convergence bound them, the Life Echo Veil warned him, and the Crimson Fang found themselves drowning in precision.

Still, Kaelen roared, rage driving him on. "We're not done yet!" His blade gleamed, essence pouring as he swung in a wide arc, forcing Rael back. Selira regrouped, sparks flooding the ground. Lysandra scrambled for another arrow, and Doran's eyes narrowed, waiting for the single opening they all prayed for.

But Arden's smirk didn't fade.

He caught Kaelen's next strike on his bare hand, Lotusfang petals blooming again. The steel cracked against glowing energy, the rebound shoving Kaelen off balance. Arden's calm voice laced with disdain.

"You're done the moment you let me lead."

Kaelen's teeth ground, fury burning. But his pride wouldn't let him retreat.

He raised his blade again, screaming, and the Crimson Fang surged once more.

The air tightened. Their combined essences flared brighter, sharper, pushing toward something desperate, something that could still shift the tide. Arden's eyes narrowed, his life sense trembling with the pressure. But then—

There it was. A flicker.

A pulse, faint and distant, threading just at the edge of his veil.

It vanished as quickly as it appeared, only to thrum again, like a heartbeat out of place.

Arden's gaze sharpened. "What was that?"

The fight pressed on, Kaelen's blade whistling for his head. Arden caught it, sparks flying, mind split between the clash and the strange rhythm in the distance.

Something was waiting. Could be the clue they were looking for.

A/N:

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