Rise of the Harem King

Vesta was on the ground, her consciousness ready to fade at any second.

Her body was smoldering, covered in open wounds, burned flesh, and exposed bone. Her left leg was destroyed, her arm hung useless, and an entire side of her face had been consumed by the flames of the Supernova.

Each breath was a ragged whisper, each heartbeat a miracle in itself. Davi stood still, panting, staring at that vision of living agony.

He didn't understand. How…?

Anyone else would have given up. Or simply died right there… yet she refused to surrender. She really was insane.

"You…" he murmured, breathless, almost in disbelief. "You still want to fight?"

Vesta's eyes glimmered faintly, but with an endless thirst for battle. She had never felt more alive than in that moment.

Then, against all logic, the impossible happened.

She activated her skill , and her body trembled faintly as she forced her muscles to move, her body beginning to regenerate.

Slowly and painfully, the burned flesh started to knit back together, muscles reformed, bones cracked and snapped back into place.

Fresh blood welled up and vanished almost instantly, as if her very body was being forcibly reconstructed by sheer willpower.

"Apologize? Stop?" Her voice trembled with barely contained excitement, and her smile widened into something sadistic. "I've never felt so alive! Now, don't you dare give up until I've had enough fun!"

"Let's fight to the death, okay?" Then she stood up staggering, unstable, but standing.

Davi took a step back. He was exhausted. His missing arm was bleeding, his muscles were far beyond their limits, and every part of his body begged for this to end.

But Vesta advanced.

With a primal scream, she lunged at him, her claw reappearing between still-bloody fingers.

She was far too fast, and once again Davi found himself forced to take several steps back. Cuts spread across his body as he felt his power slipping away.

Davi tried to defend himself, but his body could no longer keep up with his will. Fatigue was a wall.

Every blow he blocked came with doubled pain. Every dodge left his balance weaker.

She was pushing him back. Even all of that hadn't been enough.

Vesta suddenly lunged forward, her body still unsteady, but her strength intact. With a furious scream, she delivered a kick straight to Davi's stomach, driving her foot in with brutal force.

He was sent flying like a ragdoll to the other side of the arena, his body bouncing violently across the ground.

Lying there, feeling on the verge of defeat, Davi still managed to take a trembling step back, instinctively retreating from that insane woman who seemed driven by something beyond reason.

His mana was nearly depleted.

In fact, he could no longer maintain his transformations, his powers had been drained, one by one, until collapse.

Without any conscious command, his enhancement and transformation abilities naturally dissipated. The flames vanished, the extra strength was gone. The acceleration faded.

His body was in shambles. Blood streamed from deep cuts, and his breathing came in ragged bursts, each one feeling as if it might be his last. His vision wavered, blurred and clouded white.

Even so, with his consciousness fading, Davi forced his mind to focus and activated <Last Stand>, the skill he had borrowed from Haru.

His body shone for a brief moment with a faint red aura. Mana flowed again, albeit in a small amount. Some wounds began to close, his muscles partially recovered, and he was able to move again.

There was no more time to think. Vesta was advancing like a savage beast.

Davi stared at her for an instant, then reacted. With a hoarse scream, he lunged forward and grabbed the woman's leg forcefully, interrupting her attack mid-movement

Using the momentum, he spun her body and threw her violently, sending her meters away. Vesta fell and rolled on the ground, trying to get up with difficulty. Davi didn't waste any time.

Taking advantage of the precious seconds she was distracted, he summoned a golem, using Luna's ability.

Without hesitation, Davi removed the necklace from his neck and handed it to the creature. He then used his <excavate> to hide it underground.

Finally, David turned his eyes to Vesta.

<Last Stand>'s glow had already faded.

As expected, its effect lasted just long enough to deliver a single strike and give the user a brief moment to recover.

Both of them were almost out of mana. Their bodies, though partially regenerated, were on the verge of collapse.

And there was a problem.

Even in that pitiful state, Vesta still had higher base stats than Davi.

She lunged in an instant, like a ravenous shadow, driving her claws deep into the boy's stomach.

The impact made him spit blood, and for a second, it felt like everything inside him was falling apart. But he didn't let out a single scream.

On the contrary, he smiled.

Now it's my turn, he thought.

Knowing he wouldn't get another chance in that fight, Davi used what strength he had left to grab her with his one working arm, holding her as tightly as he could.

He had discovered something very interesting about the <Revivel> skill after a conversation with Sophia.

The technique could be used on oneself.

And, more importantly… if his mind held out, his soul could remain conscious for a few seconds even after the body's death.

A few seconds were all he needed to activate the ability even after being "dead".

Vesta tried to break free, but he held her with an absurd grip, after all, he only needed to stall for a few seconds.

Beneath them, the ground erupted in light. The golem, hidden under the arena, activated the magic stored in the necklace: a <supernova> .

The explosion came from below, engulfing them both in a sea of white fire, pure energy, and absolute destruction.

The sound was deafening. The pain… unimaginable.

Davi felt his flesh dissolve, his bones shatter, his mind nearly break under the impossible agony.

Death embraced him like an old friend. He could feel its claws pulling at his soul, tearing at his very being, trying to drag him away.

But he resisted.

Not now. Not yet.

With the last fragment of consciousness, he activated <Revival>.

A light flared in the void, cutting through the darkness of death.

His body quickly reformed, broken ribs closing, muscles returning to place, flesh knitting together as if time itself were reversing.

He collapsed to his knees on the still-smoldering ground, panting, covered in blood and ash… but alive.

The battle had come to its end.