The Author's POV

"I,is that Ren?"

Overhearing Donna's shocked mutter, Amanda turned her head and stared at the fight that was happening above them.

BOOM—!

Dunes shattered, and the very air the two were in showed signs of cracking. It was clear as day that the two of them were on a completely different level than anybody else present.

"Since when did he become so strong?"

Amanda couldn't blame them for looking so shocked.

She, too, was shocked by Ren's power. She had originally thought she had a grasp of what his power was, but it seemed like she had underestimated him severely.

'…and here I thought I could catch up to him in the past five years.'

She had trained hard.

Extremely hard in the past few years.

It was all with the goal of getting closer to him in strength. She thought that she had somewhat bridged the gap that existed between the two of them, but she had grossly underestimated just how monstrous Ren was.

'But why does he look like that?'

There was something odd about Ren's appearance… he was completely black, and his expression was somewhat dull.

She couldn't quite understand what was going on with him, but seeing how he was handling that monster of a demon, she assumed that he was using some sort of skill.

One that she wasn't aware of.

Boom—!

"Ren!"

Amanda was startled by the sight of him crashing against a nearby dune. With sand spilling in the air, her vision of him became obscured.

She immediately became worried, and just as she was about to rush up to him, she stopped herself and bit her lips.

"No... I can't."

'If I go now, I'll only make things more difficult for him.'

Staring at Donna and Monica, who were about to stop her, she calmed herself down and lowered her head.

"I know; you don't have to stop me. I'm not going."

It quickly became apparent that this was the extent of her powers.

At the moment, she could only watch Ren getting beat up by that monstrous demon, who seemed to have suddenly gotten a lot stronger.

Boom—! Boom—!

The fight continued, and the situation started to deteriorate quickly.

If Amanda had to describe the fight in a few words, it'd be 'one-sided'. Ren… He was getting manhandled by the Prince, who seemed to be toying with him.

'He was just doing fine before... Why did things suddenly change?'

She had witnessed Ren have the upper hand in the beginning, but out of nowhere, things started to turn for the worst suddenly.

It soon became clear to her and everyone else that the Prince was becoming stronger with each moment the two of them fought.

"Hup."

cover her mouth with the brutality of what was

she witnessed his arms

but to her

what in the world did he do during

attention, and her

Indeed…

had happened during the time

"Hey, look!"

air once more, but Amanda didn't need to be told why she spoke; she understood shortly

hand against the demon's head, a sudden

***

"Uhhhh."

the moment my hand came into contact with the Prince's head. I felt the pores on my body open up as an indescribable power

moment as I absorbed all of that power, and slowly, I started to feel an increase in the laws

stronger, and

reinvigorated, and everything became clear once

"Argh!"

the moment I started to absorb the laws in his body, and his

"H.. how..."

as I continued to absorb

that, the flames that were revolving around the Prince's body started to increase as the air

but I endured the pain and continued to absorb the akashic laws within

"Stay put."

body, the space around the Prince warped and distorted, and his body

took that chance to increase my grip on his head further and

before, and within

should just about

couldn't contain his body anymore, I quickly let go, and the Prince's body disappeared from my

"Ha…haa… You…"

startled and incensed. Touching his body all

you done

"Nothing much."

at my hands, which were covered in murky white light. As compared to before, the laws within my body were thicker, and I could

well. Staring at my

a consequence of obtaining and using

refrain from using the laws as much

to use them, there was a high chance the skill would deactivate, and all would end up

allow

you able to control

I raised my head and looked up at him. Seeing the confused look

to you, it

sword forward and pointed

"Let's finish this."

Boom—!

around the Prince shattered as a sword projection, double the size of what it usually

"Arkgh!"

the past, was no longer able to cope with it and displayed a

BANG—!

the sword, his entire body took off in the

"Not bad."

at

power of my attack had increased, and

the Prince, whose body crashed against one of the distant dunes, I brought my sword forward and pointed it once again in his direction. The space around him shattered, and

"Crumble."

the Prince was, and

"Uakh!"