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."

her mouth with the brutality of what

witnessed his arms disappear

to her

in the world did he do during the time we didn't

Amanda's attention, and her

Indeed…

had happened during the time when they hadn't seen each

"Hey, look!"

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

Ren's hand against the demon's head, a sudden

***

"Uhhhh."

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

relaxed at that moment as I absorbed all of that power, and slowly,

with the laws grew stronger, and a

to feel reinvigorated, and everything became

"Argh!"

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

"H.. how..."

him continue his sentence as

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

but I endured the

"Stay put."

injected the power of the laws into my own body, the space around the Prince warped and distorted, and his body

took that chance to increase my grip on his head

more easily than they ever had before, and within

just

body anymore, I quickly let go, and the Prince's body disappeared from my vision,

"Ha…haa… You…"

me, both startled and incensed. Touching his body all over, he

have you done to

"Nothing much."

were covered in murky white light. As compared

all was well. Staring at my

was a consequence of obtaining and using such

using the

use them, there was a high chance

couldn't allow that

are you able to control the same

at him. Seeing the confused look on

were to explain it to you, it would

brought my sword forward and pointed it at

"Let's finish this."

Boom—!

as a sword projection, double the size of what it usually was, appeared from

"Arkgh!"

no longer able to cope with it and displayed a defensive posture by crossing

BANG—!

coming into contact with the sword, his entire body took off in

"Not bad."

staring at the

power of my attack had increased, and

at the Prince, whose body crashed against one of the distant dunes, I brought my sword forward and pointed it once again in

"Crumble."

quickly impaled the area where the Prince was,

"Uakh!"