Chapter 750: A Strong Current

he other Rangers had formed several theories about why Aaron was so strong and skilled.

Some believed he had already unlocked his Vow without realising it. Aaron had always promised to protect Max, and that determination appeared strong enough to explain why his abilities seemed to exceed those of an ordinary person.

The theory made sense to them, but it wasn’t true.

Despite his years of training and his determination to fulfil his promise, Aaron had never unlocked the power of his Vow.

Not until now.

The batons in his hands already carried an electrical current, but that current was now being amplified. Electricity constantly surged around the weapons, producing a far stronger charge than they had ever been designed to release.

Even Aaron was surprised by what was happening.

Is this the power of my Vow? But I thought a Vow could only enhance something we already possess until it reached a superhuman level. It isn’t supposed to give us actual superpowers.

The power of a Vow allowed someone to surpass the normal limits of human potential. However, it couldn’t create an ability that had no connection to the human body.

A person couldn’t simply create fire out of nothing. Their Vow might increase the natural heat produced by their body until their skin became dangerously hot to the touch, but the flames themselves couldn’t appear from nowhere.

The same restriction applied to abilities such as invisibility, telepathy or flight. No matter how much the human body was enhanced, it couldn’t perform something it had never been capable of doing in the first place.

That left Aaron wondering what his body was doing now.

The answer came from the electrical signals that already existed inside him.

Every movement made by the human body began with small electrical signals travelling through the nerves and commanding the muscles to respond. Ordinarily, those signals were far too weak to affect anything outside the body.

Aaron’s Vow had enhanced them.

The electrical activity passing through his nervous system had become far stronger, carrying more power than a human body should have been capable of producing. His hair stood on end as the charge spread across his skin and travelled down both arms.

However, Aaron still couldn’t release that energy on its own. His body wasn’t creating lightning, nor could he throw bolts of electricity from his hands.

The batons gave the energy somewhere to go.

Both weapons already contained an electrical current. When Aaron’s amplified bioelectricity entered them, it strengthened the current and pushed their output far beyond its usual limit.

What had once been a controlled charge became a constant and violent surge of power.

That was the superhuman ability his Vow had given him. It could only be used this way because of how his batons had already been designed. Without the electrical weapons acting as conductors, Aaron wouldn’t have been able to turn the power inside his body into an attack.

Regardless of that limitation, the ability had given him the strength he needed.

Aaron knew exactly what to do with it.

"You think your stupid gadgets are enough to take me on?" Monk shouted.

He charged forward and leapt into the air, pulling one fist behind him as he prepared to strike.

Aaron didn’t retreat.

He stepped forward and twisted his entire body, swinging both batons together as if he were holding a baseball bat.

I’ll trust this body of mine. I’ll trust the power of my Vow and my will to protect Max!

The batons collided directly with Monk’s fist.

The amplified current was released at the moment of impact, producing another explosion that sounded like lightning itself.

Electricity blasted across Monk’s arms, injuring him and sending him backwards. However, his body remained incredibly strong. Even after receiving the full force of the attack, he managed to stay on his feet.

That didn’t discourage Aaron.

For the first time during their fight, he was no longer trapped on the defensive. As long as he continued landing attacks with the charged batons, Monk would continue taking damage.

Even if their speed and strength were equal, Aaron now possessed something that could slowly turn the fight in his favour.

Aaron moved forward and swung again.

Monk threw a fist to intercept him, and the baton struck his knuckles. Another electrical surge passed into Monk’s body.

Aaron followed with his second weapon.

The batons continued striking one after another, hitting different parts of Monk’s body. Aaron struck his head, his arms and any other area left exposed during their exchange.

Monk initially attempted to match Aaron blow for blow, but his movements gradually began to slow.

He didn’t appear to realise what was happening to him. Each individual attack might not have been enough to bring him down, but the repeated electrical shocks were affecting his body.

His muscles were no longer responding as quickly as they had before. The signals travelling through his nerves were being disrupted, making his limbs increasingly difficult to control.

"What is this?" Monk complained. "What the heck is wrong with your weapons?"

He tried to raise his arms again, but the movement was slower than before.

"Is this how you want to win? With these cheap tricks?" Monk shouted. "Come on! Fight me properly, like you mean it!"

Aaron stepped forward and swung one baton upwards towards Monk’s chin.

Monk attempted to lift his arms and block the attack, but they refused to respond in time. The baton struck him hard beneath the chin, snapping his head back as another surge passed through his body.

"The Black Hand has never cared about what we use or how we get the job done," Aaron replied.

He swung again, smashing a baton into Monk’s face from the left.

Aaron twisted his body and followed with the weapon in his other hand, striking Monk from the right. He repeated the process, moving from one side to the other while maintaining the pressure.

Monk finally managed to lift his arms in an attempt to protect his head.

Whenever he did, Aaron brought a baton down against them. Electricity exploded from the weapon, knocking Monk’s arms aside and reopening the path to his face.

Aaron continued hitting him.

Monk’s body might have surpassed normal human limits, but it was still controlled by muscles and nerves. The constant electrical shocks made it harder for him to defend himself with every passing moment.

"You wanted to be the best," Aaron said as another strike landed. "But who cares about ranks? Who cares about being Number One?"

He swung upwards once more, striking Monk beneath the chin.

Monk’s head snapped back, leaving his mouth hanging open.

Aaron jumped and drove one of the charged batons directly into Monk’s mouth.

"At the end of the day, winning means we’re still alive."