Chapter 168: Asura Against Mammon

The abandoned industrial district trembled as enormous golden weapons erupted from the roadway surrounding Jet.

Spears, swords, and axes hovered above the shattered asphalt, their polished surfaces reflecting the golden-white flames engulfing his four arms.

Several meters away, Damian Visconti stood amid the wreckage of an abandoned warehouse, his metallic eyes fixed upon Jet while the golden markings of Mammon pulsed across his chest and shoulders.

The afternoon sunlight illuminated the destruction surrounding them, revealing collapsed walls, overturned cargo containers, and deep craters left behind by their earlier exchanges.

Jet exhaled slowly, allowing the Vorpal Blade to settle comfortably into his right hand.

His opponent was stronger, possessed considerably greater Mana reserves, and had already demonstrated enough versatility to make approaching him extremely dangerous.

Nevertheless, Jet had discovered something during their previous exchanges.

Damian’s greatest advantage came from controlling the distance between them, using his golden constructs and restraints to prevent Jet from maintaining an uninterrupted offensive.

If Jet wanted to overcome that advantage, he needed to force the battle into a range where every movement mattered.

Without hesitation, Jet opened his System inventory.

The Ironbound Castellan appeared in the grasp of his two additional Asura Arms, its enormous axehead catching the afternoon sunlight as he adjusted his grip around the reinforced handle.

His original right hand tightened around the Vorpal Blade, while his remaining hand remained free for close-quarters combat.

Dark-red markings spread across his shoulders and back, and the muscles beneath his clothing contracted as the Asura Physique responded to the increasing flow of Mana.

Damian examined the enormous axe with visible interest. "Another weapon? I must admit, Saint-Clair, you’re becoming increasingly entertaining. Most Awakeners struggle to master a single weapon properly, yet you seem perfectly comfortable carrying several."

Jet ignored the remark and concentrated on the Divine Rune covering his back.

Asura Mask.

A surge of violent Mana rushed toward his face, accompanied by a familiar pressure that spread through his skull. Dark-red markings appeared along his jaw and forehead before converging into a terrifying mask with sharp, demonic features and two curved horns.

Its expression resembled that of a furious Asura, and narrow openings revealed Jet’s completely white eyes burning beneath its surface.

The moment the mask fully manifested, Jet felt his physical capabilities rise sharply. His perception became more acute, his muscles responded with greater force, and the desire to attack intensified until he could almost feel it pressing against his thoughts.

However, he remembered the backlash he’d experienced when using the ability previously and immediately tightened his control, refusing to surrender his judgment to the violent impulses accompanying the transformation.

Golden-white Samadhi Flame erupted across his body.

The Divine Fire spread over his shoulders, arms, and legs, wrapping around the Asura Mask and both weapons without consuming them.

Its brilliant radiance gradually deepened into a fierce reddish-gold as it mingled with the dark-red Mana markings covering his physique.

Heat distorted the surrounding air, and the asphalt beneath his feet began cracking from the pressure radiating through his body.

Damian’s amused expression disappeared.

For the first time, he examined Jet with genuine caution.

"Now that’s interesting," Damian remarked, raising his right hand. "It seems you’ve been hiding something considerably more impressive than those additional arms."

Golden Mana erupted around Damian’s body. The damaged sections of his armor dissolved before reforming into thicker plates covering his chest, shoulders, forearms, and legs.

Unlike the complete armor he’d manifested earlier, this arrangement left several joints exposed, allowing him greater freedom of movement.

An enormous golden broadsword materialized between his hands, its blade nearly as long as Damian was tall, with intricate markings resembling ancient coins running along its broad surface.

Damian rested the weapon against his shoulder and smiled. "Since you seem determined to fight me directly, I’ll indulge you. Let’s see whether those extra arms can compensate for the difference between our Star Realms."

Jet lowered his stance.

Then both disappeared.

BOOOOOOM!

The roadway exploded where they’d been standing.

Two streaks of light, one reddish-gold and the other brilliant gold, collided in the middle of the industrial district. The impact produced a deafening metallic crash that shattered nearby windows and sent a violent shockwave through the surrounding buildings.

Jet swung the Ironbound Castellan with both additional arms, bringing the enormous axe down toward Damian’s shoulder.

Damian raised his broadsword and intercepted the blow, but before he could counterattack, Jet’s original right hand thrust the Vorpal Blade toward his exposed abdomen. A golden shield instantly formed beside Damian, catching the sword while he twisted his body and drove his armored knee toward Jet’s ribs.

Jet blocked the knee with his free hand and retaliated with a flaming elbow.

Damian tilted his head aside.

The strike missed his face by inches, but the Samadhi Flame surrounding Jet’s elbow scorched the side of his cheek.

Damian immediately retaliated.

His broadsword swept horizontally, forcing Jet to intercept it with the Ironbound Castellan. The collision threw Jet backward, his feet tearing through the asphalt as he struggled to maintain his balance. Before he could recover, Damian accelerated forward, golden Mana erupting beneath his feet as he closed the distance.

CLAAAAANG!

Their weapons collided again.

Jet twisted the axe sideways, redirecting Damian’s broadsword before slashing toward his neck with the Vorpal Blade. Damian ducked beneath the attack and drove his armored fist into Jet’s abdomen.

BOOM!

Jet’s body folded around the impact.

Blood escaped beneath the Asura Mask. However, instead of retreating, Jet seized Damian’s wrist with his free hand and pulled him closer.

His two additional arms raised the Ironbound Castellan.

Damian’s eyes widened. The enormous axe descended.

CRAAAAASH!

Damian twisted at the last instant, allowing the axehead to strike his shoulder instead of his skull. The golden armor covering his shoulder shattered, and the force of the blow sent him crashing through the wall of a nearby factory.

Jet immediately pursued.

His body became a reddish-gold streak as he accelerated through the opening, landing inside the abandoned building just as Damian recovered among broken machinery.

Damian swung his broadsword.

Jet raised the Ironbound Castellan.

Their weapons collided with such tremendous force that the concrete floor beneath them collapsed.

Both fighters fell into the lower level.

Neither stopped attacking.

Jet twisted in midair and delivered a flaming kick toward Damian’s face. Damian intercepted it with his armored forearm, then swung his broadsword upward, forcing Jet to rotate his body and block the attack with the axe.

The collision sent both fighters crashing into opposite walls.

Jet landed first. He immediately pushed off the damaged concrete and charged again.

Damian met him halfway.

Their bodies blurred through the factory interior, exchanging dozens of attacks within seconds.

Golden sword strikes carved enormous trenches through machinery and support pillars, while Jet’s axe shattered reinforced equipment and his flaming fists blasted apart sections of the walls.

Every time Damian attempted to create distance, Jet accelerated after him, refusing to allow the older Awakener enough space to establish another defensive formation.

Nevertheless, maintaining that pressure was exhausting.

Jet could feel his Mana reserves decreasing rapidly.

The Asura Mask placed additional strain upon his body, while sustaining Samadhi Flame across his limbs required continuous concentration. Worse, Damian’s superior Star Realm allowed him to endure attacks that would have incapacitated most opponents Jet had encountered.

Damian suddenly caught the Ironbound Castellan against his broadsword and smiled.

"You’re slowing down, Saint-Clair," Damian observed, golden Mana gathering around his armored fist. "Did you really think you could maintain that transformation indefinitely?"

Jet gritted his teeth beneath the mask.

"Who said anything about slowing down?" Jet retorted.

He released the axe with one additional hand and drove his flaming fist directly into Damian’s face.

BOOOOM!

The impact shattered Damian’s nose and sent him flying backward through three consecutive concrete walls.

Jet immediately followed, bursting through the collapsing structure as enormous sections of the factory began falling behind him.

Damian crashed onto the roadway outside.

Before he could recover, Jet descended from above, swinging the Ironbound Castellan with both additional arms.

Damian raised his broadsword.

CLAAAAAAANG!

The collision created a massive crater beneath Damian’s feet.

Cracks spread across the roadway for dozens of meters, and the surrounding asphalt erupted into fragments.

Damian roared as he forced Jet’s axe upward.

Golden chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Jet’s legs and attempting to pull him off balance.

Jet responded by releasing a violent surge of Samadhi Flame.

The chains fractured beneath the Divine Fire.

However, Damian used the brief distraction to drive his broadsword across Jet’s chest.

SHIIING!

Blood sprayed through the air. Jet staggered backward, a deep wound opening beneath his damaged clothing.

Damian immediately followed with another attack, but Jet twisted sideways and struck the older Awakener across the jaw with his flaming fist.

CRACK!

Damian’s head snapped sideways.

Jet followed with a brutal knee to his abdomen before swinging the Ironbound Castellan toward his exposed ribs.

The axe struck.

Golden armor shattered. Damian was thrown across the road, crashing through an abandoned cargo truck before emerging from the opposite side.

Jet pursued without hesitation. Their bodies became streaks of reddish-gold and gold once again, tearing across the industrial district at astonishing speed.

They collided beside an abandoned warehouse.

The building’s outer wall exploded.

They exchanged another series of attacks inside the structure, destroying its support pillars before bursting through the opposite wall.

The warehouse collapsed behind them.

Damian swung his broadsword downward, carving a deep trench across the road as Jet narrowly avoided the attack. Jet retaliated with a flaming axe strike that shattered Damian’s remaining shoulder armor and drove him backward into another factory.

The impact brought down an entire section of the building.

Dust and debris filled the surrounding streets.

Jet emerged through the collapsing structure, his Asura Mask cracked along one cheek and blood dripping from beneath its lower edge.

Damian appeared several meters away, his golden armor fractured and his expensive clothing torn apart.

Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, while a deep wound across his shoulder exposed the damage inflicted by the Ironbound Castellan.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Both were breathing heavily.

Jet’s chest wound continued bleeding, and his arms trembled beneath the strain of maintaining his transformation.

His Mana reserves had fallen considerably, and the backlash from Asura Mask was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.

Damian wasn’t in much better condition.

His golden broadsword remained intact, but the armor covering his body was badly damaged. Several ribs had been fractured, and his left shoulder hung at an awkward angle.

Nevertheless, a smile slowly spread across his bloodied face.

"You’re quite something, Saint-Clair," Damian admitted, wiping blood from his mouth. "I haven’t been injured this badly after awakening."

Jet tightened his grip around the Vorpal Blade, his white eyes remaining fixed upon Damian through the cracked mask.

"Then you should’ve stayed in your mansion," Jet replied coldly.

Damian laughed, although the movement caused him to wince.

Golden Mana began gathering around his damaged armor.

Jet immediately strengthened the Samadhi Flame surrounding his weapons.

Neither intended to retreat.

And despite the blood covering their bodies and the destruction surrounding them, both understood that the battle was far from finished.