Chapter 453: Frenzy and Divine Light

Scott observed the surge of dark energy and recalled the conversation they had during their return journey.

"Light attacks! Light attacks are his weakness!" shouted Scott, remembering how the light from the pillar had awakened Alexander previously.

"Cover me!" instructed the Golden Empress, beginning to gather a mass of sacred mana between her hands.

The Berserker Empress charged forward, clashing her battleaxes against the shadow scythes that sprouted from Alexander’s arms. The collision sent her flying backward, but as she absorbed the damage, her berserker trait ignited her rage, driving her physical strength to higher heights despite the strain on her body.

Stephen closed in to reinforce the front line, engaging Alexander in close-quarters combat. Alexander landed blows that drew blood, but both pressed the attack without yielding an inch. Stephen’s adaptive body capability was shattering his limits with every strike he took.

"It’s just like the old times!" roared Stephen, laughing as the bloodlust awoke in his eyes. "Come on, brat! Don’t disappoint me!"

Stephen’s battle instincts triggered, enhancing his physical capabilities beyond their limits in his [Final Hunter] form.

Alexander began to be driven back by the combined onslaught, and Scott, not willing to fall behind, deployed his domain in an offensive manner to break his stance.

"[Dimensional Slash]!" shouted Scott, unleashing a rift that tore through space itself as it traveled.

Alexander’s senses picked up the threat, and he twisted his body to dodge the spatial tear by millimeters. However, losing his balance gave Stephen and the Berserker Empress the opening they needed to pounce, raining blows upon him.

The Golden Empress capitalized on the opening forged by the assault from Stephen and the Berserker Empress, raising hands enveloped in a radiance.

"Get out of the way right now! [Divine Purification Light]!" screamed the Golden Empress, launching a column of golden energy straight toward the center of the courtyard.

Stephen and the Berserker Empress leaped backward as the torrent of sacred light struck Alexander’s body.

A roar of agony echoed throughout the stronghold as the divine light began dissolving the black miasma and the shadow haze blanketing him. The parasitic connections leeching the mana from the Dark Empress and the Bloodthirsty Empress were severed, causing both to collapse unconscious onto the stone in their own pool of blood.

Alexander’s shadow armor disintegrated into fading dark sparks, and his eyes, previously blinded by gloom, regained their normal color as he dropped to his knees, gasping onto the cracked rock.

"Shit... my whole body hurts," whispered Alexander, spitting a trail of blood and staring at his trembling hands.

"You’re back, kid," said Stephen, deactivating his [Final Hunter] form as he wiped blood from his face with his arm. "For a second, I thought we’d have to break a few of your bones to make you understand."

"You almost destroyed two of our own before the real war started," said the Golden Empress, descending to the ground as medical personnel rushed over to lift the two unconscious Empresses.

"I barely remembered anything... just a hunger for power," said Alexander, standing up with Scott’s assistance.

"That proves your skill has no known limits," stated Scott, looking at him with gravity, "but if you don’t learn to master domain resonance, next time you might end up killing your own allies."

Medical personnel evacuated the Dark Empress and the Bloodthirsty Empress on stretchers toward the recovery wing, leaving the group surrounding the cracked ruins of the courtyard.

"The issue isn’t just the strength you gained," explained the Golden Empress, crossing her arms as she examined the strain on Alexander’s hands. "Your ability’s resonance doesn’t pair with compatible domains; it attempts to devour them to turn them into energy for yourself."

"You were going to liquefy them if we hadn’t stepped in," added Scott, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Your body acted like a black hole. When their auras fused with yours, you shattered the balance, and your survival instinct took control."

"I feel as if I ingested a concentrated elixir," whispered Alexander, clenching his fists as he felt the traces of foreign mana in his bloodstream. "The power was overwhelming, but my mind shut down."

"It’s normal for that to happen the first time," said Stephen, letting out a laugh while tightening the bandages on his arm. "The potion I gave you expanded your physical limits, but the amount of mana you tried to process would have blown up any ordinary Platinum Rank. Your absorption capacity is terrifying, kid."

"If you manage to master that process without losing your mind, you’ll be the ultimate counter for the Pillars," remarked Scott, gazing toward the horizon of the Poisonous Valley. "But if you lose control in the middle of a full-scale battle, you’ll destroy our troops before touching the enemy."

"I’ll learn to control it," said Alexander, meeting the Golden Empress’s gaze with determination. "It won’t happen again."

Alexander remained silent, staring at his trembling hands as the conversation continued around him. Last time, he could at least remember what happened during the fight; he felt trapped in the darkness, but he could see what was taking place. This time, he remembered nothing. If this kept going, next time he might never wake up. He didn’t tell them because he didn’t want to worry them, but inside he was terrified of the possibility that his mind would be devoured by his own body’s power.

Stephen stepped up and delivered a pat to his shoulder, noticing the rigidity in the boy’s posture.

"Take it easy, kid, you don’t need to feel bad," said Stephen, looking him in the eyes with composure. "They’ll both recover, it’s just minor injuries. If you feel guilty, just find a way to master it so you don’t hurt the others. Other than that, don’t torment yourself—everything will be fine."

Alexander nodded in silence, swallowing the dread freezing his blood as they walked back inside the stronghold while the Golden Empress watched him intently with curiosity trying to see through this mysterious young man.