Uncrowned King Revenged

Chapter 5 - Awakening the System

"I'm here," said James as he stepped out of the shadows, carrying two Uzi rifles with fully-loaded ammunition in their casings.

"Time really can change a person. Look at the coward who attacks secretly - it seems the Allfather Odin has been proven right," said Gerald.

"If you know who I am, it means you've been living as a gangster for long enough. But it's time for you to leave this meaningless life behind," said James as he raised the Uzis and pulled the trigger.

The sky decorated with the full moon radiated a brilliant light, witnessing the barrage of bullet casings fired by James. His almost silent voice was muffled by a silencer mounted on the muzzle end of an Uzi gun. The series of rifle bullets disappeared in an instant, but Gerald still stood firm and unmoved without the slightest wound.

James was stunned to see that as if he were dreaming of seeing a human who couldn't be shot by a firearm.

"Now it's my turn," said Gerald in one jump, already in front of James. He delivered a full-powered punch aimed squarely at the solar plexus.

Right before the punch landed on James' body, he managed to block it by crossing his arms. Even so, the force of the punch sent James flying a few meters back until his back hit a metal container. 

“BRAK!” The loud sound echoed throughout the area as the impact between James' body and the container reverberated. James tried his best to remain standing despite having to bend over from the pain, fresh blood pouring from his mouth due to the hard impact. He mustered up all his strength to support his body and noticed that his left arm had blackened from blocking Gerald's attack. It was clear that, although the bone hadn't broken, it had still been cracked by the force of the punch.

"Great...so great," James said in awe. "You're the first person alive and able to stand up after receiving my attack. It's not wrong that you used to occupy the top of the underworld and earned the title of the strongest fighter. But now is a very different era, James. The strength you are proud of no longer has any meaning. Now look at my true strength. With the power of this aura, you don't need firearms or any sneaky tricks, and everything will submit under you."

Gerald then concentrated his aura on his right hand and continued his words. "Now is the time for you to accept your death, Allfather! Your heyday is over!"

Gerald lunged again with incredible speed, directing his fist towards James' chest. But James, who had been on the lookout, could clearly read Gerald's movements, so he quickly reacted with an unexpected counterattack.

Gerald's extraordinary speed was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Due to his incredible speed, he couldn't possibly stop his body's movements instantly. So James used this to his advantage, tripping Gerald's feet and sending him flying several meters.

"Bastard!" said Gerald, grinning. He had never expected that an ordinary human would be able to match his movements that had been strengthened by aura.

On the other side, James was completely unable to keep up with all aspects of Gerald's physical abilities, which had gone far beyond human common sense. So James concluded that the only thing that could hurt such an opponent was himself.

He tightened his resolve and launched his attack. Now the man with long shoulder-length hair and a stocky body was attacking even crazier. What James saw at this time really broke his common sense. With his own eyes, he witnessed the blue aura emitted by Gerald slowly transforming into ten swords that flew around his back.

"Okay! Let's start this fun," said Gerald.

In an instant, the swords flying on Gerald's back shot out. James tried desperately to dodge them, but the swords were too fast. Unavoidably, the aura blades sliced and pierced his body, and his blood began to flow like melting ice in the summer.

Realizing he was in a dangerous position, James tried to escape from Gerald, searching for loopholes and opportunities to finish him off. But no matter what he tried, the extreme difference in strength was too great for him to overcome, even with his genius brain. His body was torn apart as he ran to and fro, taking cover among the goods containers.

"Looks like it's time for me to end this," said Gerald. "I thank you, O King, for losing me to the city. You have relieved my boredom."

Gerald changed the shape of his aura sword into a stake. It was simpler and smaller, but there were many more of them. He strafed in all directions, leaving James with nowhere to hide.

Even with his brilliant brain, James still couldn't find a way to beat or outsmart Gerald. For the first time in his life, he felt tremendous pressure because he couldn't find the slightest chance to win. James continued to be under pressure without being able to provide any counterattack.

The situation continued to drag on until it forced James out of his hiding place. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Gerald immediately launched a final attack in the form of an aura in the form of a large sword. In a fraction of a second, the aura blade stabbed into James' chest, piercing backward until it made a hole in his body.

James lay sprawled in a pool of blood, collapsing in front of Gerald.

“Aarrghh!” groaned James, who apparently wasn't dead even though his chest had a gaping hole. His anger kept him alive, his thirst for revenge making him reject death. With all the will of his soul, James was still trying to get up to be able to avenge himself.

In a state of life and death, conscious and unconscious, James heard a voice whispering harshly, pushing into his ears. Awakening his thinning self-awareness, it made James realize again that he could not die until his revenge was avenged.

"I hear the screams of your anger, child, as beautiful as the whimpering of a sheep that has lost its mother. Therefore, I will lend you my strength," said the mysterious voice to James in a very heavy tone. James couldn't make out the shape of the figure; it was all black and dark. But from the echo of its voice, James could tell that the one speaking to him was not human but an entity of a size far beyond that of a human.

"Who are you, and where am I?" shouted James.

"One day, we shall meet," the figure replied. "But for now, if you want to live and avenge yourself, you must swallow the fire that lies before you."

Then, a black flame appeared and was accompanied by a change in the dark room to a completely white. Without any hesitation, James grabbed the flame and swallowed it all.

[Activating the Eternal Fire System]

[10%...]

[30%...]

[80%...]

[100%...]

[Activation successful. System is bound with the Host.]

[Host: James Seremion]

[Physical: 50 (Weak)]

[Mental: 60 (Weak)]

[Aura: 100 (Weak)]

[War Points: 0]

[Skills: War Points needed to unlock new Skills]

[Mission: Defeat Gerald]

[Rewards: +20 Physical, +10 Mental, +30 Aura, +1 War Point]

James saw something he had never seen before with his own eyes. Along with its appearance, he also heard a strange voice within his head.

[The system is taking temporary complete control. Berserker's emergency skill has been activated to assist a dying host.]